Protection from Direct Lightning

Strokes with the Aid ~f Lightning

\1
Conductors

.b y r'Y Dl

Kt+ftNNft

31.1 General Information

The lightning conductors as a means of protection from direct
li,ghtning strokes were used much before the beginning of the present
era, but the)" aquired \vide recognition only in the middle of XVIII
century as a result of the \vork of Benjamin Franklin and Lomonosov.
Each lightning conductor consists of the lightning receiver pro-
jccting abo\-e the object to be protected, the earthing grid and the
conductor \vhich connects the receiver \vith the earthing grid and is
meant to carry the lightning current a\\'ay safely to ground. There
are t\\.o different ty.p~s of lightning conductor: the ligh ..ning masts
and the ground wires.
Good earthing of lightning conductors is an essential condition
for reliable protection, since in case ofa stroke in a badly earthed
lightning conductor, \"ery high voltages, capable Ofclusing a break-
do.\vn of insulating medium bet,'r"een the lightning COllductor and the
object under-protection, are poss:I)le. In the beginning, before large-
scale use of the lightning conductors (XVIII century), ".hen serious
attention was ll()t paid to the \"a!u(~ of resistance of the lightning
conductor, incidents of fire caused by lightning discharges in the
lightning conductors
role in such cases. ,\.ere llOt rare which, thus, plaved. a harmful

The pro\.ision of a reliable electrical connection bet\veen a.lI

parts of the li,ghtning conductor is cqually important, sinc/? during
the passage of a current through the place of bad contacts, an inten-
sive arcing, \,"hicll can also cause fire, takes place.
The protective action of lightning conductors is based on the
fact that charg"cs, stored Oll its tip in the leader stage of lightning:

424
j
{i'
.

~
~'
~
" '1 The leader canal can descend to earth along different trajec-
, tories. Suppose that rhe point of orientation of lightning moves
along a horizonraI line, which lies
i:tl the same plane as rhe lightning -f &0 ,-;q-
conductor, as shown in Fig. 31.1. 1 ,,/ I
When this point is siruated directly i ./ !
above the lightning conductor, the
discharge must take place in the j:
I
-.-/ ~'b'
~1
lighrning conductor. However, in, I
pr?portion t? the ?isplacement of the .1.
pOInt of orIentatIon from the hght- I -r
ning conductor the probability of ~~~~~
(I lighrning discharge to ground increa- ..7 ,,~ 0;1
ses. That position will be critical FIg. .31.1. ExperImentt;!'1 determI-
,,v.h en t h e bIeakdown
' " 1
\io,"rages to the natIon of the
a lightning protectIve zone of
mast.
lig"hrning conductor Ji~a1 and to
6'1'ound V d2 are same. \Vith further displacement of the point of
~I ')rientation, lightning discharge mainly strikes the ground. If the
: object to be protected is located near the lightning conductor, for a
~ definite height of the lightning conductor the voltage bet\'r"een the
li.ghtning canal and the object will always be greater than the
t:t;
breakdown voltage either to the lightning cof!.ductor or to ground
;:;nd the object will be protected from the direct lightning stroke.
'.."I
..>-,.' 2 .

II

II
426 High Voltage Engineering

The impulse spark discharge is used as a model of lightning.

Its development in long gaps takes place in two stages the leadel' and
the main stages. It is in this way, qualitatively identicai with the

lightning.

/ lightning. In experiments ,:onauctea

! i in the Soviet Union by A.A. .\kopyan,
for lightning rods of a hc:ght upto
30 ill, B/h was taken to be equal to
IV51' ..1 20, and for ground wires Hlh= 10,
I\ .-' For lightning conductors jf height
'I -1. ~
-"'--- -y- !1.-
--above 30 ill, the height of o:-ientation
was taken to be constant (E=600 m
~ -~ ~ for lightning masts and H = 300 fOl.
Fig. 31.2. Diagram for the ex- ground wires). The values t:.:.<en can~
perimental determiTlation of the
; not be rigorously justified, :'1o\:\'ever,
protective zone; I\~G-Impulse
Voltage Genet"ator; 1-electrode there is a: basjs to assume l:.at their
jmitating the end of the leader : use gives somewhat lower trotective
canal at the height oforientatior. ; zones, thus ensuring a defini:~ margin
of lightning; 2-model of the
lightning conductor (mast) ; 3- -of safety,
grounded metallic plane.
 421
lightning mast. For each location of the electrode, a definite num-
her of discharges is produced. 1'he experiment shows that for-

~i-Y:h.11~
Fig. 31'3. Determination of the protective zone
of a lightning mast on its model.

