Open AccessLightning protection for wind turbine blades and bearings
Author(s) -
Cotton Ian,
Jenkins Nick,
Pandiaraj Krishnan
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
wind energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1099-1824
pISSN - 1095-4244
DOI - 10.1002/we.44
Subject(s) - lightning (connector) , turbine , wind power , lightning strike , engineering , marine engineering , work (physics) , brake , turbine blade , lightning detection , automotive engineering , lightning arrester , aerospace engineering , mechanical engineering , electrical engineering , meteorology , power (physics) , thunderstorm , physics , quantum mechanics
The protection of wind turbines from lightning damage is increasingly important as they increase in size and are placed in locations where access to carry out repairs may be difficult. As blades are the most common attachment point of lightning, they must be adequately protected. In addition, the passage of lightning current through wind turbine bearings introduces a risk of lightning damage to these vital components. Investigations relating to the improvement of blade lightning protection systems have been carried out, including experiments designed to address the difficult problems involved in the protection of hydraulic cylinders used for tip brake control. Work has also focused on the ability of lightning current to cause damage to wind turbine bearings. The work has been a mixture of computer simulations and experimental testing using high‐voltage and high‐current facilities. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.