Lightning Transients

Lightning Transients Application Example
DIgSILENT PowerFactory *
Abstract 1 General Description
This example provides an introduction to lightning Lightning transients are atmospheric discharges. For
transients analysis with PowerFactory. Detailed power systems, generally discharges between thun-
models for overhead lines, substations and light- derclouds and overhead lines are of interest. Ac-
ning impulses are presented and explained. cording to Figure 1 lightning transients can be distin-
Based on the simulation model fast front lightning guished in two categories:
overvoltages are investigated in various study
cases. Both shielding failure and back-flashover • Shielding failure lightning transient: the light-
lightning transients are considered. ning flash bypasses the shielding of the over-
head line and strikes a phase conductor directly.
The following topics are included in the applica- • Back-flashover lightning transient: the light-
tion example: ning flash terminates on the tower or shield-
• Power system modelling for fast front tran- ing wire. The lightning strike is followed by a
sients flashover from the tower cross arm to the phase
conductor via the insulator.
• Lightning transients assessment
Both shielding failure and back-flashover lightning
• Fast front overvoltages (FFO) transients can cause severe overvoltages in nearby
substation and outages of the subjected overhead
• Statistical analysis line. Both overvoltages and the outage rate can be
assessed with a detailed simulation model of the cor-
responding overhead line and substation.
Substation
Figure 1: Lightning transients in power systems
* DIgSILENT GmbH, Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 9, 72810 Gomaringen, Germany, www.digsilent.de

LIGHTNING TRANSIENTS APPLICATION EXAMPLE
2 Simulation Model • Detailed model of the lightning flash
The investigation of lightning transients requires de-

The application example is based on a 132 kV over- tailed models that are valid for the characteristics of
head line and a 132/11 kV substation of a hydro power fast front transients, including:
plant as shown in Figure 2. • Distributed parameter line model of the multi-
phase 132 kV overhead line valid for the com-
The network comprises a 132 kV single-circuit over-
plete frequency range of lightning transients
head line with three phase wires A, B and C and one
grounding / shielding wire. The overhead line con- • Detailed model of transmission line insulators,
nects the 132/11 kV air insulated substation (AIS) sub- including flashover mechanism
station of a hydro power plant with two 60 MVA gener-
ators to the 132 kV transmission system. • Distributed parameter line model of the 132 kV
substation busbar system and simplified model
The example will be used to investigate fast front light- of the 11 kV system
ning overvoltages in the substation due to incoming
surges caused by lightning flashes into the overhead • Lightning flash based on statistical parameters
line. The simulation model will include: for amplitude and front time
• Detailed model of 7 132 kV overhead line spans • Substation equipment such as transformers,
and final termination span surge arresters, circuit breakers, switches, CTs,
VTs etc.
• Detailed model of the 132 kV substation busbar
system The simulation model is described in detailed in the
subsequent subsections.
• Simplified model of 132 kV substation equipment
Substation
Figure 2: Application example: 132 kV overhead line and 132/33 kV substation of a hydro power plant
2.1 Overhead Line The geometry of the overhead line that is used in this
application example is shown in Figure 3 and includes
The analysis of lightning transients requires a detailed three phase wires (PW) A, B and C and one shielding /
model of the overhead line. The following input data is ground wire (GW). The X-Y coordinates of the conduc-
necessary for such a model: tors can be derived from Figure 3. The transmission
line insulator length is assumed to be 2 m. The corre-
• X-Y coordinates of each conductor and shield sponding coordinates of each conductor at the tower
wire are documented in Table 1.
• Transposition The calculation of the line parameters assumes par-

allel conductors above ground [7]. Therefore, the av-
• Bundle spacing, if applicable erage height of phase conductors and shielding wires
• Sag of phase conductors and shielding wires has to be derived. The average height is calculated
based on the tower height and sag according to the
• Physical dimension of each conductor following equation [7]:
• DC resistance of each conductor and shielding

wire
• Specific ground resistivity along the transmis- 2

ℎaverage = ℎtower − · 𝑙sag (1)
sion line route 3
Rev.1 2
The sag for the 132 kV is assumed as follows: Table 1: X-Y coordinates of multiphase system at the
tower
• Phase conductors: 6 m
• Shielding wire: 5 m Wire X-Coordinate Y-Coordinate

Ground Wire 0m 32.0 m
Conductor Phase A 3.1 m 24.0 m
Conductor Phase B −3.3 m 21.0 m
Conductor Phase C 3.6 m 18.0 m
32 m
Table 2: Average X-Y coordinates of the multiphase

system
3.1 m Wire X-Coordinate Y-Coordinate

Ground Wire 0m 28.7 m
3.3 m Conductor Phase A 3.1 m 20.0 m
Conductor Phase B −3.3 m 17.0 m
Conductor Phase C 3.6 m 14.0 m
3.6 m
The phase conductor and shielding wire are specified

in Table 3. The phase conductor is a stranded steel /
aluminium conductor according to Figure 5 and mod-
23 m
20 m
26 m
elled as tubular conductor.
Figure 3: 132 kV single circuit overhead line

Figure 5: 132 kV phase conductor
Based on the X-Y coordinates in Table 1 and the

equation above, the average Y-coordinates and corre- Table 3: Parameters of phase conductor and shielding
sponding X-Y coordinates for the simulation model in wire
PowerFactory are calculated and documented in Ta-
ble 2. Type Phase Conductor Shield Wire
Conductor Type Tubular Solid
DC-Resistance 0.05 Ω/km 0.50 Ω/km
GMR 11.73 mm 6.0 mm
𝑙𝑠𝑎𝑔 Outer Diameter 28.8 mm 17.0 mm
ℎ𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 Inner Diameter 9.6 mm -
ℎ𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑛
At last, the specific earth resistivity along the transmis-

sion line route is required as input for the line model.
It assumed to be 100 Ωm which corresponds to soil of
Figure 4: Overhead line tower height and span height farmland, clay and loamy ground [1].
Rev.1 3
2.2 EMT Line Model PowerFactory provides different line models for EMT
simulations. The following models are available:
The multiphase line model for EMT simulations in • Lumped PI-model
PowerFactory is based on the above input parameters
and created using the following elements and types: • Distributed Constant Parameter, also known as
Bergeron model
• ElmLne to represent the 3-phase line and single
phase shielding wire • Distributed Frequency Dependent Parameter
Modal Domain model, also known as J. Marti
• TypCon to define the phase conductor and model
shielding wire
• Distributed Frequency Dependent Phase Do-
• TypTow to define the tower geometry and spe- main model, also known as universal line model
cific earth resistivity (ULM)
• ElmTow to define the multiphase coupled sys- The lumped PI model is not suitable for lightning tran-
tem sients due to its limitations with regard to distributed
line parameters.
Based on the above input parameters, internal rou-
tines in PowerFactory calculate the frequency depen- In this application example, the Distributed Frequency
dent impedance and admittance matrix for the com- Dependent Modal Domain Parameter line model is
plete multiphase system according to Figure 6. used.
Geometry of the OHL / cable, material Determination of the phase

characteristics + environmental conditions impedance and admittance matrix Available EMT Line Model
𝑅11 𝑅12 … 𝑅1𝑛

