Electrical Lightning Protection System Design

The materials used for the lps components.

Electrical lightning protection system design.

While the design of the mast incorporated a well designed lightning protection system the materials used did not conform to the requirements of the national electrical code nec. Introduction to lightning protection system within this article an overview of fundamental principles regarding design and construction of lightning protection system lps will be given. In areas with frequent storms lightning is the most common cause of outages and damage. Apply all the steps for lightning protection system design process perform the risk assessment study size air termination system components apply methods for the best positioning of air terminals determine the number of down conductors design earth termination system write specifications for the designed lps.

Like many other engineering systems lightning protection is not necessarily a design preference but the need for a lightning protection system is determined by the requirements of nfpa 70 and nfpa 780 a lightning risk assessment and oftentimes the facility s insurance carrier. The lightning protection designer should consult with the persons responsible for the structure on mechanical design matters following the completion of the electrical design for the following points. A lightning protection system intercepts or diverts lightning and provides a certain path for conducting the surges safely to the ground by adequate down conductors to grounding electrodes. Systems followed in most of the buildings now are unfortunately not meeting the basic or statutory requirements.

Relevant iec 62305 standard will. Knowing lightning and surge protection terminology abbreviations signs and symbols knowing what is lightning and types of lightning flashes knowing what is the lightning protection systems lps types and components knowing the correct choice of lightning protection system components. There are the cone protection and the sphere method. Lightning protection plays a key role in the design and operation of electric power systems.

Basically there are two methods to realize lightning systems designs define the location and the amount of the lightning rods. A risk assessment based on actual lightning exposure design of the air termination network and down conductors di fth tht i ti t k d thdesign of the earth termination network and earth electrodes. Since this system uses a composite mast it required a down conductor which is simply a wire to carry lightning current to ground.