Emission spectroscopy techniques have traditionally been used to analyze inherently random lightning arcs occurring in nature. In this paper, a method developed to obtain the emission spectroscopy from reproducible lightning arcs generated within a laboratory environment is described.
Lightning is one of the most common and destructive forces in nature and has long been studied using spectroscopic techniques, first with traditional camera film methods and then digital camera technology, from which several important characteristics have been derived. However, such work has always been limited due to the inherently random and non-repeatable nature of natural lightning events in the field. Recent developments in lightning test facilities now allow the reproducible generation of lightning arcs within controlled laboratory environments, providing a test bed for the development of new sensors and diagnostic techniques to understand lightning mechanisms better. One such technique is a spectroscopic system using digital camera technology capable of identifying the chemical elements with which the lightning arc interacts, with these data then being used to derive further characteristics. In this paper, the spectroscopic system is used to obtain the emission spectrum from a 100 kA peak, 100 µs duration lightning arc generated across a pair of hemispherical tungsten electrodes separated by a small air gap. To maintain a spectral resolution of less than 1 nm, several individual spectra were recorded across discrete wavelength ranges, averaged, stitched, and corrected to produce a final composite spectrum in the 450 nm (blue light) to 890 nm (near infrared light) range. Characteristic peaks within the data were then compared to an established publicly available database to identify the chemical element interactions. This method is readily applicable to a variety of other light emitting events, such as fast electrical discharges, partial discharges, and sparking in electrical equipment, apparatus, and systems.
Lightning is one of the most common and destructive forces in nature characterized by a rapid electrical discharge seen as a flash of light and followed by thunder. A typical lightning arc can consist of a voltage of tens of gigavolt and an average current of 30 kA across an arc tens to hundreds of kilometers long all happening within 100 µs. Observation of the light emission spectrum from lightning events have long been used to derive information about their properties. Many techniques were established using traditional film-based camera techniques for the study of natural lightning strikes during the 1960s to 1980s, for example1,2,3,4,5,6,7and, more recently, modern digital techniques, for example8,9,10,11,12,13,14, have been used to give a more accurate insight into lightning mechanisms. Over time, such work has demonstrated the ability to not only identify chemical element interactions1,14, but also obtain measurements of temperature15,16, pressure5, particle and electron density5,17, energy18, resistance, and internal electric field of the arc8. However, studies of natural lightning have always been limited by the inherently unpredictable random and non-repeatable nature of lightning events.
In recent years, research has focused on how lightning interacts with the surrounding environment, notably in the aerospace industry to protect aircraft in flight from direct lightning strikes. Several large lightning test facilities have consequently been designed and built to replicate the most destructive elements of a lightning strike, namely the current and delivery time, but at a limited voltage. The Morgan-Botti Lightning Laboratory (MBLL)19 at Cardiff University can generate four distinct lightning waveforms up to a 200 kA in accordance to the relevant standard20. With such a laboratory facility, lightning can be easily reproduced and controlled with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability, providing a test bed for the development of new sensors and diagnostic techniques to understand lightning interactions and mechanisms better21,22,23. One such technique is a recently developed and installed spectroscopic system14,21 which, like the spectroscopic systems used in natural lightning studies, operates in the Ultraviolet (UV) to Near-Infrared (NIR) range. It is a non-intrusive method which does not interfere with the lightning arc and is largely unaffected by the electromagnetic noise produced during a strike, unlike most electronically based devices.
The spectrograph system was used to observe the spectrum of a typical laboratory generated lightning arc consisting of a 100 kA peak critically damped oscillatory, 100 µs duration, 18/40 µs waveform across an air gap between a pair of 60 mm diameter tungsten electrodes separated by a 14 mm air gap. A typical trace of this lightning arc waveform is shown in Figure 1. The electrodes were positioned in an Electromagnetic Impulse (EMI) light-tight chamber so that the only recorded light was from the lightning arc itself, with a small amount of this light being transported via a 100 µm diameter fiber optic, positioned 2 m away and collimated to a 0.12° viewing angle giving a spot size of 4.2 mm at the position of the arc, to another EMI chamber containing the spectrograph system, as shown in Figure 2. The EMI chambers were used to minimize the adverse effects caused by the lightning event. The fiber optic is terminated at the light-tight optic chassis based on a Czerny-Turner configuration of focal length 30 cm, with the light passing through an adjustable 100 µm slit and onto a 900 ln/mm 550 blaze rotatable grating via three mirrors, onto a 1,024 x 1,024 pixel digital camera, as shown in Figure 3. In this case, the optical setup gives a spectral resolution of 0.6 nm across an approximately 140 nm subrange within an approximate full range of 800 nm across UV to NIR wavelengths. The spectral resolution is measured as the ability of the spectrograph to distinguish two close peaks, and the position of the subrange within the full range can be adjusted by rotating the grating. A key component of the system is the choice of diffraction grating which dictates the wavelength range and the spectral resolution, with the former being inversely proportional to the latter. Typically, a broad wavelength range is needed to locate multiple atomic lines whereas a high spectral resolution is needed to measure their position accurately; this cannot be physically achieved with a single grating for this type of spectrograph. Therefore, data from several subranges, with high resolution, are taken at various positions across the UV to NIR range. These data are stepped and glued together to form a composite spectrum.
