Lightning Protection: Earthing Facts, Fiction and Function

Image: CDEGS sample ground surface GPR plot. Each colour represents a voltage on the surface of the ground- GreyMatters

Lightning Protection Blog

Week 109 | April 2, 2015

Utilities and industrial facilities have been faced with grounding issues for years. And mainly this is due to not taking the proper steps to implement proper grounding in the first place. Why? Because they do not test  at all and/or use inadequate testing methods. In the United States our engineers mainly use Smart Ground Testing, however, across the pond, we also employ CDEGS through our partner Ian Griffiths, and GreyMatters. It is imperative that companies test properly first or the consequences could be dyer.

Risks of inefficient grounding can cost a company millions depending on the facility, equipment and personnel that are impacted.

• General personnel safety/Loss of life
• Lightning and surge protection systems damage
•  Inability of clearing ground faults quickly
• Ability to protect critical and expensive electronic systems and equipment

When properly designed and maintained, a grounding system establishes electrical connections with the earth, provides a common ground reference, and minimizes ground potential rise. This reduction in ground potential rise prevents many electrical anomalies.

This week I have asked our associate Ian Griffiths from GreyMatters to talk about CDEGS. Both Lightning Eliminators and GreyMatters invest heavily in proper ground testing and insist that our customers follow grounding best practices. Without it, the repercussions could be disastrous.

Enjoy,

The LightningDiva@Large

CDEGS Myths Busted!

From the GreyMatters Blog, by  Ian Griffiths, Principal Engineer at GreyMatters

Imagine… after more than two decades of ‘Protecting Life’ – I felt compelled to bust a widespread misconception about the finite element software CDEGS. At GreyMatters, we’re fully invested to the highest level with the right tools for the job – so there’s no risk for GreyMatters clientèle of not having the required modelling engine power to deliver accurate, safe, reliable designs.

It’s interesting how the psychology of the car has found a place in our daily lives.  How many times have you asked or been asked ‘what car do you drive?’

If you’re one of the lucky few that own a Ferrari (unfortunately, I am not one of those!) – you might receive a different response than if you own a Nissan Micra.  The common thread is that there are both ‘cars’ aimed to transport you from A to B – but each one has been designed, developed and delivered to fit two very different budgets and to two very different purposes.

In the land of cars, we measure performance in terms of acceleration (0-60 MPH), top speed, economy (MPG), ecology (g/CO2) or lap times if you’re a Top Gear fan …

In Earthing – the key performance measures (for EN 50522, 50122-1) are a function of accuracy % error, complexity, and/or correlation to reality.  The trouble is, one of the best-kept secrets is that different versions of “CDEGS” also exist – From the £7,000 Nissan Micra to the £200,000 Ferrari 488…to read more click here

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If you have any lightning stories you would like to share with us, positive or negative and/or if you have any questions or need additional information please feel free to contact me at LightningDiva@lecglobal.com

Be careful out there! Visit www.lightningprotection.com for all your lightning protection needs. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for more information and updates as well as some great photos.

The LightningDiva@Large