Marley Becerra

A simplified physical model to determine the lightning upward connecting leader inception

In this paper, a generalized leader inception model is proposed. It is based on an iterative geometrical analysis of the background potential distribution of an earthed structure to simulate the first meters of propagation of an upward connecting leader. By assuming a static field approach, the leader stabilization fields and the striking distances were computed for a lightning rod and for a building. The obtained results were compared with the existing leader inception criteria. Furthermore, in order to validate the model, the leader inception condition was computed for a triggered lightning experiment. Excellent agreement with the experimental results was obtained. The present model has several advantages in comparison with the existing leader inception criteria. One of them is related to the fact that the proposed model can be used to analyze the effect of the space charge on the upward leader inception.

A self-consistent upward leader propagation model

The knowledge of the initiation and propagation of an upward moving connecting leader in the presence of a downward moving lightning stepped leader is a must in the determination of the lateral attraction distance of a lightning flash by any grounded structure. Even though different models that simulate this phenomenon are available in the literature, they do not take into account the latest developments in the physics of leader discharges. The leader model proposed here simulates the advancement of positive upward leaders by appealing to the presently understood physics of that process. The model properly simulates the upward continuous progression of the positive connecting leaders from its inception to the final connection with the downward stepped leader (final jump). Thus, the main physical properties of upward leaders, namely the charge per unit length, the injected current, the channel gradient and the leader velocity are self-consistently obtained. The obtained results are compared with an altitude triggered lightning experiment and there is good agreement between the model predictions and the measured leader current and the experimentally inferred spatial and temporal location of the final jump. It is also found that the usual assumption of constant charge per unit length, based on laboratory experiments, is not valid for lightning upward connecting leaders.

Time dependent evaluation of the lightning upward connecting leader inception

The evaluation of the upward connecting leader inception from a grounded structure has generally been performed neglecting the effect of the propagation of the downward stepped leader. Nevertheless, field observations suggest that the space charge produced by streamer corona and aborted upward leaders during the approach of the downward lightning leader can influence significantly the initiation of stable upward positive leaders. Thus, a physical leader inception model is developed, which takes into account the electric field variations produced by the descending leader during the process of inception. Also, it accounts for the shielding effect produced by streamer corona and unstable leaders formed before the stable leader inception takes place. The model is validated by comparing its predictions with the results obtained in long gap experiments and in an altitude triggered lightning experiment. The model is then used to estimate the leader inception conditions for free standing rods as a function of tip radius and height. It is found that the rod radius slightly affects the height of the downward leader tip necessary to initiate upward leaders. Only an improvement of about 10% on the lightning attractiveness can be reached by using lightning rods with an optimum radius. Based on the obtained results, the field observations of competing lightning rods are explained. Furthermore, the influence of the average stepped leader velocity on the inception of positive upward leaders is evaluated. The results obtained show that the rate of change of the background electric field produced by a downward leader descent largely influences the conditions necessary for upward leader initiation. Estimations of the leader inception conditions for the upper and lower limit of the measured values of the average downward lightning leader velocity differ by more than 80%. In addition, the striking distances calculated taking into account the temporal change of the background field are significantly larger than the ones obtained assuming a static downward leader field. The estimations of the present model are also compared with the existing leader inception models and discussed.

Effect of the space charge layer created by corona at ground level on the inception of upward lightning leaders from tall towers

Electric field measurements above ground have shown that the space charge layer created by corona at ground level shields the background electric field produced by the thundercloud. Therefore it is expected that this space charge layer can also influence the conditions required to initiate upward lightning from tall objects. For this reason, a numerical model that describes the evolution of the main electrical parameters below a thunderstorm is used to compute the space charge layer development. The time variation of the electric field measured at 600 m above ground during the 1989 rocket triggered lightning experiment at the Kennedy Space Center (Florida) is used to drive the model. The obtained space charge density profiles are used to compute the conditions required to initiate stable upward lightning positive leaders from tall towers. Corona at the tip of the tower is neglected. It is found that the space charge layer significantly affects the critical thundercloud electric fields required to initiate upward lightning leaders from tall objects. The neutral aerosol particle concentration is observed to have a significant influence on the space charge density profiles and the critical thundercloud electric fields, whereas the corona current density does not considerably affect the results for the cases considered in the analysis. It is found that a lower thundercloud electric field is required to trigger a lightning flash from a tall tower or other tall slender grounded structure in the case of sites with a high neutral aerosol particle concentration, like polluted areas or coastal regions.

