A Review of Advances in Lightning Observations during the Past Decade in Guangdong,China

This paper reviews recent advances in understanding the physical processes of artificially triggered lightning and natural lightning as well as the progress in testing lightning protection technologies, based on a series of lightning field campaigns jointly conducted by the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences and Guangdong Meteorological Bureau since 2006. During the decade-long series of lightning field experiments, the technology of rocket-wire artificially triggered lightning has been improved, and has successfully triggered 94 lightning flashes. Through direct lightning current waveform measurements, an average return stroke peak current of 16 k A was obtained. The phenomenon that the downward leader connects to the lateral surface of the upward leader in the attachment process was discovered, and the speed of the upward leader during the connection process being significantly greater than that of the downward leader was revealed. The characteristics of several return strokes in cloud-to-ground lighting have also been unveiled, and the mechanism causing damage to lightning protection devices(i.e., ground potential rise within the rated current) was established. The performance of three lightning monitoring systems in Guangdong Province has also been quantitatively assessed.     

广东野外雷电综合观测试验十年进展

雷电野外科学试验是认识雷电发生、发展物理过程及其致灾机理的重要途径,也是开展真实雷电电磁环境下雷电防护技术测试的重要方式。自2006年开始,中国气象科学研究院和广东省气象局在广州野外雷电试验基地,持续合作开展了雷电野外综合观测试验,在人工触发闪电和自然闪电物理过程及其雷电防护技术测试试验等方面取得了若干研究结果。十年期间共成功触发闪电94次,回击电流峰值最大值为42 kA,平均值为16 kA;分析给出了自然闪电预击穿过程电场变化脉冲特征类型和差异;观测发现高建筑物上行连接先导可达几百米甚至超过1 km,其发展速度可达106 m/s量级,下行先导与上行连接先导的连接呈多样性;雷电防护技术测试试验表明人工触发闪电近距离电磁场耦合在架空线路上的感应电压达到千伏量级,多回击、长连续电流和地电位抬升是造成浪涌保护器(SPD)损害的主要因素;闪电定位系统探测性能的评估结果显示粤港澳闪电定位系统的闪电和回击的探测效率分别为96%和89%,定位误差算术平均值为532 m,回击电流强度的估算值约为真实值的0.63倍。     

广州高建筑物雷电观测与研究10年进展

作为中国气象局雷电野外科学试验基地(CMA_FEBLS)的重要组成部分,广州高建筑物雷电观测站(TOLOG)始建于2009年,迄今已积累数百次高建筑物雷电资料。对于雷电连接过程,高建筑物会起到“放大镜”的作用:TOLOG的观测在国际上首次发现了连接过程中负-正先导之间“头部-侧面”连接的现象,给出了先导连接行为的两种基本形态;揭示了负先导梯级发展过程的精细化结构,给出了下行先导和上行先导的二维/三维发展特征;估算了不同高度建筑物上雷电的闪击距离。高建筑物对雷电电磁场具有“放大器”的作用,且建筑物越高增强效应越显著。高建筑物是下行和上行闪电的“汇集点”:对下行闪电的吸引作用可保护高建筑物附近的其他物体免遭雷击;正地闪的回击、延续电流和云内放电过程均可在高建筑物上触发负极性上行闪电。另外,高建筑物区域可作为闪电监测系统的“标校场”,TOLOG的观测资料在地闪定位系统探测效率和定位精度的评估方面也得到了应用。     

人工触发闪电放电过程分析：I.先导放电过程

利用人工触发闪电电场,电流和闪电通道亮度高速摄像观测资料,分析了第一次回击前衔导过程的放电特性,结果指出,对于空中触发,先导传输具有“双向”特征,由于下行先导发展,先导通道电流分布具有不均匀性,连接导线汽化都发生在上行先导阶段。人工闪电第一次回击虽然与自然闪电继后回击特性十分相似,但两者放电特征仍有差别,前者具有曾长的连续电流过程。     

2006—2011年广州人工触发闪电

2006—2011年夏季在广州野外雷电试验基地开展了广东综合闪电观测试验 (GCOELD)。试验期间,针对人工触发闪电进行了近距离声、光、电、磁特征等综合测量,对自动气象站电源线和信号线上产生的感应电压特征进行了观测和分析,并对广东省地闪定位网的探测效率和定位精度与人工触发闪电进行了比对和校验。试验结果表明:人工触发闪电回击峰值电流范围为-31.93~-6.67 kA,回击电流波形的半峰宽度的范围为6.18~74.19 μs,10%—90%的上升时间范围为0.24~2.25 μs。触发闪电的上行正先导的发展速度在104~105 m/s量级;人工触发闪电的回击过程在架空电源线路 (1200 m长,2 m高) 上产生的感应过电压可达十几千伏;广东电网闪电定位系统对人工触发闪电事件的探测效率为95%,平均定位误差为759 m,闪电定位系统反演得到的电流峰值与实际测量的电流峰值平均相对偏差为16.3%。     

