Dissipation array system - the system of complete isolation from a lightning strike
The dissipation array device serves to isolate the object from a lightning strike and provides complete protection with the reliability at the level of 99.87%.
The fundamental difference in the operation of dissipation array system and conventional (or active) lightning rods, is the difference in operating principles - isolation of the object from lightning, rather than a deliberate technique to intercept the lightning.
This allows to avoid the most dangerous and hard-to-defeat enemy of sensitive electronic equipment and flammable materials - an electromagnetic wave from the lightning channel, lightning rods and down conductors (secondary striking lightning factor).
Dissipation array system - is the best option for the objects, where one spark can lead to a disaster, loss of production and long-term downtime.
Advantages
- Secondary effects of lightning are excluded - pulse surges from electromagnetic waves that can damage electric and electronic systems (as there is no direct lightning strike neither into an object nor into the lightning protection design).
- It is possible to use on objects for which the lightning current flow over the construction is undesirable: tanks, reservoirs and storage tanks for oil products and chemicals.
- Increased safety of staff.
How does it work?
Dissipation array system is a special device, which makes an object it covers indistinguishable for lightning.
This is possible thanks to a special design with multiple electrodes-needles. The corona current discharge, which occurs under the influence of an electric field of a thunderstorm, decreases proportionally to the number of electrodes. This fact ensures that the current will never reach the critical value required for the development of streamers from the object to the cloud.
There happens a "smearing" of the charge over a large area, thanks to the appearing of a stable corona space discharge surround not only near multiple point electrodes, but in some space. This reduces the electric field intensity over the object to the level below the required one for the development of lightning.
Нет встречного стримера – no counter-streamer
Thus, the installation of the dissipation array system provides "hiding" of the object from lightning. A lightning strike becomes impossible!
How does a traditional lightning rod function?
A conventional rod lightning rod is mounted to attract lightning.
The tapered shape of its tip facilitates to it, there is an increased field strength on the tip which contributes to the formation of a single streamer. And as the lightning rod is located above other objects, then under the influence of the approaching leader, this streamer will continue to grow stronger than the streamers from the objects which are inside the protection zone. As a result, lightning will hit the lightning rod - the most preferable point.
Встречный стример – counter streamer
Thus it will be possible to determine the place with a high probability of lightning strike, but the problem of its secondary effects won't be solved.
The principle of dissipation array system operation
Protective effect of the dissipation array system is intended to ensure that the electric field of a thunderstorm and the field of the downward lightning leader would not contribute to the development of processes that lead to a lightning strike into the protected object.
For that, the dissipation array system performs the following tasks:
- Suppression of the counter leader
- Suppression of formation of the upward leader from high buildings
Suppression of the counter leader
Carried out by two interrelated factors:
- Due to the design of the dissipation array device, the corona current on its surface is evenly distributed between the needles and decreases in proportion to their number. This prevents the corona current to reach the critical value, which is essential for the development of a streamer flash and the development of the counter-leader. Without the connection of downward leader with the counter leader, there will be no lightning strike.
- In addition, to protect against lightning strike into the protected structure, the dissipation array system transfers the charge induced by the storm cloud into the environment air, "smearing" it in a large volume. As a result, the electric field strength decreases, because the charge is distributed in the volume, rather than concentrated in one point, as it happens in cases of conventional lightning rods. The decreased value of strain leads to the fact that the value of the voltage drop along the streamer branches won't be sufficient for a start of a counter leader.
Атмосферное электрическое поле (кВ/м) – atmospheric electric field (kV/m)
Сравнение напряженности электрического поля – comparison of electric field intensity
Время - time
The figure shows the electric field, measured in two points: one under the dissipation array device in the protection zone (orange diagram), the other is removed from the dissipation array device and is located about 300 meters outside the protection zone (blue diagram). The maximum value of the electric field in the protection zone is approximately 50% of the electric field outside the protection zone during a storm
Suppression of formation of the upward leader from high buildings
Upward leaders that can develop a conductive channel to initiate a lightning strike into any area, are usually generated by high buildings over 100 meters in height or constructions placed on top of the mountain. Professor E.M. Bazelyan (ENIN to the name of G.M. Krzhizhanovsky) and his colleagues managed to prove in the course of studies that the use of the optimal ionizer can form and maintain the charge in the potential impact zone, which would prevent the passage of the accumulated upward leader through the space charge.
The scheme of work and design of a dissipation array device
Объемный заряд предотвращает рост лидера –spatial charge prevents leader’s growth
Зона защиты – protective zone
Индуцированный заряд – induced charge
The charge, induced by the cloud, moves from the ground to the grounding device under the object. To ensure proper high-quality work of dissipation array device, this grounding device must have a current spreading resistance of less than 5 ohms, and should be preferably located on a large area.
The charge passes through conventional down conductors from the grounding device to the dissipation array device, as in the case of the conventional lightning protection.
The dissipation array device is set above the object, completely covering it from above. Its function is to transfer the charge to a large volume of particles in the air due to the principle, known as corona discharge. The resulting ions is a mixture of charged particles that form a buffer between the protected area and the storm cloud. The result of this effect is the reduction of the electric field strain on the dissipation array device and underneath it.
The device represents metal guides with of a necessary shape with metal cable with multiple thin electrodes on it. The design features provide uniform distribution of the charge over all the electrodes. The system is placed above an object - on the roof or on a mast.