𝑅21 𝑅22 … 𝑅2𝑛
…. 𝑅𝑖𝑗
𝑅𝑛1 𝑅𝑛2 … 𝑅𝑛𝑛
Lumped PI Model
𝐿11 𝐿12 … 𝐿1𝑛
𝐿21 𝐿22 … 𝐿2𝑛
…. 𝐿𝑖𝑗 Constant Frequency Distributed Line Model
𝐿𝑛1 𝐿𝑛2 … 𝐿𝑛𝑛
Frequency Dependent Distributed Line (Mode)
𝐶11 𝐶12 … 𝐶1𝑛 Model
𝐶21 𝐶22 … 𝐶2𝑛
…. 𝐶𝑖𝑗
Frequency Dependent Distributed Line (Phase)
𝐶𝑛1 𝐶𝑛2 … 𝐶𝑛𝑛
Model
𝐺11 𝐺12 … 𝐺1𝑛
𝐺21 𝐺22 … 𝐺2𝑛
…. 𝐺𝑖𝑗
𝐺𝑛1 𝐺𝑛2 … 𝐺𝑛𝑛
Figure 6: Line modelling approach in PowerFactory for EMT simulations
Rev.1 4
2.3 Overhead Line Tower tion 3. The equation is based in the height of the major
tower section ℎ𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 and the speed of light 𝑐.
For lightning transients studies, transmission line tow-
ers are included in the simulation model as well. The
towers are represented by several line sections and ℎ
𝜏𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 = 𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 (3)
circuit elements, according to the tower structure. 0.85 · 𝑐
The tower model that is used in this application exam- The height of the major tower section and the equiva-
ple is shown in Figure 7 and includes: lent radius are assumed as follows:
• Major tower section (MATS) from ground to first
• ℎ𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 = 20 𝑚
cross arm
• 𝑟𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 = 5 𝑚
• Minor tower sections (MITS) representing the
short tower sections and cross arms Thus, the surge impedance of the tower is 140 Ω and
the propagation speed is 78.4 ns.
The single phase distributed parameter line is mod-

elled with the TypTow in PowerFactory. It is defined
based on 𝐶 in 𝜇𝐹/𝑘𝑚 and 𝐿 in 𝑚𝐻/𝑘𝑚. The corre-
sponding inductance and capacitance can be calcu-
lated based on the surge impedance and propagation
time as follows:
′ 1
𝐶 = = 0.028 𝜇𝐹/𝑘𝑚 (4)
𝑍𝐶 · (ℎ /𝜏 )
𝑀𝑇 𝑆 𝑀𝑇 𝑆
′ 𝑍𝐶
𝐿 = = 0.55𝑚𝐻/𝑘𝑚 (5)
ℎ /𝜏
𝑀𝑇 𝑆 𝑀𝑇 𝑆
MITS
The inductance and capacitance can be defined in the
MATS
TypTow by selecting the Input Mode "Electrical Param-
eter" and defining the L’ and C’ on the Load Flow page.
The minor tower sections (MITS) are modelled with

lumped elements. The reason being their short length
that would require a very small integration step size in
the simulation. The MITS are modelled with an indu-
Figure 7: Overhead line tower model in PowerFactory tance of 1 𝜇H/m.
The major tower section (MATS) is modelled as a 2.4 Transmission Line Insulators
lossless single phase distributed parameter line. The
surge impedance of the tower is calculated according
to equation 2, [1]. For lightning transient studies, the insulators are rep-
resented by voltage-dependent switches in parallel
with capacitances according to Figure 8. In steady
state operation of the overhead line, the voltage-
√ ℎ
𝑍𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 = 60 · (𝑙𝑛(2 · 2 · ( 𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 )) − 1) (2) dependent switch is open and the insulator is repre-
𝑟𝑀 𝐴𝑇 𝑆 sented by the lumped capacitance only.
The capacitance represents the coupling effect of con-

The propagation speed of a surge along the major ductors to the tower structure. Typical capacitance val-
section of the tower is calculated according to equa- ues for suspension insulators are in the range from
Rev.1 5
10 pF to 100 pF. In this application example, a capaci- model. It closes the switch if the voltage exceeds the
tance of 20 pF is assumed [4]. dielectric strength of the line insulator. According to
Figure 9, the dielectric strength of the insulator is not
During the lightning transient, the voltage-dependent only a function of the overvoltage magnitude, but also
switch is controlled and triggered by a flashover waveform and duration.
Insulator Model
Before Transient During Transient

FOM
Lumped Dynamic
capacitance Flashover Model
Flashover Trigger
Figure 8: Transmission line insulator model for lightning transient analysis
2000 gered (closed) based on the critical flashover voltage

(CFO). If the voltage across the line insulator exceeds
the threshold voltage CFO, the switch, representing
1600 Volt-time characteristic / withstand voltage
the line insulator, is closed. As long as the voltage
voltage in kV
across the switch is below the threshold value, the

1200 switch remains open.
The disadvantage of the model is that the withstand

800
voltage of the line (CFO) is independent of the dura-
no flashover tion and waveform of the voltage surge which does not
400 represent reality. Thus, this model is only partially suit-
Flashover during the tail
able for a lightning study. However, for a preliminary
0 investigation this model might be used is some cases.
0 5 10 15 20
Volt-Time Curve Model:
time in µs
In this model, the withstand voltage of the insulator
Figure 9: Dielectric strength of the insulator is a function of the time as shown in Figure 10 [5].
By representing the insulator with a voltage controlled
switch that is triggered on the time-dependent with-
stand voltage, the actual behaviour of the real break-
Different models are available to model the dielectric
down mechanism is quite realistically represented.
strength of the insulator during the lightning transients
This model is therefore frequently used for the analy-
and associated breakdown of the air along the insu-
sis of lightning transients and is a quite suitable model.
lator (flashover). The available models are briefly de-
scribed here and shown in Figure 10. The calculation of the time-dependent withstand volt-
age of the line insulator is started, when the voltage
Voltage Threshold Model:
across the insulator exceeds a threshold value (e.g.
This is a very simple model which is using a voltage
volt-time characteristic for 𝑡 → ∞). Once started, the
controlled switch in PowerFactory. The switch is trig-
Rev.1 6
voltage across the insulator is continuously compared difference across the insulator exceeds the streamer
to the time dependent withstand voltage of the insu- inception voltage.
lator. If the voltage across the switch exceeds the
withstand voltage during the simulation, the switch is The streamer phase can generally be neglected. The
closed, modelling the flashover. propagation of the leader is described in terms of the
instantaneous values of its velocity. The leader veloc-
The time-dependent withstand voltage is a function of ity can be calculated according to the following expres-
the insulator length and is calculated according to the sion [1]:
following equations [4]:
[︂ ]︂
𝑑𝑙 𝑢(𝑡)
= 𝑣 = 𝑘 · 𝑢(𝑡) · − 𝐸50
𝐾 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑔 − 𝑙𝑙 (𝑡)
𝑈𝑓 = 𝐾1 + 2 (6)
𝑡0.75
where
𝐾1 = 400 · 𝐿 (7) 𝑑𝑔 is the gap length (length of the insulator)
𝑙𝑙 (𝑡) is the leader length
𝐾2 = 710 · 𝐿 (8) 𝑢(𝑡) is the actual (absolute value) voltage in the gap
𝐸50 average field at the critical flashover voltage CFO
Thereby, L is the length of the insulator and t is the

elapsed time after the voltage across the insulator ex- The constants 𝑘 and 𝐸50 depend on of the gap config-
ceeds a threshold value. uration and insulator type. For cap and pin insulators
𝑘 can be assumed with a value of 1.2 · 10−6 𝑚2 𝑠/𝑉 2
Leader Progression Model (LPM): and 𝐸50 with 520 kV/m [1].
The leader progression model (LPM) [5] is a physical
model of the flashover process and is able to model The leader progression model is valid for a large vari-
the flashover for a great variety of different voltage ety of impulse shapes and can be used in the evalua-
waveforms realistically. tion of dielectric strength of a variety of geometries.
The model is based on the streamer and leader propa- All three models for transmission line insulators are
gation physics during the transient. Initially, a streamer available in PowerFactory. In this application exam-
propagates along the insulator string when the voltage ple, the leader progression model (LPM) is used.
∆𝑢
Flashover Trigger
Fixed Threshold Voltage-Time Curve Physical (LPM) Model
𝑈𝐹𝑂 = 𝑈𝐹𝑂 1.2/50µ𝑠 𝐾2 𝑑𝑙 𝑢(𝑡)

