What Do You Need

To Know About
Aireld Lightning
Protection?
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 1
Lightning Overview
Satellite data tells us that there are around 3 million lightning ashes
per day throughout the world, or about 30 ashes per second on
average. Most of those discharges are cloud-to-cloud, but about
30% end up as the cloud-to-ground discharge that we are most
familiar with.
There are a number of websites that describe the atmospheric
electrical discharge that we know of as lightning, but the average
bolt carries 30 to 40 kilo amperes (kA) of current, at millions of volts.
Current can exceed 120 kA, and reach temperatures of 20,000 C
(36,000 F), with a stroke lasting around 30 microseconds.
In aireld applications, we are also very concerned with how far that
current will travel in soil once a lightning bolt contacts the earth.
The current will begin to dissipate as it travels from the contact point
at a rate that varies depending on the soil conditions, but current
can still radiate out 1-3 km (approx. 1 mile) from the strike.
Some parts of the world are more prone to lightning than other
parts. Figure 1 shows a map provided by the NASA MSFC Lightning
Image Sensor (LIS) Science Team from their satellite data for North
and Central America. It shows that for North America, Florida has
by far the highest density of lightning strikes, along with various
Caribbean islands.
A similar map for worldwide lightning density is shown in Figure 2,
utilizing data collected by NASA satellites from April 1995 through
February 2003. This map includes cloud-to-cloud activity, but still
gives an impressive representation of lightning activity. It indicates
that Central African countries generate the highest density of
lightning strikes in the world.
ADB Aireld Solutions I page 1 of 4
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By John Chapman
ADB Aireld Solutions
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Aireld Lightning Protection Specications
Most FAA Advisory Circulars dealing with aireld lighting
equipment specify that the equipment must be protected
against a lightning surge of anywhere between 3,000
and 20,000 Amps for a duration of 8/20 microseconds.
This rating would indicate a 3-20 kA pulse rising to 90%
of its peak amplitude in 8 microseconds, and decaying to
50% of that value within 20 microseconds.
FAA Engineering Brief 67 further states in par. 2.11 that an
LED xture shall be designed to withstand and/or include
separate surge protection devices which have been tested
against dened waveforms detailed in Table 4, Location
Category C1 of ANSI/IEEE C62.41-1991 Recommended
Practice on Surge Voltages in Low Power AC Power
Circuits, namely 3,000 Amps, 8/20 microsecond short
circuit pulse and 6,000 Volt, 1.2/50 microsecond open
circuit voltage pulse.
Category C1 is dened as Low ExposureSystems in
geographical areas known for low lightning activity, with little
load or capacitor switching activity. Because LED xtures
are in an exposed area on the aireld, and may be in a
high lightning area, we believe that Category C2 is a more
appropriate standard. Category C2 is dened as Medium
ExposureSystems in geographical areas known for medium
to high lightning activity or with signicant switching
transients. Category C2 is 5,000 Amps,
8/20 microsecond - short circuit current
pulse and 10,000 Volt, 1.2/50 micro-
second - open circuit voltage pulse. We
have designed and internally tested our
LED xtures to this higher standard.
The latest version of IEEE C62.412002
no longer breaks down Category C
into three groups (C1, C2 and C3),
but denes Category C as either high
exposure risk (high probability of strikes)
and low exposure risk. These categories
would dene that devices be protected
for a surge of:
Note that these surge specications are not designed to
sustain a direct lightning hit, but are designed to protect
against surges through the earth and other conductors,
including arcing from other circuits.
Counterpoise Lightning Protection System
FAA AC 150/5340-30 Design and Installation Details for
Airport Visual Aids section 12.5 describes the use of a
counterpoise or lightning protection system to provide a
path of low resistance for the energy of a lightning strike
to safely dissipate without causing damage to aireld
equipment or injury to personnel. Note that the
counterpoise is a separate system, and is not to be
confused with an equipment safety ground that provides
protection from electric shock hazards. The purpose of
a safety ground is to protect personnel from possible
contact with an energized light base or mounting stake
that may result from a shorted power cable or a primary
to secondary short in the isolation transformer.
Figure 3 is the section of Figure 116 in AC 150/5340-30
dealing with the counterpoise along the edge of
the pavement.
