Function
Lightning protection systems provide a level of protection for the blades and the rest of the turbine.
Leading edge tape / metal or ceramic inserts protect blade tips from erosion.
Paint or gel coat protects the rest of the surface of the blade against erosion and UV damage.
Who supplies them
Lightning protection systems are an integral element of a blade design and the design of other turbine components in the conduction path to earth. They are manufactured by the blade and other relevant component suppliers using bought-in items.
Leading edge protection: 3M.
Coatings: Akzo Nobel, Bergolin and Mankiewicz.
Key facts
Different suppliers have different strategies for the capture and transfer of high currents at high voltages from point of impact through to the hub and rest of the turbine, depending on blade materials and aspects of blade design.
Lightning receptors are normally fitted at the tip and other points on the blade. In some cases, a conducting mesh is incorporated into the structure of the blade.
It is generally considered advantageous not to allow lightning to pass through blade bearings and into the hub and hence to the main structural load path to tower base.
Systems are used to gather data about the severity of lightning strikes.
What’s in it
- Lightning receptors
- Lightning conductor arrangement
- Tape
- Metal / ceramic inserts
- Data capture