Optical and Electrical Observations of an Abnormal Triggered Lightning Event with two Upward Propagations

This study investigates an abnormal artificially triggered lightning event that produced two positive upward propagations: one during the initial stage (i.e., the upward leader (UL)) and the other after a negative downward aborted leader (DAL). The triggered lightning was induced in a weak thunderstorm over the experiment site and did not produce a return stroke. All of the intra-cloud lightning around the experiment site produced positive changes in the electric field. The initial stage was a weak discharge process. A downward dart leader propagated along the channel produced by the first UL, ending at a height of approximately 453 m and forming a DAL. Under the influence of the DAL, the electric field at a point located 78 m from the rod experienced a steady reduction of about 6.8 kV m-1 over 5.24 ms prior to the initiation of a new upward channel (i.e., the second upward propagation (UP)). The second UP, which started approximately 4.1 ms after the termination of the DAL and propagated along the original channel, was triggered by the DAL and sustained for approximately 2.95 ms. Two distinct current pulses were superimposed on the current of the second UP. The first pulse, which was related to the sudden initiation of the second UP, was characterized by a more rapid increase and decrease and a larger peak value than the second pulse, which was related to the development of the second UP into the area affected by the DAL. The second UP contained both a similar-to-leader process and a following neutralization process. This study introduces a new type of triggering leader, in which a new upward discharge is triggered in an established channel by an aborted leader propagating along the same channel with opposite polarity and propagation direction.     

地闪近地面形态特征的数值模拟

该文在已有闪电随机放电参数化方案的基础上,截取近地面区域,保持闪电其他基本参数不变,通过改变闪电的空间形态,对同一背景下的闪电进行多次模拟,研究闪电近地面空间形态的差异对闪电击地点位置、上行先导长度、上行先导触发时下行先导的尖端位置及连接过程形态等参数的影响,并探索闪电参数之间的相关性。结果显示:闪电近地面空间形态会使上行先导长度在77~609 m区间内变化,大部分集中在100~200 m,也会使上行先导触发时下行先导的尖端位置分布在建筑物上空的一个椭球形空间内。同时,闪电近地面空间形态的差异也会使地闪连接形态呈多样性。另外,近地面闪电下行先导长度与上行先导长度有一定的线性相关性,而其他闪电参数相互之间的相关性较弱。这不仅可以加深对闪电空间形态不确定性的理解,同时也对以后的模式建立有一定借鉴意义。     

中国南北方雷暴及人工触发闪电电特性对比分析

通过对我国南北方雷暴及人工触发闪电电特性的对比分析，发现南北方雷暴及人工触发闪是电特性有很大差异。北方雷暴电荷结构呈三极性，人工触发闪电是在地面电场为正的情况下成功的。主要由连续电流和双极性电流脉冲组成，最大放电电流为１ｋＡ，中和电葆量只有几库仑；南方雷暴则为偶极性，触发闪电由连续电流和我次回击组成，电流峰值在于１０ｋＡ。触发闪电时地面电场均为负极性，其中在４ｋＶ／ｍ以上；触发高度在北方最低为２６     

一次多回击触发闪电全过程的连续干涉仪观测

基于自主研发的闪电连续干涉仪,对2019年6月11日在中国气象局雷电野外科学试验基地广州从化人工引雷试验场成功触发的一次多回击闪电放电全过程进行观测,结合通道底部电流数据和电场变化数据,共同揭示触发闪电全放电过程:连续干涉仪能够定位到最小为8 A的不连续的先驱电流脉冲辐射信号,初始先驱电流脉冲(IPCP)的平均转移电荷量约为先驱电流脉冲(PCP)的2倍;上行正先导连续发展后为初始连续电流(ICC)过程,最初正流光通道以105 m·s-1量级的速度继续发展延伸,之后出现反冲先导放电;在ICC阶段出现的经典M分量,可由向前的106 m·s-1量级速度的正流光(先导)产生,也可由已有通道头部产生的反冲先导产生,且整个M分量过程中,多个反冲先导维持了放电过程的持续;之后的回击间过程以反冲先导为主要放电形式,回击电流脉冲之前存在多次反冲先导过程,但多数未发展到接地通道,只处于企图先导阶段,直至成功的先导回击产生;而前两次回击具有超短的时间间隔,约为4.5 ms,这是由于两次回击前的先导来源于云内不同分支的反冲先导过程。     