𝑈𝐹𝑂 = 𝐾1 + = 𝑘 ∙ 𝑢(𝑡) ∙ − 𝐸0
𝑡 0.75 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑔 − 𝑙𝑙 (𝑡)
Flashover if ∆𝑢 > 𝑈𝐹𝑂 Flashover if ∆𝑢 > 𝑈𝐹𝑂 Flashover if 𝑙 > 𝑑𝑔
Figure 10: Insulator flashover models in PowerFactory
Rev.1 7
2.5 Tower Grounding Impedance 50

45 𝑅0 = 10 Ω
40
The grounding of the transmission line tower signifi- 𝑅0 = 50 Ω
cantly influences the response of the overhead line for 35
back-flashover transients. The grounding system can 𝑅0 = 100 Ω
30
Resistance / Ω
be modelled either with a simple constant resistance
25
or a non-linear model:
20
Power Frequency Resistance Model: 15
The grounding system is simply a constant resistance
10
which corresponds to the power frequency resistance
of the tower. 5
0
Impedance Model with Soil Ionisation: 0 50 100 150 200
The injection of large currents into the ground results Discharge current / kA
in ionisation effects that cause a reduction of the ef-
fective grounding resistance during the transient. Figure 11: Transient resistance of the grounding sys-
tem
The non-linear grounding resistance as a function of
the current injected into the grounding system can be
calculated according to the following equation [1]:
2.6 Simulation Model Overhead Line
The complete simulation model of the 132 kV over-

𝑅0 head line is shown in Figure 12 and comprises 7 spans
𝑅(𝑖(𝑡)) = (9) that are modelled in detail. The span width (distance
𝑖(𝑡)
1+ 𝐼 between two towers) is 250 m. Each span includes
𝑔
two lines, one representing the three phases A, B and
C and the other representing the shielding wire.
where The insulators are modelled with single phase
𝑖(𝑡) is the current discharged into the grounding sys-switches ElmCoup that connect the corresponding
tem during the transient tower cross arm to the phase at the tower in parallel
𝑅0 is the grounding resistance at power frequency to the capacitance ElmScap. The switch is controlled
𝐼𝑔 is the limiting threshold to initiate soil ionization
by a DSL model that closes the switch if the withstand
voltage of the insulator is exceeded during the simula-
The limiting threshold to initiate soil ionization is tion using the LPM model for the flashover.
thereby calculated as follows:
The grounding impedance is modelled by a series re-
sistance ElmSind. The resistance of the element is
controlled by a DSL model during the simulation to ac-
1 𝐸0 · 𝜌 count for soil ionisation.
𝐼𝑔 = · (10)
2·𝜋 𝑅02
On the left hand side, the overhead line is connected
to the substation of a hydro power plant that is de-
scribed in subsequent section. On the left side, the
where overhead line is connected to a very long line section
𝜌 is the soil resistivity (Ω · 𝑚) that has the same electrical parameters as the short
𝐸0 the soil ionisation gradient (typically about line section in order to prevent reflection at this side. It
400 kV/m). serves as ideal termination.
Figure 11 shows the high current transient resistance The lightning impulses ElmImpulse that are used to
of an overhead line tower grounding system as a simulate a shielding and back-flashover transient are
function of the discharged current injected for various connected at tower T04 and have to be triggered by a
power frequency resistances 𝑅0 . parameter event during the simulation.
Rev.1 8
T04
GW Strike PW Strike
T01 T02 T03 T05 T06 T07 T08

OHL-Substation OHPW_T01-T02 OHPW_T02-T03 OHPW_T03-T04 OHPW_T04-T05 OHPW_T05-T06 OHPW_T06-T07 OHPW_T07-T08 OHPW_Termination
Grid
V
~
OHGW_T01-T02 OHGW_T02-T03 OHGW_T03-T04 OHGW_T04-T05 OHGW_T05-T06 OHGW_T06-T07 OHGW_T07-T08 OHGW_Termination
_Lightning_StatisticalAnalysis
Figure 12: 132 kV overhead line model for lightning transient analysis
2.7 Substation Model The busbars are tubular pipes with specifications ac-
cording to Table 5. The busbar pipes are modelled
The 132/11 kV substation of the hydro power plant in- with TypCon.
cludes the following equipment:
For simplicity, elbows, bending etc. of the busbar sys-
• Busbars tem are not considered in this example.
• Transformers Table 4: X-Y coordinates of the 132 kV busbar system
• Disconnector and earthing switches Phase X-Coordinate Y-Coordinate
• Circuit breakers Phase A −2.8 m 5.0 m

Phase B 0.0 m 5.0 m
• Instrument Transformers
Phase C 2.8 m 5.0 m
• Surge arresters
This application example includes most of the above Table 5: 132 kV busbar specifications
components. The PowerFactory model is shown in
Figure 14 and explain in the following sections. Parameter Value
Conductor Type Tubular
Busbar System:
The AIS busbar system is modelled with a geometric DC-Resistance 0.005 Ω/km
line model using distributed line parameters. The gen- GMR 59.26 mm
eral layout of the busbar system is shown in Figure
13. Outer Diameter 60.0 mm
Inner Diameter 50.0 mm
2.8 m
Transformers:
2.8 m Transformers are modelled with the main electrical
parameters, such as MVA rating, rated voltages,
impedances and losses. The non-linear saturation
5.0 m
characteristic of the magnetising branch is not relevant
for lightning transients and can therefore be ignored.
In addition to standard test parameters, stray capaci-