Glow corona generation and streamer inception at the tip of grounded objects during thunderstorms: revisited

The initiation of streamers prior to a lightning strike can be reportedly inhibited by glow corona discharges generated from tall objects. In contrast to previous studies based on a simplified one-dimensional model of glow corona, a two-dimensional evaluation of the corona ion drift from tall objects is used here to analyse this effect quantitatively. Proper estimates for the corona space charge distribution generated during both the charging process of a thundercloud and the descent of the downward stepped leader are thus calculated. It is found that the shielding effect of the corona space charge on the streamer inception is not as severe as previously reported. Estimations of the effective height of the downward leader tip at which streamer inception takes place are presented and discussed for lightning rods and dissipation array systems.

Resistance of Spark Channels

A study undertaken to measure the resistance of spark channels in air with two different current waveforms is presented. In one experiment, the spark was created by a Marx generator. In this case, the gap length was maintained at 12.8 cm, and the current flowing through the spark had a peak current lying in the range of 0.2-2.2 kA. The decay time of the current was larger than 100 mus. In the other experiment, the spark was created by a current generator. In that experiment, the gap length was maintained at 1 cm, and the current flowing through the spark had peak-current amplitudes in the range of 35-48 kA. The decay time of the current was larger than 500 mus. The results show that the resistance of spark channels initially decreases, reaches a minimum value, and then recovers as the current in the spark gap decreases. The minimum resistance of the spark channel decreases with an increasing peak current. The results are compared with various theories that attempt to predict the temporal variation of the resistance of spark channels. The comparison shows that further developments in the existing theoretical models are needed in order to reproduce with better accuracy the dynamic behavior of the channel resistance

On the velocity of positive connecting leaders associated with negative downward lightning leaders

A self-consistent leader propagation model is used to estimate the velocity of upward connecting positive leaders initiated from a tall tower under the influence of downward negative lightning leaders. The propagation of upward connecting leaders has been found to be influenced not only by the average velocity of the downward leader but also by the prospective return stroke current, the lateral position of the downward leader channel as well as by the ambient electric field. This result show that the velocity and propagation time of upward connecting positive leaders change from flash to flash due to the variations in these parameters.

Laboratory experiments cannot be utilized to justify the action of early streamer emission terminals

The early emission of streamers in laboratory long air gaps under switching impulses has been observed to reduce the time of initiation of leader positive discharges. This fact has been arbitrarily extrapolated by the manufacturers of early streamer emission devices to the case of upward connecting leaders initiated under natural lightning conditions, in support of those non-conventional terminals that claim to perform better than Franklin lightning rods. In order to discuss the physical basis and validity of these claims, a self-consistent model based on the physics of leader discharges is used to simulate the performance of lightning rods in the laboratory and under natural lightning conditions. It is theoretically shown that the initiation of early streamers can indeed lead to the early initiation of self-propagating positive leaders in laboratory long air gaps under switching voltages. However, this is not the case for positive connecting leaders initiated from the same lightning rod under the influence of the electric field produced by a downward moving stepped leader. The time evolution of the development of positive leaders under natural conditions is different from the case in the laboratory, where the leader inception condition is closely dependent upon the initiation of the first streamer burst. Our study shows that the claimed similarity between the performance of lightning rods under switching electric fields applied in the laboratory and under the electric field produced by a descending stepped leader is not justified. Thus, the use of existing laboratory results to validate the performance of the early streamer lightning rods under natural conditions is not justified.

On the Interaction of Lightning Upward Connecting Positive Leaders With Humans

Upward connecting leaders can be initiated from humans under the influence of lightning downward stepped leaders, thereby causing severe injuries. In order to improve the scarce knowledge about the interaction of upward connecting leaders with humans, a self-consistent model based on the physics of leader discharges is used in this paper. Furthermore, a current-generation-type return-stroke model is applied to calculate the current pulse produced during the neutralization of unsuccessful aborted upward leaders. It is estimated that an upward connecting leader can be initiated even when the victim is located several tens of meters away from the lightning channel. However, the lightning exposure to a direct strike and to an aborted leader is found to be reduced by 50% and 70%, respectively, when an individual standing straight adopts the squat position. In the case of an aborted upward leader, it is estimated that a short-duration pulse of opposite polarity in the kiloampere range would be produced by the neutralization of the leader charge. Rough estimates of the total energy dissipated in the victims body by the current of an aborted unsuccessful upward leader range between hundred and thousand joules.

On the transition from stable positive glow corona to streamers

A 2D numerical simulation of the transition from stable positive glow corona to streamers in coaxial cylindrical configuration is presented. The hydrodynamic model with several convection-dominated ...