R=3.5 h, all discharges strike the lightning mast. For Rl some--

what greater than R, a part of the discharges strikes the gj"ound.
During this, the discharges deflect very much away from the v-erti-
cal and strike the ground at a distance r> 1.6h. The quantity r-
is the radius of the protective zone at the ground le\"el" The dis-
lance R is called the radius of zone of 100% strokes to the light--
ning mast"
The protective zone at a height hz is determined with the help
of a mast of height h'J'which models the object to be protected. The
electrode and the model of the object which are initially situated in
the same plane, are shifted with respect to each other and in relation
to the model of the lightning mast. For each mutual location of the
electrodes a definite number of the discharges is conducted. As a
result, the maximllm distance rz between the model of the object
and the lightning mas,t at which the model of object is not struck by
the discharge, is found. This distance r;e is the radius of protective
zone of the model of lightning mast at a height h.1:'

Greater the number of discharges for each location of the

electrodes, greater the accuracy of determination of the radius of-
the protective zone and smaller the probability of a stroke to the
model of object located in the protective zone of the model of lightn-
i n E!,mast. Usually, protective zones are determined with a proba-
bility of stroke to the model of object of 0.1 %.
If the lightning conductor is not a lightning mast but a grotlnd
\\-ire, thf' electrode and the ob.ject are shifted along the horizontal in
a plane perpendicular to the ground wire (Fig. 31.4). Experience
sho\vs that in this case the dimension of protective zone is b= 1.2h,
and the dimension of the zone of 100% ~troke to the model of ground
 428

B1 !

B~2h-l

::r ,~
~ !, G}~.~ Wire

\ i
I \ \ ! -t:

~-:i;d-1-

0
~
0
I
SfrOr\f\ ~ d , , ,,
0' '3!'oul\.j
02 W:
W '4...
;- I- \ \ ~' -t:"
-\ \ \
"
~
~ " 1
~
2 ...

Fig. 31.6. l:>rot(.'ctiv ZL)11Cof a

a ]igl\tning mast .

"x= - , (h~h.t'),

I + It-!. (31"1)
h
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 429-

In order to be protected from direct lightning strokes, the

object must be fully located \vithin the cone like space which
represents the protective zor.e of the lightning mast.
Since during experimental determination of protective zones,
a number of departures from real conditions are permitted, there is

a.

.. ~ ~~ / l' --
2 I ~
11 .// '- - --- -«=
/ I ,
/ I
/
---,~p~~" I-.~
.:: I
~ 00',/'
0.7.~~
L-,..5~

\ CTc)~!o ~e,,~io.' 0!=

\ t+,e PTote~tivt
, 'Z.one at ~ .'eiyr M~

'ig. 31.7. Constl'uctil1!1 of tho prvtt:otiVf:: zone of tt siligll

lightning mast.
1-simplified construction. ~ -protcctivc zo lO
constructed from Eq. (31.1)

no need to make use of the accurate boundaries of protective zones,

which become specially complicated in case of protection by two
lio.htning roasts. It is possible to make use of the simplified construc-
ti~n shown ill Fig, 31-7, The generator surface enclosing the pro-
tective zone can be represented by a broken line, One of the
sections of this broken line ab is a part of the straigh t line joining
tile tip of the lightning conductor and a point Oll tIle surface'of
 431

constructed on thrce points: two of them are the tips of the lightning
masts and-the third is situated mid-way between the lightning masts

