JPH0648639B2 - Ion active emission type lightning strike prevention device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to a device for mitigating a lightning strike, a lightning strike, or a lightning strike by discharging a ground charge into the atmosphere in the form of ions.

<Prior Art> Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-7038 discloses a device that generates ions by corona discharge and sends the ions toward the sky to neutralize the charges of thunderclouds.

Generally, thunderclouds have a charge of several tens of coulombs, and in order to neutralize them, it is necessary to discharge similar charges from the ground. In terms of time, it is necessary to extinguish lightning after a thundercloud occurs and before a lightning strike begins. For example, the charge of 10
If it is released in about a minute, an ionic current of several tens of milliamperes is required.

By the way, in the above device, a DC voltage is applied between the cylindrical electrode and the needle-shaped electrode placed inside it to cause corona discharge, and the generated ions are carried out between the electrodes using corona wind. It is supposed to do.

However, the wind speed of the corona wind is not very high, and the ion current that can be taken out by the above device is at most a few microamperes, which is hardly practical.

<< Problems to be Solved by the Invention >> The present invention is to obtain a large ion current and to radiate an ion stream to the sky high.

<< Means and Actions for Solving the Problem >> When a high voltage DC voltage is applied between the flat electrode and the sharp electrode, corona discharge occurs, and for example, when the sharp electrode side is positive,
The gas molecules around the sharp electrode are ionized, the electrons are absorbed by the sharp electrode, and positive ions remain in the space. On the contrary, when the sharp electrode is negative, electrons are emitted from the sharp electrode and the electrons attach to neutral molecules to become negative ions.

Generally, in order to generate a large ion flow by causing a corona discharge in a gas flow, before the ions generated at one electrode are electrostatically attracted to the other electrode, they are removed from the system by a high-speed gas flow. It is necessary to carry away the ions. If the gas flow is weak, there is a problem that the ionic current can hardly be taken out of the system, and the corona discharge shifts to the spark discharge.

In the device of the present invention, an orifice is formed in the flat electrode, a sharp electrode is placed so as to face the orifice, and the gas supplied from the high-pressure gas supply source passes through the orifice at high speed and exits to the atmosphere. Has become. Therefore, the ions generated by the corona discharge are carried away from between the electrodes by this high-speed air flow and are released into the atmosphere. Therefore, a large ion current can be obtained without shifting to spark discharge.

In this specification, the term "plate electrode" is used to refer to a sharp electrode, and does not literally refer to only a plate electrode.

It is more effective for the ions to adhere to some particles and blow off the particles with the gas flow, than to blow the ions themselves with the gas flow. Saturated steam or mist-like water is effective as such particles. Therefore, the device of the present invention can be provided with means for supplying saturated steam or atomized water to the upstream side of the orifice.

It should be noted that, when the electric charge accumulated in the ground is discharged into the atmosphere as an ion flow by the present apparatus in this manner, the electric charge in the ground is reduced accordingly. That is, by discharging a large amount of ion current to the atmosphere, the charge on the ground is reduced, and the risk of lightning strikes on the ground is reduced.

If the ions carried out from between the electrodes together with the gas flow are discharged toward the sky as they are, the velocity of the ions will be reduced immediately. Ions are electrostatically attracted to the electric charge of the thundercloud, but their power is extremely weak, and considering that the distance to the thundercloud is several thousand meters, it cannot be expected to reach the thundercloud. Therefore, it is conceivable that the ions emitted from this device will become a cloud of ions and stagnate near the ground. In this case, the lightning strike from the thundercloud is to the ion cloud, and the direct lightning strike to the ground is avoided.

In the present device, a blower for sending air upward can be provided on the downstream side of the orifice. In this way, the ions ride up in the large flow of air blown out of the blower and rise up to the sky like streaks. It should be noted that the higher the temperature, the lighter the air, and thus the air can easily reach the sky. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to provide a heating means for heating the gas delivered by the blower.

In this way, the ion flow becomes streaky and rises high in the sky, and if it reaches the thundercloud, it is possible to directly neutralize the charge of the thundercloud and extinguish the lightning.

When the ion current is disturbed by wind or the like and does not reach the thundercloud directly, the electric charge of the ground is emitted into the air, so the lightning strike is against the ion cloud in the air, and the lightning strike to the ground can be avoided.

If the ion current becomes streaky and rises high, lightning strikes easily occur at the ion streaks (lightning effect). In this case, the lightning strikes the streaks and reaches the ground. Therefore, if a lightning rod is installed in the vicinity of the ion emission port of the device of the present invention, it is possible to effectively induce or prevent lightning. In this case, the electric charge of the ground is discharged into the atmosphere, so the protection range is wider than that of a normal lightning rod,
There are many advantages such as the absence of various obstacles on the ground due to lightning current.

