Lightning accounts for more than 2 billion dollars annually in structural damage to buildings in the US but lightning protection systems are rarely used, especially on residential buildings.
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:41 How lightning occurs
1:26 Benjamin Franklin experiment
1:53 5 components
3:06 Lightning theories
3:59 Indelec's Prevectron
5:26 Lightning research lab
5:53 Conclusion

Within a thundercloud, tiny bits of ice bump into each other, creating electric charges. The positive charges or protons move to the top of the cloud and the negative charges or electrons move to the bottom of the cloud. This causes positive charges to build up on the ground. A network of channels called leaders or lightning flashes try to neutralize the charged regions. A leader within a cloud is called a cloud flash, and a leader that reaches the ground is called a ground flash..

The Franklin lightning protection system is still used today, more than 250 years later. It consists of five main components.
An air terminal or lightning rod which is installed at the highest points of a building at regular intervals. They can be made of conductive metals like copper or aluminum.
Main conductors are braided copper or aluminum cables that connect the lightning rod to the earth. Lightning travels on the outer surface of these cables, so the more surface area available, the better.
Ground rods or electrodes are typically ½” wide, 10’ long copper rods driven 8 feet into the ground. Do not use aluminium underground, it will corrode.
Bonding connects all metallic objects like roof components, fans, water pipes, electrical systems, underground metal pipes, etc. to the main conductor.
Surge suppression is installed at electrical panels to protect appliances and prevent fires. A surge is an increase in electrical current when lightning enters through the wiring system instead of the lightning rod.

The lightning dissipation theory says that lightning rods allow static charges to bleed into the ground or the air, thus preventing a lightning strike. The lightning diversion theory says rods don’t attract, repel, or prevent a lightning strike. They provide specific pathways for lightning to travel safely into the ground.

Indelec has developed an Early Streamer Emission system (ESE) called the Prevectron. The lower electrodes collect energy from electrical fields and store it in capacitors. As a lightning leader approaches a building, the Optimax system neutralizes the charge around the tip of the air terminal. A patented trigger releases stored energy through the upper electrodes in the form of a spark. The upward streamer meets the downward leader, and lightning is directed safely into the ground.

The Prevectron system has a lot of advantages over the Franklin system for large buildings. It can have up to 95% fewer parts. Just one Pevectron can protect this entire building as opposed to 96 air terminals in the Franklin system. 2 roof penetrations instead of 22 reduces the risk of leaks and water damage. You can save time and money by using fewer wires and ground conductors. While the Prevectron can be installed in 126 hours and cost $31,000 for this building, the Franklin system would take about 360 hours and cost around $68,000.

SOURCES:
   • SPDA  Prevectron (Thor do Brazil com...  
   • PREVECTRON 3 TC Testable  
   • INDELEC LIRI Video ENG  
   • Le fonctionnement du paratonnerre Pre...  
   • Nouveau brevet OptiMax: fonctionnemen...  

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#lightning #prevectron #ese