'0

IT

kb

~T~~7
. ~.~
~
L : ",y , "
~ J-:~+- ,
'Ro~, ~£Ct'0'1 > pft)tec!,V(
"0 /)1".,j 0-0

\ '
":
"I
cooS$6ecfloo
-plOtectlw
at " level hs
Of
z~£

-~
~

Fig. 31-S. Protective zone of two lightning masts.

at a heigllt equal to kiJ- Cro3s.section of the protective zone in a
plane perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 31-8 (shown on the left) is
constructed in t!le same way as for a single lightning mast of height
equal to h:; (cross-section along 0-0 in Fig- 31'8). The external
part of the protecti\-e zone of the lightning masts is determined in
tlle same ,\'ay as for single lightning masts,
For t,\-O lightning masts of height k>30 m, point ho is determined
as
ho=-h- a
-;;-::-

'\\"here
5-5
p -vh- (31.5)
'The radii of protecti\-e zone in the cross-sections 0-0 are similarly
reduced b~. p times-

2
Ji;j( ! 3 I
1

-X
r
..r. I iI
! ---1-- / --I .

/
/

...

la~- ~

~a '1
Fig. :31.~J.Protccti,"ozono of two lightning masts ofdifferont heights.

Construction of protective zones for two lightning masts of

clifTcrent heights js shown in Fig. 31.9.

~
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 433

The protective zones at a level hz for three and four lightning

masts are shown in Figs, 31'10 and 31'11. .

1-- 0.,

1 . ,-
~:.
-. 1--

, -
I L. '0 'f- ()o

To:x 2. ~

I~ /~- ~

'Y
..r.-3.
.t
~-

For an arbitrary location of the lightning masts the condition

stated abJve m'.l)t b~ sep3.r.1tely verifi~d for each group of three
lightning masts near one allother .
If the height of lightnin~ masts exceeds 30 m, the condition
of protection at a level h,z ,\"ill be :
D~8(h-h~)p. (3!.7)

The complex of an outdoor distribution installation of 110 KV

to be protected from direct lightning strokes is sho\vn in Fig. 31.12.
On the basis of trial calculations the places of location of the
li,g'htning masts on the gantr)" of 11 m height are chosen. After the
protectivc zones fOl'lned b~" each group of three or four lightning
masts are calculated.

We shall examine the protective zone of lightning masts 1,3

alld 4. The diameter of. the circle passing through the tips of
these lightning masts is D=30 m.
The condition of full protection of the area of triangle formed
by the 1ig h tning rods 1,3 and 4 is
D~8 ha.
Consequently, minimum active height of these iightning masts
must be :
50
6.3 m
hIJ==8
 435

hence the total height of lightning mast5 must be h= 11+7.5= 18-5 m.

For installation of lightning masts, ,gantries of Ilm. are used.
Gantries A and B of height 82 m are situated outside the triangles
1,3, 4 and 2,4,5, therefore it is essential to verify whether they enter
in the protective zones formed by the lightning masts 1-3 and 2-5.
The radius of the protective zone of .the lightning masts of
height h=18.5 m at a level ofh;c=8'2 according to (3!.2) is

\ rx=I"5x 18.5 !-o:-s- X 1~

8.2
)= 12'4 m.
,
I
, The ma."'{imum height of the protective zone in between
,
lightning masts 1-3 or 2-5 is determined from (3!.4) as
43
ho=18'S- =12'3 ill.
7
Dimensions of the protective zone in between the lightning
rods at a height h~= 8-2 m according to (31-2) is
8.2
r;&=I'SxI2"3 =3m.
O.8XI2.3

The construction sho\vs that gantries A and B fully enter in

tfle protective zones of the lightning m'lsts 1-3 and 2-5 respectively.

-.1 !G,..o~ \\/,Yt'

..$:'
N
C

4- T;~J
e
-C

I
1-1 tr~j
I I
l...f
/I, t".Sh -=;i

-1.~h --~J
I

)f

CTO~~ 5ectl~
O~ P1"o~ec.tivf ZOt\f
ak a h~,9h~ h'"$.

Fig, 31'13. Protoctivo zone of a ground wire.

