Utility and power generation companies are starting to recognise the unintended hazards that can be created when a facility is struck by lightning, even when fully compliant lightning protection measures are present.
This is because a lightning strike attachment has a massive high-frequency impulse characteristic, meaning that the majority of lightning current energy is discharged within a fraction of a second. The resulting rise of local earth potentials is, therefore, extreme and can be difficult to fully mitigate against.
Until recently, understanding if you had a problem with touch voltages during a strike event was limited to the domain of the research scientist. However, advances in the availability of electromagnetic software tools mean that these previously out-of-reach questions are now within the realm of the specialist consultant like GreyMatters.
As part of nuclear Power Generator EDF’s rigorous due diligence design process, GreyMatters were asked to provide a technical examination of the hazard posed to staff in the event of a lightning strike attachment to their building.
Knowing these buildings were fully design-compliant with BS EN 62305 for lightning protection, they were studied in the virtual environment using the top 1% electromagnetic software tools, with the goal of understanding if and where a hazard existed.
Using these tools, lightning energy could be represented visually and as coursing through the structure and surfaces, which allowed for clear identification of the areas of most concern.
