US3328508A - Lightning rod with ionizing field - Google Patents

Lightning rod with ionizing field Download PDF

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Publication number
US3328508A
US3328508A US533950A US53395066A US3328508A US 3328508 A US3328508 A US 3328508A US 533950 A US533950 A US 533950A US 53395066 A US53395066 A US 53395066A US 3328508 A US3328508 A US 3328508A
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United States
Prior art keywords
radioactive
lightning
rod
americium
ionizing
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Expired - Lifetime
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US533950A
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English (en)
Inventor
Ritter Karlheinz
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GENERAL PROTECTION ESTABLISHMENT
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GENERAL PROTECTION ESTABLISHMENT
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
    • H02G13/00—Installations of lightning conductors; Fastening thereof to supporting structure
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
    • H02G13/00—Installations of lightning conductors; Fastening thereof to supporting structure
    • H02G13/20—Active discharge triggering
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
    • H02G13/00—Installations of lightning conductors; Fastening thereof to supporting structure
    • H02G13/80—Discharge by conduction or dissipation, e.g. rods, arresters, spark gaps

Definitions

  • Lightning rods having around the rod at least one radioactive ionizing source consisting of americium-24 1, the ionizing power thereof being intensified by the provision of a magnetic field therearound so as to provide a volume of ionized air around the point of the rod which may conduct lightning bolts striking within the perimeter of ionizing air to the point of the lightning rod.
  • radioactive lightning rods known up to now use radioactive sources comprising natural radioactive elements, principally radium.
  • radioactive lightning rod Since the operating principle of the radioactive lightning rod uses the principal alpha ionising radiation which is corpuscular and difiicult to liberate one has always resorted to devices which cannot ensure the functioning to which they aspire, their source not being able to emit this radiation. In addition to the risks that this state of affairs imply, since protection from lightning is not assured these radioactive devices can give rise to health hazards owing to the emission of beta and especially gamma radiation from the radium.
  • the present invention has for object a radioactive lightning rod using new sources having high ionizing power, capable of liberating the alpha radiation of americium-241 a new isotope made available by the US. Atomic Energy Commission, and the efficiency of which is increased by an ionizing field.
  • Atomic Energy Commission and the efficiency of which is increased by an ionizing field.
  • the main feature of the invention resides then in the use of sources with the oxide of americium-241 held in a layer of noble metal, very resistant to abrasive and electro-chemical actions and furnishing an alpha emission of an energy and density higher to those of all ionizing sources known up to now.
  • the half life of americium being around 480 years, these sources will keep their ionizing power in a practically linear manner for the life of the installations which must be protected.
  • the radioactive sources are placed on a first electrode insulated from the stem and surrounding the same, near the point of the lightning rod.
  • a second annular electrode also insulated from the stem, brings an areodynamic protection to the sources and supports the upper end of a third electrode, helical in shape, but the lower extremity of which is electrically connected to the stem of the lightning rod, that is to say it has a ground potential.
  • FIGURE 1 shows a lightning rod according to the invention
  • FIGURE 2 shows a variation thereof.
  • the lightning rod shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a stem 1 suitably grounded, an insulator 3 bearing an electrode 4 on the periphery of which are placed the radioactive ionising sources 5, a second annular insulator 6 secured below the first on stem 1 and bearing electrode 7 by means of spokes 8 and hub 9.
  • This assembly is completed by a helical electrode 10 surrounding stem 1 at the level of insulators 3 and 6 and connected by its upper end to electrode 7 and by its lower end to a metallic ring 11 secured directly to the stem by suitable means such as welding.
  • the ionizing sources with americium oxide have for function, to anticipate and especially, to amplify the ionizing phenomena to which will give rise the present system of radioactive lightning rod with magnetic field.
  • the gradient assumes very high values, of several thousands, and even tens of thousands, of volts by meters of height (A. Brash and F. Lange, Zeitf. Phys. 70, 10 (1931), have measured gradients going up to 100,000 volts/m.).
  • the lightning rod subject of the present invention having to be installed at a minimum height of 15 meters above the ground and being in fact placed in most cases much higher, will always be immersed upon the approach of discharges, in electrostatic gradients of at least 100,000 volts, and even more easily, of 500,000 to 1,000,000 volts or more. In parallel fashion, this hyperbolic increase of gradient will determine:
  • the present invention thus provides a system for strongly ionizing a volume of air, the intensity of which decreases towards the perimeter of the zone to be protected. If lightning approaches this perimeter, it will be captured, and, following the path of least resistance, will be directed toward its center and the shock point which will lead it to the ground.
  • the electrodes used in the present invention can be composed of any metallic material well known for use in this fiield.
  • the insulators are also of known construciions.
  • Radioactive lightning arresting device comprising a grounded rod, an electrode insulatingly secured to said rod having on the periphery thereof at least one metallic radioactive ionizing source consisting of americium-241 contained in a capsule of material able to permit alpha rays emanating from said americinm-241 to emerge freely into the ambient atmosphere to cause shock ionization of the air; and electrode means for producing a magnetic field around said radioactive ionizing source for anticipating and intensifying said shock ionization whereby air surrounding said device becomes strongly ionized along a given perimeter in which all lightning which may strike will be capturedand following the path of least resistance constituted by the ionized air in said perimeter will be led to said grounded rod and hence to the ground.
  • Radioactive lightning arresting device wherein said electrode means for producing a 4, i magnetic field consists of an electrode helically disposed around said rod and source and having one extremity at ground potential and another extremity at atmospheric gradient.

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US533950A 1965-03-16 1966-03-14 Lightning rod with ionizing field Expired - Lifetime US3328508A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH359365A CH422934A (fr) 1965-03-16 1965-03-16 Paratonnerre radioactif à champ de ionisation

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3328508A true US3328508A (en) 1967-06-27

Family

ID=4259326

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US533950A Expired - Lifetime US3328508A (en) 1965-03-16 1966-03-14 Lightning rod with ionizing field

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3328508A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE677835A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH422934A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE1640142A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
ES (1) ES324184A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3662083A (en) * 1969-04-15 1972-05-09 Detude De Lenergie Nucleaire E Lightning conductor
US4862315A (en) * 1988-10-31 1989-08-29 American Telephone And Telegraph Company Static electric discharge apparatus

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2644026A (en) * 1950-04-24 1953-06-30 Helita Soc Radioactive lightining protector with accelerating elements
US2854499A (en) * 1952-09-01 1958-09-30 Capart Alphonse Radioactive lightning arrester

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2644026A (en) * 1950-04-24 1953-06-30 Helita Soc Radioactive lightining protector with accelerating elements
US2854499A (en) * 1952-09-01 1958-09-30 Capart Alphonse Radioactive lightning arrester

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3662083A (en) * 1969-04-15 1972-05-09 Detude De Lenergie Nucleaire E Lightning conductor
US4862315A (en) * 1988-10-31 1989-08-29 American Telephone And Telegraph Company Static electric discharge apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE677835A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1966-08-01
CH422934A (fr) 1966-10-31
ES324184A1 (es) 1967-02-01
DE1640142A1 (de) 1970-05-27

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