As solar heat warms the ground, air currents rise to form cumulonimbus clouds, so-called thunderclouds. At altitudes above 5 km, the air temperature is below freezing, so atmospheric moisture turns into tiny ice particles. Collisions between these particles generate friction charges, so the upper part of the cloud has a positive charge, and the lower part has a negative charge, eventually resulting in an electrical discharge. When the discharge occurs within a cloud or clouds, it’s called cloud-to-cloud lightning. The phenomenon of a discharge powerfully striking the ground is a lightning strike. Types of lightning damage:
Therefore, understanding the factors influencing lightning to reduce lightning damage is fundamental. Good LPS aims to minimize the faults caused by lightning strikes. Controlling lightning damage
We have three individual product lines that can be integrated together for a comprehensive lightning protection system.
The traditional lightning protection system focuses on storing the lightning charge instead of eliminating it. This outdated system can cause massive damage to structures and property loss. A state-of-the-art lightning protection technology is the charge transfer system (CTS). It’s based on physics and engineering principles and is intended to prevent a lightning strike from occurring within a protected zone. Lightning Eliminators is a one-stop shop for lightning safety products. Connect with us.
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Surge protection refers to protecting systems and electrical devices against excessively high voltage peaks caused by switching operations and lightning strikes. An effective lightning protection strategy combines internal and external lightning protection. To protect your system's power supplies, data, and signals, use the reliable lightning surge protection solutions available in our various product ranges as part of your internal lightning protection strategy. Lightning surge protection devices limit the magnitude of overvoltage transients to prevent equipment damage. While the cause and prevention of surges have been known for some time, the proliferation of semiconductor devices in recent years has made SPDs a necessity in industrial facilities. A surge protection device functions in three ways:
Lightning Surge protection devices should ensure that surge voltages cannot cause damage to installations, equipment, or end devices. An SPD system is understood to be a multi-level system of lightning surge protective devices that are coordinated with each other. The following steps are recommended in order to achieve a high-performance SPD system:
Connect with our lighting specialist today! From the earliest of human civilizations to the present day, we have been captivated by the dazzling display of lightning in the sky. This subject has been steeped in myth, fiction, and imagination since ancient times. However, the groundbreaking kite-flying experiment of Ben Franklin revealed that lightning is essentially electricity stored in a Leyden jar. He recommended using lightning rods as a means of gathering and controlling the overwhelming and destructive force of lightning. In 1971, Roy B. Carpenter, Jr. revolutionized the field of lightning protection with the introduction of the multipoint discharge system. This highly functional system utilizes the charge transfer system (CTS) or charge transfer air terminal to prevent lightning strikes from occurring within a designated protected zone or area. The CTS gathers the induced charge developed by thunderstorm clouds from a predetermined protected area of the earth and transfers this charge through the ionizer into the surrounding air. This transfer process, in which a sharp point is immersed in an electrostatic field to transfer charge from the ionizer into the air, is referred to as point discharge. The resulting ionized air molecules form a mixture of charged and uncharged molecules known as space charge, which serves as a shield between the storm cell and the site. This space charge causes a difference in electrical potential between the protected site and the storm clouds, thereby delaying the formation of an upward streamer from the protected site and preventing direct strikes.
With LEC's unique combination of skilled consultants, engineers, and integrated services, you can trust our expert advice backed by over 50 years of experience. Our services have provided lightning protection, grounding, and surge protection solutions to various industries, with over 35,000 system years of successful in-field operations. Our proprietary approach to risk reduction provides greater lightning safety, savings, and efficiency. The specific services required will depend on your company's lightning safety requirements and can range from a technical review to a comprehensive site survey. A LEC sales associate can help you determine your needs. LEC lightning protection is the wise choice for reducing the risk of critical system failure. Losing critical computer data to a lightning strike or experiencing damage to process or medical equipment due to a lightning strike are just two examples of how voltage transients or surge problems can affect your business. There are two major ways to protect your equipment from voltage transients. First, you can permanently install a device either before or after your electric meter—that is, at the point of entry. Second, you can install protection at the point of use, where sensitive pieces of equipment connect to electrical outlets. A combination of point-of-entry and point-of-use devices will provide the greatest level of protection. It’s called Surge protection devices. Why do we need Lightning surge protection devices?
What are the benefits of Lightning surge protection devices?
