Special Guest Blog
Kingsmill would like to thank María López from PSR Pararrayos (Spain) for the contribution to our blog page.
PSR Pararrayos located in Spain develops, manufactures and distributes products against lightning and have done since 1976.
Their core product is the Early Streamer Emission Device (a capture device) and Kingsmill are proud to be a distributor for these products. View the range by clicking here
LIGHTNING PROTECTION SYSTEM/EARLY STREAMER EMISSION DEVICE: THE BASICS
What is a lightning bolt? What are its effects?
Many of us think that lightning bolts are one of Nature’s wonders and beauties, yet so few are conscious of to how dangerous they could be to both people and properties.
Lightning can be considered a disruptive electrical discharge due to the dielectric breakdown of the air between the clouds and the earth. When it reaches the earth it generally impacts on natural elements such as trees, hills or even water but it also does impact on buildings or even worst, people.
When a lightning strike occurs, we face two different types of undesirable effects:

- Direct effects These are due to the circulation of an intense current (several tens of thousands of amperes) which heats materials and causes calcination, melting down of some metal elements, destruction of roofs, antennae etc. and, of course, electrocution when a person receives such an impact.
- Indirect effects These are not so “spectacular” but, since they are due to over voltages produced by induction, conduction and so forth, they may damage electrical or communication devices such as computers, switchboards etc.
- In 1752 Benjamin Franklin invented the first protection device – called “Franklin rod” after the American politician and scientist- which consists of one or more tips and down conductors. These are connected to the earth of the installation by means of one or more grounding electrodes.
- A derivation of this device is the meshed cage (also known as a Faraday cage) which consists of a network of tips and down conductors which literally encage the structure on which they are installed. This network is also connected to grounding electrodes.
- EC-SAT500
- EC-SAT750
- EC-SAT1000 View the range by clicking HERE.