CIRED

20th International Conference on Electricity Distribution

Prague, 8-11 June 2009

Paper 0652

EMTP SIMULATION OF LIGHTNING OVERVOLTAGE DISCHARGE TO MEDIUM

VOLTAGE OVERHEAD LINES WITH COVERED CONDUCTORS
M.A. OMIDIORA, M. LEHTONEN, R.J. MILLAR
Electrical Engineering Department, TKK Finland
michael.omidiora@tkk.fi

This paper presents the evaluation and simulation of real

lightning discharges that have occurred in medium voltage
overhead lines equipped with covered conductors (CC).
Lightning stroke current selections are based on real
lightning data collected from the Finnish Meteorological
Institute (FMI) from 1998 to 2008. The presented feeder is
an overhead distribution line with a covered conductor
subjected to direct lightning strokes to a line support. With
the ATP/EMTP (Alternative Transient Program/ElectroMagnetic Transient Program), simulations of lightning
strokes are conducted with different lightning current
characteristics. All cases are considered with the modelling
guidelines for fast transients, as specified in some lightning
literature. Simulations are made to compare the resulting
overvoltages and energy absorptions of surge arresters for
all the analyzed cases.

INTRODUCTION
There has been an increase in the use of covered conductors
(CC) in medium voltage (MV) distribution networks across
the world over the last 30 years. The idea of developing
covered conductor overhead lines is to minimize the
deficiencies of traditional bare conductors (BC). In Nordic
countries, covered conductors were initially introduced for
easy power distribution through forest areas and for better
operating safety [1]. The main benefits of these conductors
are their ability to allow grounded objects to touch the line
and the phases to touch each other without any tripping or
outage. However, one common problem with covered
conductors is lightning overvoltage. This overvoltage is in
two forms: overvoltage produced from direct lightning
strokes to a power line / line support and overvoltage
induced from lightning strokes to ground. Unless effective
protection systems are taken into use, a lightning surge can
lead to flashover of a line insulator and then to multiple
breakdowns of the solid conductor insulation. The
assessment of the performance of a covered conductor from
direct lightning strokes to a line support is the main purpose
of this study. Lightning overvoltages were simulated with
ATP/EMTP (Alternative Transient Program/Electro
Magnetic Transient Program).

CIRED2009 Session 2

Paper No 0652

ANALYZING LIGHTNING
COVERED CONDUCTORS

EFFECT

ON

The lightning problem is associated with the incidence of

thunderstorms in any given area. In Finland, lightning
activities are monitored by a ground lightning location
systems with eight sensors, whose detection covers almost
the whole country [2]. Analysis of lightning data from 19982008 gives the number of average thunderstorm days as
T = 12 days/year and a ground flash density of Ng = 0.786
strokes/ km2/year. The mean negative stroke is 15.2 kA
(Fig. 1). The frequency of direct strokes to a conductor of
1 km length and average height h = 10 m is defined with

N = N g 0.028lh 0.6 [3] as 0.08761 strokes/km/year.

Assuming that:
the value of the characteristic impedance of the CC
overhead distribution line is 480 [1]
the line-support earth resistance is 10 [4]
the Basic Insulation Level (BIL) of the CC is
215 kV for 20 kV class CC (125 kV, support
insulation and 90 kV, conductor insulation)
the average lightning stroke per flash is 2 [4]
the expected probability distribution of lightning
currents is as in Fig. 1,
then the conductor is prone to approximately 9 direct
lightning strikes a year for a 100 km power line. Each
stroke, to either a CC or line support, is expected to cause
an interruption or outage, or damage to the CC.
Probability of exceeding ab scissa (p.u)

ABSTRACT

1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100

Lightning Peak Currents (kA)

Fig. 1. Cumulative distribution of lightning peak current in

Finland according to lightning data collected from the Finnish
Meteorological Institute (FMI). [4]

CIRED

20th International Conference on Electricity Distribution

Prague, 8-11 June 2009

Paper 0652

SIMULATING LIGHTNING
COVERED CONDUCTOR

EFFECT

ON

f (t ) = Amplitude[et e t ]

(1)

16
Max. time derivative = 3 kA/us
Max. time derivative = 30 kA/us

14

Test system
Current (kA)

12

Fig. 2 gives a schematic of the MV network simulated in

this study. The network consists of a single phase infinite
source (20/ 3 kV), a bare conductor of length 1000m, a
covered conductor with length 200m, and a 20/0.4 kV
substation. The ATP/EMTP simulation (single-phase) of the
network is shown in Fig. 3. The network source was
simulated with a single phase AC source and the bare
conductor and covered conductor were simulated with an
LCC model for both overhead line and covered conductor
types respectively. The substation switch was replaced with
a capacitance C = 4 nF [5]. The grounding resistance was
taken as 10 [3].

10
8
6
4
2
0
0

10

20

30

40
50
Time (us.)

