2020 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica

Appropriate Surge Arrester Lead Lengths for

Improved Distribution Transformer Protection –
Kenyan Case Study
Julius Ndirangu
Department of Electrical and Electronic Peter Kimemia, Raphael Ndolo John Nderu, George Irungu
Engineering, Kenya Power and Lighting Company Department of Electrical and Electronic
Jomo Kenyatta University of Nairobi, Kenya Engineering
Agriculture and Technology Jomo Kenyatta University of
Nairobi, Kenya Agriculture and Technology
julzndirangu@gmail.com Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract— Medium voltage power networks are frequently
exposed to overvoltages caused by lightning strikes and other
external events. In the Kenyan distribution system, metal oxide
surge arresters are widely used for surge protection of
secondary distribution transformers. However, lightning strikes
are still one of the major causes of secondary transformers
failure in the network. A critical aspect in selection and
application of surge arrestors is the surge arrestor lead length.
The focus of this paper was calculation of the protective ratios
of surge arresters with current typical lead lengths installed for
surge arresters protecting distribution transformers in 11kV
and 33kV networks in the Kenyan distribution system.
Comparison was made with the guidelines of IEEE C62.22 on
minimum protective ratios. Recommendations on appropriate
surge arrester lead lengths that to guarantee the achievement of
these minimum protective ratios are given. Recalculations to
demonstrate adequacy of the recommendations were also
carried out. This will lead to improved protection for
distribution transformers against surges in the distribution
network.
effectiveness. A surge arrester is a device designed to protect
electrical apparatus from high transient voltage and to limit
the duration and amplitude of follow-current. It achieves this
by providing a low impedance path to the ground for high
voltage travelling waves. It functions as a variable resistor that
limits overvoltages on an electric distribution system. In the
Kenyan distribution system, metal oxide surge arresters are
widely used for surge protection of distribution transformers.
Surge arresters require connections to the system phase
conductor and earth. This is achieved through conductors
known as leads. A Surge arrester lead length is the wire from
the top of the protected equipment to its grounded end that is
parallel to the surge arrester. The total length of the lead wire
is measured from the point at which the arrester line
connection is made to the point where interconnection is made
between the arrester ground lead and the protected equipment
ground lead, excluding the arrester length[5]. This is
illustrated in Fig. 1.

Index terms— discharge voltage, lead length, protective

margin, surge arrester

I. INTRODUCTION
Electricity customers continue to demand improvement in
power supply reliability and quality[1]. This is in addition to
safety requirements[2]. To improve reliability of supply,
power utilities must focus on mitigating the effects of
overvoltages in the network, which is one of the causes of
medium and high voltage network service interruptions and
outages. Overvoltages in medium voltage networks may
overstress the dielectric strength of secondary distribution
transformers and other line equipment installed in the
network, causing failures. Such overvoltages may be
generated by external events like lightning strikes or by
internal conditions such as faults, switching, ferroresonance,
load rejection, loss of ground or a combination of such
conditions. In Kenya, lightning strikes are one of the major
causes of distribution transformers failure in the network[3].
This problem is amplified in terminal distribution
transformers[4]. Distribution transformers form the link
between power supply and the consumers and thus needs Fig. 1. Arrester Lead length Illustration
adequate protection to ensure continuous operation. This
underscores the importance of a critical review of the current
surge arrester installation methodology to assess its

