AD5X

LIGHTNING: How Does It Work? What Can You Do About It?

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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What We Will Look At

Lightning Protection and Prevention Transient Voltage Surge Suppression Achieving Low-resistance Grounding

Proactively Prevent Lightning-related Failures of our Sensitive Equipment!

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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What Is Lightning?

Complex AC Surge with a Typical Frequency of about 20-500 Khz. IEEE Standard Strike is defined as a 8 us Rise Time by 20 us Fall Time.
50-125 Khz

Average Current is 18,000 Amps for the first stroke, and half that for the Second and Third Strokes. Average Strike is 3-4 Strokes.
Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Strike Frequency

Does Lightning ever strike the same place twice? Absolutely! The Strike Frequency goes up as the square of the height over average terrain! AND - Nothing can be done to totally prevent a strike!

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Strike Current

50% of ALL strikes have a 1st strike of at least 18kA (kilo-amps). 10% will exceed 65kA. 1% will exceed 140kA.

The largest strike ever recorded was almost 400kA!!!

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Power Lines

Power Line Voltage Anomalies are the Greatest Source of Destructive and Disruptive Phenomena that Electrical and Electronic Equipment Experiences in Dayto-Day operation.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Four Basic Sources Lightning The Local Utility Your Neighbors Your Own Equipment

Power Line Voltage Anomalies

Of These, Lightning is the Greatest Normal Threat.

Phil Salas AD5X

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Mechanics of the Strike

Charge Separation at the Base of the Cloud causes a Potential at the Cloud Base of about 100 Million Volts!
Base of Cloud is Typically Negatively Charged Similar Charge of Opposite Polarity on the Earth Resulting Electrostatic Field of 10kV/meter

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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+ + + + + + +

Charge Separation
+ + + + + - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - -

+ + + + +

+ + + +

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Breakdown

Charge Separation Continues until the Air between the Cloud and Earth can no longer Act as an Insulator.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Mechanics of the Strike (Cont.)

Step Leaders (low intensity sparks) move from the Base of the Cloud Toward the Earth.
Steps are about Equal Length Length is Related to the Charge in the Storm Cell.

Steps Vary in Length from about 10 Meters to over 160 Meters. At about One Step-distance from the Earth (or Earthbound Object), a Strike Zone is Established.
Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Hemispherical in Shape

The Strike Zone

Radius Equal to One Step-Length Electric Field within the Strike Zone is so High that it Creates Upward Moving Streamers from Earthbound Objects. The First Streamer that Reaches the Step Leader Closes the Circuit and Starts the Charge Neutralization Process.
Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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The Strike Zone

- -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Step Leaders

Strike Zone

Point of Discrimination

++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + + ++ + ++ + ++ + + + + + + ++ ++++ +++ +++ + ++ + + + + + ++ + ++ + + + + + ++ ++ + + + + + + + ++ ++ + ++ ++ + ++ ++ + ++ ++ + + + + ++ + + + ++ + + + + ++ + + + ++ + ++ + + + + + + + ++ + + +

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

AD5X Charge Neutralization (the Strike)

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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+ + + + + +

Charge Neutralization
+ + + + +

- -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cloud Electrical Shadow

++ + + ++ + + + + + + + + + +++ ++ + + + + + + ++ + + + ++ + + ++ + + + ++ +

+ + + ++ + + + + + + + +

+ +
Surface Charge Rushes to Stroke Channel

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Direct Effects

Destruction Due to the Lightning Bolt Exposure to the Stroke Channel Heating Effect of the Lightning Strike

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Electromagnetic Pulse Electrostatic Pulse Earth Currents

Secondary Effects

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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What Can You Do About It?

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Blocking

Richardson, Texas

The inductance of your feedline impedes the higher frequencies. Energy is not lost, but is given back over a longer period of time. This results in the energy presented to your equipment being at a low frequency. Most radios have protection inductors across their inputs. Since the lightning frequency is low, it is difficult to build up the voltage necessary to fire a gas discharge tube. Phil Salas AD5X

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Blocking (Cont.)

The proper value of a series blocking capacitor can help. Voltage builds up across the capacitor and fires the gas discharge tube. Thats fine - But what do you do with all this lightning energy? You must send it to ground!

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Surviving the Lightning Strike

The Primary Rule: All Equipment Elements must be connected to a single low impedance ground. This includes:
Antenna(s) Antenna Supports Input & Output Protectors

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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The Ground System

Lightning energy can enter your shack in one of two ways: A distant strike coming in on the telephone and power lines. A direct strike to your antenna. You must use high quality protectors to dump the energy into a good ground system.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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The Ground System (Cont.)

A Single Point ground for your system should be located no more than 10 feet from a very good earth ground. The sooner your ground system can spread out the energy, the better are the chances of preventing it from getting to your equipment. Your ground system should be formed by a set of ground rods interconnected below ground level with bare radials.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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The Ground System (Cont.)

Radials are the most cost effective grounding technique. Radials should be made of copper strap (most preferable), or stranded copper wire. If one radial gives X ohms of ground resistance, then two radials gives approximately 0.90 (X/2) ohms. To cut this in half again requires FOUR radials.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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The Ground System (Cont.)

If surge energy has not been launched into the soil in the first 75 feet, the radial inductance will prevent effective grounding.
Therefore, radials should be at least 50 feet long, and no longer than 75 feet long.

Ground rods should be placed along the entire length of the radial.
Spaced at 2 X Radial Length apart.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Rules of Thumb

Try to avoid high, single sharp points on your antenna system. Nothing placed in the soil will last forever.
Must Maintain your Ground System.
Check annually.

Copper is the best, and most robust, grounding material. Dont mix dissimilar metals in your grounding system.
Dont even mix bare copper and tinned copper wire.
Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Rules of Thumb (Cont.)

Copper joint compound should be used in mechanical compression joints. Cool exothermic connections slowly to prevent stress corrosion. Ground rod lengths in excess of 8 feet dont buy you much. Ground rod diameter is unimportant.
Though larger diameter rods will last longer.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X

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Conclusion

No one can guarantee that they wont be hit by lightning. The best you can do is provide the best ground you can to redistribute lightning energy (and its effects) so that it causes minimal damage.

Richardson, Texas

Phil Salas AD5X