Abstract
In the lightning rods categorized as Early Streamer Emission (ESE) types, an intermittent voltage impulse is applied to the lightning rod to modulate the electric field at its tip in an attempt to speed up the initiation of a connecting leader from the lightning rod when it is under the influence of a stepped leader moving down from the cloud. In this paper, it is shown that, due to the stepping nature of the stepped leader, there is a natural modulation of the electric field at the tip of any lightning rod exposed to the lightning stepped leaders and this modulation is much more intense than any artificial modulation that is possible under practical conditions. Based on the results, it is concluded that artificial modulation of the electric field at the tip of lightning rods by applying voltage pulses is an unnecessary endeavor because the nature itself has endowed the tip of the lightning rod with a modulating electric field. Therefore, as far as the effectiveness of artificial modulation of the tip electric field is concerned, there could be no difference in the lightning attachment efficiency between ESE and Franklin lightning rods.
Highlights
The Early Streamer Emission (ESE) lightning rods used in practice are equipped with a triggering device that applies voltage pulses to the tip of the rod
The main goal of this paper is to show that, due to the stepping process of the stepped leader, any lightning rod exposed to the stepped leader field will experience a modulation of the electric field at its tip with an intensity much higher than any such artificial field intensification that could be achieved in practice and for this reason the physical process that takes place at the tip of the ESE and Franklin lightning rods when exposed to the stepped leaders would be the same
The hallmark of ESE technology is the application of voltage pulses to the tip of the lightning rod assuming that their effects will enhance the attractive radius of the lightning conductor
Summary
The Early Streamer Emission (ESE) lightning rods used in practice are equipped with a triggering device that applies voltage pulses to the tip of the rod. These voltage pulses increase the electric field at the tip of the rod. The reasoning behind the ESE concept is that these rapid electric field changes will lead to the initiation of streamers and they in turn increase the probability of inception of a connecting leader from the lightning rod during the approach of a lightning leader [1]. This, in turn, suggests that there should be no difference in the striking distance between ESE and Franklin lightning rods
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