60

70

80

90

Fig. 4. Waveforms of the lightning stroke currents

Surge arrester characteristics

The V-I characteristics of metal oxide surge arresters are
a function of the incoming surge steepness [4]. In this
study, MOV arresters were employed for the protection of
lightning surges at various locations on the test system.
Obtained from the manufacturer's datasheet [6], the V-I
characteristic curve of the arrester used for the simulation
is shown in Fig. 5. The energy rating of this 30kV class of
MOV arrester is 74.8 kJ, 3.4 kJ/kV, where Uc= 22 kV.
91.0

U [kV]

83.3

75.5

Fig. 2. A schematic of part of a Finnish 20kV MV network having

a bare conductor, a covered conductor and a substation in series
Source

Covered
Conductor

Bare conductor
LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

Substation
Switch

LCC
V

I [kA]

60.1
1.5

Csb

Rg

67.8

11.1

20.7

30.4

40.0

Fig. 5. V-I characteristic curve of the 30kV MOV arrester

(8/20 s) (V: residual voltage and I: discharge current)

Rg

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Fig. 3. A single-phase ATPDraw model of a 20kV MV network,
consisting of a bare conductor in series with a covered conductor
and substation. Rg is the grounding resistance and Csb is a
substation switch represented with a capacitance.

Lightning stroke
In this study, the resulting overvoltages were simulated for a
mean lightning stroke current of peak value 15.2 kA (Fig. 1)
with a maximum rate of rise of current of (i) 30 kA/s and
(ii) 3 kA/s. Fig. 4 gives the waveforms of the lightning
currents. In the ATP/ EMTP simulation program, an ideal
source was used for the lightning stroke modeling. It was
modeled with the Heidler Type 15 ideal source in
ATPDraw characterized by two exponentials with amplitude
and constant and , in accordance with the ATP rule
book, with the function:

CIRED2009 Session 2

Paper No 0652

Induced voltages were computed for a 20 kV network of

Fig. 2, consisting of a bare conductor in series with the
covered conductor and the substation. The lightning stroke
was terminated on the line support where the bare conductor
and the covered conductor meet. The induced voltages were
produced on the bare conductor, the covered conductor and
the substation terminals.
Figs. 6 and 7 give the induced voltages on the conductor
and substation with two different rates of rise of the
lightning current (i) 30 kA/s and (ii) 3 kA/s respectively.
It can be observed from the two figures that lightning to a
power line support may produce an induced voltage capable
of damaging the insulation of the covered conductor in
several places (e.g. at the cable heads where the
characteristic impedance of the bared conductor and the
covered conductor changes) and the transformer windings.
The resulting voltages are far higher than the Basic

CIRED

20th International Conference on Electricity Distribution

Prague, 8-11 June 2009

Paper 0652

Since the bare conductor and covered conductor have

different characteristic impedances, an attempt was made to
study its influence on the induced voltage on the feeder. Fig.
8 gives the induced voltage on the bare conductor and the
covered conductor 100 m away from the lightning strike
point (line support). The lightning stroke was simulated
with the maximum time derivative, 30 kA/us. From the
figure, it can be seen that the induced voltage on the BC
undergoes higher distortion than the induced voltage on the
CC. There is also a negative pre-pulse and further negative
pulses in the induced voltage waveform on the BC. The
difference in the maximum induced voltage on the bare
conductor (240 kV) and the covered conductor (200 kV) is
marginal for the kind of lightning strike simulated in this
study. Thus, any power line with a covered conductor is
prone to breakdown from a close-range lightning strike,
unless it is well protected with surge protective devices,
such as surge arresters, arc gaps or other devices.
250
Vc (30 kA/us)
Vc (3 kA/us)

Conductor Voltage (kV)

200

150

100

50

250
Induced voltage on the CC
Induced voltage on the BC
200

150
Voltage (kV)

Insulation Levels (BILs) of the conductor insulating layer

(90 kV) and the substation transformer (150 kV). It was also
seen from the figures that for an increase in the maximum
rate of rise by a factor of 10, induced voltages in the
conductors and substation produce more distortion, which
can be damaging to any protective device along the feeder.
For the same factor, the increase in the maximum induced
voltage at the substation is marginal.

100

50

-50
0

10

20

30

40
50
Time (us)

60

70

80

90

Fig. 8. Induced voltage on the covered conductor (CC) and the

bare conductor (BC) 100m from the strike point (maximum time
derivative, 30 kA/us)

In order to assess the protective capability of an MOV for a

lightning current simulated in this study, an MOV arrester
was added on every pole of the bare conductor (the line
span was taken as 100m for 20 kV). Fig. 9 gives the
ATPDraw model of the line with surge arresters. Shown in
Figs. 10 and 11 are the remaining voltage at the conductor
head and the terminal of the substation respectively, for the
two different rates of rise of the lightning currents. All
simulation results show that effective reduction in the surge
voltage is possible with adequate protection, i.e. installation
of arresters at every pole leading to a covered conductor
head will prevent multiple breakdowns of the covered
conductor and other equipment along the power line. From
Figs. 10 and 11, it can be observed that if there is an
increase in the rate of rise of lightning currents, the peak
value of the remaining induced voltages increases
marginally with little distortion, and hence it does not have
a great influence on the protective capability of surge
arresters.