~
 4~6 High Voltage Engineering

( c ) Protective Zones of Ground Wires

The prvtective zone ora ground wire is shown in Fig. 31.13.

The cross-section of the protective zone on a plane perpendicular to
the ground wire is constructed in the same way as for a Jig htning
mast with the only difference that breadth of the zone at the ground
plane for a ground wire suspended at a height 'l,~30 m equals. I .2k.
Half the breadth of the protective zone at a level h~> -t k is deter-
mined as
O.6h h-:- ) .
b:t
-h
(31.B)

ha1
2h
h;J) 1-
-o-:-87i. ) (3!"9}

It was pointed out above that in the experiments on models for

a displacement of the electrode a distance B=2h, all the discharges
strike the ground wire. Evidently, if -t\VO .~round wires are to be
used as lightning conductors, for a -distance 19=4h between them,
the point ~ituated on .ground surface midway between the ground
wires will not be struck by lightning.
.If the distance bet\\'een t\\"O ground wires S<4h the point
situated midway bet\\'een the ground wires at a level of
~'1
h,o=h- 4 (31.10)

will be protected from lightning strokes.

The external part of the protective zone for two ground wires
is determined in the same ,vay as for a single ground \\,ire. The
internal part is bounded by a surface which in the cross.section pet-
pendicular to the ground wire gives an arc of a circle.
This arc of the circle call be constructed through three points :
one of them is ho and other t,\"o the ground wires (Fig. 31.14).
In electrical installations ground wires are mainly used for
protection of conductors of transmission lines. Average
suspension of conductors (h:»)is greater than 2/3 the height of
sion of the ground ,vires (h) ; usually h:»/h is about 0.8. For
wires, instead of the term protective zones, the term
is us(~d. Protective angle of a ground wire is the angle
vertical line passing through a ground wire and the
conductor and the ground ,vire and lying on the plane
to the conductor axis (Fig. 31.15).
In a single lightning mast ofa height h=30 m
region of average intensity of lightning activity, direct
438
An altogether different situation exists during the protection of
transmission lines by ground wires which are very often struck by
lightning di~charges due to their considerable lengths. For example,
500 KV lines between volgagrad and Moscow and Kubishev and
Moscow of lengths of the order of 1000 km are struck by lightning not
less than 200 times during a lightning season. Therefore, for trans-
mission lines the probability of protection with the help of ground
...
wlres attaIns great Importance.
On account of the approximate nature of modelling of lightning
in a laboratory, it does not seem possible to determine these probabi-
lities experimentally and the only method is to generalL~ the experi-
ence of operation of actual lines having different tower heights and
different protective angles. The experience of operation shows that
an angle of protection of(X=3lo corresponding to Fig. 31.13 ensures
an acceptable reliability of protection; however, in practice, it is
attempted to use an angle of the order of (X=20 --25°.

Permissible Dis.tances Beiween the Object to be pro-

31.3.
tected and the Lightning Conductor
The object to be protected must fully lie within the protective
zone of adistance
definite lightning from
conductor. Besides
the lightning this, it must Ifbethis
conductors. located at .
distance
too small flashovers from parts of the lightning conductor to
object to be protected can take place during lightning strokes.
The lightning protection equipment which include"
conductors, current conductors and earthing device have
as well as inductance. A coniderable portion of the active
is formed by the earthing grid. The conductors for carrying
lightning current to earth hehave like inductances in the
sense, the value of which depends, first of all, on the length
current carrying conductor .
Lightning current, while passing through a
gives rise to a voltage drop in the resistance of earthing arid
inductance of the current carrying conductor .
For an oblique.angled form of the front of lightning
maximum potential at a point of the lightning conductor ,
a distance l from the earthing grid (Fig. 31'16) will be equal to :

v l=I,'\1R+L d,ift-f) ,
dt av
where IM-amplitude (,fthe lightning current,
R -resistance of the earthing grid during flo\v
of lightning current,
L -inductance of the section of current carrying
of length l measured from the earthing grid
point under consideration,
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 439

~
,f

y
dt )av
-average steepnessof the front of lightning current.

h
.:7
:>

~- 5 ..-
:1

s .r
~s
~
}-
1 I
~ " s:7~:':~'~'::
\ ~ II " I:
~A"""//? ~
5 I.
.e I
3~-- c
~

a
Fig. 31.16. For the determination of the permissible
e distAnce bet\veen a lightning mast and the object to
be protected.

