A paper f resented at tiez 20oth Meeting of

the A inerican Institute of Electrical Enzgineers.

Ne7& York, October 27, rqo5.

Copyright 1905. By A. I E. E.

NOTE ON LIGHTNING-ARRESTERS ON ITALIAN HIGHTENSION TRANSMISSION LINES.

BY PHILIP TORCHIO.

During a recent trip abroad the writer inspected several

high-tension transmission lines in Italy, and found that American lightning-arresters with choke-coils are quite generally
used at the ends of the lines. In addition, Siemens hornarresters are sometimes installed at the ends of the line and
at intervals on poles along the line.
The prote-tion furnished by these devices, however, is not
considered sufficient, on account of their inability to protect
the line and the machines under all conditions of lightning
discharges and surges, or even static disturbances caused by
load fluctuations in the ordinary operation of the system.
Transmission engineers have found it necessary to supplement
thi.- ordinary lightning-arresters with some other protection,
and to that end a variety of devices has been developed on
different installations. Among these the so-called " Series
Lightning-Arrester" of Gola, and the "Water-Resistance
Static-Discharger" call for special attention. The series lightning-arrester has been described in the technical papers
(see Transactions of the Associazione Elettrotecnica Italiana,
January and February, 1905, in which are also cited earlier
publications relating to this form of arrester).
It is claimed by Gola that the shortcomings of the ordinarv
commercial lightning-arresters are due to some deficiency in
the choke-coils employed and not to any deficiency in the
lightning-arresters themselves, their function being only to
discharge the line. To overcome the shortcomings of such
choke-coils, Gola devised an apparatus in the shape of a
945

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TORCHIO: LIGHTNING-ARRESTERS.

LOct. 27

large shell, consisting of a choke-coil and a number of large

cast-iron diaphragms and shells connected in series by means of
small copper conductors, the whole being placed in series on
the line to perform the functions of a choke-coil, and also to
introduce an abrupt and great change in the section, material,
and shape of the line conductors leading to the station apparatus. The device is illustrated in Fig. 1. In proximity
to the sharp-edged ends of the shell are located corresponding
air-gap, horn-shaped lightning-dischargers which are connected,
through a resistance to ground, either directly here, or in series
with ordinary lightning-arresters, according to the requirements
demanded by the line voltage. The function of the supplementary lightning-arresters is to assist the main air-gap in

MO MACN

FIG. 1.

rupturing the arc after the lightning discharge has taken place.
It is claimed that while this device will allow the main line
current to pass undisturbed, it will so obstruct the passage
of lightning or static-discharge currents as to cause them to
be reflected at this point and pass to ground via the dischargers
above mentioned. This obstruction is claimed to be due to
several effects of discontinuity of the circuit, in so far as the
homogeneous circuit of the line conductors of approximately constant section and of the same material (generally copper), always in a
diamagnetic medium (air or insulating mate;ial), is suddenly interrupted
by the introduction of several lengths of conductors of magnetic material
of section and surface enormously greater, joined one to another by
lengths of copper conductor; again of small section, but placed in a
magnetic medium, the whole with sudden changes of direction and
section.!:

1905.)

TORCHIO: LIGHTNING-ARRESTERS.

947

Gola, in the publication above referred to, makes several

interesting comparisons between hydraulic and electrical laws,
and by analogy attempts to explain the operation of the series
arrester. The device has been used in many places in Italy
for the last two or three years. In many cases it has proved
to be most effective, while in other cases the results have been
indifferent.
The " Water-Resistance Static-Discharger" of Friese and
others is connected at each end of the line, one discharger
between each conductor and ground, thereby forming a per-

LINE

GROUNDED WATER PIPE

WATER= >==
RUBBER JOI

.2X'>& GLASS TUBES

RUBBER JOINT

DISCHARGE
GROUNDED WATER PIPE

FIG. 2.-Water-Resistance Static-Discharger.

manent continuous path to ground for a small fraction of the

main-line current. A general feeling prevails that this grounding will eliminate a great many troubles from lightning and
surges on the line. Several ways of grounding the lir.e are in
use in Italy, but the one at the Morbegno station of the, Valtellina three-phase railway may be considered as representative
of the water-resistance type of grounding device. The device,
which is shown in Fig. 2, is mounted on an iron frame outside
the station. It consists of grounded feed and discharge waterpipes supplying the necessary water to three pairs of glass
tubes, each pair being joined at the middle by a metallic union

TORCHIO: LIGHTNING-ARRESTERS.

948

[Oct. 27

to which are brought the grounding connections from the line

conductor; the grounding is made through the two water
tubes in parallel. The current to ground in this system, operating at 20 000 volts (11 000 volts to ground) is 0.2 ampere
from each line wire to ground. The superintendent of the
station was hopeful of the success of the device.
At the Paderno station of the Milan Edison Company a
different arrangement of water-resistance static-discharger was
being installed at the time of the writer's visit. It consisted of

GROUNDED WATER RHEOSTAT

SIEMENS HORNS

_!5

WATER RESISTANCE

LINE

LIGHTNING ARRESTER
CHOKE-COILS

BANK OF LIGHTNING ARRESTERS

STATION

FIG. 3.-Scheme of Station Protection.

only three large glass water-tubes, but of greater diameter and

length than those used in the Morbegno station. In this
case it was also expected that the device would give satisfactory
results.
Summarizing the observations made by the writer, the best
practice of to-day for the protection of Italian transmission
lines indicates that the plan illustrated in Fig. 3 should be
adopted. The plan shows that:
1. The terminals of the transmission lines should be extended in a direct line some distance away from their entrance

1905.]

TORCHIO: LIGHTNING-A RRESTERS.

949

into the station, and the ends should be equipped with Siemens'
horn-arresters grounded through water resistances.
2. On the line side of the branch entering the station a waterresistance static-discharger should be installed.
3. Choke-coils and ordinary lightning-arresters should be
installed inside the station. Possibly, choke-coils of the series
lightning-arrester type should also be added.
4. Siemens horn-arresters should be used on the poles along
the line only after careful study of the installation. Series
lightning-arresters, with Siemens horn-arresters, or ordinary
lightning-arresters may, however, be installed at particular
points; as, for instance, where a line divides into branches, or
at special points of a line installed in a mountainous country.