Glossary of Terms - V

Valve Arrester - An arrester that includes one or more valve elements.

Valve Element - A resistor that, because of its nonlinear current/voltage characteristics, limits the voltage across the arrester terminals during the flow of discharge current and contributes to the limitation of follow current at normal power frequency voltage.

VariGAP® - CPS's registered tradename for an arrester design which combines a silicon-carbide ring/gap structure with a gapless MOV disk structure.

VaiSTAR® - CPS's registered tradename for an arrester design using ungapped metal-oxide varistor technology.

Varistor - A two-electrode semiconductor device with a voltage dependent on nonlinear resistance that drops markedly as the applied voltage is increased.

Vent - An intentional opening for the escape of gasses to the outside.

Volt (V) - The unit of measure for voltage.

Volt-Amperes (VA) - The current flowing in a circuit multiplied by the voltage of that circuit. An expression of the output rating of a transformer.

Voltage - Electric pressure; the force which causes current to flow through an electrical conductor.

Voltage Regulation - For a transformer, the change in secondary voltage which occurs when the load is reduced from rated value to zero, with the values of all other quantities remaining unchanged. The regulation may be expressed in percent (or per unit) on the basis of the rated secondary voltage at full load.

Voltage Regulator - An electrical device on an electric system that keeps voltage which is supplied to customers at a constant level, usually around 120 volts, regardless of load fluctuations.

Glossary Index