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2006 LPI/ULPA Conference Update
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The 2006 LPI/ULPA Conference enjoyed excellent industry turnout, with over 100 participants converging in Dallas, Texas for the 74th annual conference. This year’s annual meeting was held at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Marriott in Irving, Texas. Our friends at Bonded Lightning Protection treated us to southern hospitality complete with barbecue, horseshoes, gunfighters, rodeo, dancing and all the other excitement of the Stockyards Station in the heart of Fort Worth—even the promised visit from Ferdinand the Bull. Throughout all the festivities, we still managed to learn a little something, too. The information- packed agenda include reports by the following:
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The NFPA 780-2007 Edition Update
Presented by John Tobias, principal staff engineer for the US Army Communications- Electronics Command Safety Directorate & Current Chair of the NFPA Technical Committee.
John’s report provided an update of NFPA 780 and what to expect in 2007 with regard to changes. He also shared that there are currently 133 proposals in the review process. Some of the changes we will see in the next NFPA standard edition include semantics changes to incorporate new wording for example, “electrodes” becomes the new wording to replace “ground terminals.” Other changes include:
* conversions to metric terms
* clarifications regarding use of aluminum, strike terminations and provisions to strengthen bonding requirements.
* re-write and significant revisions of specific sections (shallow topsoil, surge protection, watercraft, stacks and annexes i.e. tree protection, risk assessment and a new annex section to address wind turbines.)
In summary, John Tobias stressed that NFPA 780 is undergoing several changes affecting installation
requirements and will be addressing several emerging issues and new findings. While the
NFPA committee intends to go beyond reacting to submitted comments, John encouraged members
to submit proposals and participate in the standards process. Information on the NFPA
ROP text can be accessed at www.nfpa.org. |
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IEC TC 81 Lightning Protection Status Report
Presented by Mitchell Guthrie, Senior Electrical Engineer and Independent Consulting Engineer.
Mitch’s presentation provided an update on the status of current actions underway by the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee on Lightning Protection (TC81).
The presentation reviewed the status of each of the five parts of the IEC document and reported
the results of the February 2006 Working Group meeting. Mitch also discussed changes in terminology
and use of acronymns, the status of the IEC 62305 and what’s next in terms of the Maintenance
Teams “MT’s” which will be addressing and providing updates on outstanding issues.
Further information on Mitch’s report can be found at: www.ansi.org or www.iec.ch.
“I Survived”
Presented by Michael Utley, lightning stike survivor and founder of Struckbylightning.org.
Michael’s presentation provided our group with new insights into lightning, lightning safety and
the science behind the lightning strike. A NOAA spokesperson for lightning safety, Michael is an
acclaimed presenter and motivational speaker who delivers his dynamic safety programs to
groups across the country. His energetic presentation added an exciting and entertaining element
to our program. Michael would love to stay in touch with his new ULPA friends, so feel free to
contact him, Michael@struckbylightning.org. |
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Triggered Lightning Testing of the Performance of Grounding Systems
Presented by Brian DeCarlo, Electrical Engineer and Research Assistant, University of Florida’s International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT).
Brian provided an update of the two-year study of the “lightning test house” in Camp Blanding, Florida which has been equipped with a real-world lightning protection system and subjected to triggered lightning. (The ICLRT is the only facility in the world where lightning is artificially initiated from natural thunderstorms on a regular basis for the purpose of studying its physics and effects.) Brian shared specific testing data which revealed that the configuration of the 2004 lightning protection system performed better than the configuration of the 2005 system. The need for surge protection devices was also verified through the testing. Further information about the ICLRT test house can be found at www.lightningsafetyalliance. com.
Underwriters Laboratories Program Update
Presented by Karl Keip, UL Lightning Protection Service Business Manager for UL and Rich Bouchard, UL Lightning Protection Supervisor.
Karl and Rich provide a review of the UL Master Label Certificate program and an update on UL96A changes that will be seen in the upcoming revised edition, including changes in language terms and specific vs. general definitions. In addition, the upcoming UL document has been reorganized to follow the NFPA document more closely in terms of language, terminology and improve the flow of information. Karl shared additional lightning protection program news with regard to: UL University certification classes, IAAI inspectors, upcoming website changes, and the 5-year Warranty Program for certificate renewals. For more news on UL’s lightning protection program, visit the UL website at: www.ul.com/lightning.
Bonding, Grounding & Lightning Protection for Cellular Telephone or Microwave Radio Sites
Presented by Dan McMenamim, International Telecommunications Consultant
Dan’s presentation provided an overview of the principal elements of grounding, bonding and lightning protection for the telecommunications remote environment. Applications and requirements for cell sites, microwave sites, telephone switching centers and towers were reviewed. Dan also provided an overview of grounding standards, including antenna feed grounding and power plant grounding, soil testing procedures, bonding criteria applications, safety requirements and troubleshooting for problem scenarios. In addition, Dan stressed the importance of safety, following your client’s grounding standards, asking questions on the site, knowing the full ramifications prior to disconnecting grounds and being sensitive to “safe time” requirements or work operations to take place during specific off-hours. |
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Panels of Experts
This year’s conference also featured two separate panel presentations hosted by industry professionals. “Hot Issues” hosted by Mitch Guthrie, John Tobias, Steve Humeniuk and Bud VanSickle touched on topics such as equipotential bonding, surge suppression, NEC code clarifications and risk management vs. risk assessment. Phil Youtsey hosted a panel featuring presentations by Kim Dillon, Heath Howe and Todd Vought who discussed the ins and outs of promoting lightning protection “lunch & learn” sessions to the engineering and architectural community. Both panels provided valuable information and prompted interesting group discussions.
Promethean, Harvest & Promotional Award Winners:
Our annual competition to recognize the most original and creative industry ideas once again saw a variety of interesting and inspirational entries. The award honors went to three worthy gentlemen from Atlanta, Colorado and Texas who took home the bronze…
Promethean Award: Heath Howe from Bonded Lightning Protection for his innovative clay pot chimney base “brace” used for holding air terminals in place.
Harvest Award: Bret Peifer from Mr. Lightning for his company’s participation in the “Extreme Home Makeover” program and the media and referral “blitz” the company harvested from working on this project.
Promotional Award: Chad Reeves from Lightning Systems, Inc. for news coverage on his local television station that “dominated” the station’s airwaves as the featured story a few months back.
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all who participated in this year’s competition! |
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