DEHN’s DEHNdetect provides reliable lightning and surge protection for wind turbines on- or offshore

Photo by DEHN SÖHNE GmbH Co.KG.

DEHN protects – On- and offshore

Across the globe, whether on- or offshore, DEHN protects wind turbines against disturbances resulting from lightning currents and surges and provides components and solutions relating to safety equipment. DEHN presented novelties regarding the safety of wind turbines at the leading international fair for wind power in Husum. Beside surge and lightning protection, the focus was on registering lightning events. The lightning current measuring system DEHNdetect allows the reliable detection and evaluation of lightning events.

The cost of constructing and operating wind power plants must be amortised within the timeframe of the, on average, 20 years of operation. Constant monitoring and foresighted maintenance are essential. DEHNdetect is the system to help with this. It measures lightning currents and detects not only impulse currents but also the dangerous long stroke currents (ICC only events – Initial Continuous Current). Damage resulting from a lightning strike does not necessarily lead to the immediate failure of the turbine and, thus, lightning events often remain undetected. Especially in the case of upward flashes the initial long stroke current flowing is only a few 100A and can be the main cause of melting, e.g., on the receptors of rotor blades. The resulting subsequent damage may be severe. DEHNdetect allows the operator to assess the situation: Was the lightning strike harmless or does the turbine need to be switched off and inspected in order to rule out damage to the rotor blades or other components? As well as the total current in the system, DEHNdetect registers individual partial currents in the rotor blades. The provision and management of data is simple and convenient via web applications (cloud). It is no problem to monitor several plants or even entire wind parks. DEHNdetect can be installed directly by the wind turbine manufacturer or retrofitted in existing plants. Installation is quick and easy, e.g., at the transition between the hub and nacelle, and can be adjusted to the specifications of the individual turbine.

Quality awareness, customer proximity and a wide range of services make DEHN a reliable partner for lightning and surge protection and safety equipment. DEHN also provide inspection services in its test centre where it can, for example, simulate lightning currents of up to 400 kA, an unparalleled accomplishment worldwide.

For more information, please visit http://www.dehn.de.

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