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 2020 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica
A critical aspect in selection and application of surge
arrestors is the arrestor lead length. When a lightning strike
occurs, the discharge current causes a residual voltage across
the terminal of the surge arrester. Similarly, it causes a voltage
build up in the surge arrester lead due to its inductance. Any
voltage build up in an arrester lead will add to the arrester
residual voltage. Since a surge arrester is connected in parallel
with the protected equipment, the total arrester residual
voltage will appear across the protected equipment. Arrester
residual voltage can be significantly high when one considers
typical arrester lead lengths that are actually installed in the
network and faster rates-of-rise of surge currents. The residual
voltage magnitude is further increased by coiling the leads
since this increases their inductance. Overlooking the impact
of lead lengths contributes to overstating the protective
margins of surge arrestors during their selection. This leads to
inadequate protection of distribution transformers and other
line equipment when the surge arresters are actually installed.
In Kenya, the standard construction used for pole mounted
transformer structures places the surge arresters on top of the
transformer such that the arrester lead lengths are 2meters for
11kV and approximately 3m for 33kV, on average. Installers
also coil the leads to provide spare lengths. The focus of this
paper is calculation of the protective ratios of surge arresters
with current typical lead lengths installed in distribution
transformer structures in 11kV and 33kV networks in the
Kenyan distribution system. Comparison is made with the
guidelines of IEEE C62.22 on minimum protective ratios.
Recommendations on appropriate surge arrester lead lengths
that should be installed to guarantee the achievement of these
minimum protective ratios are given. Recalculations to
demonstrate adequacy of the recommendations in improving
the protective ratios were also carried out.
The outline of the paper is as follows: Protective ratios
based on current typical surge arrester lead lengths used in
11kV and 33kV networks in Kenya are presented in section II.
Recommended mitigation measures to ensure compliance
with IEEE C62.22 guidelines and consequent recalculations
done are presented in Section III. Conclusions and
recommendations are summarized in Section IV.
II. PROTECTIVE RATIOS CALCULATION BASED ON CURRENT
SURGE ARRESTER LEAD LENGTHS IN KENYA
A. Protective Level of a Surge Arrester
Insulation coordination is defined in IEEE C62.22 as the
selection of insulation strength consistent with expected
overvoltages to obtain an acceptable risk of failure[5]. The
degree of coordination is measured by the protective ratio
(PR) given by [5]
୍୬ୱ୳୪ୟ୲୧୭୬୵୧୲୦ୱ୲ୟ୬ୢ୪ୣ୴ୣ୪
”‘–‡ –‹˜‡”ƒ–‹‘ሺሻ ൌ 
୚୭୪୲ୟ୥ୣୟ୲୮୰୭୲ୣୡ୲ୣୢୣ୯୳୧୮୫ୣ୬୲
Basic Insulation Level (BIL) of equipment is defined as
the peak voltage of a 1.2/50μs wave which does not cause its
insulation to fail. 1.2/50μs indicates a surge which reaches its
peak value in 1.2μs and decays to half the peak in 50μs[5]. For
insulation coordination, protective ratios are calculated at
three separate points within the volt-time regions. These are
switching surge withstand, the full wave withstand and the
chopped wave withstand. The protective ratios must be met or
exceeded if satisfactory insulation coordination is to be
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achieved, according to the minimum recommendations given
in IEEE C62.22[5]. As the steepness of surge current
increases, the arrester presents higher residual voltage thus
reducing the protective margin which endangers the life of the
transformer. The protective characteristics of an arrester is a
combination of residual voltage for steep current impulse,
residual voltage for lightning impulses, and residual voltage
for switching impulses. Hence, there are three residual voltage
characteristics that together make up the protective level of the
arrester. These are Front-of-Wave Protective Level, Lightning
