Traditional lightning protection at chemical plant substations faces challenges such as the difficulty of predicting lightning strike risks, hidden corrosion in grounding grids, a lack of early warnings for lightning arrester degradation, hazards associated with manual high-altitude inspections, and the inability to retain O&M data. Leveraging IoT technology, LoRa wireless transmission, and a digital monitoring platform, Anhui Jinli Electric has developed a comprehensive smart lightning protection solution tailored for high-risk operating environments. This solution has been implemented at a 110kV substation of a chemical enterprise in Xinjiang, enabling 24-hour intelligent, proactive management and control of lightning protection equipment.

1. Focusing on two critical lightning protection points—substation grounding down-conductors and main incoming line surge arresters—Jinli Electric employs a light weight deployment solution featuring multiple terminals and wireless networking, balancing ease of installation with comprehensive monitoring capabilities.

1. Grounding resistance monitoring terminal: Powered by an explosion-proof lithium battery, eliminating the need for wiring or excavation; ensures stable outdoor operation across a wide temperature range and significantly shortens the retrofit schedule.

2. Surge arrester online monitoring terminal: Real-time acquisition of total current, resistive current, temperature, and lightning strike counts; enables early detection of insulation aging and moisture-related faults, preventing damage to main transformers caused by lightning strikes.

3. Wireless transmission + visualization platform: Field devices transmit data via long-range LoRa wireless technology, with an explosion-proof aggregation unit collecting and uploading data to a central control server. Includes a web-based (B/S) visualization monitoring platform supporting real-time parameter viewing, historical trend logging, pop-up fault alarms, and tiered access control.

2. Three Core Product Advantages

1. Explosion-proof and Corrosion-resistant: Complies with national standards for the petrochemical and hazardous chemical industries (e.g., GB50650, GB3836); suitable for facilities involving combustible dust, corrosive environments, and extreme temperatures.

2. Efficient and Cost-effective Retrofitting: Wireless terminals significantly reduce cabling and civil engineering work; eliminates the need for prolonged power outages during upgrades, thereby lowering labor and material costs.

3. Unattended O&M: Provides continuous 24/7 monitoring, replacing manual inspections at heights; delivers precise fault alerts, reducing the resources required for operations and maintenance.

3. Closed-Loop Digital Lightning Protection Management

Moving away from the reactive model of emergency repairs following lightning damage, this approach establishes a comprehensive digital system—featuring front-end sensing, wireless transmission, centralized monitoring, tiered early warning, and data archiving. It enables the proactive remediation of hidden hazards and ensures that O&M records are complete and traceable, thereby meeting the documentation requirements for safety inspections.

4. Multi-Industry Application Scenarios

This solution is suitable not only for 110kV substations in the chemical industry but also for high-voltage environments involving flammable and explosive risks—such as photovoltaic power plants, energy storage stations, metallurgical substations, and oil depot tank farms. Wired and wireless monitoring terminals can be configured as needed to provide an integrated lightning protection monitoring solution that combines standardization with customization.