Experimental Setup for Lightning Current Measurement and Impact Localization Based on Fiber Optic Current Sensors

Current surges with amplitudes up to 200 kA, as they can appear in lightning strokes, are hard to measure with state-of-the-art devices because of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and isolation problems. Hence, a fiber optic sensor system has been developed to measure the lightning current, and this sensor network can be used for lightning impact estimation. Fiber optical magnetic field sensors achieve increasing acceptance and use in high-power applications for current monitoring due to their accuracy, bandwidth, dynamic range, and inherent isolation. The used sensor is based on the principle of Faraday rotation in a crystal. Two possible applications in lightning research and lightning detection and localisation on wind turbines are presented. The physical setup, the data processing, and the calibration for these applications will be discussed. The results from laboratory tests demonstrate the feasibility of the concepts and identify limitations connected to sources of error.     «

Current surges with amplitudes up to 200 kA, as they can appear in lightning strokes, are hard to measure with state-of-the-art devices because of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and isolation problems. Hence, a fiber optic sensor system has been developed to measure the lightning current, and this sensor network can be used for lightning impact estimation. Fiber optical magnetic field sensors achieve increasing acceptance and use in high-power applications for current monitoring due...     »