Understanding Lightning and Lightning Protection

david-smith · 08-13-2012, 04:25 PM

Understanding Lightning and lightening protection

Preface
This book is attached to a computer program, and it gives textual commentaries
to each picture displayed on the screen. The computer program can be used without
this book, because the same commentary can be also displayed and read on the
screen. It depends on the decision of the user, whether the printed or the displayed
text will be preferred. The book cannot be properly used without the computer
program.
The author developed this program for illustration of the special course
LIGHTNING PROTECTION at the Budapest University of Technology and
Economics. The series of this course began about 20 years ago and now more than
100 students choose it in each semester. Projecting this program, the lecturers
almost never found it necessary to use blackboard and crayon. The examinations
verified that many students learned, with good results, from this program. The
success encouraged me to develop this version, which also contains on-screen
comments and their printed form. Therefore, it can be an excellent medium for
individual study at home. To understand some special subjects, fundamental
knowledge of mathematics and physics is necessary, although most topics do not
need them. It has been demonstrated by the great success of the presentation of the
Chapter ‘The mankind in the thunderstorm’ for little children at a nursery in
Budapest and for the students at Stanford University in USA.
Lightning was the first electrical phenomenon seen by prehistoric man,
although over 1000 years passed until scientists discovered its processes and
properties. In spite of our knowledge today lightning is still a mysterious
phenomenon. This program tries to give a fundamental knowledge about lightning
from the meteorological phenomena to the proper behaviour in open terrain during
the thunderstorm. The development of a lightning flash involves many interesting
processes, which are usually unknown. The computer animation can spectacularly
illustrate them, and shows how complex a phenomenon lightning is. However, the
investigations have discovered many details of the lightning process, though many
secrets remain unexplored. One of them is ball lightning, for which the final
solution is unknown in spite of several theories. Nevertheless, the most important
aim of investigations is the protection against danger and damage due to lightning.Concerning this aim, the first question is: Where will be the point of strike?
According to our theory, it would be on the air termination system, avoiding the
structure to be protected. Since the time of Benjamin Franklin up to now, a
protected space has been presumed into which the air termination excludes the
penetration of lightning stroke. Several lightning strokes demonstrated that no
completely protected space exists and our knowledge about the striking process
initiated a probabilistic approach to this problem. The PC program deals with this
topic on the base of a new theory and calculation method to estimate the efficiency
of lightning interception and to evaluate the risk of damage. It was described in the
book ‘Computation of Lightning Protection’ by the author published by Research
Studies Press in 1991. Nevertheless, with high efficiency, we can protect the
human being and his property against damage caused by lightning. Our knowledge
on the processes of lightning strokes helps to understand the operation of lightning
air terminal systems. The practical application of some theoretical conclusions is
illustrated with the Hungarian Standard for Lightning Protection of Structures.
However, the program does not intend to replace a handbook, referring the
standard aims only to show the practical application. The protection of low voltage
equipment and electronic equipment against over-voltage due to lightning is an
actual problem of lightning protection. This topic is dealt with on the basis of the
recent international recommendations. The operation of surge protection devices
can be demonstratively followed on the screen. The measurement methods and the
lightning localisation systems have made great developments in the last 10 years.
These are also demonstrated on screen. The author has participated over 20 times
in the International Conference on Lightning Protection, since 1963, which
compiles current information about lightning.
Study lightning from your computer at home! Enjoy and use this program with
good success!
Tibor Horváth
Professor Emeritus

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dinu69in · 10-28-2012, 07:58 AM

HI all

The link is dead. Could anyone please upload new links?

Thanks in advance.