Figure 13: 132 kV busbar system tances on the HV and LV side as well as inter-winding
capacitances have to be considered. Transformer
stray capacitances are assumed as follows:
The busbar system is modelled with the TypTow. The
• Line-to-ground capacitances HV side: 4 nF
X-Y coordinates of the busbar pipes are derived from
Figure 13 and documented in Table 4. • Line-to-ground capacitances LV side: 3 nF
Rev.1 9
• Inter-Winding capacitances HV-LV: 3 nF The values are based on [4] and assumed as follows:
The capacitances are modelled as lumped capaci- • Line-to-ground capacitance per side: 50 pF
tances at the HV and LV side of the transformer ter-
minals and as lumped capacitances between the HV • Line-to-Line capacitance: 5 pF
and LV terminals. The stray capacitances are defined
directly in the transformer element [9]. Instrument Transformers:
Instrument transformers such as voltage transformers,
Circuit Breaker and Switches: current transformers and power transformers are mod-
Circuit breakers and switches are modelled with elled with lumped elements. In this application exam-
lumped elements. In this application example, the cir- ple, it is assumed that power transformers (PT) are
cuit breaker and disconnecter line-to-line and line-to- installed at CB1, CB2 and CB3. The line-to-ground
ground stray capacitances are included only partially. capacitance is assumed th be 500 pF.
AIS_2.6
Bay4_AIS_2.2
DS4.2 Bay4_AIS_1.2
AIS_1.6
CB4
Bay4_AIS_2.1
DS4.1 Bay4_AIS_1.1
AIS_2.5
SA-TRF1 HV
DS_3.2
SA-TRF1 MV
Bay3_AIS_3.2 Bay3_AIS_4.2
AIS_1.5
TRF1
Bay3_AIS_1
CB3 Bay3_AIS_2
AIS_2.4
SG
G1
~
Bay3_AIS_3.1
DS_3.1 Bay3_AIS_4.1
CVT3
AIS_1.4
AIS_2.3
Bay1_AIS_4.2
DS1.2 Bay1_AIS_3.2
Bay1_AIS_2
CB1 Bay1_AIS_1
OHL-Substation
AIS_1.3
Bay1_AIS_4.1
DS1.1 Bay1_AIS_3.1
AIS_2.2
CVT1
CVT2
Bay2_AIS_3.2
DS_2.2 Bay2_AIS_4.2
AIS_1.2
TRF2
Bay2_AIS_1
CB2 Bay2_AIS_2
SG
G2
~
DS_2.1
AIS_2.1
SA-TRF2 MV
Bay2_AIS_3.1 Bay2_AIS_4.1
SA-TRF2 HV
AIS_1.1
Figure 14: Detailed 132 kV and simplified 11 kV substation model
Surge Arresters • Maximum continuous operating voltage 𝑈𝑐
Surge arresters are connected to the HV and MV side • Rated voltage 𝑈𝑟

of the power transformers between each phase and
ground according to Figure 15. • Energy rating in kJ
Surge arresters are selected based on the maximum • Protective characteristic for switching impulses (
continuous operating voltage 𝑈𝑐 and expected tempo- 30/60𝜇𝑠) and lightning impulses (8/20𝜇𝑠)
rary overvoltages (TOV) in the system and defined by
the following parameters: For the analysis of lightning transient overvoltages,
the protective characteristic for the lightning impulse
Rev.1 10
test (8/20𝜇𝑠) is relevant. In this example, surge ar-

resters with protective characteristics according to Ta-
ble 6 haven been selected.
Table 6: Surge arrester 𝑢 − 𝑖 characteristic
Discharge current kA SA 11 kV SA 132 kV

5 kA 50 kV 228 kV
10 kA 52 kV 245 kV
20 kA 59 kV 274 kV
40 kA 69 kV 313 kV leader
Figure 16: Negative cloud-to-ground lightning strike
The example for a single lightning flash event is shown

in Figure 18. The waveform represents a real mea-
surement of a lightning return stroke current. The cur-
rent rises very fast to its peak value and then decays
with a significantly longer time constant. The overall
Figure 15: Transformer surge arrester waveform is that of an impulse.
time in s
0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1
In addition to the protective characteristic, the stray in- 0
-10
ductances of the connection leads have to be included
current in kA
-20
in the model and can be assumed with a typical value
-30
of 1 𝜇𝐻/𝑚. -40
-50
-60
-70
2.8 Lightning Flash
Figure 17: Lightning flash with several strokes [11]
Lightning flashes are electrical discharges between

thunderclouds and the ground (inter-cloud flashes are time in µs
not considered in this example). Figure 16 shows a 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
50
negative cloud-to-ground flash. This type of lightning 45
40
flash is the most common one in nature and therefore
current in kA
35
most relevant for lightning transient analysis. 30
25
20
Lightning flashes usually comprise multiple strokes 15
10
(first stroke, subsequent and possibly continuous 5
strokes). The sequence of a typical lightning strike is 0
shown in Figure 17.

Figure 18: Lightning flash current measurement [11]
Each strike usually has a duration of several 100 µs
and the overall duration of the strike is about 1 s. The
lightning transient analysis is usually based to a sin- In reality, the frequency of occurrence (ground flash
gle lightning flash / stroke only and does not consider density), the waveform and the amplitudes of light-
multiple strokes. ning flashes are unique for each lightning flash event.
Rev.1 11
Lightning transient studies therefore have to be based quency fault current. The short circuit has to
on statistical parameters. be interrupted by tripping the line. The conse-
quence is an outage of the line and reduction of
The waveform is modelled according the recommen- the overhead line performance.
dation by for example CIGRE, IEC and IEEE. Figure
19 shows an example of a lightning flash with an am- Shielding Failure Lightning Transient
plitude of 31 kA and a front time of 5 𝜇𝑠 modelled ac- Overhead line phase conductors are usually protected
cording to the IEC waveform and CIGRE waveform. from lightning strikes by shielding / ground wires.
However, lightning flashes with small amplitudes can
Detailed information about lightning strike parameters penetrate the shielding of the overhead line and strike
and their modelling approach can be found in [3] and a phase conductor directly.
in [2].
The maximum amplitude 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑥 that is able to penetrate
40 the shielding can be calculated based on the strik-
[kA] ing distance 𝑟𝐿𝐹 of the lightning flash, using electro-
30 geometric-models (EGM). The protective area of the
shielding wire increases with increasing amplitude of
the lightning flash amplitude due to an increase of the
20
striking distance with increasing amplitude.
10 The striking distance can be calculated according to

the following equation [1]:
0
-10
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
IEC (Heidler): Phase Current A
CIGRE: Phase Current A
0.75
𝑟𝐿𝐹 = 7.1 · 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑥 (11)
Figure 19: Lightning flash with several strokes
3 Lightning Transients
The maximum lightning shielding failure lightning cur-
rent 𝐼𝑆𝐹 𝐼 that can penetrate the shielding of the over-
Lightning transients are associated with several prob-
head line can be calculated by the following equation
lems in power systems that include:
[10]:
• Fast Front Overvoltages
Lightning transients can cause fast front over-
voltages (FFO) that exceed the insulation
strength of substation equipment and other
equipment such as cables.
These overvoltages can result in an insulation ℎ+𝑦
1
failure and damage of the equipment. Lightning 𝐼𝑆𝐹 𝐼 = [ 2 ] 0.75 (12)
0.71 · (1 − 𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝛼))
overvoltages are especially relevant for system
with a voltage level below 300 kV.
• Overhead Line Outages
Lightning transients cause often a flashover
across the insulator. The flashover is an elec-
Depending on the overhead line geometry, the max-
tric arc between the phase conductor and tower
imum shielding failure current ranges from 10 kA to
cross arm. The electric arc provides a low ohmic
30 kA.
path between the ground (tower cross arm) and
phase conductor. Shielding failure lightning transients are usually only
The low ohmic path corresponds to a phase-to- investigated for lightning currents with amplitudes up
ground fault and will be followed by a power fre- to the maximum shielding failure current 𝐼𝑆𝐹 𝐼 .
Rev.1 12
The voltage in the three phase conductors is oscillat-

ing approx. between ±108 𝑘𝑉 (for the 132 kV system)
with reference to ground, as shown in Figure 22. The
voltage across the overhead line insulator is the differ-
ence between the voltage of the corresponding phase
𝑟𝐿𝐹 conductor and the voltage of the tower traverse.
Conductor If the voltage difference across the line insulator ex-

strikes are ceeds the dielectric strength of the air, corona will de-
possible
velop around the electrodes in the region of high elec-
tric field and cause streamers. The streamer will de-
𝛼 velop in leaders and eventually result in a flashover
from the tower traverse to the phase conductor which
is called back-flashover (BFO). This is schematically
shown in Figure 22.
𝑟𝐿𝐹 𝑦 ℎ
Figure 20: Overhead line shielding < 1000 𝑘𝑉
100µ𝑠
Back-Flashover Failure Lighting Transient

