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Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protection
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Transcript of Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protection
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
1
Sri Lanka National Policy
on
LIGHTNING PROTECTION
2006 - 2010
Study Group XIV
NASTEC
Few knows that the glazing momentary brightness followed by the monstrous bellowing that occurs naturally in the atmosphere, the lightning, incurs every year an unbearable loss to the country. Few knows that this loss can be reduced to a bare minimum, by taking proper measures. The few who knows that should do their best to the country without further delay. ~ Study Group on Lightning Protection
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
2
Members of the Study Group
Dr. Chandima Gomes, University of Colombo (Chairman)
Prof. Indra Dayawansa, University of Moratuwa
Prof. Rohan Lucas, University of Moratuwa
Mr. K.R. Abeysinghe, Department of Meteorology
Mr. Nuwan Kumarasinghe, Department of Meteorology
Mrs. Dewasurendra, Sri Lanka Standards Institution
Mr. Kamal Illeperuma, Ceylon Electricity Board
Mr. L.S.B. Karunaratne, Sri Lanka Telecom
Mr. R. Fernado, Engineering Consultant (Ex-CEB)
Mrs. Amali Dasanayake, National Science and Technology Commission
* In addition to the above members, thirty two representatives from the
industrial sector made their feedback and contribution to this document
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
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CONTENTS
1. Vision and Mission
2. Preamble
3. Need for a National Policy
4. Policy Statements
Policy Statement-1: Safety awareness
Policy Statement-2: Protection of buildings and structures for the safety of occupants and
property
Policy Statement-3: Minimizing adverse effects on industry
Policy Statement-4: Protection of tall structures and safety concerns of neighbourhood
Policy Statement-5: protection of power transmission lines
Policy Statement-6: Protection of High Risk Installation
Policy Statement-7: Sri Lanka standards on lightning protection and installation
Policy Statement-8: Test & Research Facilities and Data Collection,
Policy Statement-9: Local manufacture of equipment
Policy Statement-10: Protection of National Heritage Sites
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
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1. VISION AND MISSION
Vision
To bring the lightning related deaths, injuries and property damages in Sri Lanka to a nearly
zero level.
Mission
To protect the lives and properties and to safeguard the economy of Sri Lanka from hazardous
and deleterious effects of lightning by educating the public and promoting the practices of
proper lightning protection and safety measures through a national policy of lightning
protection.
2. PREAMBLE
Over the last decade in Sri Lanka, there has been a noticeable increase in the effects of lightning
on industry and civil life. Lightning causes human casualties and ignites fires that may burn an
entire building to ashes. At a lower degree of damage, the lightning current may destroy
electrical, electronic and communication equipment beyond repair. However one of the most
significant losses that lightning may cause as far as industries are concerned is the downtime. A
couple of hours of standstill of normal operation or a loss of some important data stored in a
computer may cause a company a financial loss of several millions. For example, we may
consider the first lightning season of year 2006 which lasted for 2 months from April to May.
During its brief period of activity it cost us 23 reported deaths, more than 35 million worth of
property and an un-estimated amount of money due to downtime and data losses. A country that
is set to achieve rapid industrialization is unavoidably becoming vulnerable to lightning related
hazards due to several reasons. The increasing susceptibility of electrical equipment to
electromagnetic impulses, the widespread use of electrical and electronic appliances and the
changes in the atmosphere due to high rise buildings and artificial activities can be given as
some reasons for lightning hazards.
Lightning may cause damage to buildings and equipment from direct lightning strikes or from
side flashes. The lightning current reaches average peak value of about 30,000 Amperes while
maximum can be about 250,000 Amperes. This enormous current may destroy the entire power
and communication networks in a building including all the equipment connected to the
networks. The high temperature generated by the current that flows in the lines and the sparks
that jump between different parts of the building, may trigger fires that will completely burn out
the installation. Lightning causes damage so quickly that once the building is struck by
lightning, damage to equipment and injuries to persons, will be inevitable.
The lightning currents can also enter into an installation through the service lines such as power,
communication, and cable TV. Once lightning strikes a service line, fractions of the lightning
current enter all the nearby buildings and may destroy the equipment that are plugged into
electrical or electronic communication systems.
Lightning currents that propagate along power and telecommunication service lines can
penetrate into a building. These lines usually stretch a long distance over the land and are
therefore more likely to be exposed to lightning than individual buildings. There are special
devices such as surge diverters or surge suppressors, which prevent these currents from entering
a building.