闪电先导三维自持发展模式的建立

为研究上行先导发生发展的特征及其与地面构筑物间的相互作用,该文建立了闪电先导三维自持发展模式。该模式能够在给定雷暴云下空间电场初始分布情况、下行梯级先导始发位置及地面构筑物几何形状等参量时,进行自持发展模拟,计算出上行正先导随时间在三维空间内的头部位置、速度、电流强度、线电荷密度等物理特征量的变化。模拟发现上行正先导始发及发展过程中,其速度呈逐渐增加趋势,临近最后一跳发生前,上行正先导速度增加明显,整个过程中先导速度的变化范围为104~106 m·s-1量级,电流强度随时间也具有逐渐增加趋势,该变化趋势与光学观测得到的先导头部亮度的变化趋势相一致。该闪电先导三维自持模拟模型能够为进一步研究雷击地面构筑物特点提供参考。     

广州两座高建筑物上闪击距离的二维光学观测

利用广州高建筑物雷电观测站的高速摄像机在2012—2018年拍摄到的发生在两座尖顶建筑物广州塔(600 m高,12次)和广晟国际大厦(360 m高,9次)上的21次下行地闪光学数据,结合广东电网闪电定位系统提供的回击峰值电流数据,统计建筑物高度和回击峰值电流强度对闪击距离的影响,并探讨闪击距离与上行连接先导起始时间的相关性。结果表明:更高的建筑物上雷电的闪击距离更长,广州塔闪击距离的中位数约是广晟国际大厦闪击距离中位数的2倍;对于确定高度的建筑物,闪击距离有随着回击峰值电流增强而变长的趋势,且建筑物越高,对应的回击峰值电流也越强;在下行与上行先导连接前0.1 ms内,二者的平均速率之比小于4,且速率比值在0~1这一区间的样本最多,占比约65%。     

高建筑对周围建筑雷击保护距离的模拟

在已有先导连接参数化方案的基础上,选取近地面层为研究区域,保持方案中其他基本参量不变,通过改变闪电的空间形态,在同一建筑分布的背景下进行多次闪电模拟。研究多个建筑之间的屏蔽作用以及建筑雷击保护距离与建筑相关特征参数之间的关系,结果表明:高建筑对矮建筑具有屏蔽作用,并存在一个临界保护距离,当高、矮建筑高度分别为190 m和165 m,宽度均为20 m时,建筑之间的距离在12 m以内,矮建筑受高建筑完全保护不遭受雷击;建筑之间的距离超过12 m,矮建筑遭雷击次数明显增多。     

高矮建筑物多上行先导连接过程的数值模拟

运用改进后的三维多先导模型,允许高矮建筑物上均可以始发上行先导,对多次地闪的连接过程进行模拟.结果 表明:矮建筑物始发上行先导和被击中的概率较小,高建筑物对矮建筑物上行先导的始发具有较明确影响.建筑物间的高度差是影响上述连接过程的主要因子,当建筑物间高度差较小时,高建筑物对矮建筑物的屏蔽效应不明显,下行先导通道的相对位...     

空中触发闪电的下行先导及其接地行为

１９９６年夏季在江西南昌附进行的人工触发闪电野外实验中,用新开发的不接地的火箭－导线技术成功地在雷暴云下的负环境电场中触发了云对地产偿电。我们用一套成像率为１０００幅／秒的高速数字化摄像系统对下行负先导进行了观测。     

Fine-resolution simulation of cloud-to-ground lightning and thundercloud charge transfer

2-D 12.5 m-resolution simulations of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning discharge processes have been performed using an improved stochastic lightning model for different types of cloud charge distributions, such as dipole, tripole, bi-dipole and multi-layer charge structures produced from the numerical simulation of thundercloud electrification. The modelling produced the fine branched channel structure of CG lightning and the results illustrate the relations between CG lightning channel propagation and cloud charge distribution. The simulated features of CG lightning are associated with the observed results. The simulation studies are essential in our understanding of complex charge transfer processes caused by CG lightning discharges in thunderclouds. The induced charges of opposite polarity are deposited or embedded in the local volumes where the bidirectional leaders passed during a CG lightning discharge. Although the embedding affects charge structure only in a pair of significant positive and negative charge regions closest to the ground, the electric field strength acutely weakens and electrostatic energy in thunderclouds is significantly consumed when the discharge terminates. In addition to simulating the upward and downward breakdown of the initial leader to ground and the ensuing return stroke (RS), the simulation assumes that current continues to flow in the channel to ground and determines the upward breakdown until the end of the discharge. For the subsequent discharge sub-process, the upward leader channel tends to transfer the charges with the same polarity as the RS, while the downward leader channel favors transfer of opposite charge to ground. In the sub-processes of a few CG flash simulations, the magnitude of the opposite charges from the downward leader exceeds that of charges with the same polarity from the upward leader so that the net charges transferred to the ground have a reversed polarity to the RS. The simulation presents similar features of CG lightning as those observed in realistic bipolar CG lightning.     