<< Embodiment >> In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a cylindrical case having an open top, in which a flat electrode 2 is placed. The electrode 2 has an orifice 2a at the center.

On the other hand, a sharp electrode 3 stands upright facing the orifice 2a. There are various shapes of the sharp electrode 3, but here, the shape of a nail head is used. These electrodes 2 and 3 are connected to a DC high voltage power supply 4, and a main switch 5 and a polarity changeover switch 6 are provided between them. Reference numeral 7 is a control unit, which controls the electric field strength on the ground,
The polarity of the charge is monitored, and the main switch and changeover switch are controlled as needed.

One end of the DC high-voltage power supply 4 is grounded to the ground by a ground wire 4a, and the electric charge of the ground follows this ground wire and is discharged into the air in the form of an ion flow.

Reference numeral 8 is a high-pressure air tank as a high-pressure gas supply source, and a pipe 9 extending from the high-pressure air tank is provided in the case 1 and the orifice 2
It is led to the upstream side of a. Valve 9a placed in the middle of the pipe
Is controlled to be opened and closed by the control unit 7. Reference numeral 10 is a tank 8
It is a compressor that puts air in the inside.

Reference numeral 11 is a pump for supplying water, and the water is blown out in a mist form from the tip of the nozzle 12.

Reference numeral 13 is a blower, and reference numeral 14 is an air heater (for example, an oil combustion type heater), both of which are controlled by the control unit 7.

In this device, the control unit 7 determines that a thundercloud has occurred when the electric field on the ground exceeds a certain level, activates the entire device, and switches the switch 6 according to the polarity of the charges on the ground. For example, when the charge accumulated on the ground is positive, the sharp electrode 3 is made positive and a high voltage DC voltage is applied between the electrodes 2 and 3. Then, corona discharge occurs between the electrodes, and positive ions are generated.

On the other hand, water becomes mist from the tip of the nozzle 12 and blows out into the cylinder. Positive ions adhere to the water droplets. Further, air is blown from the high-pressure tank 8 through the pipe 9 into the cylindrical body 1, and this air passes through the orifice 2a at a high speed of several 10 m to several 100 m per second. The water droplets to which the ions are attached are carried out from between the electrodes by this air flow.

On the other hand, the blower 13 takes in air from the outside and blows it out upward. Ions are ejected high above the air flow. When the heating device 14 is activated, the air becomes lighter so that the ion flow reaches a higher position.

<< Effects of the Invention >> As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

According to the apparatus of claim 1, a flat electrode having an orifice, which is placed in the middle of a flow path whose end is open to the atmosphere, a sharp electrode facing the orifice, and a high voltage DC voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes. To this end, a DC power source whose one end is grounded to the ground, a high-pressure gas supply source for supplying high-pressure gas to the upstream side of the orifice, and a means for supplying saturated steam or atomized water to the upstream side of the orifice The ions generated by the corona discharge can be carried away by the gas flow passing through the orifice at high speed, and a large ion current can be obtained. In this way, by discharging a large amount of ions into the atmosphere, the electric charges accumulated on the ground can be discharged to the sky, and the lightning strike to the ground can be effectively prevented. Further, since the means for supplying saturated steam or mist-like water is provided on the upstream side of the orifice, the ions easily adhere to the steam or water droplets and are easily blown off by the gas flow, so that a larger ion current can be obtained.

The apparatus according to claim 2 is provided with a blower on the downstream side of the orifice, and the ions can be streaked up high in a streak shape by being placed on a large flow of air blown from the blower. It is possible to thunder.

The third aspect has a heating means for heating the gas delivered by the blower, and the weight of the air can be reduced to allow the ions to reach a higher position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a lightning strike prevention device according to the present invention. 2 ... Flat electrode, 2a ... Orifice, 3 ... Sharp electrode,
4 ... DC power supply, 8 ... High-pressure gas supply source, 11 ... Water pump, 12 ... Nozzle, 13 ... Blower, 14 ... Air heater

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A flat electrode (2) forming an orifice (2a), which is placed in the middle of a flow path whose end is open to the atmosphere, and a sharp electrode (3) facing the flat electrode, and a pair of these. For applying a high-voltage DC voltage between the electrodes, a DC power source (4) with one end grounded to the ground, a high-pressure gas supply source (8) for supplying high-pressure gas to the upstream side of the orifice, and the orifice An ion active emission type lightning strike prevention device comprising means (10) for supplying saturated steam or mist-like water to the upstream side. 2. A blower (13) for blowing charged particles discharged from the orifice upward together with air.
Ion active emission type lightning strike prevention device according to. 3. The ion active emission type lightning strike prevention device according to claim 2, further comprising a heating means (14) for heating the gas delivered by the blower.