LEV200H5ANA - News Details

LEV200H5ANA: A Sealed Contactor Solution for High-Reliability, High-Current DC Applications

1. One-Sentence Description

LEV200H5ANA is a high-performance, sealed single-pole single-throw normally open (SPST-NO-DM, Form X) DC contactor in the KILOVAC LEV200 series, specifically designed for demanding high-voltage, high-current DC application environments, providing excellent reliability and safety.

2. Features

Hermetic Design: Adopts a fully sealed structure (Hermetically Sealed), completely isolating internal components from the external environment, fundamentally eliminating oxidation and contamination issues. It can work stably for a long time even in extremely harsh environments such as explosive and corrosive ones, including after long periods of inactivity.
High Cost-Effectiveness: Designed to be one of the lowest-cost solutions in the industry among sealed contactors with its current rating (over 500A current-carrying capacity).
Flexible Installation: Offers bottom or side mounting options, with no restriction on installation position (Not Position Sensitive), providing greater freedom for system design.
Status Monitoring: Optional auxiliary contact (1 Form A) for easy monitoring of the open/close status of the main contacts.
Convenient Connection: Versatile coil and main power connection methods (Versatile coil/power connections) for easy wiring.
Compliance with Standards: Designed and manufactured in accordance with the AIAG QS9000 standard and compliant with the RoHS environmental directive.

3. Core Technical Indicators

Main Contact Specification: 1 Form X (SPST-NO-DM).
Voltage Range: Rated operating voltage covers 12V to 900V DC.
Current-Carrying Capacity: Typical continuous current is 500A (ambient temperature 65°C, using 400mm² conductor). For higher currents (above 500A), consult TE to select the appropriate conductor.
Breaking Capacity:
- At 320VDC, the breaking current is up to 2000A (1 operating cycle).
- Breaking capacity at other voltages can refer to the "Make/Break Current" chart in the specification.
Contact Resistance: Typically as low as 0.2 milliohms (@200A).
Electrical Life: Specific life data refers to the "Load Life" chart in the specification.
Mechanical Life: Up to 1 million operations.
Operating Time:
- Closing (including bounce): Typical value 25ms.
- Post-closing bounce: Maximum 7ms.
- Release (including arcing): Maximum 12ms at 2000A.
Insulation Performance:
- Dielectric Withstand Voltage: 2200 Vrms (sea level, leakage current <1mA).
- Insulation Resistance: @500VDC ≥ 100 megaohms.
Auxiliary Contact (Optional):
- Specification: 1 Form A (SPST-NO).
- Maximum Current: 2A @ 30VDC / 3A @ 125VAC.
- Minimum Current: 100mA @ 8V.
- Contact Resistance: Maximum 0.417 ohms @ 30VDC / 0.150 ohms @ 125VAC.

4. The Story Behind the Product

Although LEV200H5ANA itself is an electromechanical component (contactor) rather than a chip, its birth reflects TE Connectivity's innovation in responding to the growing demand for high-voltage DC markets. With the surge in demand for high-voltage (up to 900VDC), high-current (continuous 500A+, breaking 2000A) switches in fields such as new energy (e.g., electric vehicles, energy storage systems) and industrial automation, traditional contactors are difficult to meet the requirements in terms of sealing, reliability, cost, and performance. The KILOVAC LEV200 series, especially models like LEV200H5ANA, is TE's concentration of its profound accumulation in the field of high-reliability sealing technology, aiming to provide a core switching component with excellent performance and cost competitiveness for these critical applications.

5. Design Concept

The core design concept of LEV200H5ANA is "to provide reliable, safe and economical power control in harsh environments". Its design revolves around the following key points:

Absolutely Reliable: The fully sealed structure ensures that internal contacts and coils work maintenance-free for a long time in harsh environments (such as humidity, salt spray, dust, explosive gases), avoiding failures caused by contamination or oxidation.
Safety First: High dielectric withstand voltage and insulation resistance ensure operational safety, meeting strict electrical safety standards.
Strong Performance: Provides industry-leading combination of current-carrying and breaking capacity to meet the core needs of high-power DC applications.
Cost Optimization: On the premise of ensuring high performance and high reliability, through design and manufacturing optimization, it strives to be the lowest-cost option among sealed contactors of the same level.
Flexible and Easy to Use: Offers multiple installation methods and connection options to simplify system integration.

6. Application Scenarios

With its high performance and sealing characteristics, LEV200H5ANA is widely used in fields requiring highly reliable DC switches:

Battery switching and backup systems: Such as main battery contactors for electric vehicles, connection and isolation of battery strings/clusters in energy storage systems.
DC power control: Large-scale DC power distribution, switching and protection.
Circuit protection and safety isolation: Used as a safety disconnect device for the main circuit, for overcurrent protection or emergency power off.
Industrial equipment: High-power DC motor control, electroplating power supplies, welding equipment, etc.
Renewable energy: DC side switches in solar inverters and wind power converters.
Special vehicles and equipment: Mining vehicles, forklifts, aerospace equipment, etc.

7. Unique Advantages

The core unique advantage of LEV200H5ANA is that "it achieves the perfect balance of industry-leading cost-effectiveness, high performance and high reliability among sealed contactors with a current-carrying capacity of over 500A". It successfully combines key features such as high current carrying (500A+), ultra-high current breaking (2000A@320VDC), and full environmental sealing protection (suitable for explosive environments), while significantly reducing costs through design optimization, providing a highly attractive option for applications requiring such high-performance switches.

8. Essential Knowledge for Engineers in Selection

Engineers must pay attention to the following points when selecting LEV200H5ANA:

Conductor Requirements: The 500A current-carrying capacity in the specification is based on a 65°C environment and 400mm² conductor. If it is necessary to continuously carry more than 500A current, consult TE to determine the required conductor specifications and heat dissipation方案. Ignoring this may lead to overheating failure.
Relationship Between Breaking Capacity and Voltage: Its strong 2000A breaking capacity is only guaranteed at 320VDC. The breaking capacity at other voltages (especially higher voltages) will decrease significantly, and the selection must strictly refer to the "Make/Break Current" chart in the specification. Over-specification use will cause severe ablation or even welding of the contacts.
Necessity of Auxiliary Contacts: In applications where monitoring the state of the main contacts is crucial (such as safety circuits), be sure to select the auxiliary contact (1 Form A).
Sealing Verification: Although designed to be sealed, in extremely harsh or safety-related applications, it is necessary to confirm whether its sealing level meets specific environmental requirements (such as IP rating, explosion-proof certification, etc.).
Consideration of Operating Time: Pay attention to its closing and release times (especially including arcing time) to ensure it meets the system's requirements for switching speed.
Technical Support: Make full use of the application support provided by TE (Phone: 800-253-4560 ext. 2055 or 805-220-2055) to obtain selection guidance and technical confirmation for specific applications.