An Experimental Study of Electromagnetic Field Propagation Due to Lightning Upward Leaders and Its Probability on Different Small-Scale Structures

Irshad Ullah (), Mohd Nor Ramdon Bin Bahrom, Muhammad Adeel Khan and Azhar Qazi
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Irshad Ullah: Department of Electrical Engineering, CECOS University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
Mohd Nor Ramdon Bin Bahrom: Department of Electrical Power Engineering, University Tun Hussein Onn of Malaysia, Batu Pahat 86400, Malaysia
Muhammad Adeel Khan: Department of Electrical Engineering, CECOS University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
Azhar Qazi: Department of Electrical Engineering, CECOS University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-19

Abstract: In this paper, upward leader initiation and the probability of lightning flashes on different air terminal were analyzed in detail. With the growing global warming, lightning flash density has increased abruptly, especially in tropical countries. Upward leaders are the critical elements to be considered for defining comprehensive protective measures against lightning during thunderstorms. This article presents the lightning flashover phenomenon on scaled buildings with installed lightning rods. Moreover, the electric field and initialization of upward leaders from Lightning Air Terminals (LATs) were analyzed in detail using Ansys Maxwell as a simulation tool. For the experimental work, a high-voltage impulse generator was used. The air gap between the lightning rods and the top electrode was kept constant in all scaled structures. The purpose of using an identical air gap was to study the upward leader and its electric field for all structures. The effects of the upward leaders on the electric field plots are explained in detail and allowed the determination of the electric field’s intensity around each air terminal for the provided air gap between the tip of the rod and the top electrode. A low-cost lightning protection system was taken into account, as the economic crisis is worsening with time. A Franklin rod was used as the primary protection device for the initiation of the upward streamer. The experimental results were obtained in Malaysian weather conditions based on standard values of temperature and pressure. The study presented in this article shows that based on the experimental work, field plots were obtained for both the air insulation scenario and the condition when the upward leader was incepted. The simulation results showed a firm agreement with the measured values. Similarly, by upward leader inception, the strikes could be predicted accurately on every installed air terminal.

Keywords: Franklin rod; lightning strikes; lightning impulse; lightning protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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