EARLY WARNING LIGHTNING SENSING AND PROTECTION SYSTEM

EDWARDS COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRO-OPTICS (ECE) WILL DEFINITIVELY DETERMINE THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL FEASIBILITY OF USING ECE'S REMOTELY OPERABLE SENSORS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS FOR EARLY WARNING OF IMMINENT LIGHTNING STRIKES AND WILL PERFORM A 'PROOF OF PRINCIPLE' EXPERIMENT TO DEMONSTRATE THE PROPRIETARY PROTECTION CONCEPT. THE ALL-PASSIVE, FIELD SENSORS EMBODY ECE'S PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY. THE DESIGN ENVISAGES USE OF LIGHTNING SURVIVABLE INSULATING MATERIALS, AND PERMITS REMOTE OPERATION WITHOUT THE USE OF OUTDOOR ELECTRICAL LEADS, CIRCUITRY OR CONDUCTORS IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS OR VICINITY OFTHE NON-METALLIC, MINIATURE SENSING ELEMENT, THEREFORE WILL NOT PERTURB ANTENNA RADIATION PATTERNS. THE PROTECTION OF DISTRIBUTED VULNERABILITIES IS OBTAINED BY THE USE OF A PROPRIETARY CONCEPT WHICH DIVERTS LIGHTNING AWAY FROM THE HIGH VALUE TARGETS. THE SCHEME YIELDSEMP INVULNERABILITY AND SURVIVABILITY. THE DESIGN FEASIBILITY STUDY AND THE FIRST ORDER EXPERIMENT EMPLOYING VOLTAGE AND DISTANCE SCALING, WILL CONCLUSIVELY DEMONSTRATE FEASIBILITY AND LAY THE STRONG FOUNDATION FOR PHASE II EXPLORATORY DEVELOPMENT AND ARE TO BE PERFORMED BY ECE IN VIENNA, VA. DR. BERNARD KEISER, THE NOTED CONSULTINGENGINEER ON LIGHTNING PROTECTION, WILL PERFORM INTERNAL ECE EVALUATION OF THE EARLY WARNING PROTECTION SYSTEM.