AT Research Center, the testing laboratory of Aplicaciones Tecnológicas S.A., has obtained UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 certification for the first time from the Spanish National Accreditation Entity (ENAC). This accreditation recognises the laboratory’s competence to perform tests on Early Streamer Emission (ESE) air terminals, lightning strike counters, and surge protection devices.
UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard that establishes the requirements for competence and validity for testing and calibration laboratories, enabling them to operate competently and impartially to generate reliable and accurate results. This standard covers technical and management aspects and is fundamental for the accreditation of laboratories worldwide.
AT Research Center, beyond the standards for better lightning protection systems
Currently, it is not possible to reproduce the entire lightning phenomenon in a laboratory, so its two main components, voltage and current, must be separated to perform separate tests. This enables the testing of Lightning Protection Systems (LPS) to ensure they comply with current regulations and fulfil their ultimate function: to protect against the destructive effects of atmospheric discharges.
AT Research Center is currently one of the world’s most advanced laboratories for developing products and services dedicated to preventing and protecting against the effects of atmospheric electrical discharges. These facilities reproduce various conditions similar to those of lightning, allowing SPCR components to be tested in a fully controlled environment.
The voltage (electric field) is used to recreate the conditions in which lightning strikes occur. The High Voltage Laboratory, with a capacity of 1.2 MV, is designed to study the processes that precede the discharge: the formation, propagation, and interception of lightning.
For its part, the current is used to verify that the components of the SPCR—such as lightning arresters, connection elements, fasteners, and conductors—can withstand the electrical, thermal, and mechanical effects of lightning once it has been intercepted, ensuring its safe conduction to the grounding system.
The High Current Laboratory at the AT Research Center is dedicated to analysing and testing the direct and indirect effects of lightning strikes, and is used to evaluate both external and internal surge protection systems. It therefore has two current generators: one with a maximum current of 250 kA in an 8/20 µs wave and another with 320 kA in a 10/350 µs wave, allowing currents to be applied that far exceed the requirements of the standards.
Furthermore, given that the components of an external protection system are installed outdoors, they must be designed to withstand all weather conditions, prevent corrosion, and generally maintain their performance characteristics over time. For this reason, AT Research Center has a climate laboratory where these tests can be carried out.
Other certifications obtained by Aplicaciones Tecnológicas S.A.
Aplicaciones Tecnológicas S.A. is a company registered by AENOR (Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification), which certifies the implementation of a quality assurance system in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 standard for all its products and services. In addition, it holds the AENOR N mark product certificate for Early Streamer Emission (ESE) air terminals and the Environmental Management System certificate in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO 14001:2004 standard.
ESE lightning rods DAT CONTROLER® PLUS and APLIWELD® SECURE PLUS exothermic welding also have the UL seal from Underwriters Laboratories, which certifies that both products comply with all safety requirements in the United States and Canada.
You can view all certifications at the following link.
You can also contact us at the following link and attend any of our webinars through our free online training page.