The faster the system, the more susceptible it is to transients.Ī lightning strike is a potential equalizing are between areas of different potential (voltage). With shorter distances, the arc-over voltage becomes lower. Therefore, you have to shorten the distances the electricity must travel. You may want to make a system operate faster but you cannot make electricity go faster. However, the same 200 volt transient is a big deal to 24-volt system.Īlso the faster the operating speed of a system the more susceptible it is to transients. A 200-volt transient is not a big deal to a 480-volt system. The lower the operating voltage, the more susceptible a device is to transient voltage surges. “The computer, of course, operates and very low voltages. Information is collected at low voltages and controls are relayed at only marginally higher voltages. Various types of sensors monitor conditions on pipelines and other structures and convey their information to a central computer system.
However, the advent of microprocessor-based monitoring and control systems has changed the ground rules.
In the old days, monitoring and control systems were rather rudimentary and not subject to atmospheric transients’. That is because while pipeline facilities and related structures- with a few spectacular exceptions-remain relatively immune to the ravages of lightning, it is the systems which monitor and control those facilities that suffer. If your pipeline or distribution system is using microprocessor-based control systems, a properly designed, installed and maintained lightning protection system may be just the ticket to help ensure long-term reliability. Kaiser, President, Lightning Master Corp., Clearwater, Florida
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