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strokes. Serious failures that may occur require a special If h < R, than r0 = R , rx = R hx (2 R hx ) (2)
focus on their protection against direct lightning strokes. Along the ground wires, the horizontal sections through the
The minimum risk for direct lightning strokes in the protection zone are delimited by lines which are parallel with
phase conductors of a transmission line is obtained when the the wires traces in the horizontal plane, at the distances
protective zone zone is one of the most important stages in given by following formulas:
the power transmission lines design.
In this sense, one of the most effective methods is the b0 = h (2 R h) and bx = b0 hx (2 R hx ) (3)
rolling sphere method, which is based on electro-geometrical For the protective system with one ground wire, if h > R
theory. The main hypothesis of the method is based on the rolling sphere partially intrude under the ground wires,
the idea that the lightning strikes the nearest object on the and if the distance a, between the vertical lightning rods, is
earth situated at the so-called orientation distance from the smaller than the radius R, then maximum height of the
descending leaders head. Thus, one can imagine one protective zone, in the perpendicular section, is given by:
sphere which is moving towards the ground and which has hm = 2 R h (4)
the radius equal with the orientation distance. The head of The upper section of the protective zone is given by
the descending leader is considered to be in the center of this the rolling sphere which stays on ground wires (distance
sphere. The first object touched by this virtual sphere will be 2a2 in Fig. 1), the inner minimal height of the protective zone
stricken by the lightning [1]. being:
h0 = h R + R 2 a 22 (5)
II. PROTECTIVE ZONE DIMENSIONS DETERMINATION
In the plane crossing on ground wires situated at the
The lightning protection systems of the power distance 2a1, the outline of the inner upper areas of the
transmission lines include the ground wires and the towers, protective zone is given by a straight line having the length
the last ones being considered as vertical lightning rods. equal with 2a1 -2a2, placed at height h0, and connected at the
The analysis can be conducted for the cases where the lines ends, in the vertical plane of the ground wires traces, with
towers height, h, is greater or smaller than the rolling sphere arcs having the R radius.
radius, R. In order to have a more complete perspective on the
appearance of the protective zone in Fig. 2 is presented the
D. Machidon, M. Istrate, M. Gusa, M. Dragomir are with Technical 3D images of the protective zones associated with the rolling
University Gheorghe Asachi of Iasi, ROMANIA. sphere which generates them.
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3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MODERN POWER SYSTEMS MPS 2010, 18-21 MAY 2010, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA
III. THE PROTECTIVE ZONES FOR SOME 400 KV ground wires and the towers of several 400 kV overhead
TRANSMISSION LINES lines.
The described above methodology can be applied in The analyzed transmission lines are realized on three
order to determine the protective zones generated by the different tower types presented in the table I:
Fig. 1. Ground wires placed on a rectangles sides, at the same height, fixed on vertical rods, for h > R
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3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MODERN POWER SYSTEMS MPS 2010, 18-21 MAY 2010, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA
results of 320 kA and when the ground wires are stroked lightning strokes, as it can be observed also from the values
results of 210 kA. In case of direct lightning strokes in phase of the parameters presented in Table II.
conductors, the minimal intensity of the protective current is Based on previous results we may conclude that the
of 1.5 kA [5]. analyzed power transmission lines are very well protected
Using these values of the protective currents and the above against direct lightning strikes. But this result is contradictory
given formulas, the geometrical dimensions of the protective with events recorded on such transmission lines, by the
zone were calculated, the obtained values being given in national power grid operators. In reality a quite large
Table II. number of lines disconnections, due to direct lightning
As it was expected, due to the high values of the lightning strokes, are recorded.
protective current, all phase conductors of the all three
analyzed power lines are very well protected against direct
TABLE II
PROTECTIVE ZONE DIMENSIONS OF THE ANALYZED LINES BASED ON LIGHTNING CURRENTS DETERMINED AFTER ATP-EMTP SIMULATIONS
Rolling sphere radius (m) hx (m)
Lines tower Phase level at middle of the
at towers r0 (m) rx (m) b0 (m) bx (m) h0 (m) at towers
at ground wires lines span
level level
PAS 400 A, B, C 439.77 332.10 158.35 19.70 117.55 27.54 21.42 22.43 12.43
SnY 400 A, B, C 439.77 332.10 175.41 19.86 134.60 25.50 28.40 28.43 18.43
A 21.31 23.53 46.68 36.68
Sn 400 B 439.77 332.10 218.29 42.46 175.24 44.82 50 36.68 26.68
C 62.73 66.15 28.43 18.43
The notations corresponds to those given in Fig. 1 and b0 is the width of the horizontally section at the middle of the lines span; bx is the width of the
horizontally section at the hx height.
The analyzed overhead lines are fully protected only for TABLE III
PROTECTIVE ZONE DIMENSIONS FOR DIFFERENT VALUES OF THE
the previously determined values of lightning currents. But LIGHTNING CURRENT
the probability of appearance of such high lightning currents
is very small. According to Andersons cumulative
distribution of the return stroke current [6], the probability
of appearance of a lightning current with a 320 kA intensity
is of 0.23% and of 0.68% for 210 kA lightning currents.
Other authors give probabilities lower than 0.1%, for such
intensities of the lightning current.
Thus, it is obvious that most of the lightning strokes that
appear in the vicinity of the power transmission lines have For the single ground wire double circuit line analyzed,
lower current intensities than those determined by simulation. much greater lightning current intensities than the previous
In these circumstances, for smaller protective currents, the cases.
ground wires systems of the analyzed power lines does not For current intensities between 24 kA, at the middle
ensure a full protection, some of the active conductors being of lines span, and 38 kA, at towers plane, only the A phase
exposed to direct lightning strokes. conductor is unprotected, while all phase conductors are
As ATP simulation revealed, any lightning that strikes exposed for lower intensities (9.5 kA at the middle of lines
in the active conductors and has a value equal or higher than span and 14 kA at towers plane).
1.5 kA, can lead to the disconnection of the line. Although phase C is unprotected only for small lightning
Considering all these aspects, it is important to determine currents, which are very often recorded, the lines
the protection zone dimensions for several different values of disconnections are mostly related to the phase A and B
the lightning current, thus identifying the unprotected active insulators flashover. This fact can be explained
conductors. considering the constructive shape of the Sn 400 type lines
As results from Table III, depending on lightning current tower, phase C being installed at a lower level, under phase
intensity, one, two, or all the phase conductors remain A and B.
exposed to direct lightning strokes. Using the same Andersons cumulative distribution of the
Along the line span, the phase conductors are exposed for return stroke current, for the lightning current given in Table
smaller currents, the minimum values being recorded III, the probability of the appearance is that given in Table
w h e n the lightning strikes in the middle of the lines span. IV.
For the single circuit lines with a two ground wire system As the double circuit power transmission line equipped
only phase A and C are unprotected at relatively low current with a single ground wire is the most exposed to direct
intensities (5.413 kA and 7.515 kA), as results from data lightning strokes, in Fig. 3 is represented the section through
in Table III. the protective zone, in the towers plane, for different
lightning protection levels.
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3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MODERN POWER SYSTEMS MPS 2010, 18-21 MAY 2010, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA
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