Lightning, with its intense electrical energy, is a potent force of nature. The moment a lightning bolt strikes, it can bring about catastrophic damage. It’s not just about the visible flash or the deafening thunderclap; the risks associated with lightning extend far beyond the initial shock. Lightning strikes can cause fires, damage structures, disrupt electrical systems, and harm lives. Every flash of lightning is potentially carrying millions of volts of electricity. Contrary to popular belief, lightning can strike anywhere repeatedly; it doesn’t always strike tall buildings and can even strike up to 80 kilometers away from the point of impact. That’s where lightning protection comes into play as a guardian against these potentially devastating effects. An outdoor lightning protection installation is designed to protect critical structures, equipment, and facilities against lightning's direct and indirect effects. The main components are:
This lightning protection system by LEC is called a Charge Transfer System. It’s intended to prevent lightning strikes within a protected zone or area. The CTS collects the induced charge developed by thunderstorm clouds from a designated protected area of the earth and transfers this charge through the ionizer into the surrounding air.
Some lightning protection system that functions as CTS are:
Protect your assets, ensure your operations continue uninterrupted, and safeguard the lives within your structure. Connect with Lightning Eliminators & Consultant Inc. today to explore how we can tailor a lightning protection solution to your specific needs, bringing you unparalleled protection.
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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. 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! Lightning strikes are an everyday occurrence on planet Earth: on average, lightning strikes occur 100 times every second throughout the world. Even though approximately 80% of those strikes are intra-cloud or cloud-to-cloud, i.e. lightning within the same cloud or between different clouds, they can still pose a risk to airborne objects, such as aircraft. That is why aircraft lightning protection is critical. It doesn’t matter if the aircraft is on the ground or in the air. Lightning typically strikes through one of four external places:
How are aircraft protected? A combination of lightning protection systems make aircraft very well, though not completely protected from lightning. The Main protection systems include:
Why don’t most people know when lightning strikes their plane while in the air?
The way an aircraft tries to dissipate step leaders is through something called a "static wick". A static wick is a piece of metal connected electrically to the frame of the aircraft, with spikes or needles on the end. It is housed in a fiberglass rod to insulate it from the airplane. Because the spikes concentrate the electric charge around them, and they are connected to the airframe, they allow the airplane to dissipate any static electricity it may build up out into the air. If lightning does strike the plane, the electricity will go through the dissipater and not through the airplane using the same principle as the LEC Dissipation Array System. Lightning poses a serious threat to aircraft, and they must be protected. Lightning Eliminators & Consultants (LEC) provides integrated lightning protection and lightning prevention products, solutions and services. Our solutions utilize innovative patented charge transfer technology, grounding systems and surge protection design. LEC has successfully installed and maintained lightning protection systems (LPS) in over 60 countries and throughout the United States for over 50 years. Lightning events are on a rise and are predicted to strike with more frequency, more often and more forcefully all over the world. Offshore drilling companies are not immune to the potentially devastating effects. As a common misconception, offshore rigs are thought to be grounded to the ocean, therefore not in danger from lightning. Even though lightning is less likely to strike over the open and deep water, the risk affecting a rig or platform is still great – and growing. However, the truth is that the environment and even the design of the facility itself may lead to a compromise in bonding with rust and oil deposits that impede the energy’s path to ground. This leaves the advanced electrical and electronic systems and personnel susceptible to severe damage from direct strikes and from the dangerous secondary surge effects from lightning. Due to increased instances of bad weather, many companies are turning to Lightning Eliminators & Consultants (LEC) for the solution. Solution Attracting lightning is not ideal for facilities that have flammables and other sensitive materials, were using an attractor carries the risk of ignition or damage to electronic systems. Fortunately, there is an alternative – Lightning Eliminator’s dissipation array system (DAS), working on charge transfer technology to prevent direct lightning strikes within the protected area. The DAS system is usually installed on the top of a structure to be protected. This technology is based on producing positive space charges in the region around the DAS which reduces near-surface, electric field strength to levels below which lightning streamer formation is likely. With no streamer formation, the likelihood of a lightning strike is eliminated. Example:
Brown Ferry Nuclear Plant’s historical strike data (with traditional lightning protection system in place) showed that lightning was repeatedly striking the off-gas stack and equipment on the stack and around its base was routinely damaged. Post DAS installation, the data for the strike showed that although lightning frequency increased nearly 65% around the stack, in the three years after DAS implementation an 80% reduction in lightning strikes was realized within the protected area. Protecting a vessel from lightning strikes also protects the systems that would otherwise have lost a considerable part of their life span. With the uncertainty of the world economy, many companies like Transocean, Chevron, Texaco, and ExxonMobil look to LEC for its cost-effective lightning protection as a way to extend the lives of older vessels and become more risk averse with new constructions. A direct lightning strike can be a tremendous loss, costing millions of dollars. Mostly these strikes occur on or near residence, causing havoc on the home’s electrical system, appliances, and electronics. Fortunately, there are ways to help safeguard your property, family and yourself from lightning damage. Facts
The safest place to be during a lightning strike is your office or home. Still, some precautions needs to be taken to prevent any lightning damage. Try to stay away from anything that conducts electricity such as:
Invest Investing in the right lightning protection system is the best way to protect everyone from lightning damage. These systems create a pathway for lightning bolts to ground itself. Without a designated path; electrical wirings, metal plumbing pipes and even the metal gas system lines become potential pathways, thus causing damage to every device connected. A tailored system specifically for the home can safely guide the strike to the ground without harming anyone or anything. Surge Lightning strikes near power lines can cause huge power surges, thus a surge protection device should be installed in conjunction with a lightning protection system. These SPDs (point of use Surge Protection Device) do not suppress or arrest a surge; they divert it to the ground. This provides an extra layer of protection to your electrical and electronic appliances. Take action Lightning damage can cause irreparable damage. Take immediate action of getting your exterior and home systems checked and then installing the correct lightning protection device. Lightning Eliminators & Consultants Inc., are pioneers in this field since decades. Their name is synonymous with international standard protection and no strike warranty.
Did you know lightning causes more than $5 billion property damages each year? Lightning is a dangerous natural process. It is one of the leading cause of weather related deaths worldwide. A thunderstorm produced by lightning and thunder together can cause considerable damage. You can protect your business and home from lightning strikes by installing an effective and adequate lightning protection system. In an outdated lightning protection system, electrical charge is diverted to a less damaging path to ground and is stored through electrical rods. This old method can cause considerable damage to electrical appliance, downtime and loss of product to companies. The team of Lightning Eliminators came up with the latest technology of Charge Transfer System (CTS). It is a system planned to avoid a lightning strike from occurring within a protected zone or area. You must be wondering how this state of the art patented technology by Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc. (LEC) works? Let us find out a basic layout of a lightning protection system. The Charge Transfer System (CTS) ismostly consists of these assemblies:
For the best Lightning protection solutions choose Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc. (LEC). Their expert team has patented charge transfer technology, providing comprehensive and integral lightning protection consulting, assessment and design for over 40 years in more than 90 countries.
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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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