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Nicola Tesla Lab @ TU Graz, Austria: Awe-Inspiring Lightning Strikes in Controlled Experiments
Photos and Artificial Lightning Discharges Measurement Campaign Credit: Prof. Stephan Pack
SPACE TECHNOLOGY
Ghulam Jaffer
10/5/20242 min read
At the Tesla Lab TU Graz, Austria, researchers are using Tesla coils to generate high voltage impulses that simulate lightning strikes. This research is helping to develop new ways to protect people and property from the devastating effects of lightning strikes.
The Tesla coil is a towering machine of gleaming metal and humming power. It generates an electrical field so intense that the air itself crackles with energy. With a thunderous roar, a bolt of lightning erupts from the coil, streaking across the chamber and illuminating every corner with its brilliant light. The lightning bolt vaporizes metal and shatters concrete, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
But this is no ordinary lightning strike. This is a controlled experiment, designed to study the effects of high voltage on materials and to develop new technologies for power transmission and generation.
The researchers at the Tesla Lab are at the forefront of high voltage technology, and their work is helping to make the world a safer and more sustainable place.
High Voltage Discharges Impact
At the Tesla Lab in TU Graz, Austria, researchers are using Tesla coils to generate high voltage impulses that simulate lightning strikes. This research is helping to develop new ways to protect people and property from the devastating effects of lightning strikes, as well as to develop new technologies for power transmission and generation.
Measurement in Faraday Cage
One of the important aspects of the research at the Tesla Lab is measuring the impact of high voltage discharges inside a Faraday cage. A Faraday cage is a metal enclosure that blocks electromagnetic fields. It is used to protect electronic equipment from interference and to shield people from harmful radiation.
The researchers at the Tesla Lab are using Faraday cages to measure the impact of high voltage discharges on different materials and structures. This information is being used to develop new materials and designs that can better withstand lightning strikes.
The research at the Tesla Lab is helping to make the world a safer and more sustainable place. By developing new ways to protect people and property from lightning strikes, the researchers are also helping to reduce the risk of fires and other disasters.
Experimentation under Safety Layer
The researchers at the Tesla Lab place a Faraday cage in the path of the lightning strike. The cage is equipped with sensors that measure the voltage, current, and electromagnetic field inside the cage. The data from the sensors is used to study the impact of the lightning strike on the cage and its contents.
The Faraday cage is designed to protect the sensors from damage, but even so, the researchers must be careful to take precautions. The high voltage discharges generated by the Tesla coil can be extremely dangerous, but Faraday cage offers a safety layer.
Research Outcomes
The research at the Tesla Lab is important because it is helping us to better understand the effects of high voltage discharges. This information can be used to develop new technologies to protect people and property from lightning strikes, as well as to develop new technologies for power transmission and generation.
* Writer was PhD (EE) researcher at TU Graz, Austria and experiments were conducted in the framework of artificial lightning measurement campaign for a payload design onboard a CubeSat.