Impulse Protective Level and Switching Protective Level. The
respective protective ratios are chopped wave withstand ratio
(CWWR), Full wave withstand ratio (FWWR) and switching
surge withstand ratio (SSWR). These three ratios are used to
determine how well an arrester is protecting the intended
equipment. The chopped wave withstand (CWW) is generally
assumed to be 115% of the BIL[5].
ƒ–‹‘Ψ ൌ ቂቀ
େ୛୛
ቁ െ ͳቃ ‫ͲͲͳݔ‬ (2)
୊୛ୗ୓
where CWW = Chopped wave withstand(kV) and FWSO =
Front of Wave Spark Over voltage (kV)
ƒ–‹‘Ψ ൌ ቂቀ
୆୍୐
ቁ െ ͳቃ ‫ͲͲͳݔ‬ (3)
ୖ୚ା୚ಽ
where FWWR = Full wave withstand ratio(%), BIL = Basic
Insulation Level (kV) and RV = Residual Voltage at a surge
current of 10kA(kV), ௅ = Surge arrester lead build up
voltage(kV).
୆ୗ୐
ƒ–‹‘ ൌ ቂቀ ቁ െ ͳቃ ‫ͲͲͳݔ‬ (4)
ୗୗ୔୐
where SSW = Switching Surge Withstand Ratio(%), BSL =
Basic Surge Withstand Level (kV) and SSPL = Switching
Surge Protective Level (kV). IEEE C62.22 standard states that
the minimum level of protection is 20% for chopped wave
withstand ratio, 20% for full wave withstand ratio, and 15%
for switching surge withstand ratio. Switching surge withstand
ratio (SSWR) is normally calculated for higher voltages and
thus was not considered in the calculations[5].
B. Impact of Arrester Lead Length on Protective Level
The inductance of the lead wire normally used to connect
distribution arresters between line and ground can be assumed
to be 1.3123μH/m[6]. The voltage build up on the arrester lead
is given by[6].
ୢ୧
ൌ (5)
ୢ୲
Where E = Voltage build up on arrester (kV), L =
inductance of the arrester lead(μH) and di/dt = rate of rise of
surge current. Coiling the surge arrester lead increases its
inductance leading to significant increase in the voltage build
up on the arrester. The voltage build up calculated in (5)
(1) should be added to the arrester residual voltage when
calculating voltages incident to the protected transformer.
Published arrester residual voltages are normally based on a
standard 8/20μs impulse current wave (8 μs to crest/20μs to
half crest on the tail)[7]. However, the highest voltages to
which the insulation is subjected are rapidly rising steep wave
impulses due to lightning. Published lightning data indicates
median of 31.1 kA and 24.3 kA/μs rate of rise for first stroke
and median of 12.3 kA and 39.9 kA/μs rate of rise for
subsequent strokes[8]. A conservative rate of rise value of 20
kA/μs was used for analysis in this paper.
 2020 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica
C. Protective Ratios calculation based on existing Kenyan III. RECOMMENDED MITIGATION MEASURES TO ENSURE
scenario COMPLIANCE WITH IEEE C62.22 GUIDELINES
Currently in the Kenyan system surge arrestors for It is noted that installation of surge arresters on the low
transformer protection are pole mounted. The arrester lead voltage side of transformers does not drastically change the
lengths are usually coiled and have average lengths of 2meters failure rate[9]. Hence, efforts are focussed on appropriate
for 11kV network and 3meters for 33kV network as in Fig1. surge arrester installation on the medium voltage side.
Chopped wave withstand ratio (CWWR), Full wave withstand
One mitigation measure to overcome the challenge of low
ratio (FWWR) and were calculated based on these lengths for
protective ratios in current installations is to reduce the
the two voltage levels. The calculations and results are
arrester lead lengths. In order to reduce the arrester lead length
summarized in Table I.
to ensure compliance with IEEE C62.22 guidelines, this paper
TABLE I. SURGE ARRESTER PROTECTION MARGIN CALCULATIONS
recommends that the surge arresters be mounted on the
WITH EXISTING LEAD LENGTHS IN KENYAN SYSTEM distribution transformer tank. This can be done directly by
transformer manufacturers if the utility specifications are
Nominal System amended to include this requirement. Implementation of this
Parameter Voltages recommendation would lead to reduction of the arrester lead
length to 0.5meters. This is illustrated in Fig. 2.
11kV 33kV
Continuous operating voltage of
arrester (kV) from arrester 9.6 28.8
specifications

