LIGHTNING PROTECTION FOR WIND MEASUREMENT MASTS

Wind Measurement Masts, which measure wind speed, direction, and other basic characteristics in areas planned for wind power plant installations, remain in high and open terrains for a period of 1 year. Measurement masts equipped with humidity, temperature, and pressure sensors must operate continuously in these areas where lightning risk is very high in order to obtain accurate data. However, due to the direct or indirect effects of lightning, Wind Measurement Masts are damaged as a result of lightning surges. Both the inability to perform healthy measurements and the continuous damage to wind measurement masts caused by lightning prevent the planned measurement recording work. Therefore, wind measurement masts must definitely be protected against the direct and indirect effects of lightning.

Due to their height, masts can be directly exposed to lightning strikes. As a result of a direct lightning strike on the mast, there is a possibility that many sensors mounted on the mast may be damaged. Therefore, in order to ensure that sensors are not affected by lightning strikes, protection angles must be provided using insulated lightning air terminals and insulated lightning down conductors, and the surge must reach the ground without interacting with the mast in any way. The special insulated lightning conductor systems used at this point are important to protect sensors from magnetic effects. After additional grounding, the externally descending air terminal down conductor must be bonded to equipotential.

A lightning strike can directly hit wind measurement masts as well as strike a point 2 km away and cause damage upward from the ground through soil conduction. In this case, Strikesorb Rayvoss Type 1+2 200kA protected systems should be used at the main power input, and Raycap sensitive protection surge arresters of the SLH Series at 5V, 12V, and 24V should be used on sensors. In addition, 24V or 48V energy protection surge arresters should also be included in the system. Sensitive Type 3 surge arresters should be used bidirectionally and integrated into the system in series. Energy surge arresters should also be connected in parallel, one unit for each panel or line. To prevent frequent failures of surge arresters, Raycap Safetec and Probloc series hybrid surge arresters should be selected. Thus, we will not have to constantly replace surge arresters in the field.

Wind power plant installation areas receive series of lightning surges well above normal lightning curves. In a province with an average of 100kA, lightning strikes of 300kA can easily be observed at a WPP site. A lightning strike with a value of 300kA is extremely powerful, and not every product is capable of detecting and suppressing it within 25ns. While classic DIN rail surge arresters can withstand a maximum of 125kA surges, Raycap Strikesorb series surge arresters can provide protection up to 400kA per phase.

When designing a lightning protection system, full protection on a wind measurement mast can be achieved if the insulated external lightning protection system, grounding, equipotential bonding, and AG surge arrester design are provided together without separation. Otherwise, due to coupling effects, electrical systems are likely to be damaged. Considering the cost of a wind measurement mast and the importance of the work carried out, the cost of providing full protection against lightning surges in a facility remains far behind in a cost comparison. Therefore, in order for the project to proceed healthily and to perform error-free measurements, lightning protection for wind measurement masts should be offered as an integral part of the system.

As Yıldırımdan Korunma Merkezi, we have products specific to the lightning protection of wind measurement masts for both external and internal lightning protection. You can contact our expert engineering team to obtain detailed information.

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