Lightning protection of the Aquatic Sports Center

Modern sports facilities rarely consist of a separate stadium only. The designing in the concept of an infrastructure complex consisting of a sports arena, hotels, parking lots and transport interchanges has become the main rule in construction of such facilities.

The compact location on one site is convenient not only for visitors and owners, but also allows the costs reduction, for example, for lightning immunity.

ZANDZ Technical Center has proposed a solution for protection of a Aquatic Sports Center against lightning. Interception rods were placed on the buildings of hotels around the perimeter, which additionally let us to cover the stadium and parking lot.

The description of this solution is available in the news.

Task

Calculate the lightning protection of an Aquatic Sports Center

Solution

The lightning protection calculations of the Aquatic Sports Center were based on the following documents:

1. "Electrical Installations Code" (further – EIC), EIC 7th edition.
2. "Instructions for the installation of lightning protection of buildings, structures, and industrial communications" SO 153-34.21.122-2003 (further – SO).
3. "Instructions for mounting the lightning protection of buildings and structures" Working Documentation 34.21.122-87 (further – WD).

Interception rods were used to protect the Aquatic Sports Center from lightning strikes. Lightning discharger consists of an interception rod, intercepting a lightning discharge, the main conductor cable, and the ground electrode. All these elements let us to divert lightning current into the ground safely, without any damage to the protected facility.

From the point of lightning protection, the Aquatics Center belongs to ordinary facilities in accordance with SO and to the 3rd class according to WD.

Description of the lightning protection system of the Aquatic Sports Center

A set of arrangements ensuring compliance with the lightning protection requirements is based on the following solutions:

1. Mounting of 25 interception rod 8 m high is made fastened to the wall. It was considered that the fastening takes 1,5 m of the interception rod height.
2. Interception rods are interconnected to organize two main conductors using galvanized steel wire D = 8 mm from each interception rod. The main conductor cables are mounted (with mounting step 0.6-1 m):
   • to the walls with connection terminals GL-11703A.
3. Connection and branching of main conductors are made using terminals GL-11551A.

A set of measures to ensure the necessary requirements for the grounding arrangement is represented by the following solutions:

1. Assembly of a grounding arrangement, consisting of a horizontal electrode (galvanized steel strip with a cross-section of 4x30 mm), to a depth of 0.5 m, laid along the perimeter of the building at a distance of 1 m from the foundation.
2. As per clause 2.13 WR, only a circuit, without the installation of vertical electrodes is considered as sufficient.
3. The horizontal electrodes are connected to each other using connection terminal ZZ-005-064.
4. The connection of the main conductor cable with the output of the galvanized ground strip is performed with the control tetminal GL-11562A..
5. The design of the grounding arrangement corresponds to clause 1.7.55 of EIC Grounding arrangements for protective grounding and grounding for lightning discharges are common.

The location of the elements of lightning protection system and the grounding arrangement is shown in Figure 1. The depicted protection area corresponds to area B, constructed as per Appendix 3 of WD.

Picture 1. Aquatics Sports Center Lightning Protection Layout

Accessories for lightning protection of the Aquatic Sports Center

For any questions about grounding and lightning protection of the Aquatic Sports Center, Please, contact the ZANDZ Technical Center!

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