Anna Candela Garolera

Multiple Lightning Discharges in Wind Turbines Associated With Nearby Cloud-to-Ground Lightning

This paper presents the analysis of five events where simultaneous lightning currents were registered in different wind turbines of a wind farm with lightning monitoring equipment installed. Measurements from current monitoring devices installed at the wind turbines and observations from auto-triggering video cameras were correlated with data from the U.S. National Lighting Detection Network. In all five events, the correlation showed that a cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning stroke with high peak current struck the ground within 10 km of the affected turbines at the time of the currents in the wind turbines. The polarity of the CG discharges was negative in two events and positive in the three remaining events, which were also accompanied by small intracloud pulses. According to the analysis of the data for each event, the simultaneous discharges at the wind turbines are most likely caused by the nearby CG strokes, involving mechanisms that vary depending on the polarity of the associated CG stroke. The analysis also suggests that the event of upward lightning from wind turbines triggered by nearby lightning activity occurs very often and therefore it should be considered carefully in the processes of assessing the lightning exposure of the wind turbines, designing the lightning protection, and defining validation tests.

Lightning attachment to wind turbine surfaces affected by internal blade conditions

The efficiency of the blade lightning protection system depends to a great extend on the effectiveness of the receptor to intercept the lightning discharge. When the blade is exposed to a high electric field, streamers are mainly initiated from the receptor surface, but lightning attachment on the blade surface instead of the receptor is also possible, with the risk of damages in the composite structure as a consequence. The present paper focuses on electrical fields and streamer activity in connection to conductive components inside a wind turbine blade when a downward leader is approaching the wind turbine. High voltage tests have been carried out to study the development of streamers in conductive components inside a fiberglass structure, and the results have been correlated with the simulations of the electric field performed using Finite Element Method. Finally, potential applications of the results of this study are discussed.

Breakdown and tracking properties of rubber materials for wind turbine blades

The use of rubber materials in wind turbine blades, for example in controllable trailing edge flaps, requires research on their behavior under heavy exposure to electric fields and electrical discharges. Since the complex construction of blades usually involves several and often inhomogeneous materials, the testing methods selected should reflect the realistic conditions. In this paper the applicability of rubber materials to thunderstorm environments is studied by performing electric breakdown tests and tracking resistance tests on selected samples, and the findings are related to the possible future application of rubber materials to wind turbine blades.

European cold season lightning map for wind turbines based on radio soundings

In this paper, the meteorological data of cold season thunderstorms in Japan and Spain are reviewed to determine the threshold conditions at which cold season lightning was recorded in the past. The variables investigated are the height of the -10°C and 0°C isotherms above ground, the wind velocity, the precipitable water in the cloud, and the wind direction. Meteorological data of 72 radio sounding stations in Europe is analyzed for a 5 year period (2009-2014) in the months from October until March. Based on this information, a European map has been created indicating areas where the meteorological conditions for self-triggered upward lightning, as being observed in Japan and Spain, are identified. This map may give an indication if a potential wind power plant or structure has the risk to be affected by frequent lightning attachments in the cold season which are predominantly upward initiated. The advantage of using meteorological parameters to define cold season thunderstorm areas is the independence of Lightning Location Systems (LLS), which are limited to detect upward lightning. Additionally, meteorological data is publicly available.