{"id":12673,"date":"2026-08-11T16:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/update.phoenixcontact.com\/elr-hdc-the-safety-switch\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T07:59:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T05:59:03","slug":"elr-hdc-the-safety-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/update.phoenixcontact.com\/en\/elr-hdc-the-safety-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"ELR HDC – the Safety Switch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are solar systems, home chargers, electric cars, and battery storage systems familiar terms to you? Then you should be able to tap into the energy savings from self-generation and energy efficiency! A new, multifunctional switching device significantly simplifies in-house DC management.<\/p>\n\n

\"A<\/a>
The All Electric Society Factory is home to the company’s in-house machine building division<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Industrial direct current (DC) grids offer a way to stay one step ahead of ever-rising energy costs. Electricity generated by the company\u2019s own solar system and recovered from the motion of its own machinery is stored directly in the company\u2019s own battery storage systems and used in its own production. The widespread roadblock here is alternating current (AC). Because if a company\u2019s internal power grids operate only on AC, conversion is always necessary. And every conversion from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) and back again costs energy\u2014and thus reduces efficiency.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tobias L\u00fcke, Sascha Garzke, and editor Lutz Odewald (from left)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Phoenix Contact sees itself as a pioneer in DC technology. And it leads the way with innovative solutions. This example is called the All Electric Society Factory<\/a>, a new production facility on the Blomberg campus. The company\u2019s in-house machine building division is housed in this 18,500-square-meter facility. One of the innovative solutions is a printing press developed there, which prints information and the logo onto Phoenix Contact terminal blocks. It operates directly on direct current from the DC power grid installed in the building.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

To enable it to do so, it must be taught how to manage its energy consumption. Along with a number of other new developments, this task is handled by the innovative circuit breaker ELR HDC<\/a>. Sascha Garzke is the product manager for this multipurpose device and specializes in DC applications. He is supported by Tobias L\u00fcke, also a proven expert when it comes to DC. \u201cThe printer itself is actually a standard device,\u201d says L\u00fcke, referring to the man-sized unit housing the ELR HDC. \u201cWe took care of its power supply and made it capable of being directly powered by direct current from our in-house DC microgrid. The direct current is used to power the drives, the sensors, and the control technology for the printing process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div><\/div>\n\n

The Contracton ELR HDC was first unveiled to the public in 2024. \u201cBack then, the industry\u2019s focus on direct current wasn\u2019t quite as pronounced yet, so we were almost a little too early,\u201d says Sascha Garzke, describing the development. It took three years for the initial idea to become a finished product. The ELR HDC was so innovative that the device could not be classified under any of the existing standards. \u201cWe were the first in the world to introduce a DC switch of this kind in this performance class and with these capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

In the DC power supply of industrial DC microgrids, switching operations pose a particular challenge. While in alternating current (AC) systems an electric arc\u2014which can also occur here\u2014automatically extinguishes within ten milliseconds at the latest when the current crosses zero, in direct current (DC) systems, particularly during shutdown, a sustained electric arc develops whose destructive energy must be controlled. To make matters worse, short-circuit currents in DC microgrids rise extremely rapidly due to the network architecture. And this is exactly where the Contactron ELR HDC DC circuit breaker comes into play: modern semiconductor technology that, in combination with DC relays, switches without arcing. This ensures that the delicate switching process in direct current is performed safely and significantly extends the service life of the components involved.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Sascha Garzke explains: \u201cIn addition to simply switching currents of up to 55 A at voltages of up to 810 V, the circuit breaker also monitors the most important parameters. If the operating current exceeds the set maximum value, the ELR HDC trips with a time delay, ranging up to a very fast short-circuit trip. Thanks to the semiconductors used, this occurs in microseconds, with three different tripping procedures depending on the load size. And if an under- or overvoltage occurs at the input, the device also trips. In addition, the circuit breaker charges capacitors at the output to the input voltage, thereby preventing current spikes during turn-on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Sascha Garzke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

You can tell that this industrial engineer and energy technician is enthusiastic about \u201chis\u201d circuit breaker. Before Garzke joined Phoenix Contact five years ago, he worked for many years in the field of custom machine manufacturing. So, you might say he has a professional penchant for specialized solutions: \u201cThe Contactron ELR HDC features a digital input\/output as well as a communication interface for integration into network environments. Users can conveniently adapt the device parameters to their requirements via the network or using Phoenix Contact\u2019s clipx ENGINEER parameterization software. To do this, they connect the circuit breaker to their laptop via a USB-C interface and simply configure the device parameters according to their application. Users can also collect operating data via the communication interface.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tobias L\u00fcke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

DC expert Tobias L\u00fcke outlines the context in which the ELC HDR is intended for use: \u201cOriginally, the impetus for its development came from the automotive industry, where our combined unit was also extensively tested. But now we\u2019re receiving inquiries from sectors such as building services engineering, factory automation, and charging infrastructure, among others. Data centers are also a major focus due to their requirement for extremely high availability, which must be guaranteed.\u201d Garzke adds: \u201cWe\u2019re active wherever direct current is to be used. Power-to-X, for example, is a major field, because the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen can only be achieved with direct current. And many customers are now approaching us with applications that present entirely new requirements, such as much higher power levels. That\u2019s where we\u2019re already reaching the limits of the Low Voltage Directive\u2014that\u2019s where medium voltage comes into play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
DC Experts: Sascha Garzke and Tobias L\u00fcke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The two experts are in complete agreement: \u201cDirect current dominates virtually all applications in everyday life – whether commercial or residential. This fact, combined with the much simpler use of renewable energy sources and higher efficiency, makes DC technology a key driver for the energy supply of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Efficiency meets sustainable safety. Or as Sascha Garzke sums it up with a smile: \u201cProtect, monitor, control, and communicate in DC networks. All with a single device. That\u2019s how it should be!\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Phoenix Contact Contracton ELR HDC<\/a>
Phoenix Contact Arc Zero – die Lichtbogenb\u00e4ndiger<\/a>
Phoenix Contact Gleichstromnetze<\/a><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are solar systems, home chargers, electric cars, and battery storage systems familiar terms to you? Then you should be able to tap into the energy savings from self-generation and energy efficiency! A new, multifunctional switching device significantly simplifies in-house DC management. The All Electric Society Factory is home to the company’s in-house machine building division …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[2122],"tags":[2152,1675,2384,2385],"class_list":["post-12673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-direct-current","tag-all-electric-society-factory-en","tag-direct-current-en","tag-elr-hdc-en","tag-tobias-lueke-en"],"yoast_head":"\nELR HDC - the Safety Switch - UPDATE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ELR HDC reed switch from Phoenix Contact combines switching, protection, monitoring, and communication in DC microgrids for greater efficiency and safety.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/update.phoenixcontact.com\/en\/elr-hdc-the-safety-switch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ELR HDC - 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