Top up Lecture on ‘The Phenomenon of Lightning – Its Effects and Protection

The Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering organized a Top up Lecture on ‘The Phenomenon of Lightning – Its Effects and Protection’, on 21^st September, 2019, at Classroom No. 118. The event started at 10:30 am and got over at 12.30 pm. The 7^th Semester students from the EEE Department attended this lecture. A few students from the 5^th Semester, who were also interested in the topic, were also present. The talk was delivered by Dr. Vijay H Bhosale, from LRDE (DRDO). Many faculty members also attended the Lecture.

The Speaker covered the following topics in his Lecture: Lightning phenomena – How it is produced, Types of lightning discharge and their effects, Fundamentals of lightning protection, Various devices / hardening techniques against lightning, Design verification / Testing of hardened system.

While introducing the topic, Dr. Bhosale spoke about the myths around lightning. People regarded lightning as God’s wrath! Some people thought it was dragons spitting Fire! Later, in the year 1750, Benjamin Franklin proved by experiments, that lightning is an Electrical Phenomena. He explained the formation of clouds, the occurrence of discharge between clouds and the ground, and the discharge between clouds.  The Speaker went on to discuss the damages caused by lightning, like forest fires, and fatal deaths.

After the Introduction, various protection devices like lightning rod as the first line of defence, and devices like varistor and shield wire as the second line of protection were discussed. The protection of a Power system from lightning was explained in detail. The direct and indirect effects of lightning on aircrafts was also explained to the students.

At the end, students were given a chance to interact with the Speaker. The session came to an end with the vote of thanks proposed by the HOD of the EEE Department. The whole session was very informative to the students as well as the faculty. The students were able to enhance their knowledge about lightning and protection and its significance.

Outcome of the Guest Lecture:

• Students gained a better understanding of the phenomena of Lighting.
• Students understood the Protection of power systems and equipment against excess voltages caused due to Lightning.
• Students got inputs about Testing and Validation of various Protection schemes.