Danish company Global Lightning Protection Services A/S has developed the Lightning Key Data System that can measure the presence and extent of a lightning strike in wind turbines.
The system is designed and tested especially for the harsh environmental conditions under which a wind turbine operates.
The Lightning Key Data System can be mounted on all types of wind turbines, onshore as well as offshore. The system is useful for new and existing turbines, as the measure system can be mounted on older existing turbines without any problems.
The Lightning Key Data System records the lightning strike in a time frame of 1.5s on each of the blades simultaneously. This ensures a measurement of the entire lightning incidence.
The system measures what the company defines as the four key data parameters: Peak current, specific energy, charge content and fastest rise time – all relevant key parameters from a lightning strike in a wind turbine.
“It’s all about making the right decisions for increasing the production. It is costly to stop the turbine – but it can also be fatal to overlook emerging and incipient vulnerabilities on electronics or attachment points that might lead to fatal consequences if not taken care of in time,” said Kim Bertelsen, CEO of Global Lightning Protection Services.