-50
0

10

20

30

40
50
Time (us)

60

70

80

90

Source
LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

LCC

Substation
Switch

LCC

Rs

200

MOV

Csb
Rg

Rg

Vs (30kA/us)
Vs (3kA/us)

PE

MOV

MOV

MOV

MOV

MOV

MOV

MOV

MOV

MOV

250

Substation Voltage (kV)

LCC

Fig. 6. Induced voltage on covered conductor head for different

maximum rates of rise of lightning current

Lightning
source

Rs

Fig. 9. ATPDraw model of the power line configuration with

arrester at every pole.

150

100

50

-50
0

Covered
Conductor

Bare conductor
LCC

10

20

30

40
50
Time (us)

60

70

80

90

Fig. 7. Induced voltage on substation for different maximum rates

of rise of lightning current

CIRED2009 Session 2

Paper No 0652

Fig. 12 gives the energy absorbed by the arrester at the

closest range to the lightning current magnitude. It can be
seen that the simulated lightning stroke is never a threat to
MOV arresters if they are installed on every pole. However,
an arrester can respond differently to a lightning magnitude
with different rates of rise of the lightning current, as shown
in the figure. Surprisingly, a lightning stroke current of 15.2
kA with 3 kA/ us is more stressful for the surge arrester than
with 30 kA/ us. Thus decrease in the rate of rise of lightning

CIRED

20th International Conference on Electricity Distribution

Prague, 8-11 June 2009

Paper 0652

current by a factor of 10 increases the MOV energy

absorption by 1.15.
70

Remaining Conductor Voltage (kV)

60
50
40
30
20
Vc (30kA/us)
Vc (3 kA/us)

10
0
0

10

20

30

40
50
Time (us)

60

70

80

90

Fig. 10. Remaining induced voltage on covered conductor for

different maximum rates of rise of lightning current

80

Remaining Substation Voltage (kV)

70
60
50

The induced voltages due to lightning strokes the line

support of a power line consisting of a bare conductor,
covered conductor and a substation have been simulated
using a digital program. The following are the main remarks
from the study:
Change in lightning characteristic (rate of rise of
lightning current) does not lead to a significant
change in the maximum induced voltage for a
lightning stroke to a line. But the induced voltage
distortion increases with an increase in the rate of
rise of the lightning current.
For the lightning stroke that was simulated, the
induced voltage on the bare conductor is higher
than the induced voltage on the covered conductor.
Negative pulses emerge in the induced voltage
waveform on the bare conductor. This can be very
stressful for surge protective devices.
The arresters energy dissipation increases as the
rate of rise of lightning current decreases.
Effective protection of a power line against
induced voltage from close-range lightning strokes
can be achieved by installing arresters on every
pole, for a 100 m line span. This will offer good
protection against any slow or fast rising surges
around the power line.

40

REFERENCES

30
20

Vs (30 kA/us)
Vs (3 kA/us)

10
0
0

10

20

30

40
50
Time (us)

60

70

80

90

Fig. 11. Remaining induced voltage on substation for different

maximum rates of rise of lightning current
4.5
4
Arrester Energy Dissipated (kJ)

CONCLUSION

3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5

E (30 kA/us)
E (3 kA/us)

1
0.5
0
0

10

20

30

40

50
60
Time (us)

70

80

90

100

Fig. 12. Energy absorbed by MOV arrester installed on the

connecting point of the bare conductor and covered conductor for
different maximum rates of rise of lightning current.

CIRED2009 Session 2

Paper No 0652

[1] G. M. Hashmi, 2008, Partial discharge detection for

condition monitoring of covered-conductor overhead
distribution network using rogowski coil, Published
doctoral thesis dissertation, TKK, Finland
[2] J. Tuomi and M. Antti,. 2006, Lightning observations
in Finland. Report of Finnish Metrological Institute,
Helsinki. No. 6.
[3] IEEE working group on lightning performance of
Electric Power Overhead Line. 2004. IEEE Guide for
improving the Lightning Performance of Electric
Power Overhead Lines. IEEE Std 1410tm- 2004, NY
[4] M.A. Omidiora, M. Lehtonen, 2008. An Approach to
the Lightning Overvoltage Protection of Medium
Voltage Lines in Severe Lightning Areas, Current
Themes in Engineering Technologies, American
Institute of Physics, CP1007, USA, pp. 140-151.
[5] W. Skomudek, 2004, computer analysis of overvoltage
hazard due to lightning discharges in medium voltage
overhead lines with covered conductors, Journal of
Electrical Engineering, Vol. 55, No. 5-6, 2004, 161164.
[6] Ultrasil housed varigap arresters, April. 2003, Cooper
Power Systems Electrical Apparatus. I235-39.