Lightning arresters and fuses are installed on distribution circuits to minimize __.

• A. conductor size
• B. customer outages
• C. circulating current
• D. fuse coordination

Answer: (B)

Lightning arresters and fuses work together to limit the impact of faults and surges on the distribution system, keeping service available to as many customers as possible. Lightning arresters clamp high-voltage spikes from lightning or switching transients and route the excess energy to ground, protecting equipment from damage. Fuses, on the other hand, act quickly to interrupt fault currents and isolate the faulty section of the line so the rest of the circuit remains energized. By suppressing surges and quickly clearing faults, outages stay confined to smaller areas and for shorter durations, which is why the goal is to minimize customer outages. Conductor size is determined by how much current the line must carry in normal operation, not by these protection devices, and circulating current is the normal current flow that isn’t the purpose of the arresters and fuses. Fuse coordination is related to protection timing, but the primary aim here is reducing outages by containing faults and surges.