Lightning Protection Systems

Lightning strikes happen in a fraction of time, where they can transfer huge amounts of charge and high currents in a single strike. The chances for a structure to be struck by lightning increases as the height increases; thus, tall structures are more prone to lightning. Lightning looks for the path of least resistance to ground. That tall metal tower with your wind turbine on top, at least 60 feet high, and sticking out at least 30 feet over everything else in a wide area around it may very well be that easiest path. In the case of wind turbines, there are a few issues specific to their intrinsic properties and geometries such as blades, nacelle enclosures, electronics within the nacelle, and bearings. Damage to each of the components in question have different sensitivities of various modes of failure and can lead to different types of outages, such as: ·    Blades: lightning strikes can cause structural damage resulting in catastrophic failure and long-term outage. ...

The construction of large oil depots has become increasingly important, and oil storage safety also has become a hot topic. It can be seen from multiple major safety accidents that have occurred in recent years that lightning is considered one of the main causes of oil tank fires. A little carelessness may cause casualties and huge economic losses. Lightning is a natural climatic phenomenon common in our lives. We can regard them as a natural disaster with strong destructive power. The economic losses caused by lightning can reach tens of billions worldwide every year. In the past, lightning protection systems (LPS) involved sticking a metal rod into the ground. Nowadays, fuel tank lightning protection involves a three-step process: 1.        Protection of the structure 2.        Grounding/Bonding 3.        Surge Suppression We are here to understand how a fuel tank catches fire and th...

Telecommunication towers such as cellular, microwave communication, television broadcast or radio repeaters are very high structures, placed in remote isolated locations. These towers are constructed of steel and designed to be the highest structures in the surrounding area in order to supply communication with no interruptions. A telecommunication tower becomes a primary target during a lightning strike as lightning current reaches the ground by following the shortest and most conductive way.  LEC’s lightning protection system endeavors to eliminate lightning energy from the area of protection. Lightning protection for telecommunication towers In our fast paced environment, where the vast majority relies on wireless and satellite communications for everything from cell phones, to internet, radio, television, data and more, reliability has become imperative. Microwave and cell towers are the lifeline for businesses, governments and people all over the world. When one...

Since the dawn of civilization, lightning has inflicted a great deal of damage on the structures built by mankind. About 250 years ago, an effective method of protection became available when Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod . A great deal of the research done since then was regarding how to best utilize lightning rod protection to dissipate lightning at a reasonable cost. A lightning protection system functions by intercepting the direct lightning strike energy as it hits near a structure and safely diverting it to the Earth. Lightning phenomena is roughly based on the discharge of huge charge regions high in the atmosphere into the Earth. This discharge initiates high overhead and starts a rapid descent “in the general direction” of Earth with no real high resolution target. In other words, the lightning does not have a real plan when it starts to fall, but only near the end do the step leaders feel enough electric field influence to reach up and connect. This all occur...

If you operate in a region where seasonal lightning strikes are common you’ll know how critical it is that your sensitive electrical equipment features lightning protection! Lightning is produced in thunderstorms when liquid and ice particles above the freezing level collide, and build up large electrical fields in the clouds. Once these electric fields become large enough, a giant “spark” occurs between them (or between them and the ground) like static electricity, reducing the charge separation. Lightning bolts have tremendous forces of energy. A single lightning strike can have anything between 100 million to 1 billion volts. If your property or building is hit by a lightning strike, it’s easy to see how such a force of energy could cause serious damage. Since, we cannot prevent the occurrence of lightning strikes or where they occur, the next best thing is to put protections in place to prevent personal and property damage. The purpose of a lightning protection system is to control...

Ever since there has been any thought given to lightning protection the vast majority of that thought has been based on the premise that lightning is "an act of God" and as such should not , and indeed cannot, be influenced by man. By virtue of the same reasoning men were also told they could not fly, go to the moon, etc. If this premise is to form the basis of our design practice then the basis of  lightning rod protection  systems and technology will be limited by the resulting constraints and performance limitations. This principle is a remedial form of protection that treats the symptoms rather than the cause. ​ Lightning rod protection technologies are designed to provide protection to structures against physical damage from lightning strikes. Various technologies are available to shield a facility from lightning. What is a lightning rod? The lightning rod has been used for over 200 years as a conductive metal rod mounted atop a roof. They route the lightning strike away...

  Conventional   lightning protection systems   protect buildings, equipment, and people from lightning strikes by using lightning rods to attract the lightning and conduct the resulting surge current to ground via a grounding wire or the building’s steel frame. However, the associated   electromagnetic pulse   (EMP) can cause a surge current to flow through electronic devices in the building, resulting in damage to equipment. In contrast, the new Dissipation Array lightning protection system prevents lightning damage by inhibiting the lightning strikes themselves. DAS interrupts the formation of upward streamers through point discharge, a phenomenon where a well-grounded point exchanges ions between the air and the ground. Point discharge becomes more efficient when the points are connected to a low-impedance grounding system and more ions can be transferred with a greater number of points, interrupting the formation of upward stre...