For the first time in fourteen years, a new edition of the BS EN IEC 62305 (protection against lightning) has arrived: Edition 3. DEHN have compiled and explained four important changes that you should be aware of...
New Term: Electrically Insulated Lightning Protection
Edition 3 introduces a new term: Electrically Insulated Lightning Protection. Technically, however, it isn't entirely new, as this type of protection previously came under isolated lightning protection, with the latest BS edition separating the two, going into more depth on EILP's design and application.
While this type of protection may be new to the UK market, it certainly isn't new to us. DEHN have over two decades of knowledge and experience in it's utilisation, making us the ones to contact if you'd like to learn more.
Big Changes To Part 2: Risk Management
R1: risk of loss of life, R2: risk of loss of service, and R3: risk of loss of culture or heritage have been merged into a singular R, meaning they now must all be considered equally.
There's also a new factor, F, which considers the frequency of events, potential for damage, and the site owner/operators' perception of risk to their business. For high-risk sites, the frequency of events that may lead to damage is far less tolerable.
Increased Requirement For Thunderstorm Warning Systems
Thunderstorm Warning Systems (TWS) offer significant benefits to operational safety, and the latest edition of the BS places greater emphasis on them than before.
While they cannot stop or directly protect a structure from a lightning event, it does provide a site owner/operator more control of operational activities to help reduce exposure to high-risk events.
TWS’s are likely to see a dramatic increase in use following Edition 3's release.
The Importance Of Separation Distance & Calculation
In addition to an increased requirement for TWS's, achieving and maintaining an adequate separation distance between conductive elements (i.e. air rods) has also been given increased priority.
In cases where separation is not achieved, there is an additional requirement for type 1 lightning arrest surge protection devices. This assists in preventing sparking and further proliferation of lightning energy into sensitive electronic systems; fire alarms, gas monitoring equipment, public address systems etc.