Pantex Plant upgrades lightning sensors

Lightning mapping array system predicts electrical discharges

AMARILLO, Texas – Given the prevalence of lightning in the Texas Panhandle and the criticality of the work performed at the Pantex Plant, Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC recently installed a new lightning mapping array (LMA) system designed to detect pre-strike electrical activity. The eight new sensors around the Plant will improve safety and stability in critical operational areas, in addition to providing redundancy for the current system.

“We are looking forward to seeing the benefits that this system may provide through both improved safety and operations at Pantex,” added NNSA Production Office Electrical System Engineer Scott Dolezal.

Pantex plant shift superintendents use the current Lightning Location and Protection System to issue lightning protective action warnings to employees. With employee safety being a top priority, these protective actions sometimes can pause weather-dependent operations until the lighting warnings are lifted. The new LMA sensors detect small electrical discharges within a cloud and generate a map showing frequency and location. They also dissect a storm to determine its height and intensity.

“Our current system only detects cloud-to-ground strikes,” said David Hattz, with the Pantex Electromagnetics Group. “The LMA system detects the first inner-cloud strikes allowing us to notify our employees up to an hour sooner.”

In addition to the sensor installations, Pantex engineers are developing a software package to study lightning and atmospheric data. Texas Tech University is partnering with the Plant by sharing the data from its 12 LMA sensors. Data collected from the Pantex and Texas Tech systems will allow Pantex to measure the amount of operations time impacted by lighting warnings.

“The research element of this project is an important study of how well lightning can be predicted using the LMA system sensors, combined with other existing Pantex sensors and meteorological data. The software we are developing will generate metrics to show how much forewarning we received prior to a strike, and how much time we were under lightning protective actions that never resulted in a strike,” said Hattz.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.com or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.com or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.