The counterpoise conductor is a bare #6 AWG solid
copper wire connected to ground rods spaced a
maximum of 500 feet (152m) apart. When the cable
or conduit run is adjacent to pavement, such as along
runway or taxiway edges, the counterpoise is installed
8 inches (203 cm) below grade and located half the
distance from the edge of the payment to the cable or
conduit run. Note that the counterpoise is not connected
to the base or mounting stake of any elevated xture.
Figure 4 is the section of Figure 116 in AC 150/5340-30
dealing with the counterpoise installations associated with
in-pavement lighting. When cables or conduit runs are
not adjacent to pavements, the counterpoise is installed
4 inches (102 cm) minimum above cable or conduit.
Counterpoise connections are made to the exterior ground
GROUND
ROD
COUNTERPOISE
GROUNDED
EVERY 500
POWER CABLE
POWER CABLE AND COUNTERPOISE LOCATED
IN THE SAME TRENCH (COUNTERPOISE ON TOP)
UNDER RUNWAY EACH EDGE BASE
CAN CONNECTED TO
GROUND ROD
RUNWAY EDGE
LIGHT BASE
COUNTERPOISE
BONDED TO THE BASE CAN
(DAISY CHAINED)
COUNTERPOISE RUNWAY CENTERLINE LIGHTS
POWER CABLE
RUNWAY C
L
EACH RCL BASE
CAN CONNECTED TO
GROUND ROD
FIGURE 4 I CONTERPOISE GUIDANCE (UNDER PAVEMENT)
RUNWAY CENTERLINE LIGHTS COUNTERPOISE
POWER CABLE
COUNTERPOISE
GROUNDED EVERY 500
EACH RCL BASE
CAN CONNECTED TO
GROUND ROD
RUNWAY C
L
GROUND
ROD
RUNWAY EDGE
LIGHT BASE
COUNTERPOISE
GROUNDED
EVERY 500
2 TO 10
COUNTERPOISE
POWER CABLE
EACH EDGE BASE
CAN CONNECTED TO
GROUND ROD
12 MINIMUM
NOTE:
PROVIDE THE SECOND TRENCH FOR THE COUNTERPOISE, ROUTE THE COUNTERPOISE AROUND THE CAN
A MINIMUM OF 12 TOWARDS THE RUNWAY PAVEMENT, TYPICALLY, ANY LIGHTING STRIKE WILL HIT THE
CROWN OF THE PAVEMENT FIRST AND MIGRATE ACROSS THE PAVEMENT TOWARDS THE COUNTERPOISE.
FIGURE 3 I CONTERPOISE GUIDANCE (BETWEEN POWER CABLE AND EDGE OF PAVEMENT)
EXPOSURE
LEVEL
LOW
HIGH
kV
1.2/50 s pulse
6
10
kA
8/20 s pulse
3
10
ADB Aireld Solutions I page 2 of 4
lug on in-pavement light xtures. When non-metallic light
bases are used, the counterpoise is not connected to the
base and must be routed around it.
The intent of the counterpoise system is to intercept
lightning strikes and dissipate lightning current in the
ground without arcing to the aireld lighting system.
There is continued debate within the industry on
grounding of the counterpoise to the light xtures,
but data to support arguments either way is lacking
at this time. See the Advisory Circular for specic
recommendations on implementing a counterpoise
lightning protection system.
Protection from Lightning
There are a number of electrical components that can
be used to help provide electrical surge or lightning
protection, such as avalanche diodes or gas discharge
tubes, but the primary protection device in use is the
Metal Oxide Varistor, or MOV. The MOV represents the
best compromise of response time to multiple surges,
if applied properly. The MOV contains zinc oxide particles
placed between two metal plates, with one plate
usually attached to earth ground. The varistor has a
sharp breakdown characteristic that enables it to provide
surge suppression. When presented with a voltage
transient, the impedance of the MOV changes from a
near open circuit to a highly conductive level, clamping
the transient voltage to a safe level. The destructive
force of the transient pulse is absorbed by the varistor,
protecting the circuit from further damage. MOVs are
rated by the voltage at which they become conductive
(clamping voltage) and the amount of current they are
able to handle.
Use of MOVs in Aireld Lighting
MOVs are the surge/lightning protection device of choice
for aireld lighting applications. They guard incoming
power to vault and eld equipment, control wiring, series
circuit outputs, and the electronics of any lighting
equipment powered by a series circuit.
The key to any lightning protection of aireld equipment
lies with proper earth grounding. Good grounding
practices include total connectivity to assure a common
potential for all equipment. It is critical that the
manufacturers grounding recommendations be
implemented, both to help dissipate lightning surges
and to allow the protection devices a proper grounding
path to operate against.
