Грозотрос - Ground wire
Are there any alternatives to isolated lightning protection? Surely, there are. These are well-known standalone lightning arresters. They were recommended for the structures along which the lightning current may flow. The drawbacks of these lightning arresters are known. They are installed at the ground level. They must be higher than the protected facility, which may be expensive if it is rather high. However, the standalone lightning arresters are still used, especially wire lightning arresters. The figure demonstrates such solution for the hydrocarbon fuel tank farm. The system of three ground wires is located at such a distance from reservoirs that excludes the crossing in the air, and the ground wire supports are installed such a distance from the end reservoir foundation that it limits conductive couplings through the soil. Moreover, due to significant distances from reservoirs to the wires carrying the lightning current, electromagnetic interference to the reservoir utilities is essentially limited. An attempt to create an isolated lightning protection here would hardly be successful due to structural difficulties and unreasonably high price.
We also have to point to another competitive solution. It is provided by using the DAS lightning protection system ("Green lightning protection"). The system is efficient for concentrated buildings such as antenna masts, pipelines or high illuminating devices. The installation of the crown DAS "umbrella" above them will likely eliminate the lightning strike both to the protected facility and to the DAS itself. The absence of the lightning current fully destroys the issue of electromagnetic interference and electrical safety around the protected structure. This is especially important when the facility is tall, which would have otherwise been often affected to the lightning. Isolated lightning protection cannot do that at all.
Read article by prof. E.M. Bazelyan "Actual Issues of Insulated Lightning Protection" for more details.
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