Abstract
During July there were many violent thunderstorms and much damage was done to overhead electric mains and substations connected with them. the damage done to main stations was also severe. On July 19, a violent thunderstorm cut off Valley Road Power Station at Bradford from the Grid and shut down all the generating sets there. For about an hour, mills, factories, trams and trolley-buses on many routes came to a standstill; the traffic lights failed and there was no light anywhere for about an hour. A similar occurrence took place at the Brighton Power House at Southwick. In both cases the difficulties of the staff were increased as they were engaged in changing over on the Grid supply from 6·6 kilovolt to 33 kilovolt. Thero was a heavy storm over Cumberland and the overhead transmission was struck. This affected the supply to more than 30,000 houses in Cockermouth, Maryport, Aspatria and Wigton as well as part of Workington, the lights being out from 3.15 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. On July 19, at 8 p.m., the B.B.C. National Transmitter at Droitwich was struck by lightning and put out of action. The flashes striking the 700-ft. masts of the Radio Station were extremely violent. Flames shot from the cage of aerial wires slung between the masts. In some places transformers or switchgear were damaged and three fires broke, out, destroying substation roofs or walls. Since thunderstorms are less frequent in Great Britain than in South Africa and other parts of the world it might be useful to study the effects of modern lightning protectors in protecting poles, steel towers, overhead mains, etc., in places where thunderstorms are frequent and violent. Also when designing new grids or extensions of old ones to get estimates of the relative costs of overhead mains and of underground mains. A decision could then be arrived at as to which is the better method of transmitting high-tension electric power.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lightning Flashes and High Tension Mains. Nature 144, 239 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/144239b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/144239b0