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
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3. NEED FOR A NATIONAL POLICY
Every year more than 50 people in this country get killed by lightning. Most of these people
who get killed by lightning are villagers in rural areas who work in open fields. For example, on
the 5th April 2002, five women working in a farm in Moneragala were killed on the spot, as the
tree where they were seeking shelter from a thin drizzle, was struck by lightning. The lives of
these people could have been saved if they were given the correct information about how to
protect themselves from lightning. Apart from human injuries and deaths, another matter of
concern is the innumerable deaths of animals caused by lightning every year.
During the two lightning seasons of the year, valuable property is damaged in the power,
communication and industrial sectors. In addition, the indirect losses due to the downtime,
caused by damaged equipment as well as the loss of data are considerable. There is also
considerable damage reported due to lightning at domestic level.
Another very important concern of lightning protection in Sri Lanka is the lightning safety of
archaeological monuments. Most of these irreplaceable high valued structures are either totally
unprotected or not-properly protected at present. Typically many of these structures are either
erected well above the flat terrain or built on isolated rocks or mountains. Recently many of
these archeological monuments are given shelter with metal roofing erected on wooden poles.
These structures are very vulnerable to lightning, therefore it is necessary to provide them
adequate protect.
Whatever protection mechanism is employed to protect an installation, the product and service
must conform to certain standards. There is a code of practice for Sri Lanka for lightning
protection systems as specified by the SLSI. However, this standard is mainly for buildings and
does not include the tests to be carried out and the outcomes expected. The SLSI standards have
to be improved to cover all aspects of lightning protection systems and equipment. In the
absence of comprehensive Sri Lanka standards, the engineers normally follow other national and
international standards, which are, most often, out dated. Hence, the industrial sector as well as
the general public may not be sufficiently aware of the required levels of protection and
international trends. Therefore, vendors could easily persuade the local dealers to import their
products, which, in some cases, do not comply with accepted standards in many developed
countries. A careful analysis of the present market in lightning protection equipment reveals the
seriousness of the situation. Thus it is essential to conduct regular awareness programs regarding
the products and technologies of lightning protection.
Almost all the products related to lightning protection, currently available in Sri Lanka, have
been produced to withstand the characteristics of lightning currents and lightning generated
fields measured in temperate regions and sub-tropical regions. A considerable number of
scientists believe that characteristics of tropical & oceanic regions may be different to what is
observed elsewhere. However, as very little scientific research has been carried out in the
tropical oceanic regions to analyze lightning data for formal verification, it is important that
such research and analysis is encouraged and supported in order to address the issues related to
lightning damage in this country.
In Sri Lanka, a majority of industries in need of lightning protection do not have adequate
knowledge on the subject of ‘lightning protection’, therefore they have to depend on the
assurance given by the vendors regarding protection devices and installation. Therefore an
independent body needs to be established to investigate the lightning protection equipment and
their installation.
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
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4. POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy Statement-1: Safety awareness
Deaths and injuries due to lightning will be minimized and public safety is improved by
1. organizing educational and awareness programs for different target groups of the
public
2. including awareness on the concepts of lightning and lightning protection/safety in the
school curriculum
3. publishing literature on lightning, its hazards and precautions in all three languages
4. displaying proper lightning safety instructions at vulnerable locations such as
playgrounds, beaches etc.
The government will sponsor the awareness programs and activities through the relevant
ministries and public institutions.
The government will encourage the semi-governmental and non-governmental
organizations to conduct such programs and activities.
An institutional framework with necessary legislative instruments will be set up and
strengthened to minimize effects due to lightning hazards in Sri Lanka.
Policy Statement-2: Protection of buildings and structures for the safety of occupants
and property
Buildings will be protected against lightning by
1. educating and encouraging the public to adopt proper lightning protection measures
for their buildings
2. making lightning protection, according to Sri Lanka Standards, mandatory for
buildings of both government and public sector, situated at identified areas of high
lightning occurrence density
3. by making lightning protection, according to Sri Lanka Standards, mandatory for
buildings and structures of mass public gathering such as hospitals, schools, stadiums
etc., in all parts of the country.
The government will appoint an authorized body/bodies to make recommendations of
the protection systems and the necessary steps to be taken to minimize lightning
damages to buildings.
