Early Streamer Emission air terminal for Europe's largest suspension footbridge - AT3w

Aplicaciones Tecnológicas protects Europe’s largest suspension footbridge against lightning strikes

The largest Tibetan bridge in Europe, which is almost 600 meters long, will be put into operation this summer in La Vall del Riu, Andorra. Aplicaciones Tecnológicas will protect the bridge against lightning strikes with two DAT CONTROLER ® REMOTE Early Streamer Emission (ESE) air terminals to ensure the safety of both users and the structure against atmospheric discharges.

Starting this summer, the Vall del Riu in Andorra will have the longest suspension footbridge in Europe. Aplicaciones Tecnológicas will protect this structure against lightning strikes using two DAT CONTROLER® REMOTE ESE air terminals. The footbridge, almost 600 meters long and 200 meters high, connects the Armiana area with Coll de Cauba. It is one meter wide and is located at an altitude of 1,850 meters. With the installation of this bridge, it will be connected with the Roc del Quer viewpoint, thus establishing a route of great tourist attraction.

The construction of this footbridge began in 2021 and was carried out by UTE GRANS PASSARELLES TIBETANES. The installation of the DAT CONTROLER ® REMOTE ESE air terminals was performed by the collaboration of the distributor Novetats Electriques from Andorra and the Catalonian delegation of Aplicaciones Tecnológicas S.A.

A suspension footbridge also called a Tibetan bridge or a simple suspension bridge is a structure consisting of three cables, which can be made from different materials, suspended in a “V” shape. The lower cable acts as a floor for walking and the two upper cables for holding by hands.

This type of bridge is restricted to pedestrian traffic, but it is a tourist attraction in mountain areas, connecting hiking routes, that captivates a large number of people.

DAT CONTROLER ® REMOTE, the latest technology for lightning protection

The DAT CONTROLER ® REMOTE Early Streamer Emission (ESE) air terminal is a cutting-edge lightning rod that offers comprehensive, safe, and innovative protection against unpredictable atmospheric phenomena such as lightning.

Early Streamer Emission (ESE) air terminal is characterized by responding to the approach of lightning, outstripping other elements within its protection zone in their capture capacity, to conduct the discharge current safely to earth. The installation of an ESE air terminal is carried out by the UNE 21186 standard “Protection of structures, buildings and open areas using ESE air terminals“.

DAT CONTROLER® REMOTE has an M2M remote communication system that guarantees maximum efficiency and is totally autonomous thanks to its solar panels.

This smart system enables the centralisation of the real-time status of all DAT CONTROLER® REMOTE devices installed, through a personalised web page. Thus, occupational risks are avoided since the technical personnel does not need to access the terminals. Its technology allows daily self-checking of the ESE air terminal’s status, without a need to remove it or use auxiliary lifting equipment. The result of the autonomous test is sent via M2M communication to a multi-platform receiving device, and can be visualised via its web portal, besides sending notifications customised by the user.

DAT CONTROLER ® REMOTE is certified with the AENOR certificate (Spanish Association for Standardisation) and manufactured according to ISO 9001, following the international environmental management standard ISO 14001.

If you are willing to know more about Aplicaciones Tecnológicas’ lightning conductors with Early Streamer Emission devices, you can contact us through this link.

If you are interested in receiving free training from our experts, you can also access our webinars section.

START TYPING AND PRESS ENTER TO SEARCH