Lightning Arrester
A Lightning protection system offers a low resistance path to “lightning strike” upto ground where The enormous energy is then safety dispersed. There are two type of lightning protection system.
1) Active / ESE Lightning Protection system having Protection Radius 107 mtr.2) Passive / Conventional Lightning Protection System having Protection Radius 10 mtr
To Under stand the difference between active and passive protection we should understand the previous lightning strike formation process.
When it’s produced an electrical storm, it’s generated mostly in the bottom of the cloud an electric field with negative charge. At the same time, it appears a positive charge on the ground below the storm. When the electrostatic field is less than 8 kV / m, an insulator, but when it is equal to or greater can generate an electric arc (lighnting).
What is a Conventional / Passive Rods System ..?
Simple rods or Franklin rods don’t perform a special action during thunderstorm, the
protection of these rods is based on its position, morphology, materials and physical reaction
that is performed due to the electrostatic field.
The positive charge rises from the ground through the grounding system to the tip of the
lightning rod, which when being placed in a dominant height connecting ground to the tip of
the lightning rod, which it is placed in a dominant height, becomes in a favorable point to the
lightning strike in other part of the installation.
The air terminals can reinforce the protection by a mesh. The mesh is a grounded metal
network covering the entire building. When lightning strikes on it, the current discharge is
distributed throughout the network, reducing the damages that it can cause to the facilities.
What is an ESE / Active lightning rod system ..?
An ESE lightning rod with an Early Streamer Emission system has a target anticipate it to the
lightning strike, in order protect all the rest of the area. The Operating principle is same as the
simple rod, an additional ionization system getting cover a greater protection radius.
Creates an upward leader further away to the extra ionization of the ESE lightning rod, which is
activated by the electromagnetic field produced by the storm. The ESE attracts the lightning to its
tip, then the down-conductors conduct the current discharge to the grounding system getting
cover a greater protection radius.
This ionization, allows to the active protection, to have a greater protection radius. With this
methodology we managed to cover not only the structure but also its surroundings or open areas.
Advantage of ESE / Active lightning rod system ..?
The difference between these systems is the activity carried out during the storm. As explained
in the above points, the main and important difference is the protection radius of each external lightning protection.
This difference allows us to specify its advantages :
1.The active system has a bigger protection radius: it can be more than twice the
protection radius of a simple lightning rod, depending on the models.
2).The active protection system is the most inexpensive: In cases where it is necessary
to cover a huge area, may be more expensive to install a large number of franklin
rods installation that only one ESE.
3).Reduced visual impact: Needing fewer elements, aesthetics of the structure or
protected area will be less affected.
4). Active protection not only protects the structure, also protect surrounding and
open area.