Modern Protection From Lightning Damage to Electrical Equipment

Equipment damage from lightning is estimated to cause $5+ billion dollars of equipment damage in the USA annually; This in spite of grounding and various surge suppression systems. Existing protection is focused on presenting convenient conductive paths to coax the sky's energy away from, or around, facilities and equipment. However, existing technologies cannot protect from L-GPR (Lightning Ground Potential Rise) which is estimated to be responsible for >80% of all lightning damage. This literally is lightning surge “entering” you system through ground!

LightningShield™ manufactured by Alokin Industries employs a patented technology that PREDICTS an impending lightning event, then isolates equipment from the damaging L-GPR PRIOR to and during the lightning event. For full protection: Grounding, Surge Suppression and L-GPR protection are all required. The video below of the LightningShield™ demonstrates how the technology works.

This is why we say, LightningShield™ is

LIGHTNINGSHIELD™PROTECTION FROM THE GROUND UP™

Analynk is a distributor for LightningShield™, providing application support and system configuration for each customer's specific system needs. More details, including case studies, IEEE white papers are available by contacting Analynk Wireless.

Not Your Regular Lightning Protection Scheme

Predictive protection for sensitive electrical equipment
from lightning strikes

Lightning strikes constitute extreme releases of energy. A direct hit to your equipment has a high probability of rendering it unusable. The pathways of this destructive energy can be diffuse and unpredictable, leaving the best protection effort as disconnection of electrical equipment from wiring infrastructure and breaking the conductive path into the equipment.

Alokin Industries, manufacturer of Lightning Shield™ protection systems, identifies four threats to electrical equipment that originate from lightning activity.

• Direct Lightning Strike: Direct lightning strikes to equipment result in high voltages flowing through the equipment grounding path or the circuit serving the equipment.
• Nearby Lightning Strike: These strikes can induce voltage or current on building infrastructure conductors.
• Lightning Ground Potential Rise ( L-GPR): This is the electrical energy flowing out from a strike that can saturate a building's grounding system.
• Off-Voltage Events: Sags and spikes in service line voltage that can damage electrical equipment.

The Lightning Shield™ provides protection by disconnecting electrical equipment when a field energy increase is detected preceding a cloud to ground lightning strike. Isolating equipment from the AC power grid through a positive disconnecting means provides a high level of protection from cloud to ground lightning strikes and their residual impact. The controller will maintain isolated operation for a predetermined amount of time, then switch back to normal AC power. Equipment can be operated from battery or generator sourced power during the isolation period, if needed.

Lightning Shield™ provides predictive protection of electrical equipment by isolating equipment before the occurrence of a cloud to ground lightning strike. The system basically consists of a controller, detector, and whatever disconnecting means (contactor) are needed to accommodate the user's equipment.

Find out more about the Alokin Lightning Shield™, and share your equipment protection challenges with a product application specialist. 

How To Protect Wired Equipment From Lightning Strikes

There are methods to protect process control
equipment from lightning strikes

Lightning, though visually and audibly fascinating, is a high risk environmental factor for process measurement and control equipment. Recent advancements in the study of this natural occurrence have significantly increased general understanding of the source and path of a lighting strike, granting some additional insight into mitigating the risk to electronic equipment associated with lightning activity.

The abstract included below provides a useful synopsis of grounding, surge protection, and other methods for providing levels of protection from lightning strikes. Of particular interest is the concept of lightning ground potential rise (L-GPR) and how it can be used to predict an impending lighting event.

The predictive technology, combined with automated disconnection of the protected equipment from the AC power service can provide superior protection against damage caused by lighting strikes. Browse the paper below, as it is concise, illustrated, and will improve your understanding of lightning and how it impacts industrial process control equipment.

More information and consultation on enhancing your level of lightning protection is available from Analynk Wireless.

Lightning Protection Considerations for Wired Systems from Analynk Wireless, LLC

Protect Electrical Equipment From Lightning Strikes - Demonstration Video

Lightning strike damage to electrical equipment
can be prevented

Equipment damage from lightning is estimated to cause $5+ billion dollars of equipment damage in the USA annually; This in spite of grounding and various surge suppression systems.   Existing protection is focused on presenting convenient conductive paths to coax the sky's energy away from, or around, facilities and equipment. However, existing technologies cannot protect from L-GPR (Lightning Ground Potential Rise) which is estimated to be responsible for >80% of all lightning damage. This literally is lightning surge “entering” you system through ground!

LightningShield^TM manufactured by Alokin Industries employs a patented technology that PREDICTS an impending lightning event, then isolates equipment from the damaging L-GPR PRIOR to and during the lightning event. For full protection:  Grounding, Surge Suppression and L-GPR protection are all required. The video below of the LightningShield^TM demonstrates how the technology works.  

This is why we say, LightningShield^TM is

LightningShield^TM protection from the ground up.^TM

Analynk is a distributor for LightningShield^TM.  We provide application support, system configuration for your specific system.  More details, including case studies, IEEE white papers are available by contacting Analynk Wireless.