MOV Failure
MOVs have a large, but limited, capacity to absorb energy,
and are subject to failure. The most common failure modes
include: electrical puncture, thermal cracking, and thermal
runaway, all usually the result from non-uniform heating.
Initial failure modes for an MOV include: short circuit, open
circuit, or high resistance. A short circuit failure is caused by
a large fault current fusing the zinc oxide material, usually
resulting in a visible puncture outside the device.
The MOV can also fail as an open circuit between the two
plates. The good news with this failure is that it does not
affect the operation of the electrical circuit. The bad news is
that due to the nature of the failure, there is no indication that
the MOV is no longer able to provide any surge protection.
This is the most common failure mode, but the most difcult
to detect.
The varistor can also begin to fail acting more as a resistor.
The device will then begin to overheat, causing it to fail.
Larger MOVs can actually become a re hazard at this point.
Degradation of MOVs
MOVs experience degradation due to one or more surge
impulses outside of their rated specications: voltage,
current, and length of the surge. This produces excess heat
stress on the device, affecting the zinc oxide composition.
This stress may not be enough to cause the MOV to fail, but
will result in degraded operation with the clamping voltage
rising higher and higher until it will no longer conduct current
in an overload.
Identifying MOV Failure
An MOV that has failed as a short circuit can usually be
identied easily by placing an ohmmeter across the device,
reading a very low resistance. As this will normally place a
direct short to ground, the failure will be associated with
unexplained fuse failures on the device.
An open MOV failure can usually be tested only with
specialized equipment designed to verify the clamping
voltage at which the zinc oxide material becomes
conductive. For this reason, we recommend that larger
MOVs, such as those found in CCRs, be replaced on a
routine schedule, or after a nearby direct lightning strike.
A visual inspection of all MOVs should be made on a yearly
basis, looking for blackened material, punctures, or signs
of excess heat generated.
ADB Aireld Solutions I page 3 of 4
Series Circuit Field Lightning Arrestor
To help reduce the susceptibility of aireld series circuits to
lightning surges ADB has developed the Field Lightning
Arrestor, which is designed to be inserted into the aireld
series circuit at 2,000 foot (600 meter) intervals. When
properly grounded, the Field Lightning Arrestor will pro-
vide protection of 25,000 Amps (8/20 s waveform). It is
designed to operate on both 6.6 and 20 Amp circuits with
any size regulator.
This article is designed to give a basic understanding of
lightning protection of aireld lighting equipment. I have
listed some additional references below that may provide
more information. Please feel free to contact us if you have
any specic questions.
Author Prole: John Chapman is Product Manager for
Control and Power Solutions. Although he has only worked
in aireld lighting for several years, he has more than
25 years of automation and control experience in various
process industries.
REFERENCES:
[1] http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov (National Weather
Service Lightning Safety web site)
[2] http://thunder.mfsc.nasa.gov (Global Hydrology and
Climate Center)
[3] http://www.lightningsafety.com (National Lightning
Safety Institute)
[4] FAA STD-019e Lightning and Surge Protection, Grounding,
Bonding and Shielding Requirements for Facilities and
Electronic Equipment (http://www.faa.gov)
[5] IEEE C62.41 - IEEE Recommended Practice on Surge
Voltages in Low-Voltage AC Power Circuits
[6] FAA AC 150/5340-30 Design and Installation Details
For Airport Visual Aids (http://www.faa.gov)
[7] FAA Engineering Brief 67 Light Sources Other Than
Incandescent and Xenon for Airport and Obstruction
Lighting Fixtures (http://www.faa.gov)
[8] Rakov and Uman, Engineering Analysis of aireld Lighting
System Lightning Protection (Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering, University of Florida) January, 2006
ADB Aireld Solutions, LLC
977 Gahanna Parkway
Columbus, OH 43230
USA
Tel: +1 (614) 861-1304
+1 (800) 545-4157
Fax: +1 (614) 864-2069
ADB Aireld Solutions, Ltd.
5500 North Service Road, Suite 1108
Burlington, Ontario
L7L 6W6 Canada
Tel: +1 (905) 331-6887
Fax: +1 (905) 331-9389
adb-sales.us@adb-air.com
www.adb-aireldsolutions.com
ADB Aireld Solutions I page 4 of 4
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