Evaluation of the lightning strike risk applied to particular site located in the French pyrenees

Charly Sigogne (1) , Thierry Reess (1) , Antoine Silvestre de Ferron (1)

1 SIAME - Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Ingénieur Appliquées à la Mécanique et au génie Electrique

In the domain of lightning protection, the vulnerability of structures to lightning is commonly estimated by using the rolling sphere method. This is an electrogeometric model (EGM) and consists in placing over the structure an imaginary sphere of a radius which depends on the estimated peak current of the lightning flash return stroke. In this way all the surface contact points are considered to require protection, whilst the remaining unaffected volume is assumed to be fully protected. In the present work, we propose a novel method allowing the evaluation of the lightning impact probability over a structure. The new approach is applied in the case of the Observatory of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, in the South of France, where a lightning station is installed. Firstly, an analysis of the lightning characteristics observed at this site is based on existing lightning data. Secondly the new method, based on a 3-D application of the electrogeometric model, is used to provide the probability for each point of the structure to be hit by a downward flash. Finally, the percentage of upward flashes is estimated and coupled with the probabilities for downward flashes to obtain the overall probabilities for the structure.

Mots clés: Lightning protection; impact probabilities; 3D electrogeometric model

Domaines: Energie électrique; Electronique; Génie des procédés

Charly Sigogne, Thierry Reess, Antoine Silvestre de Ferron. Evaluation of the lightning strike risk applied to particular site located in the French pyrenees. International Journal of Plasma Environmental Science and Technology, 2021, ⟨10.34343/ijpest.2021.15.e02003⟩. ⟨hal-03469018⟩