A Distribution Line Model for Lightning Overvoltage Studies

Abstract

Recently, the focus of lightning protection measures for distribution lines has moved from a nearby lightning stroke to a direct lightning stroke. Studies of direct lightning stroke countermeasures are generally carried out by digital simulations using the EMTP (Electro-Magnetic Transients Program). Thus, components of a distribution line must be modeled appropriately in the EMTP for accurate simulations.
The authors have previously clarified the surge response of a distribution line by pulse tests using a reduced-scale distribution line model. In this paper, first, the results of the pulse tests are simulated in the EMTP using a conventional model which represents a distribution pole by a single lossless distributed-parameter line model, and comparisons with the test results show that transient overvoltages generated at the insulators cannot accurately be reproduced by the conventional model. This indicates that a special treatment is required to represent the transient response of a distribution pole and wires. Then, this paper proposes new EMTP models of the pole and wires which can reproduce the transient overvoltages at the insulators. The parameter values of the proposed models can be determined based on a pulse test result.