Our clear, singular vision defines our journey – to provide comprehensive lightning surge protection devices and solutions, focusing on the needs of the industry, fulfilling and exceeding their expectations. A single lightning strike can be a disaster for a business or community if it disrupts mission critical operations. Fortunately, lightning related disruptions and damage can be prevented by using technologies now available. A properly designed and integrated system of low resistance/low impedance facility grounding, potential equalization, and SPDs can effectively protect today’s digital systems, while a structural lightning rod protection system protects the building that houses them. If you own a commercial property, here are 2 major reasons why you should think about lightning rod protection:
We boast of a very efficient workforce. Our personnel are responsible for installing all types of lightning rod protection and surge protection systems. We have all resources, materials, and the latest plant, machinery, and vehicle to work on any size project – large scale to a remote mountaintop. Our work progress and quality of workmanship are monitored regularly through various control and testing systems. Any time of the year in almost every country you can find LEC engineering and installation teams on the road traveling to customer sites for site surveys, installations and maintenance services.
Each year a multitude of electric power facilities are knocked off-line due to lightning. Not only are there primary effects of a lightning strike (like fire) but secondary effects, such as transient surges and overvoltage, as well. Each time a bolt hits, the electrical current is carried through to ground, the ground potential rise (GPR) and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) can be coupled or transferred through the wires and into the equipment and sensitive electronics of the facility. If not immediately destroyed, every time this happens, degradation occurs and the life of that item is shortened. So why would you want to collect a strike into the ground by using a Franklin Rod? Many companies have found that traditional lightning protection design systems tend to create more issues than solutions and have opted to implement a solution based on charge transfer technology. DAS uses “charge transfer” technology, which prevents the termination of lightning within the area of desired protection altogether. The technology is so effective, the DAS has over a 99% success rate and is the only lightning protection product to offer a full no-strike warranty.
LEC’s Lightning protection design system performs an important and imperative function in the energy and electric power sectors helping companies avoid the downtime and restoration costs that come with outages. We recommend not only including lightning protection design systems but to implement a full and extensive lightning risk mitigation plan. This begins with risk assessment, testing, and a customized design unique to the facility, followed by proper installation, and ongoing maintenance and inspection. This approach can save energy providers and their customers millions of dollars in the long run. Lightning Eliminators has provided critical solutions for numerous electric power facilities over the past 50 plus years, such as:
It’s important for electric power companies to have a lightning protection design system, and to create a thorough and comprehensive solution which combines lightning protection, with grounding engineering, as well as appropriate surge solutions. If you are interested in additional information please contact us. Lightning Eliminators & Consultants Inc., are your lightning protection design system and solution partner. If you are concerned about lightning striking your high-value or critical assets, then you’re in the right place. A fundamental requirement of our design process is understanding the risks posed for your specific environment and assets. Our approach is to take risk off the table for you and your high-value critical assets. Also, as part of the process, reduce the solution complexity into an easy-to-understand plan/design or strategy. Lightning protection design is prevention Not all applications can take a preventive solution. In an out-dated lightning protection system, electrical charge is diverted to a less damaging path to ground and is equalised through grounding rods. This mature methodology can cause considerable damage to electrical appliance, downtime and loss of product to companies. Meet the DAS (Dissipation Array System). The charge transfer lightning protection design system whose function is to employ basic fundamentals of an LPS along with modified air terminals designed to reduce the incidence of direct strikes to structures being protected.
Dissipation Array System work by dissipating static charge. The radius of the electrode enables dissipation of static ground charge to the atmosphere and it is related to electric field intensity (and flux density) surrounding the electrode. This patented lightning protection design system provides a low resistance route for static ground charge to reach the atmosphere, thus preventing a build-up of the ground charge to the value necessary to trigger a strike. The DAS design offers maximum mounting flexibility, is adaptable to any existing structure, takes advantage of existing grounding and bonding, and doesn’t preclude any utility application of structure space. In our 5 decades of experience and that of our customers, DAS has proven to be a cost-effective means of reducing expenditures for damage due to lightning. A proper lightning protection design, construction and installed system can help save money. But, however effective DAS may be, it should be remembered that installation of this design system is not a stand-alone solution. It is one in a long line of products for full spectrum lightning, transient and static protection. This is the most exciting concept to come out of the lightning protection sector for centuries, ask for a lightning protection design concept for your facility today. Tank farms are made up of tanks of different sizes with a total capacity of thousands of cubic metres for storing crude oil and other liquid substances. Once they are burning, they are extremely difficult to extinguish and can do immense damage to facilities, property and surrounding tanks. If a lightning strike or surge causes a tank to catch fire, the consequences at the tank farm are dire. People in the vicinity risk life and limb, the environment is polluted and the economic damage is incalculably high. To mitigate this risk, a tank battery lightning protection system from LEC can be installed outside the boundaries of the flammable gasses and still protect the structures. Due to the suspected area covered by the volatile plume of gasses, this would be a challenging task with Franklin rod systems. An alternate solution is to use a type of specially designed lightning protection system. Below is one of the products that LEC uses when creating the best custom solution for tank battery fires.