When a lightning flash strikes an overhead line tower
or a ground wire (GW) as illustrated in Figure 21, the
lightning current distributes between the tower and the
connected ground wires. The share of the lightning ± 108 𝑘𝑉 20𝑚𝑠
current that discharges through the tower and ground-
ing impedance into the earth causes a significant tran-
sient increase of the tower potential. Figure 22: Back-flashover across the line insulator
The transient potential at the tower top and traverses

will reach very high amplitudes during the transient
that often exceed 1000 𝑘𝑉 with reference to the earth 4 Study Cases
potential.
The application example contains several study cases,

each of them being discussed further below:
• “Steady State Load Flow Analysis”: Introduc-

tion to the network model used for the simulation
of the lightning transients. Load flow calculation
and analysis of steady state network (see sec-
tion 4.1);
• “Shielding Failure Lightning I”: Simulation of

a lightning strike to phase A at tower T04. Inves-
tigation of travelling effect, flashover mechanism
and overvoltages in the substation (see section
4.2);
• “Shielding Failure Lightning II”: Simulation of

a lightning strike to phase A at tower T04. Inves-
Figure 21: Lightning strike to tower tigation of travelling effect, flashover mechanism
Rev.1 13
and overvoltages in the substation. Considera- The active power control in the load flow calculation is
tion of surge arresters (see section 4.3); based on the dispatch of generators and loads. The
difference between load and generation is balanced
• “Back-Flashover Lightning I”: by the reference machine. The substation and over-
Simulation of a lightning strike to shield wire at head line are modelled as unloaded system for the
tower T04. Investigation back-flashover mecha- lightning transient analysis. The dispatch of the gen-
nism, travelling effects and overvoltages in the erators in the hydro power plant is P = 0 MW and Q =
substation (see section 4.4); 0 Mvar.
• “Back-Flashover Lightning II”: The voltage source at end of the termination sec-
Simulation of a lightning strike to shield wire at tion is used as reference machine (slack). It controls
tower T04. Investigation back-flashover mecha- the voltage to 1 p.u. at terminal Termination_PHW.
nism, travelling effects and overvoltages in the The unloaded overhead line generates approximately
substation. Consideration of surge arresters 2.4 Mvar of reactive power that is absorbed by the volt-
(see section 4.5); age source.
• “Statistical Lightning Analysis I”: The EMT simulation is configured as follows:

Simulation of lightning strikes to tower T04. Sta- • Fixed integration step size
tistical variation of lightning strike parameters
(amplitude and front time). Analysis of overvolt- • 𝑡 = −100 𝑚𝑠:
ages (see section 4.6); Start of simulation with a step of 100 𝜇𝑠
• “Statistical Lightning Analysis II”: • 𝑡 = −10 𝜇𝑠:

Simulation of lightning strikes to tower T04. Sta- Integration step size event to reduce step size
tistical variation of lightning strike parameters from 100 𝜇𝑠 to 10 𝑛𝑠
(amplitude and front time). Analysis of overvolt- • 𝑡 = 20 𝑚𝑠:
ages. Consideration of surge arresters (see sec- End of simulation
tion 4.7);
The instantaneous phase-to-earth voltage at tower
T04 of the overhead line is shown in Figure 23.
4.1 Steady State Analysis The instantaneous voltage across the line insulators
are:
The load flow calculation is the starting point for the
initialisation of the EMT simulation and based algo- • Phase A: 108 kV
rithms for the phase domain in order to account for • Phase B: -54 kV
unbalances in the system that are caused e.g. due to
the asymmetry of the overhead line. • Phase C: -54 kV
Rev.1 14
200
[kV]
107.921 kV
100
-53.999 kV
-100
-200
-300
0 3 6 9 12 [ms] 15
T04_PHW: Phase Voltage A
T04_PHW: Phase Voltage B
T04_PHW: Phase Voltage C
Figure 23: Instantaneous phase-to-earth voltage at 𝑡 = 0𝑠 (time instance for lighnting strike injection for the
upcoming simulations)
4.2 Shielding Failure Lightning I • 𝑡 = 0 𝜇𝑠:

Event to trigger lightning flash
This study case investigates the overvoltages caused • 𝑡 = 50 𝜇𝑠:
by a lightning strike into a phase conductor (shield- End of simulation
ing failure). The overvoltages are analysed inside the
nearby 132 kV substation. The simulation results are shown in the plots below.
Figure 24 shows the lightning strike impulse with a
The simulation is carried out for a lightning impulse peak amplitude of 15 kA and the voltage difference
with the following parameters: across the line insulators at tower T04 with a peak
of approximately 3000 kV. This voltage exceeds the
• Front time: 2 𝜇𝑠
dielectric strength of the insulator and results in a
• Tail time: 75 𝜇𝑠 flashover.
• Amplitude: 15 𝑘𝐴 The development of the leader (leader progression

