Radioactive lightning conductor - where air streams are deflected past ionising sources such as curium so conductor bar is surrounded by ionised air

摘要

A bar with a pointed tip is provided with an ion guide above an insulating sleeve. The sleeve is surrounded by a ring excitation block and a metal ring. A deflector and grid are used to guide air streams so the latter flow upwards through the ring block. The block pref. contains vertical cells; and a radioactive source providing ions is located in each cell. The deflector, grid, and metal ring are pref. at the floating atmospheric voltage. The lightning conductor may be located directly on a Franklin antenna; and the ionising sources are pref. curium-244. Ions are provided in the air surrounding the top end of the bar by the flow of air past the ionising sources, so there is no need to use a fan or other mechanical device to provide a stream of air.