GENERAL INTRODUCTION OF EARTHING & LIGHTNING
Earthing and Lightning protection is very important for everyone using electrical and electronics equipment. Nowadays there is no one in this world who is not using electrical equipment. We all have electrical and electronics equipment in one way or the other. But what happens when your expensive devices fail due to lack of earthing and lightning protection.
Earthing and Lightning Arrestor are the pillars that actually protect against current-shocked.
EARTHING
In general terms, a connection between electrical equipment and devices with an earth plate or earth electrode through a thick wire/strip/ rod of low resistance material to provide protection is known as ‘earthing’ or grounding.
Earthing systems or grounding systems in electrical networks serve as a security measure to protect human life and equipment. The main purpose of earthing systems is to provide an alternate route for the flow of leakage currents so that accidents and electric shock cannot result in accidents and also avoid equipment failure due to leakage currents.
Sometimes we avoid installing earthing at our home or at our business premises just to save some bucks. Sometimes we install low-quality earthing with a high-resistance value which is not good. Installation of earthing with low resistance is necessary. In order to understand the importance of earthing, without the installation of earthing, MCB and RCCB cannot function, as it requires a path to discharge the leakage current or to trip. Earthing is required for any electrical and electronic device.
EARTHING SYSTEM PROTECTS FROM
- Injuries and fatalities to people.
- Damages to the structure and environment.
- Failures in the power system.
- Interferences and noises in electronic systems.
- Shutdowns and long downtimes, etc.,
LIGHTNING ARRESTER
As a general term, a lightning arrester is a conductive device that allows lightning to ground quickly with the help of low resistance earthing. It has the ability to ground the potential charges which occur during lightning.
A lightning strike is an electric discharge between the atmosphere and a conductive object. These kinds of behaviours mostly originate in a cumulonimbus cloud and defuse on the ground. About 25% of all lightning events worldwide are striking between the atmosphere and earth-bound objects.
THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF LIGHTNING STRIKE COMES WITH THE POWER OF POTENTIAL DAMAGES
- Direct lightning Strike:
It has huge potential to damages any object which will come in the range of a direct strike. A human threat can be resulting in internal burns, organ damage, explosions of flesh and bone, and nervous system damage. It can also result in contact injury, side splash, blast injury to any living things. Humans and animals may quickly die due to this direct lightning strike. It can also harm your electrical and electronics appliances very easily.
- Indirect lightning Strike:
Because the ground has high impedance, the current “choose” a better conductor, often a person’s legs, passing through the body. It will also result in more injuries, deaths, and Hallucinations may be induced in people located within 200 meters of a severe lightning storm. For the electrical equipment, this indirect lightning strike can flow through the wires and cables connected to the appliances directly or indirectly.
- Secondary or resultant lightning strike:
It may result in Explosions, Fires, and Accidents could be the cases.