Paratonnerres Pouyet
Traditional good lightning protection requires first and foremost good earthing. This supposes a lightning conductor system with rods at high points and down conductors connected to an earth rod driven into the ground to provide a low impedance path for the high currents involved. Standards define the mesh size and thus the number of lightning rods and down conductors needed to provide a Faraday cage structure and adequate protection.
An innovative approach was developed by Paratonnerres Pouyet in France as an alternative. A single lightning rod amplifies the ionisation effect of an arriving lightning strike, attracting the downward streamer. This attraction causes the flash to occur earlier, and creates a zone of protection around the rod. Thus it is possible to protect a structure with a single ‘Early Streamer Emission’ ESE lightning conductor situated in an elevated position above the structure to be protected. This system provides several benefits:
- One single ESE rod can protect a wide radius around it.
- Selecting the height of the rod and its size allows the whole of a structure to be protected (sufficiently large protection radius)
- Installation costs are lower as only one down conductor to the earth rod is required.
- A single rod can be installed on a mast to protect structures such as storage tanks, a single rod for several tanks.
This method is contained in French Standard NFC 17-102. The Pouyet IONOSTAR ESE conductor conforms to this standard. It is installed not only in France but also in other countries around Europe. Such well known structures as the ‘Stade de France’ (The national football stadium in Paris) and the ‘Pont de Normandie’ (suspension bridge over the Seine near Le Havre), Elf chemical plants and EDF (National electricity company) power stations are examples of projects covered by Pouyet.
Please contact IAC for more information. We should be pleased to consider your requirements, to carry out an analysis of risk and to determine the right Ionostar lightning rod and installation location needed to provide the required protection to your buildings and structures.
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