Science Behind Industrial Lightning Rod Protection

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Lightning rods are installed on a roof as network of interconnected rods and grounded to an appropriately designed grounding system. During a thunderstorm, as electrostatic field develops, the surface of the earth becomes charged. The lightning bolt travels through a downward leader that propagates in jumps in any direction. When the bolt approaches the ground it can hit any object. The aim of the lightning rod is to become the point of discharge of the bolt in order to achieve a controlled impact without damage. As the lightning strikes this rod, static energy is safely grounded, protecting the facility from damage.


What is the science behind a conventional lightning rod protection?

A conventional lightning rod has a blunt or sharp tip and is made out of aluminium, copper or stainless steel. They are evenly spaced on the roof of a structure to be protected. However, most lightning rods have a sharp point. The theory behind this was that a sharp point causes the largest electric field and hence is more likely to launch the attachment spark. These lightning rods gain the same potential as the surface of the earth, practically elevating the ground plane, and thus become the preferred point for a potential lightning strike. And once struck, the energy is safely passed to the ground.

Advanced DAS Protection adds Lightning Elimination to Protected Zones


It’s based on the theory of static charge dissipation, where the lightning rod protection is constructed in a way that the terminal does not respond to an approaching strike. Rather it prevents the formation of upward streamers that intercept a downward leader. Lightning Eliminators is the manufacturers of these Lightning rods to eliminate, mitigate or reduce the probability of lightning strikes within the area of protection.



DAS have a bristly appearance caused by multiple conducting points.  Under the influence of an electric field during a thunderstorm, these multiple points release charge into the air. This reduces the electric field to below lightning-collection levels. In other words, LEC's system lowers the static field in the protected area long enough for the lightning strike to terminate outside the protected area. The DAS is engineered to the specific application or site.

Lightning rod protection  is important to prevent accidents from happening.

Start protection of your facility now by contacting us. 

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