Lightning – Its Effects, Detection and Protection

With the increasing usage of electrical and electronic devices, equipment damage or malfunction caused by lightning and other sources has been on the rise. A research group led by Prof. Patrick Y. DU and Prof. CHEN Mingli of BEEE at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has made great contributions to the improvement of lightning detection and protection as well as electromagnetic environments in buildings. Its main contributions include (a) the development of user-friendly software for lightning surge analysis, which is currently used in the telecommunications industry for product design, (b) the evaluation and improvement of lightning protection measures in signaling and traction systems of electrified railway, and (c) the development of architectural shielding with low-cost techniques, which has been adopted in large buildings in Hong Kong, Macau, Manila, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

A software package for lightning surge analysis in 3D wire structure has been adopted by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., a leading telecommunications equipment manufacturer, to facilitate effective lightning protection for radio base stations, and protective measures for downsizing telecommunications equipment. The PolyU researchers who have helped to improve system resistivity against lightning and other interference sources include Prof. Patrick Y. DU and Prof. CHEN Mingli. They have been supported by industry to a great extent. In the last 15 years, more than 50 consultancy projects (some of them in the nature of contract research) have been awarded to them for developing practical solutions to the challenges faced by the industry.

Application of the Lightning Transient Simulation Platform for Radio Base Stations