What Is a Lightning Arrester?

Voltage surges are generated in different ways because of lightning. The circuit that gets protected from lightning strokes with the help of a certain device is called lightning arresters.

Lightning surges are the surges that have high transient voltage, surge currents due to lightning, sparks, arcs of isolation, etc. These devices defends the power systems by diverting the high voltage surges directly to the ground.

Moreover, these systems get protected by using earthing or ground wire from direct lightning strikes. These devices are mounted on transmission poles, towers, and buildings to provide a secured pathway to the discharging current.

The working principle of lightning arresters is pretty straightforward. After the voltage surge travels through the conductor, it reaches the arrestor where it was mounted. It interrupts the insulation of the arrestor for a moment so that the voltage surge can move toward the ground.

After the voltage comes down to the fixed value, the insulation gets restored among the conductor and ground. Furthermore, the current flowing towards the ground will stop instantly.

This kind of arrestor is mostly found near a device that needed to be protected. And, they are installed among the phase and ground within an alternating current system and ground and pole within a direct current system.