Dissipaters

The Strikeshield Dissipater Electrode designed by Seyla Marine offers a large amount of metallic edges to ensure proper electrical contact with water. The total length of edges in this design is superior to what one would find on a 12inch square plate as recommended by the ABYC. Edge length is an important consideration as we know that electrical energy will dissipate in water from a conductor through edges, not flat surfaces.

There are now two dissipater designs in use by Seyla Marine customers. The first version of the dissipater electrode was made through a sand casting process. Although sand casting is a common method of producing metallic objects, copper is a very difficult metal to cast using this method. Although the electrodes are all fully functional and capable of safely dissipating lighnting energy into the water, the casting process is not so reliable. On many occasions, we have had to wait for re-casting of dissipaters because the foundry had dififculty in delivering a consistent product.

We eventually came to the conclusion that machining this important comonent was essential to ensure total consistency and availability. The new dissipater electrode is now slightly smaller but denser and offers just as much edging and sufficient mass to ensure safe and reliable grounding of lightning strike energy. All Strikeshield dissipaters are designed to withstand multiple strike discharges.