In-Tank Potential Equalizer (IPE) The IPE is made specifically for non-metal and lined tanks and meets the API – 2003 standard. When the IPE is inserted into a tank and externally grounded, it will discharge any static electricity within the tank’s contents and also keep the potential of the tank’s contents equal to ground potential. In addition, connecting the IPE to an external ground will create a partial Faraday cage, thus further limiting the electric field strength within the tank. The effects of the IPE will minimize the possibility of electrical discharge and vapour ignition within the tank.
Feel free to discuss with our sales representative at Lightning Eliminators. We will guide you through the process and determine the type of tank battery lightning protection that is required. Lightning can occur during most storms, which means lightning is a threat everywhere. When it occurs, it can cause significant damage to your business operations, valuable assets, and critical electronics. There are 7 types of lightning damage that your facility can experience: FIRES Fire can start anywhere the lightning channel contacts flammable material. These can include oil and gas tanks, pipes, wood, paper, etc. If lightning follows electrical wiring, it often times overheats, causing a fire hazard. POWER SURGES Lightning damage is caused by the electrical surge that is produced by the strike. Although not always immediately known, lightning can cause catastrophic damage to appliances, electronics, computers and equipment, phone systems, electrical fixtures, and the electrical infrastructure of your business. ROOF DAMAGE
A direct bolt of lightning hitting your roof can cause severe structural damage, punctured shingles, and even electrical fires. Strong lightning bolts can cause your roof to crack down the middle. It can also damage your gutters, shingles, and the eaves of your facility. DAMAGED ELECTRONICS Lightning typically damages electronics in one of two ways. The first is a direct lightning strike to the facility. And second through a nearby lightning strike that enter the facility through wires or pipes. The energy from a nearby lightning strike can travel through communication wires (such as phone, internet, or cable wires), directly from a utility pole into the electrical panel, or through conductive metal (such as plumbing or metal bars in the foundation). SHOCK WAVES Lightning can damage brick, concrete, and stone with its shock waves. It can also damage your walls and windows or even crack your foundation, compromising the structural integrity of your entire structure. BURST PIPES When the lightning hits near or directly at your location it sends a jolt through your facility and usually leaves your pipes with multiple pinholes sometimes in the slab or sometimes in the wall, that requires extensive repairs. INJURY, BURNS & EVEN DEATH If you are exposed to a lightning strike, you can suffer from injuries that have a range of severity. From shocks and minor burns to even death, you can be drastically impacted when you are struck by lightning. Lightning damage, while rare due to increased public education and prevention measures, can present with unexpected expenses, downtime and sometimes even personal injuries or death. Get your facility protected with Lightning Eliminator’s lightning protection system and solutions. A lightning strike is a natural event which significantly affects all outdoor activities and can pose a risk if the right preventive measures are not considered. For many of us fun begins with baseball games, football games, soccer games, lacrosse matches, theme parks, concerts and a myriad of venues which have all experienced lightning strikes while fans, as well as players, performers, operations and media have stood by helplessly… each event is at the mercy of Mother Nature. The National Institute of Lightning Safety of USA (NLSI) insists that the meteorological phenomenon which affects outdoor sports events the most is the lightning strike. Structures where lightning strikes can easily occur or can have serious consequences due to their location; permanently effective lightning protection system must be installed. This is where our Dissipation Array System (DAS) comes in picture.
Lightning is an electric discharge that attempts to equalize voltage between storm clouds and the earth. The difference in polarity between the bottom of the cloud and the ground is the charge differential. When this charge differential is high, the cloud begins to form downward leaders, and objects on the ground begin to form upward streamers. A leader then connects with a streamer, giving lightning the path it needs to exchange charge between the earth and the cloud, thus discharging itself. DAS interrupts the formation of these upward streamers through Point Discharge, a phenomenon where a well-grounded point exchanges ions between the air and the ground. LEC’s DAS technology was introduced in 1971. Since then, over 3,000 systems have been implemented worldwide, accruing over 40,000 system years. DAS has maintained a success rate of over 99%. When lightning threatens a building or facility, the game or event itself is usually postponed, but it is often difficult to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of spectators. Although stadiums may employ a general evacuation plan, complete evacuation is often counterproductive for efficient lightning safety. Get a lightning protection system from LEC! |
AuthorLightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc. (LEC) serves its clients by installing and maintaining lightning protection systems (LPS), and prevention solutions. Equipped with over four decades of experience, LEC has provided successful support to over 90 countries and throughout the United States. Archives
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