In practice, due to limitations in the fiber optic light transmission, a spectrum wavelength range of 450 nm to 890 nm was recorded. Starting at 450 nm, light from four independent generated lightning arcs was recorded, background noise was subtracted, and they were then averaged. The wavelength range was then shifted to 550 nm, giving a 40 nm data overlap, with light from another four generated lightning arcs recorded and averaged. This was repeated until 890 nm was reached, and the resulting averaged data were stitched together to create a complete spectrum across the full predefined wavelength range. This process is illustrated in Figure 4. Characteristic peaks were then used to identify chemical elements through comparison to an established database24.
In this paper, the method of optical emission spectroscopy is described. This method is readily applicable to a wide range of other light emitting events with minimal alteration to the experimental setup or spectrograph system settings. Such applications include fast electrical discharges, partial discharges, sparking, and other related phenomena in electrical systems and equipment.
1. Selecting Wavelength Range
2. Preparing the Electrodes
3. Preparing the Spectrograph
4. Running an Experiment
5. Post-processing Data
6. Analyzing Data
A representative lightning intensity against wavelength plot for a 100 kA peak critically damped oscillatory 100 µs peak 18/40 µs waveform, across an air gap between a pair of 60 mm diameter tungsten electrodes positioned 14 mm apart, is given in Figure 14. These data consist of four sets of four 140 nm averaged data segments stitched together and corrected for background noise, fiber optic attenuation, and the digital camera quantum efficiency. These data have been converted into an intensity plot, as shown in Figure 15. Prominent peaks have been manually identified through comparison to an established database, as shown in Figure 16.
Figure 1: Generated lightning arc profile. The recorded trace of a typical 100 kA peak critically damped oscillatory, 100 µs duration, 18/40 µs generated lightning waveform. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 2: Experimental setup. A schematic of the experimental setup (not to scale), where light from a generated lightning arc between two electrodes is transported via a fiber optic to the spectroscopic system, consisting of an optics chassis and digital camera. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 3: Spectrograph setup. A schematic of the spectrograph system (not to scale), where light from the fiber optic is turned into a spectrum, via a grating, which is then recorded by a digital camera. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 4: Collating, processing, and presenting spectral data. An illustration of the steps used to collate, average, stitch, and correct data towards achieving a broad high resolution spectrum. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 5: Electrode configuration. An image of the two 6 mm diameter hemispherical tungsten electrodes fixed to copper mountings positioned 14 mm apart within the lightning rig. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 6: Fiber optic configuration. An image of the fiber optic positioned at the same height and at a distance of 2 m from the mounted electrodes. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 7: Wavelength calibration. (a) A table of three known Mercury lines against the pixel number at which they were measured, and (b) a plot of each point (crosses) and a straight-line fit (dashed line) giving an equation (inset) allowing pixels to be converted to wavelength. This is done for multiple known atomic lines across the entire wavelength range. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 8: Cosmic ray interference. Spectral data from a 100 kA laboratory generated lightning arc in the 550 nm to 690 nm range showing: (a) data with no cosmic ray interference, and (b) and (c) data with characteristic cosmic ray spikes. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 9: Subtraction of background. Spectral data from a 100 kA laboratory generated lightning arc in the 550 nm to 690 nm range showing: (a) averaged background data, (b) raw data, and (c) data with average background subtracted. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 10: Averaging data. Spectral data from a 100 kA laboratory generated lightning arc in the 550 nm to 690 nm range showing: (a–d) individual data, and (e) averaged data. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 11: Stitching data. Spectral data from a 100 kA laboratory generated lightning arc showing: (a) the 550 nm to 690 nm range, (b) the 650 to 790 nm range, and (c) the two overlaid datasets with a 650 nm to 690 nm overlap. The overlap region is then averaged. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 12: Correcting data. Plots in the 450 nm to 890 nm wavelength range for (a) fiber attenuation, and (b) spectrograph camera quantum efficiency provided by respective manufacturers. These are used to correct the stitched spectral data accordingly. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 13: Presenting data. Examples of (a) a graphical data plot and (b) an intensity plot representing the spectrum of a 100 kA laboratory generated lightning arc in the 550 nm to 790 nm wavelength range. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 14: Typical graphical data. A typical averaged, stitched, and corrected graphical plot in the 450 nm to 890 nm wavelength range for a 100 kA laboratory generated lightning arc. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 15: Typical intensity plot. A typical averaged, stitched, and corrected intensity plot in the 450 nm to 890 nm wavelength range for a 100 kA laboratory generated lightning arc. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 16: Chemical element identification. An illustration of spectral line chemical element identification for first order ionization levels using a publicly available database24. Elements in the air (nitrogen, oxygen, argon, helium) and in the electrode (tungsten) have been identified. This spectrum is near-identical to that in reference14 as it uses the same apparatus to analyze the same type of lightning arc. This figure has been adapted from reference14. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Spectroscopy is a useful tool for identifying chemical element reactions during both natural and generated lightning strikes. Given a sufficiently accurate and reproducible experimental setup, further analysis on the data can reveal a variety of other lightning properties. It has, for example, been used to verify that the spectra of laboratory generated lightning arcs are spectrally similar to natural lightning and that the addition of other materials into the lightning arc can alter this spectrum significantly14. The method can also be used for other light emitting events such as fast electrical discharges, partial discharges, sparking, and other related phenomena in high voltage systems, where the simultaneous identification of multiple atomic lines or elements across a broad spectrum is important.
The most critical step is to ensure the correct parameters are used when setting up the spectrograph, such as the slit, grating, and camera settings, to acquire the best data possible resulting in strong, sharp spectral peaks. Efforts should be made to also ensure that the detector is not saturated when optimizing the signal. The position of the fiber can also be adjusted and/or collimated to improve light intensity, as well as ensuring that any stray light not part of the lightning event is either eliminated or removed as part of the background imaging process. This may take some trial and error. The ability of the lightning generator used to reproduce the same lightning event accurately with minimal variation, or to understand where any variations may come from so that they can be controlled, is important in obtaining reliable and repeatable spectroscopic results.
Alterations can be made to this setup to assess different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum further into the UV and IR bands where imaging technology allows and depending on the type of event being imaged. For example, extending the wavelength range below 450 nm can reveal further atomic and molecular lines, such as emissions from NO and OH radicals. Adjusting the spectrograph grating to give a lower resolution over a broader range may help to identify interesting features, which can then be analyzed using a higher resolution narrower range grating.
The main advantage of this technique is that it is entirely non-intrusive, so it does not require any alteration to the lightning generator. By transporting the light via a fiber optic, the amount of electrical interference from the harsh electromagnetic environment is reduced, which other systems, such as cameras, may experience if not sufficiently shielded. This means that the data from a spectrograph potentially have much lower noise and less interference than other instruments. This specific technique is limited by its lack of time resolution and subsequent lack of further characterization of the lightning arc. For example, high-speed spectrographs do exist which can produce time resolved spectral data leading to temperature and electron density measurements.
It is expected that spectroscopy will become an important tool, alongside other diagnostic instrumentation, in understanding laboratory generated lightning arcs. It will contribute complimentary information on characteristic lightning event signatures and be used to identify the reactive chemical elements within the arc. Further development of this technique may also result in the derivation of additional characteristics.
The authors have nothing to disclose.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Sêr Cymru National Research Network in Advanced Engineering and Materials (NRN073) and Innovate UK via the Aerospace Technology Institute (113037).
Lightning Generator, including EMI shielded chambers, lightning rig and associated control and safety systems | Cardiff University | N/A | Designed, developed and constructed by Cardiff University |
60mm diameter tungsten electrodes with copper mountings | Unknown | N/A | Available from any specialist electrode / high voltage equipment manufacturer |
Spectrograph, including chassis, camera, optic fibre and control software | Andor | Chassis: SR-303i-B-SIL | |
Camera: DU420A-BU2 | |||
Optic Fibre: 249309 SR-OPT-8018-9RX | |||
Software: Solis v4.25 | |||
Mercury argon calibration source | Ocean Optics | HG-1 | |
Anaylsis software | Microsoft | Excel 2016 |