Methodology for Lightning Protection

1.0

Purpose
The intent is to provide design information for protection against lightning and direct
lightning strokes to warehouse, temporary office-buildings and fabrication yards and on
the selection of materials. Each lightning conductor consists of the lightning receiver, the
earthing grid and the conductor that connects the receiver with the earthing grid meant to
carry the lightning current away safely to the ground.

2.0

Reference Standard
IS 2309 Protection of Buildings and Allied Structures against Lightning Code of
practice.

3.0

Methodology for Lightning protection of warehouse, temporary office-buildings

1. Horizontal Air terminations shall be installed on the top of all structures/buildings to
be protected from lightning strokes.
2. Horizontal Air termination (50x6 mm galvanized MS flats) shall be so laid out that
no part of the roof is more than 9metres away from the nearest horizontal air
terminals. Horizontal terminations on the roof to be considered as 20Mx10M mesh.
3. For warehouse, temporary office-buildings up to 20M height, base area exceeding
100sq.m the down conductor (50x6 mm galvanized MS flats) shall be at least smaller
of the following:
i) One plus additional one for each 300sq.m or a part thereof, in excess of first
100sq.m.
ii)
One for each 30M of the building to be protected.
4. Each down conductor shall have an independent earth termination. In no case
conductors of lightning protection system shall be connected with the conductors of
the grounding system above ground.
5. The connection between each down conductor and earth terminal shall be made via
test-link at 1500mm from FGL.
6. The down conductor shall be laid straight and sharp bends shall be avoided as far as
possible. The down conductor shall be cleated on the outside of the building and or
column/structure at intervals about 750mm.
7. All exposed metallic parts of a building shall be bonded to down conductors which
includes ladder, projected balconies etc.
8. If periphery ground-mat around the building is available with risers for lightning
protection the same shall be considered as earth terminal, however one lectrode shall
be close to such earth terminals.

9. Where ground mat is not available, separate earth pit as per IS-3043 specifically for
lightning protection shall be provided as earth terminal.
4.0

Methodology for Lightning protection of Outdoor areas such as Fabrication yard,

Bar bending yard etc.

1. Lightning protection of outdoor areas shall be done by lightning masts on top

of steel towers or on top of nearby building/plant structure.
2. The lightning mast shall be made of galvanized steel pipe and the height of the
same shall be decided by considering the zones to be protected.
3. The lightning mast shall be connected to earth pit at the bottom of the
structure through 50x6mm galvanized MS flats.
4. As per IS-2309 for the practical purpose of providing an acceptable degree of
protection for an ordinary structure, the protective angle will be 450.
Between three or more vertical conductors spaced at a distance twice their
height, the equivalent protective angle may, as an exception, be taken as 600.