Press Release
OSP: Preventing Lightning Damage at Remote Sites
Saturday, 29 May 2010 00:00

WEB EXTRA: Preventing Lightning Strikes Damage at Remote Sites

by: Gary Fox

The Problem
Lightning ground currents, also known as Lightning Ground Potential Rise (L-GPR), occur when lightning strikes the ground. Lightning energy is not immediately dissipated in the strike area.  High-voltage gradients and the resulting fault currents propagate through the earth's surface.  A remote site's grounding system can be momentarily elevated by thousands of volts.  The elevated voltage seeks an alternative path to lower ground potential through the power return circuit that is indirectly connected to the grounding system. 

Rural electronic sites that serve the telecommunications, railroad and pipeline industries are particularly vulnerable. Even though these sites employ the best protection practices, L-GPR causes frequent, costly damage and outages.  Grounding and surge protection conduct in both directions - an elevated ground voltage induces current on the power circuits, exposing the electronic modules and components.

Rural sites experience L-GPR damage because there is little nearby infrastructure to mitigate the ground current.  Urban areas have more underground plumbing and wiring to dissipate the energy. So the current radiates further in rural areas, particularly in regions with low soil conductivity.

The Cost
LGPR damage takes a toll on a company in the form of costly electronic equipment that must be replaced. There are other costs as well.

  • For telecommunications companies, it means the loss of voice, data and video services.
  • For pipeline companies, it interferes with the efficient management of pumping stations and monitoring equipment.
  • For railroads and , it leaves them in the dark about the status of their assets.
  • In many cases, the losses of revenues and production far outweigh the costs to repair damaged equipment.

The Solution
L-GPR damage can be avoided if rural electronics sites have the ability to perceive impending lightning threats.  When a threat is detected, the AC power circuit can be opened in order to eliminate the fault path through the electronics.  Fault current can't flow across the open circuit, the lightning energy is forced to dissipate in the site's grounding system. During this period of "protected isolation," the site's electronics continue to operate, powered by the battery plant or standby generator.

When the threat has passed, AC power is automatically restored to the site.

About the Author
Gary Fox is co-founder and president of ALSET Corp, an engineering company focused on the development of intelligent technology to combat lightning ground potential rise. Prior to founding ALSET, Gary was president/CEO of ADIC, a public company that developed robotic technologies for data management systems.

About the Company
ALSET Corp.'s Lightning Shield is a cost-effective solution that ensures uninterrupted service for vital electronic equipment in rural and remote areas. For more information, visit www.alsetcorp.com.
 
Alset Lightning Shield
Monday, 17 March 2008 00:00

Alset Shields Electronic Equipment at Rural Sites from Lightning Damage

Alset introduces Lightning Shield, new technology that protects equipment from harmful ground currents,
assuring uptime in critical applications

 

SEATTLE, March 17, 2008 – Just in time for this spring’s “lightning season,” Alset Corp. introduced its Lightning Shield product line. Lightning Shield protects telecommunications equipment installed at rural sites from the harmful ground currents caused by nearby lightning strikes.

“Essentially, what Lightning Shield does is keep the lightning in the ground and off your circuits,” said Gary Fox, president of Alset Corp. “It protects your equipment from harm and assures that your services aren’t interrupted. Your investments in broadband equipment are protected and your network is secure, even in the toughest weather conditions.”

Telecommunications companies must be able to reliably deliver high-bandwidth Internet or video services to customers without interruption. Airports, railroads, and utilities, who rely on their equipment for customer safety or status monitoring, also place a high priority on uninterrupted equipment performance.

Lightning Shield helps ensure uninterrupted service for telecommunications service providers and other companies with valuable equipment located in rural areas that are vulnerable to lightning damage. For these companies, the services they provide require constant uptime and high reliability.

Lightning Shield protects against lightning damage that conventional surge protection and grounding do not address. The danger from a nearby lightning ground strike is high frequency energy that travels through the earth to the remote equipment site, saturates its grounding system, and forces fault current onto the bonded power circuits.  Eliminating this fault path through the electronics, by temporarily isolating the equipment from the power connection, protects the equipment for the duration of the lightning threat.

 

Surge protection and grounding systems conduct in both directions.  These technologies can not protect the equipment at a site from lightning ground currents, especially in areas where soil conditions make it difficult to achieve a low-resistance ground.

 

“Alset’s Lightning Shield provides the only proven protection against these ground currents, the high-energy pulses that can cause a lot of damage in rural electronic sites,” Fox explained. “Our technology detects imminent lightning and pre-emptively eliminates the potential fault path.  By improving site reliability and significantly reducing repair expenses, Lightning Shield can pay for itself in just one thunderstorm.”

 

Lightning Shield is available in 50-amp (LS-50) and 200-amp (LS-200) versions for rural wire-line and wireless sites.  The optional Remote Manager provides control and test capabilities that enhance site management.

 

Lightning Shield has been accepted by the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service for use on RUS-funded projects.

 

About Alset Corp.

Seattle-based Alset Corp. designs and manufactures equipment designed to protect against damage from lightning ground currents, also known as lightning ground potential rise. Alset sells its equipment both directly and through a network of manufacturer’s representatives. For more information about Alset and its lightning protection technology, visit www.alsetcorp.com.

 

Contacts:

Gary Fox, Alset Corp.
888-344-3707
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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