When July thunderstorms occur, when nature demonstrates its power, lightning protection issues become especially relevant. Specialists of the Institute of Energy of SPbPU are actively involved in solving these problems, as evidenced by their presentations at the VIII Russian Conference on Lightning Protection (RCLP).
At the conference, the latest developments were presented, including a study by Matvey Apolinsky, an engineer at the High School of Electrical Power Systems, on the application of an ultrasonic wave generator to increase the arc-quenching capacity of gas-filled arresters of surge protection devices (SPD). A chamber has been developed in which active blowing action is applied for effective arc extinguishing and practical application on the basis of in-line ultrasonic generator in the dimensions of surge protection devices is possible.
Georgy Astafiev, an engineer of the Research Laboratory of Engineering Electrophysics and High Voltage Engineering presented a calculation model of induced overvoltages in a multi-conductor line with lightning rod, which allows for a more accurate risk assessment and development of effective solutions for the protection of power lines.
The report of Sergey Krivosheev, Professor of HSHVE, on the specifics of grounding devices operation in impulse modes attracted great interest among the participants. The scientific group studied, including experimentally, the influence of real characteristics of grounding devices on the efficiency of lightning protection of electric power facilities. This report was recognized as the most interesting one within the section.
According to statistics, about 25% of accidents in electrical networks and equipment occur due to direct lightning strikes and its indirect effects. This leads to significant losses, including outages and breakdowns of substation equipment, the electrical strength of which is lower than that of line insulation. To combat this phenomenon, protective devices are used. The report of Dmitry Ivanov, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Electric Power Systems, was devoted to tests of the multimeric arrester RMKE-10, developed to improve the reliability of power grids.
The conference clearly demonstrated that the specialists of the Institute of Energy of SPbPU hold leading positions in scientific research in the field of lightning protection, actively contributing to the development of this important industry.
The material was prepared jointly with the press service of the VIII Russian Conference on Lightning Protection.