Optical Observations on Propagation Characteristics of Leaders in Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Flashes

Using 2 high-speed cameras, we have recorded 14 negative cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes, half of which are natural and the others are artificially triggered. The two-dimensional (2D) propagation speed of different type leaders and the luminosity of lightning channel are analyzed in detail. Bidirectional leader processes are observed during the initial processes of two altitude triggered negative lightning (ATNL)flashes. The analysis shows: the propagation speed of the upward positive leader (UPL) before the initiation of the downward negative leader (DNL) is at the order of 104-105 m s-1; the UPL can be intensified by the initiation and development of the DNL in the way that the luminosity is enhanced and the speed is sped up; after initiation, the DNL in one ATNL flash propagates downward three times intermittently with interval of about 1 ms, while that in the other ATNL flash propagates downward continuously with a speed at the order of 105 m s-1. In the five classical triggered negative lightning (CTNL) flashes, the propagation speeds of the UPLs vary between 0.35×105 and 7.71×105 m s-1, and the variations of their luminosities and speeds are quite complex during the development processes. Among the four observed natural negative lightning flashes occurred on the land, three have only one return stoke (RS) each and all of their DNLs have many branches with an average speed at the order of 105 m s-1; while the another one has 13 RSs.In the CG flash with 13 RSs, the DNL before the first RS has no obvious branch below 1.4 km above the ground, and its speed ranges from 2.2×105 to 2.3×105 m s-1 between the heights of 0.7 and 1.4 km and exceeds 3.9×106 m s-1 below 0.7 km; preceding the 4th RS, an attempted leader is observed with a speed ranging from 1.1×105 to 1.1×106 m s-1 between 0.8 and 1.5 km. As for the three observed natural negative lightning flashes occurred on the sea, each has only one RS, and each DNL preceding the RS has a few branches, two of which have an average propagation speed at the order of 105 m s-1, and the other of 106m s-1, respectively. All the DNLs contained in the observed natural negative lightning flashes, except the attempted leader, propagate with gradually increasing luminosity and increasing speed in whole.     

人工触发闪电连续电流过程与M分量特征

在广州野外雷电试验基地,对2008年和2011年夏季人工触发闪电回击之后的14个连续电流过程和43个M分量的通道底部电流、电场变化和通道亮度进行了同步测量和分析。结果表明:M分量的电流、快慢电场变化和亮度变化波形均近似对称;触发闪电连续电流过程的持续时间、转移电荷量、电流平均值的几何平均值分别为22 ms,6.0 C和273 A;M分量的幅度、转移电荷量、半峰值宽度、上升时间、持续时间的几何平均值分别为409 A,205 mC,520 μs,305 μs和1.6 ms;连续电流持续时间与M分量的个数、相邻M分量之间的时间间隔均存在显著的正相关关系。     

雷击建筑物的先导连接过程模拟

为了研究闪电先导与地物的相互作用,该文建立了一个闪电先导的二维模式以模拟雷击建筑物的先导连接过程。模拟得到梯级长度在13.8～51.5 m的范围内,下行先导的感应电荷为0.03×10~(-4)～1.2×10~(-4) C/m,梯级长度和感应电荷量均随着先导离地高度的下降而增加,模拟结果与观测值相吻合。下行先导最后一跳之前的转向并不明显,但最后一跳,下行先导向避雷针产生的上行先导偏转一定角度。模式模拟了下行先导与40 m宽度的建筑之间的相互作用和连接过程,得到建筑物拐角也具有一定的吸引半径,避雷针和拐角之间存在竞争关系。因此,在雷电防护设计中需要考虑拐角等复杂结构尖端对闪电的吸引作用,简单地采用理想情况(如地面孤立高耸尖端)下避雷针的吸引半径等参数进行复杂建筑物的防雷设计会存在问题和隐患。     

人工触发闪电通道的发光特征

利用成像率为１０００幅／秒的高速数字化摄像系统在３８０ｍ的极近距离对人工触发闪电通道的发光特征进行了观测的研究。人工引发闪电除了采用的火箭地带接地导线的触发方式外还发展导线下端不接地的空中触发闪电的新技术。结果表明,闪电通道的发光截面基本上呈对称型。