Highly Efficient Portable Lightning Strike Counter - Case Study of Its Implementation and Testing

Safely conducting flowing lightning current into the grounding system via air-terminals and down-conductors constitutes a key method of protecting objects being struck by lightning discharge. At present, there is no other safer method of protection than capturing and conducting lightning current and its dispersion in the ground. By having to conduct powerful lightning current, the protection systems are exposed to excessive thermic and electrical stress. When such protection systems are correctly designed, installed and regularly checked, the threat to objects is considerably reduced as the systems are dimensioned for such purposes. An opposite case occurs when a protection system is damaged, most frequently due to the thermic effects of lightning current. Then, there are only two possibilities of detecting damage: either by providing regular and timely inspections or by means of controls based on the information supplied by a lightning strike counter. The key requirement of the first method is that the relevant object has not been repeatedly struck by lightning current during a period of at least 5 years. The other method provides instant information, in real time, and inspection of the protection system may be carried out immediately. Hence, sooner than another lightning stroke discharge could be repeated. This paper examines the method of detecting lightning current in down-conductor and the possibility of providing real-time information.