Early Streamer Emission Air Terminals (ESE) IONIFLASH MACH NG – Competitive Advantages
Early Streamer Emission Air Terminals (ESE) IONIFLASH MACH NG
The Early Streamer Emission Air Terminals IONIFLASH MACH can operate for a positive or a negative lightning strike.
When the descending tracer is getting closer to the ground (around 100 meters above the peak), it generates an electric field underneath it that will grow until reaching values in the range of one hundred kilovolts per meter. From then on, the first electron until then located close to the tip of the air-terminal, is suddenly being transformed in a discharge or an ascending tracer.
Those ascending positive tracers are suddenly developing towards the descending tracer (lightning). One of closest ascending tracers, the one that started first or the one that progressed the fastest, gets in contact with the descending tracer. The ionized channel is then continue from the ground until the cloud, and the arch can take place, producing a heavy lightning current of several kA.
The Early Streamer Emission IONIFLASH MACH NG® is an ESE rod on which is installed a spherical metallic mass aside the very top of the rod. This sphere is isolated from the rod by a collar made out of a material with high isolated electrical current. The body of the ESE contains two early streamer emission devices.
When the storm is approaching, the external electrode (sphere + potential stick) that is electrically conductive is getting charged with the influence of the electric field until its potential reaches a critical value from which a spark is being made in between the external electrode and the rod of the central electrode. This spark allows to create a plasma aside the rod.
The plasma associated with the severe electrical current that is around the rod, is the first step of the development of the ascending tracer.
The spark produced at the tip of the rod of the IONIFLASH MACH NG® will initiate the early streamer emission, creating an ascending tracer towards the descending tracer.
Environmental advantages of the IONIFLASH MACH
Reliability of the IONIFLASH MACH
