Analysis of lightning Protection models for Wind Turbine Blades

Abstract

With the increasing power generation from the wind, safe operation is a constant concern for wind turbine engineering and manufacturers. Within this scenario are crucial studies on lightning strikes protection for generators and wind turbine blades. Thus, this work analyzed the interaction between the electric field generated by lightning strikes and different protection models of wind turbines using computer simulations. Based on the electric field intensity, the results obtained show the performance of four protection models, verifying if lightning is more likely to occur on the blade or its protective device.