When a local lightning warning system is required
Lightning and thunderstorms are unavoidable natural phenomena that pose serious threats to people, goods and services
Lightning is one of the most destructive natural phenomena, responsible for an estimated over 20.000 annual deaths and 240.000 injuries worldwide.
“Thirty percent of US businesses suffer damage from lightning storms” “Nearly 30% of all utility power outages are lightning-related with total costs approaching one billion dollars”
“In the U.S. 16 out of 20 accidents involving petroleum storage tanks were due to lightning strikes”
Objective
The main purpose of a Lightning Warning System is to identify, with the maximum anticipation, the risk posed by both forming and incoming lightning storms
Thunderstorm detectors are particularly useful for those responsible for decision making (state or local government, public or private companies) who need to protect human lives and equipment from the destructive effects of lightning.
Standard EN 50536 on “Protection against lightning: thunderstorm warning systems” describes the basic requirements for sensors and sensor networks collecting data of thunderstorm evolution in real time. The standard also provides a method for determining the need for the data from a thunderstorm detector regarding preventive measures.
Warning information from a storm detector enables us to initiate preventive measures before the beginning of thunderstorm activity and deactivates itself when the storm ends. Storm detection enables normal activity to cease for however long is necessary when the risk is present, thereby saving costs incurred due to alarm duration and activity cessation.
The steps towards appropriate
- ASSESSMENT of the need of Having information from a Detector (EN 50536)
- DETECTION in advance of the risk of lightning when the area to be protected
- LOWERING the risk by means of preventive actions before thunderstorm activity begins.
Preventive protection does not replace external lightning protection or internal protection against overvoltage’s, rather it complements both. However, when external and internal protection cannot be implemented, preventive protection may be used alone.
DETECTORS MEASURING THE ELECTRIC FIELD
They provide information on the characteristics of the local atmospheric electric field, by means of which the possibility of lightning discharge can be deduced. They provide a warning before the first lightning bolt.
The storm detector ATSTORM® is the ideal tool for preventive protection against the effects of storms and lightning since it enables us to obtain specific measurements with at least twenty or more minutes’ notice before the imminent risk of a thunderstorm, thereby safeguarding people and equipment from its destructive effects.