Basic Insulation Level(BIL) of

95 200
transformer e(1.2/50 μs, dry) (kV)

di/dt (kA/μs) 20 20

Lead wire voltage build up (kV/m)

26.24 26.24
E=Ldi/dt(kV/m); L= 1.312μH/m

Typical arrester lead lengths

2 3
installed in Kenya (m)
Total Arrester lead voltage ௅ (kV) 52.48 78.72

Residual Voltage(RV) at 10kA(kV)

35.1 105.4
from arrester specification (kV)

Total Voltage incident at the

Transformer Terminal = 87.58 184.12
RV+௅ (kV)
Front of Wave Spark Over voltage Fig. 2. Proposed Arrester Lead length Installation
(FWSO) for10kA(1/2μs)kV - from 35.1 105.4 To achieve the same arrester lead length in existing
arrester specification installations, the structures can be modified on site such that
Chopped Wave Withstand the arresters are installed on a cross-arm immediately above
109.25 230 the transformer. The cost of such a modification would be
(CWW)=115% x BIL(kV)
nominal compared to the overall cost savings. To demonstrate
CWW Ratio (%) from (2) 211.25% 118.22% the impact of these recommendations on increasing
transformer protection, the protective ratios were repeated
FWW Ratio(%) from (3) 8.47% 8.62% using surge arrestor lead lengths of 0.5m. These calculations
were captured in Table II.
IEEE C62.22 minimum
requirements for CWWR and 20% 20% From Table II, with the proposed arrester lead lengths of
FWWR[2] 0.5meters, Chopped wave withstand ratios for 11kV and 33kV
surge arresters are 211% and 118% respectively. Full wave
withstand ratios 11kV and 33kV surge arresters are 97% and
From Table I, with current surge arrester lead lengths of 68.7%. These are well above the required minimum of 20% as
2m for 11kV and 3m for 33kV networks, CWW ratios are per IEEE C62.22 guidelines. From this analysis, it is clear that
satisfied while FWW ratios of the surge arrestors are below the protection of the transformer against surges shall be
the 20% minimum. This means that the 11/0.42kV and significantly improved with surge arrester lead lengths of
33/0.42kV distribution transformers in the network are not 0.5m.
adequately protected against lightning surges. This could be a
major contributing factor to the high rate of failure of
distribution transformers as a result of lightning strikes[3].

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 2020 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica
TABLE II. SUMMARY OF RECALCULATED PROTECTIVE RATIOS WITH minimum threshold as per IEEE C62.22. This means that at
PROPOSED LEAD LENGTHS
present, the 11/0.42kV and 33/0.42kV distribution
Nominal System transformers are not adequately protected against lightning
Voltages surges in existing installations in the network. It has also been
Parameter shown that the protection of the transformer against surges can
11kV 33kV be significantly improved if the surge arrester lead lengths are
reduced to 0.5meters. In line with the analysis done in this
Continuous operating voltage of paper, and in order to guarantee adequacy of surge protection
arrester (kV) from arrester 9.6 28.8 for 33/0.42kV and 11/0.42kV secondary distribution
specifications transformers by surge arresters, this paper recommends as
follows:
Basic Insulation Level(BIL) of
transformer e(1.2/50 μs, dry) 95 200 i) Kenyan utility specifications be revised to require
(kV) that for all new 11kV and 33kV class distribution
transformers, surge arresters be mounted at the
di/dt (kA/μs) 20 20 transformer tanks and to minimize the arrester lead
Lead wire voltage build up lengths to 0.5meters. Further, the arrester leads
(kV/m) E=Ldi/dt(kV/m) 26.24 26.24 should not be coiled.
L= 1.312μH/m ii) A maintenance program be initiated by the utility to
modify the installation of existing surge arresters so
Proposed arrester lead lengths that they are installed on a cross-arm immediately
0.5 0.5
(M) above the transformers so as to reduce the lead
Total Arrester lead voltage ௅ lengths to 0.5meters and without coils.
13.12 13.12
(kV) REFERENCES
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The analysis carried out in this paper has shown that with pp. 955–960.
current surge arrester lead lengths of 2meters for 11kV and
3meters for 33kV networks in Kenya, the full wave withstand
protective ratios of the surge arrestors are below the 20%

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