Principle and evaluation method of active lightning arrester

The working principle of an active lightning arrester is described. Compared with a traditional lightning arrester, the active lightning arrester can absorb and save energy with variations of electric field in air. The artificial upward leader generated by this energy makes the lightning flash ahead of time. The flash takes place before the lightning has finished growing, when the lightning flash is relatively weak. So this kind of lightning arrester has the merits of security and powerful protection ability. Here, the authors also present how to generate artificial lightning in their lab. They can measure /spl Delta/T, the most important parameter to represent the reliability and sturdiness of a lightning arrester's capability. The testing equipment configuration and verification method are also proposed.