ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY

Author: MONTAÑA PUIG JOAN.
Year: 2003.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA [www.upc.edu].
Place of defense: Sala de Conferènces de la euetit.
Place of preparation: COMTE D'URGELL, 187 DESPATX BA17 BARCELONA.

Summary: Lightning is one of the natural phenomena which cause more losses. Not only is the cause of forest fires, deaths, accidents, etc.., But its effects also significantly affect the electrical systems of power, being a direct cause of more than 30% of interruptions of supply. Today protection against lightning and its relationship with EMC continues to be one of the great challenges of research in electrical engineering. The design of equipment, systems and structures that may be affected directly or indirectly by lightning, it is essential knowledge of the parameters that characterize it. The most significant parameters of a beam in engineering are:-the current maximum related to the discharge of their return and subsequent discharges; - its waveform; - speed downloading return; - total electric charge transferred or neutralized; Due to the complexity of the download all the parameters listed above can be estimated from the location networks. For example, the total electric charge related to the beam has been obtained from the integration of the electric current temporary measure in instrumentalizadas towers. The main objective of this thesis is the estimate of the total electric charge transferred or neutralized by lightning. To do so, taking advantage of the availability of two networks in Catalonia than ray tracing, radiosonde temperature and weather radar, presents the methods developed and the results based on the measurement of the electric field in a single season. In greater detail, the thesis covers the following points: -Describe sensors developed and conducts a new formulation for the sensor type windmill field. This new formulation offers obtaining a new method of signal processing which allows measuring the electric field environment through a windmill field subjected to perturbations such as those produced by high-voltage lines. The calibration of sensors developed for the control of the uncertainty of measurement of the electric field. - Data collection electric field Field measurements conducted under the action of storms. To this end, in the summer of 200, a campaign where measures were adapted sensors and equipment necessary for the operation in Mobile. - The determination of the total electric charge transferred by lightning nube-tierra, as well as tracing their origins. It gets a sufficiently representative sample size and presents its statistical parameters. These are compared with those adopted at present. - It gets a prediction model to estimate the distance of lightning impact from the changes in electrostatic field. It has also obtained the model for storms at the Kennedy Space Center (NASA â â Florida USA), and provides a method for comparison of the structure and the electrical voltage transferred ray nube-tierra. - It develops an algorithm for the estimation of the burden neutralized by lightning intra-nube well as the location of the centers of cargo involved. - It is characterized downloading return based on the modeling of the electrostatic component of electromagnetic radiation, from the steps of the electric field near the point of impact.