Overvoltage protection spark gap assembly and method for operating an overvoltage protection spark gap assembly

Overvoltage protection spark gap assembly, having:

• a first overvoltage protection spark gap (1;
• 101;
• 111) which has a first main terminal (1a;
• 101a;
• 111a) and a second main terminal (1b;
• 101b;
• 111b), and a second overvoltage protection spark gap (1′;
• 1″;
• 1″;
• 1″ ″) which has a third main terminal (1a′;
• 1a″;
• 1a″;
• 1a″ ″) and a fourth main terminal (1b′;
• 1b″;
• 1b″;
• 1b″ ″);
• wherein the first main terminal (1a;
• 101a;
• 111a) is connectable to a first voltage line (S1) of a supply network via a first terminal contact (A1) and the fourth main terminal (1b′;
• 1b″;
• 1b′″;
• 1b″ ″) is connectable to a second voltage line (S2) of the supply network via a second terminal contact (A2);
• wherein the second main terminal (1b;
• 101b;
• 111b) and the third main terminal (1a′;
• 1a″;
• 1a′″;
• 1a″ ″) are electrically connected to one another such that the first overvoltage protection spark gap (1;
• 101;
• 111) and the second overvoltage protection spark gap (1′;
• 1″;
• 1″ “;
• 1” ″) are connected in series;
• wherein the first overvoltage protection spark gap (1;
• 101;
• 111) has a first electrically conductive probe device (K2;
• K21;
• K22) which is introduced into, or in the vicinity of, a wear part (38;
• 102;
• 38a) of the first overvoltage protection spark gap (1;
• 101;
• 111) such that, in the event of a specific degree of wear, the first electrically conductive probe device (K2;
• K21;
• K22) comes electrically into contact with an arc (41) in the first overvoltage protection spark gap (1;
• 101;
• 111), and wherein the second overvoltage protection spark gap (1′;
• 1″;
• 1″;
• 1″ ″) has a second electrically conductive probe device (33;
• K20;
• K220) which comes electrically into contact with an arc in the second overvoltage protection spark gap (1′;
• 1″;
• 1′″;
• 1″ ″);
• wherein the first electrically conductive probe device (K2;
• K21;
• K22) and the second electrically conductive probe device (33;
• K20;
• K220) are electrically connected to one another via an activation device (28;
• 4″) which is designed to detect a flow of current or a corresponding portion of the flow of current in the current path (IV) between the first electrically conductive probe device (K2;
• K21;
• K22) and the second electrically conductive probe device (33;
• K20;
• K220);
• a disconnecting device (A;
• 7, 8, 11, 12;
• A′;
• MS) for disconnecting the first terminal contact (A1) from the first main terminal (1a;
• 101a;
• 111a) and/or for disconnecting the second terminal contact (A2) from the fourth main terminal (1b′;
• 1b″;
• 1b″;
• 1b″ ″);
• wherein the activation device (28;
• 4″) is configured such that it outputs an activation signal(S) in order to activate the disconnecting device (A;
• 7, 8, 11, 12) if the detected flow of current or the corresponding portion of the flow of current satisfies a specified criterion.