Aircraft drive device and aircraft provided with a drive device

An aircraft drive device and nacelle assembly mounted to an aircraft, the assembly comprising:

• a nacelle configured to be mounted to an aircraft wing or fuselage, wherein the nacelle has a forward facing opening;
• an aircraft drive device housed in the nacelle;
• a shaft rotatably driven by the aircraft drive device, wherein the shaft extends forward of the aircraft drive device through the opening in the nacelle and outward of the nacelle;
• an overvoltage arrester device in the nacelle and including:
• a conductive rotating electrode element attached to and rotating with the shaft,
• a conductive stationary electrode element conductively coupled to the aircraft, wherein the conductive rotating electrode is attached to the shaft forward of the aircraft engine, and
• a gap separating the conductive rotating electrode and the conductive stationary electrode element, wherein the gap is in a range of 0.1 μm to 10 mm.

A method to divert electricity from a lighting strike away from an aircraft drive device, the method comprising:

• driving a shaft by an aircraft drive device, wherein the aircraft drive device is housed in a nacelle of an aircraft and the shaft extends forward of an opening in the nacelle;
• conducting electricity from a lighting strike on the shaft or on a propeller mounted to the shaft along the shaft to an overvoltage arrester device mounted to the shaft forward of the aircraft drive device, wherein the overvoltage arrester device includes a conductive rotating electrode mounted to the shaft and a conductive stationary electrode mounted to and conductively coupled to the aircraft;
• the conducted electricity flashes over a gap between the conductive rotating electrode and the conductive stationary electrode to allow the conducted electricity to flow from the conductive rotating electrode to the conductive stationary electrode, and
• diverting the conducted electricity away from the aircraft drive device by the flashover of the conducted electricity to the conductive stationary electrode.