Policy Statement-3: Minimizing adverse effects on industry
Damage to electrical, electronic & communication equipment, computer networks and
related systems will be minimized by
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
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1. educating the engineering and administration communities of the industry to obtain
the most appropriate surge protection solutions for their equipment and network
2. educating the protection equipment manufacturers, importers, designers and
installers to provide the most appropriate surge protection solution for different
requirement
3. encouraging the immediate development of Sri Lankan standards for surge
protection solutions for different sectors of the industry (Power, communication,
Computer network, Data network, PABX system, Electronic Process control
system etc.)
4. appointing authorized body/bodies to check the quality of the protection devices
manufactured, and imported to the country as well as to certify the installation.
The government will take the advice and support of both local and foreign experts in
minimizing the adverse effects on industry due to lightning.
Policy Statement-4: Protection of towers and safety concerns of neighborhoods
The government will encourage the protection of towers and incorporated equipment by
deploying an appropriate lightning protection system.
Safety of the tower neighborhood will be ensured by
1. appointing a committee to investigate the possibilities of increasing lightning
hazards to the neighborhood of the tall structures
2. making effective earthing system mandatory for the tower.
3. enforcing mandatory guidelines to tower owners to protect the neighborhood.
4. appointing an authorized body/bodies to check whether such mandatory codes of
practice are followed.
Policy Statement-5: Protection of power transmission and communication networks
Damage to power transmission networks will be brought down to a minimum level by
1. appointing a panel of experts to investigate the condition of existing lightning
protection systems in the power transmission network
2. implementing the recommendations with immediate effect
3. encouraging engineering institutions to educate the technical communities in
proper practices of earthing and following reputed standards in this regard.
4. encouraging the engineers to maintain regular inspection records.
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
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Damage to communication networks will be brought down to a minimum level by
1. appointing a panel of experts to investigate the quality of high frequency earthing
systems and communication equipment protection technologies to make
recommendations to the relevant institutions/service providers to uplift the
conditions or rectify problems.
Policy Statement-6: Protection of High Risk Installation
Damage to storage of hazardous materials such as dangerous chemicals, explosives,
petroleum and ammunition dumps etc. and other high risk installations will be brought to
almost zero level by
1. thoroughly and regularly educating the authorities of institutions that store,
transport or use hazardous materials regarding the lightning threats
2. making the highest level of structural protection mandatory to such cases
3. appointing a panel of experts to inspect the lightning protection systems of such
cases on regular basis.
Policy Statement-7: Development of national standards on lighting protection and
installation
Sri Lanka standards/codes for lightning protection systems for buildings/equipment and
their installation will be developed, improved and updated on regular basis.
Sri Lanka national standards/codes should not consider Early Streamer Emission (ESE)
technology or any other unconventional type lightning protection technologies including
into the recommendations until such technologies are scientifically proven and accepted
by the international scientific community.
Awareness programs will be conducted to popularize the standards/codes among the
public.
A committee will be appointed make appropriate parts of the standards mandatory to
relevant parties.
Policy Statement-8: Test & research facilities and data collection,
Test facility services provided to manufacturers and importers of lightning protection
equipment to conform their products to Sri Lankan standards will be enhanced by
1. setting up new laboratories and supporting research institutes to upgrade the
existing laboratories
2. providing training to test facility providers in modern techniques and
methodologies.
Sri Lanka National Policy on Lightning Protecting-NASTEC-2010
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Researchers are encouraged to start/continue research on lightning and lightning
protection in Sri Lanka by providing required facilities and building a research base.
The country will be networked with an island wide lightning detection system so that
lightning nowcasting and data collecting will be possible.
Research groups and institutions that keep data bases on lightning accidents and other
lightning related occurrences will be encouraged to do their work collectively and
scientifically.
Policy Statement-9: Local manufacture of protective devices
Local entrepreneurs will be encouraged to produce lightning protection equipment and
technologies suitable to local conditions and Sri Lankan standards by
1. providing inventors, researchers and entrepreneurs financial grants, working
facilities, market information, foreign training, appreciation and admiration awards
etc.,
2. linking entrepreneurs and researchers on lightning protection through collaborative
programs, forums etc. to share their views, and work experience.
Policy Statement-10: Protection of national heritage sites
Lightning damage free environment is ensured for national heritage sites by
1. appointing a panel of experts to investigate the present situation of sites with
archeological importance
2. designing and implementing protection systems to protect them for a long period
of time
3. inspecting the implemented protection systems on regular basis and documenting
the conditions for long term reference.