model LPM) is shown in Figure 25. The length of the
The lightning flash is injected into phase A at tower leader during the transient is shown on the left side.
T04 and the surge arresters at the transformer TRF-1 In phase A, the leader exceeds a length of 2 m and
and TRF-2 are out of service for this simulation. results in a flashover from the phase conductor to the
cross arms. As a result of the flashover, the switch,
The simulation sequence is as follows: that represents the insulator of phase A, is closed at
• Fixed integration step size approximately 𝑡 = 2.2 𝜇𝑠, resulting in a corresponding
lightning current flowing from the tower to the phase
• 𝑡 = −100 𝑚𝑠: conductor via the insulator as shown in the plot. The
Start of simulation with a step is of 100 𝜇𝑠 peak current is approximately 15 kA. Half of this cur-
rent propagates towards the substation, the other half
• 𝑡 = −10 𝜇𝑠: towards the termination section.
Integration step size event to reduce step size
from 100 𝜇𝑠 to 1 𝑛𝑠 Figure 26 shows the propagation of the lightning cur-
Rev.1 15
rent surge along the overhead line towards the sub- The transient voltages at transformer TRF-2 reach ap-
station from tower T04. The travel time along the span proximately 1500 kV and at circuit breaker CB3 al-
is approximately 𝜏 = 0.83 𝜇𝑠. most 2000 kV. These overvoltages exceed the dielec-
tric strength of the equipment by far and will result in
The fast front overvoltages (FFO) at the 132 kV level of insulation failures and thus damage of the equipment.
the substation are shown in Figure 27 . The transient
voltages are documented both for the transformer HV Based on the assessment of shielding failure light-
terminal (TRF-2 HV) at the open end of circuit breaker ning transients, surge arresters have to be installed in
CB3 as phase-to-earth and phase-to-phase voltages. the substation in order to protect the equipment from
shielding failure lightning transients.
20 1000
[kA] [kV]
15 0
10 -1000
20 1000
[kA] [kV]
5 -2000
15 0
0 -3000
10 -1000
-5 -4000
5 0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5 -2000 0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5
PW Strike: Phase Current T04_INS_SW-PHA: Voltage Difference
T04_INS_SW-PHB: Voltage Difference
0 -3000 T04_INS_SW-PHC: Voltage Difference
4 4
-5 -4000
[-] 0 Figure
1 24:
2 Lightning
3 strike and5 flashover
4 [us] [kA] 0mechanism
1 at 2tower T04
3 4 [us] 5
PW Strike: Phase Current T04_INS_SW-PHA: Voltage Difference
3 0
T04_INS_SW-PHC: Voltage Difference
2 -4
4 4
[-] [kA]
1 -8
3 0
0 -12
2 -4
-1 -16
1 0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5 -8 0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5
T04_FOM_LPM-PHA: ll T04_INS_SW-PHA: Phase Current A/Terminal i
T04_FOM_LPM-PHB: ll
0 T04_FOM_LPM-PHC: ll -12
-1 -16
0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5 0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5
T04_FOM_LPM-PHB: ll
T04_FOM_LPM-PHC: ll
Figure 25: Lightning strike and flashover mechanism at tower T04
Rev.1 16
8,00
[kA]
6,00
4,00
2,00
0,00
-2,00
0,00 2,00 4,00 6,00 8,00 [us] 10,00
OHPW_T01-T02: Phase Current A/Terminal j
Figure 26: Lightning current surge propagation towards the substation
2000 4000
[kV] [kV]
1500 3000
1000 2000
500 1000
0 0
-500 -1000
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
TRF-2 HV: Phase Voltage A Bay3_T5.1: Phase Voltage A
TRF-2 HV: Phase Voltage B Bay3_T5.1: Phase Voltage B
TRF-2 HV: Phase Voltage C Bay3_T5.1: Phase Voltage C
3000 3000
[kV] [kV]
2000 2000
1000 1000
0 0
-1000 -1000
-2000 -2000
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
TRF-2 HV: Line to Line Voltage A Bay3_T5.1: Line to Line Voltage A
TRF-2 HV: Line to Line Voltage B Bay3_T5.1: Line to Line Voltage B
TRF-2 HV: Line to Line Voltage C Bay3_T5.1: Line to Line Voltage C
Figure 27: Lightning transient overvoltage 132 kV system of the substation
Rev.1 17
4.3 Shielding Failure Lightning II "protective distance".
The open end of circuit breaker CB3 is "electrically" far

This study case investigates the overvoltages caused away from the surge arrester and therefore, the over-
by a lightning strike into a phase conductor (shield- voltages are significantly higher here. They exceed
ing failure). The overvoltages are analysed inside the 1000 kV and thus, the dielectric strength of the equip-
nearby 132 kV substation. ment.
The simulation setup and simulation sequence is iden- The phase currents and absorbed energy of surge ar-
tical to the previous study case (4.2). In contrast to the rester SA-TRF2 are documented in Figure 34. The
previous example however, the surge arresters in the peak current exceeds the nominal current of 10 kA.
substation are in service. The absorbed energy is relatively low.
The fast front overvoltages (FFO) at the 132 kV level of Based on the assessment of shielding failure lightning
the substation are shown in Figure 28 . The transient transients, the overvoltage protection concept is not
voltages are documented both for the transformer HV sufficient to protect the complete substation from over-
terminal (TRF-2 HV) at the open end of circuit breaker voltages.
CB3 as phase-to-earth and phase-to-phase voltages.
The installation of additional surge arresters, for ex-
The transient voltages at transformer TRF-2 are suffi- ample at the overhead line incomer bay, is required in
ciently limited by the HV surge arrester. However, the order to protect the complete substation from insula-
surge arrester can limit the overvoltages only within its tion failures due to lightning transients.
600 4000
[kV] [kV]
400 3000
200 2000
0 1000
-200 0
-400 -1000
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
600 3000
[kV] [kV]
300 2000
0 1000
-300 0
-600 -1000
-900 -2000
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
Rev.1 18
12 0,08
[kA] [MWs]
9 0,06
6 0,04
3 0,02
0 -0,00
-3 -0,02
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
SA-TRF2 HV: Phase Current A SA-TRF2 HV: MO absorbed Energy
SA-TRF2 HV: Phase Current B SA-TRF2 HV: MO absorbed Energy
SA-TRF2 HV: Phase Current C SA-TRF2 HV: MO absorbed Energy
Figure 29: Surge arrester SA-TRF2 HV currents and absorbed energy
Rev.1 19
4.4 Back-Flashover Lightning I the tower top and tower cross arms increase pro-
portionally to the lightning current amplitude, surge
impedance of the tower and grounding impedance.
This study case investigates the overvoltages in the
substation after a back flashover caused by a lightning According to Figure 30 the voltage at the tower ex-
strike into the ground wire of the overhead line. ceeds 2000 kV. The peak voltage difference across the
line insulator in phase A at tower T04 reaches approx-
The simulation is carried out for a lightning impulse
imately 2700 kV at 𝑡 = 2.2 𝜇𝑠. This voltage magni-
with the following parameters:
tude with its corresponding voltage waveform exceeds
• Front time: 3 𝜇𝑠 the dielectric strength of the insulator and results in a
back-flashover from the tower cross arm to the phase
• Tail time: 285 𝜇𝑠 conductor in phase A.
• Amplitude: 100 kA As a result, a lightning current with an amplitude of

several kA flows from the tower to the phase conduc-
The lightning flash is injected at the top of tower T04. tor in phase A. This current has a extremely short rise
The surge arresters in the substation are out of ser- time and thus will also cause voltage surges with very
vice for this simulation. short rise times.
The simulation sequence is as follows: The lightning surges travel from tower T04 to the sub-
station. Figure 31 shows the propagation of the light-
• Fixed integration step size
ning current surge along the overhead line towards the
• 𝑡 = −100 𝑚𝑠: substation from tower T04. The surges are delayed by
Start of simulation with a step is of 100 𝜇𝑠 the travel time of the overhead line span (𝜏 = 0.83 𝜇𝑠).
• 𝑡 = −10 𝜇𝑠: The fast front overvoltages (FFO) at the 132 kV level of
Integration step size event to reduce step size the substation are shown in Figure 32. The transient
from 100 𝜇𝑠 to 1 𝑛𝑠 voltages exceed the overvoltages from the shielding
failure lightning transits due to the steeper impinging
• 𝑡 = 0 𝜇𝑠: surges (short rise time compared to the direct strike).
Event to trigger the lightning flash
As for the shielding failure lightning transients, the
• 𝑡 = 50 𝜇𝑠: overvoltages in the substation exceed the dielectric
End of simulation strength of the equipment also for back-flashover light-
ning transients by far if surge arresters are not in-
The simulation results are shown in the plots below. stalled and will result in insulation failures and thus
damage of the equipment.
Figure 30 shows the lightning strike impulse with a
peak amplitude of 100 kA. The lightning current prop- Based on the assessment of back-flashover lightning
agates through the steel tower into the grounding sys- transients, surge arresters have to be installed in
tem and from the grounding system into the earth. the substation in order to protect the equipment from
As result of the current propagation, the potential at shielding failure lightning transients.
Rev.1 20
120 4000
[kA] [kV]
90 3000
60 2000
30 1000
0 0
-30 -1000
0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5 0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5
GW Strike: Phase Current T04_INS_SW-PHA: Voltage Difference
T04_INS_SW-PHC: Voltage Difference
4 10,0
[-] [kA]
3 7,5
2 5,0
1 2,5
0 0,0
-1 -2,5
0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5 0 1 2 3 4 [us] 5
T04_FOM_LPM-PHB: ll
T04_FOM_LPM-PHC: ll
Figure 30: Lightning strike and flashover mechanism at tower T04
6,00
[kA]
4,00
2,00
0,00
-2,00
-4,00
0,00 2,00 4,00 6,00 8,00 [us] 10,00
Figure 31: Lightning current surge propagation towards the substation
Rev.1 21
1200 1500
[kV] [kV]
900 1000
600 500
300 0
0 -500
-300 -1000
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
1000 3000
[kV] [kV]
500 2000
0 1000
-500 0
-1000 -1000
-1500 -2000
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
Rev.1 22
4.5 Back-Flashover Lightning II only within its "protective distance".
The open end of circuit breaker CB3 is "electrically" far

