Thunderstorm detection equipment installed at Singaporean cultural hub

Located in a region with thunderstorms almost daily, the threat of lightning is a constant worry. With that in mind, the architect of the prestige Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) commercial and residential property in Singapore turned to meteorological experts Biral to provide a reliable and proven thunderstorm detection system. The system was specified to offer not only the ability to detect a thunderstorm in the vicinity but to offer unprecedented advance warnings for overhead lightning.

PLQ, with its beautifully designed and landscaped open roof top garden, was designed to host corporate events and gatherings of the residents and needed a system that would ensure their safety. Heng Engineering Singapore, the building’s electrical consultant, required a system that could provide early warnings before thunderstorms, being a fully autonomous system with a siren/alarm, long range detection (40km), and a maintenance-free class-A sensor.

After a period of careful evaluation, Biral’s BTD-200 was selected for the installation. Heng Engineering then worked with Biral to identify the right location for the sensor on the roof where there would be no obstruction to its operation and where it wouldn’t affect the building’s appearance.

The completed project offered the building and maintenance team managing PLQ advanced warning for overhead (9km vicinity) thunderstorm threats before any lightning was present through a user-friendly computer user interface. Using the software allows the operator to easily spot warnings or be alerted to them by the audible alarm generated by the computer for potential lightning threats.

For the safety of the people who are already on the roof, siren and strobe warnings are triggered to alert them to the incoming thunderstorm in plenty of time for them to seek shelter. With the BTD-200’s fully automatic early warning detection system, the residents of PLQ are able to be outdoors without having to worry about any unexpected or sudden lightning storms.

The BTD-200 lightning warning system is a complete detection and warning system which has been developed from the Biral range of professional aviation grade lightning detection systems. It reliably detects the local presence of all forms of lightning out to a range of 35km (22 miles) from the sensor. Designed to be installed and set up by non-technical staff, it comes with a power supply and the essential PC application ‘Lightning Works’, for monitoring and warning personnel of approaching thunderstorms.