Electricity + Control October 2015

EARTHING + LIGHTNING PROTECTION

T he components used for installing the external lightning protec- tion system shall meet the mechanical and electrical require- ments which are specified in the SANS/ IEC 62561 [2] series. The lightning protection components are categorised according to their function as follows: All metallic lightning protection components (clamps, conductors, air-termination rods, earth electrodes) exposed to weathering must be subjected to artificial ageing prior to testing. This is to verify the components` suitability for its intended function. Lightning protection components are subject to natural weather- ing and exposure to corrosion; it is therefore necessary to artificially age the components before conducting other mechanical strength and electrical property tests.

Test combinations for MV clamps.

Testing of Lightning Protection System components

Artificial ageing Artificial ageing takes place in two steps:

Air termination systems, masts, rods The size and dimensions of air termination masts and conductors vary significantly between different structures and different designs, for example, 2 m or 3 m long masts may be installed on flat roofs and 25 m telescopic lightning protection masts may be installed in explosive areas. SANS / IEC 62561-2 [2] specifies the minimum cross sections and allowable materials with the corresponding electrical and mechanical features for each type of air termination mast. For longer air termination masts, the bending resistance of the air ter- mination mast and of the stability of the complete air termination system has to be provided for by means of a static calculation. The required cross sections and materials must be selected based upon these stress calculations. Wind speeds and wind loads also have to be taken into account. Connection components The connection components are simply called ‘clamps’ and the clamps are used to connect various parts of the lightning protection system together (down conductor to air termination system etc). There are therefore many different clamp combinations that are possible. In the case of lightning current loading, clamps are subject to electrodynamic and thermal testing, which highly depend on the type of conductor and the clamping connection. The clamps also allow for the connection of different types of conductors, these dif- ferent materials all have differing mechanical strengths and thermal properties. This is particularly evident for stainless steel connection components, where due to the low conductivity, high temperatures

Step one: Salt mist treatment This test is intended for components or devices which are designed to withstand exposure to a saline atmosphere. The tests are conducted in a salt mist chamber where the specimens are tested with a test level 2 for more than three days. Test level 2 includes three spraying stages using a 5% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution at a temperature between 15°C and 35°C followed by a humidity storage at a relative humidity of 93% and a temperature of 40°C for 20 to 22 hours. Step 2 : Humid sulphurous atmosphere treatment This test is used to evaluate the resistance of materials and com- ponents to condensed humidity containing sulphur dioxide. The specimens are placed inside a test chamber where they are treated with a concentration of sulphur dioxide for seven cycles. Each cycle has a duration of 24 hours consisting of sulphur dioxide treatment for eight hours followed by a rest period of 16 hours. Thereafter, the sulphurous atmosphere is replaced. Only components for outdoor use and components that are buried in the ground are subjected to ageing or conditioning before testing. Buried components have ad- ditional requirements and measures that must be considered, e.g. No aluminium clamps or conductors may be buried in the ground. Components for indoor use such as equipotential earth bars do not have to be subjected to ageing or conditioning. The same applies to components which are embedded in concrete. These components are often made of non-galvanised steel.

October ‘15 Electricity+Control

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