This study case investigates the overvoltages in the
away from the surge arrester and therefore, the over-
substation after a back flashover caused by a lightning
voltages are significantly higher here. They exceed
strike into the ground wire of the overhead line.
1000 kV and thus, the dielectric strength of the equip-
The simulation setup and simulation sequence is iden- ment.
tical to the previous study case (4.4). In contrast to the
The phase currents and absorbed energy of surge ar-
previous example however, the surge arresters in the
rester SA-TRF2 are documented in Figure 34. The
substation are in service.
peak current is in the range of the nominal current
The fast front overvoltages (FFO) at the 132 kV level of which is 10 kA. The absorbed energy is relatively low.
the substation are shown in Figure 33. The transient
Based on the assessment of back-flashover, the over-
voltages exceed the overvoltages from the shielding
voltage protection concept is not sufficient to protect
failure lightning transits (4.3) due to the steeper im-
the complete substation from overvoltages.
pinging surges (short rise time compared to the direct
strike). The installation of additional surge arresters, for ex-
ample at the overhead line incomer bay, is required in
Nonetheless, the transient voltages at transformer
order to protect the complete substation from insula-
TRF-2 are sufficiently limited by the HV surge arrester.
tion failures due to lightning transients.
However, the surge arrester can limit the overvoltages
600 1500
[kV] [kV]
400 1000
200 500
0 0
-200 -500
-400 -1000
0 5 10 15 20 [us] 25 0 5 10 15 20 [us] 25
600 3000
[kV] [kV]
300 2000
0 1000
-300 0
-600 -1000
-900 -2000
0 5 10 15 20 [us] 25 0 5 10 15 20 [us] 25
Rev.1 23
12 0,08
[kA] [MWs]
9 0,06
6 0,04
3 0,02
0 -0,00
-3 -0,02
0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50 0 10 20 30 40 [us] 50
SA-TRF2 HV: Phase Current A SA-TRF2 HV: MO absorbed Energy
SA-TRF2 HV: Phase Current B SA-TRF2 HV: MO absorbed Energy
SA-TRF2 HV: Phase Current C SA-TRF2 HV: MO absorbed Energy
Figure 34: Surge arrester SA-TRF2 HV currents and absorbed energy
Rev.1 24
4.6 Statistical Lightning Analysis I • Impulse amplitude range (minimum and maxi-
mum amplitude) for phase wire strikes (shield-
In reality, waveform and amplitude of lightning flashes ing failure transient) and tower strikes (Back-
are unique for each lightning flash event. Extensive flashover transients)
measurement campaigns have been carried out in the • Set of terminals to record overvoltages (line-to-
last decades in order to derive the probability distri- ground and line-to-line)
bution of the lightning flash parameters, mainly ampli-
tude, front time and tail time. • Set of surge arresters to record absorbed cur-
rents and energy during the simulation
In a simplified approach, the probability distribution of
the amplitude can be calculated according to equation The script executes a simulation for each lightning
13. The equation can be used to calculate the proba- strike amplitude in the define range. The front time
bility that the lightning amplitude will exceed a critical is calculated based on the amplitude for each run. Af-
current 𝐼𝑐 . The mean values of the amplitude distribu- ter each simulation, the maximum line-to-ground and
tion is 31 kA [2]. line-to-line voltage for each selected terminal and ab-
sorbed currents and energy for each selected surge
arrester are stored in an additional result object Sta-
1 tisticalAnalysis.ElmRes
𝑃 (𝐼 > 𝐼𝑐 ) = (13)
1 + ( 𝐼𝑐 )2.6 The simulation in each run is carried out with the fol-
31 𝑘𝐴
lowing parameters for the lightning flash in this exam-
ple:
The front time to reach the lightning flash amplitudes
𝐼𝐹 can be approximated depending on the amplitude • Front time: Statistical variation based on equa-
range as follows: tion 14 and 15
• 3 kA < 𝐼𝐹 < 20 kA: • Tail time: 285 𝜇𝑠
• Amplitude: Statistical variation from 3 kA to