9 For the calculation of the potential of a lightning conductor,

~s
e 1.11is taken as 150 kA (probability 0.30;0) and (~1)=30 kA/~ sec.
y
ti For metallic lightning conductar3 of lattice constructio3, and simi-
a larly for separately laid current carrying conductors, the specific
inductance is approxim:ltcly L = l' 7 I"H/ M. In this manner, .for
conditions of calculations we have :
r,
V l= 150 R+50 l, KV. (31.11)
The amplitudes of voltage in the lightning conductor happens
le
to be very high, for instance, for Ri= 10 ohm and at a distance
l= 10 .i1f from the earthing grid, we have
lt

V~=2000 KV.

The potential of the earthing grid of the lightning conductor during

tllis is
v z I-,IR=1500 KV.

Evidelltly, in order that there would not b~ any flashover on

tIle object to b~ protected, the strength of the insulatioll between the
object and the lightning conductor must be higher th~n the \"alue
of voltage on the lightning conductor .
 440

If the objec! happens to be a conductor, suspended on a string

of insulators \vhich, with its other end, is attached to a cross arm, it
is necessary to sat~5fythe condition
V11>-150 R+50 ~, (30.12)
where TT
fZ-is the impulse flasho\er voltage of the string of insu-
la tors.

In the case ...;~en the object and the lightning co:'lductor are
separated by an a::- gap of length S, the condition

.S'~ ~ must be satisfied.

per
Taking the \-alue of the permissible average intensity of the
electric field in air gaps E JiB'= 500 KV /M ,ve get :
8:>0.3 Rj+O"ll, 111. {31013)
I f it is essent:c11to prevent flashover from the earthing grid of
th~ lightning cJn:iuctor to the object situated on ground: it is essen-
tial that the distanc~ between them in earth is

:"! 1lVR
.Se~ E "

1!er
(31'14)
The perffi;issible average intensity of electric field in earth is
Ep,r~30J KVjM. With the lightning current 1.11of 150 kA used
in calculations, Vv-e\...ill get the condition

Se>O.5 Ri j11. {31'15)

31.4 Speciatities of Construc"tional

Conductors

Structures of objects to be protected must, where it is possible," ~

be used as supports for fastening the current carrying parts of light- ~
ning conductors. For example, in outdoor distributions substations
of 110 KV and abo\"e, lightning conductors can be mounted on the
metallic gantries me;:tnt for supporting the busIJars and the ga.ntt'ies
themselves can be used as current carriers connecting the lightning
conductors with the earthing grids.

Separately mounted lightning conductors can similarly be made

metallic: from steel tubes, if height of lightning .conductors does
exceed 20 m, or in the fOr,Jl of lattice constructions, if height is
than 20 m. Howe\.er, lig"htning conductors made on
crete or wooden supports happen to be cheaper (for a height
20 m). The reinforcement of cement concret~ supports is
current carriers; alon,~ wooden supports special current
conductors carrying lightning current to ground are l1Sed.
recommended to construct lightning conductors in the form of
supporting constructions \vith out (stay wires) guys.

~
 . 542 High Voltage Engineering

tempera ture range of 0-400°C can be taken to be eq ual to p = 3. 1O

ohm cm. For this data we shall get the temperature rise as

t o-~
-82.

.~ steel conductor of cross-section S = 25 mm2 will be heated h\,

lightning current in all to 215°C. Such a heating is fully admissibl~.
even in the case when. the current carrier is mounted alang timber.
Ho\\.ever, for increasing the mechanical strength and the life span.
steel conductors of 50 mm'J cross-section are recommended (round
steel of 8 mill. dia).
For protection from corrosion lightning conductors must hf:"
painted or zinc plated. Use of multi-conductor steel wire is not re-
commended from the point of vie\v of corrosion.