Study on the soundness of SPD devices using data of Japanese Lightning Detection Network

The degradation of Surge Protection Devices (SPD) basically depends on the time integral of the surge current flowing through the SPD. Lightning surge counters, which can measure the peak current and the time integral value of current flowing through the grounding line of the SPD have recently released. These devices are very useful for evaluating the degradation of SPDs. However, the only method for verifying the soundness of SPDs is to survey them on-site. Consequently, we examine the availability of the data from the Japanese Lightning Detection Network (JLDN) to diagnose the degradation of SPDs. We also discuss the relationships between the situation regarding surge counters installed in the grounding lines of SPDs detecting surge current and the characteristics of lightning discharges detected by JLDN in the vicinity of the locations where SPDs are installed. We will use the data from this study as our basis for developing the SPD degradation diagnosis system in the future.