𝜏1 = 0.0834 · 𝐼𝐹0.828 (14)
200 kA
• 20 kA < 𝐼𝐹 :
The lightning flash is injected into phase A at tower
T04 or at the top of tower T04, depending on the light-
0.624
𝜏1 = 0.1154 · 𝐼𝐹 (15) ning amplitude. This is configured in the script. In this
example, lightning amplitudes in the range from 15 kA
to 20 kV are injected into the phase conductor and am-
There are more accurate statistical parameters avail- plitudes from 20 kA to 200 kA into the ground wire.
able in [3] and in [2] and it is recommended to use
these parameters for lightning studies. The simulation sequence is as follows:
In order to account for the statistical distribution of the • Fixed integration step size
lightning impulse amplitude and front time, lightning
studies should be based on a statistical approach us- • 𝑡 = −100 𝑚𝑠:
ing Multiple-Run functionalities in PowerFactory. The Start of simulation with a step is of 100 𝜇𝑠
Multiple-Run simulation is based on a parameter vari-
• 𝑡 = −10 𝜇𝑠:
ation and accounts for all lightning flash characteris-
Integration step size event to reduce step size
tics.
from 100 𝜇𝑠 to 10 𝑛𝑠
In this example, the statistical Multiple-Run analysis • 𝑡 = 0 𝜇𝑠:
is based on a Python script EMT_Lightning_Statisi- Event to trigger the lightning flash
calAnalysis that is stored in the scripts library of this
project. The script runs n number of simulations (de- • 𝑡 = 50 𝜇𝑠:
pending on the configuration). In each simulation, the End of simulation
parameters of the lightning flash are adjusted accord-
ing to the configuration. The results of the multi-run simulation are shown
in Figure 35. The plot show the peak overvolt-
At this stage, the script is configured by the following age (phase-to-earth) for each simulation run (1 kA to
parameters: 200 kA) for terminal TRF-2 HV and Bay3_T3.
Rev.1 25
2000 2000
[kV] [kV]
1600 1600
1200 1200
800 800
400 400
0 0
0 40 80 120 160 200 0 40 80 120 160 200
x-Axis: TRF-2 HV: Strike current x-Axis: Bay3_T3: Strike current
TRF-2 HV: m:U:A Bay3_T3: m:U:A
TRF-2 HV: m:U:B Bay3_T3: m:U:B
TRF-2 HV: m:U:C Bay3_T3: m:U:C
Figure 35: Peak fast front overvoltages (phase-to-earth for phase A, B and C) at terminal TRF-2 HV and
Bay3_T3 for each simulation run (3 kA to 200 kA)
Rev.1 26
4.7 Statistical Lightning Analysis II The results of the multi-run simulation are shown
in Figure 36. The plot show the peak overvolt-
age (phase-to-earth) for each simulation run (1 kA to
200 kA) for terminal TRF-2 HV and Bay3_T3.
The simulation setup and simulation sequence is iden-
tical to the previous study case (4.6). In contrast to the Furthermore, Figure 37 documents the absorbed peak
previous example however, the surge arresters in the phase currents and cumulative energy of the surge ar-
substation are in service. rester SA-TRF2 HV for each simulation run.
500 2000
[kV] [kV]
400 1600
300 1200
200 800
100 400
0 0
0 40 80 120 160 200 0 40 80 120 160 200
x-Axis: TRF-2 HV: Strike current x-Axis: Bay3_T3: Strike current
TRF-2 HV: m:U:A Bay3_T3: m:U:A
TRF-2 HV: m:U:B Bay3_T3: m:U:B
TRF-2 HV: m:U:C Bay3_T3: m:U:C
Figure 36: Peak fast front overvoltages (phase-to-earth for phase A, B and C) at terminal TRF-2 HV and
Bay3_T3 for each simulation run (3 kA to 200 kA)
Rev.1 27
16 100
[kA]
12 75
8 50
4 25
0 0
-4 -25
0 40 80 120 160 200 0 40 80 120 160 200
x-Axis: SA-TRF2 HV: Strike current x-Axis: SA-TRF2 HV: Strike current in kA
SA-TRF2 HV: m:I:bus1:A SA-TRF2 HV: s:Emov_a in p.u. (base: 0,00 kA)
SA-TRF2 HV: m:I:bus1:B SA-TRF2 HV: s:Emov_b in p.u. (base: 0,00 kA)
SA-TRF2 HV: m:I:bus1:C SA-TRF2 HV: s:Emov_c in p.u. (base: 0,00 kA)
Figure 37: Absorbed peak currents and cumulative energy of surge arrester SA-TRF2 HV for each simulation
Rev.1 28
References [7] DIgSILENT PowerFactory

Technical Reference Documentation “Overhead
Line Models”, PowerFactory 2018, DIgSILENT
[1] Juan A. Martinez-Velasco: “Power System Tran- GmbH, Gomaringen, Germany, 2018
sients: Parameter Determination”, CRC Press,
2009, ISBN 978-1420065299 [8] DIgSILENT PowerFactory
Technical Reference Documentation “Two-
[2] Guide to procedures for estimating the lightning Winding Transformer”, PowerFactory 2018,
performance of transmission lines, 1991, CIGRE DIgSILENT GmbH, Gomaringen, Germany,
[3] Observational Results of Lightning Current on 2018
Transmission Towers, 2007, Jun Takami and
Shigemitsu Okabe, IEEE [9] DIgSILENT PowerFactory
Technical Reference Documentation “Two-
[4] Ali F. Imece, Daniel W. Durbak, Hamid Elahi, Winding Transformer”, PowerFactory 2018,
Sharma Kolluri: “Modelling Guidelines for fast DIgSILENT GmbH, Gomaringen, Germany,
front transients”, IEEE Transactions on Power 2018
Delivery, 1996
[10] Prof. Dr.-Ing. Volker Hinrichsen: “Überspan-
[5] IEC 60071-4 Insulation co-ordination - Part 4: nungsableiter und Überspannungsschutz”, FGH
“Computational guide to insulation co-ordination Seminar Isolationskoordination, 2017
and modelling of electrical networks”, 2004
[11] Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Rock: “Skript Blitz- und
[6] Allan Greenwood: “Electrical Transients in Power Überspannungsschutz”, Technische Universität
Systems”, Wiley-Interscience, 1991, Ilmenau, 2015
ISBN 978-0471620587

Lightning Transients

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Lightning Transients Application Example

Abstract 1 General Description

Figure 1: Lightning transients in power systems

* DIgSILENT GmbH, Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 9, 72810 Gomaringen, Germany, www.digsilent.de

2 Simulation Model • Detailed model of the lightning flash

The investigation of lightning transients requires de-

• Transposition The calculation of the line parameters assumes par-

• DC resistance of each conductor and shielding

• Specific ground resistivity along the transmis- 2

• Shielding wire: 5 m Wire X-Coordinate Y-Coordinate

Table 2: Average X-Y coordinates of the multiphase

3.1 m Wire X-Coordinate Y-Coordinate

The phase conductor and shielding wire are specified

elled as tubular conductor.

Figure 3: 132 kV single circuit overhead line

Based on the X-Y coordinates in Table 1 and the

At last, the specific earth resistivity along the transmis-

Geometry of the OHL / cable, material Determination of the phase

𝑅11 𝑅12 … 𝑅1𝑛

Figure 6: Line modelling approach in PowerFactory for EMT simulations

The single phase distributed parameter line is mod-

The minor tower sections (MITS) are modelled with

The capacitance represents the coupling effect of con-

Before Transient During Transient

Figure 8: Transmission line insulator model for lightning transient analysis

2000 gered (closed) based on the critical flashover voltage

across the switch is below the threshold value, the

The disadvantage of the model is that the withstand

Thereby, L is the length of the insulator and t is the

Fixed Threshold Voltage-Time Curve Physical (LPM) Model

𝑈𝐹𝑂 = 𝑈𝐹𝑂 1.2/50µ𝑠 𝐾2 𝑑𝑙 𝑢(𝑡)

Figure 10: Insulator flashover models in PowerFactory

2.5 Tower Grounding Impedance 50

The complete simulation model of the 132 kV over-

T01 T02 T03 T05 T06 T07 T08

• Transformers Table 4: X-Y coordinates of the 132 kV busbar system

• Disconnector and earthing switches Phase X-Coordinate Y-Coordinate

• Circuit breakers Phase A −2.8 m 5.0 m

In addition to standard test parameters, stray capaci-

Figure 14: Detailed 132 kV and simplified 11 kV substation model

Surge Arresters • Maximum continuous operating voltage 𝑈𝑐

Surge arresters are connected to the HV and MV side • Rated voltage 𝑈𝑟

test (8/20𝜇𝑠) is relevant. In this example, surge ar-

Table 6: Surge arrester 𝑢 − 𝑖 characteristic

Discharge current kA SA 11 kV SA 132 kV

Figure 16: Negative cloud-to-ground lightning strike

The example for a single lightning flash event is shown

Lightning flashes are electrical discharges between

shown in Figure 17.

10 The striking distance can be calculated according to

The voltage in the three phase conductors is oscillat-

Conductor If the voltage difference across the line insulator ex-

Figure 20: Overhead line shielding < 1000 𝑘𝑉

Back-Flashover Failure Lighting Transient

The transient potential at the tower top and traverses

The application example contains several study cases,

• “Steady State Load Flow Analysis”: Introduc-

• “Shielding Failure Lightning I”: Simulation of