P. B. BORISOGLEVSKI, L. F.

DMOK'::rOVSKAYA,
V. P. LARIONOV, U.S. PINTAL, D. V. KAZEVIG,
E. YA. RYABKOVA

HIGH VOLTAGE
ENGINE.ERING
UNDER GENERAL EDITORSHIP OF

PROF. D. V. ltAZEVIG
Approt•ecl by the Jrlinistry o: Highe'r and .Secondary .Specialized
Education of Ru8sian Federal Union Socialistic Republic as a
text-book for students of energetic and el~ctro-energetic
faculties an<l institutes of higher learniflg

Translated }'-om R-nssian

By
Dr. M. P. CHOURASIA
Prof. of Electrical Engineering,
Got•t. Engineering College,
Jabalpur (J'll.P.)

KHANNA PUBLISHERS
2-B. NAT~ MARKET, NAI SARAK, DELHI-110006.
Phones:2912380;?2241?9
 31
Protection from Direct Lightning
Strokes with the Aid of Lightning
Conductors

31·1 General lnfortnation

The lightning conductors as a means of protection from dire~t
· lightning strokes were used much before the beginning of the present
era, but they aquired wide recognition only in the middle of XVIII
century as a result of the work of Benjamin Franklin and Lomonosov.
Each lightning conductor consists of the lightning receiver pro-
jecting above the object to be protected, the earthing grid and the
conductor which connects the receiver with the earthing grid and is
meant to carry the lightning current away safely to ground. There
are two different types of lightning conductor : the lightning masts
and the ground wires.
Good earthing of lightning conductors is an> essential' condition
for reliable protection, since in case of a stroke in a badly earthed
lightning conductor, very high voltages, capable of cmsing a break-
down of insulating medium between the lightning conductor. and th.e
object under-protection, are poss:ble. In the beginning, before large-
scale use of the lightning conductors (XVIII century), when serious
attention was not paid to the value of resistance of thP. lightning
conductor, incidents of fire caused by lightning discharges in the
lightning conductors were not rare which, thus, played a harmful
role in such cases.
The provision of a reliable electrical connection between all
parts of the lightning conductor is equally important, since during
the passage o: a current through the place of bad contacts, an inten-
sive arcing, which can also cause fire, takes place.
The protective action of lightning conductors is based on the
fact th:lt charges, stored o.n its tip in the leader stage of lightning

424
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 425

discharge, produce greatest field intensity along the path between the
head of the leader canal and the tip of the lightning conductor,
whereto the discharge is directed. The height above the surface of
ground at which the leader discharge finally orients itsetf on one of
the objects on earth, is· called "the height (It) of orientation of
lightning, which, in tne first instance, depends on the height h of the
lightning conductor. It is customary to consider that for lightning
.conductors up to a height of 30m, H =kh where the proportionality
constant k has a value of 10-20.

The leader canal can descend to earth along different trajec-

tories. Suppose that the point of orientation of lightning moves
along a horizontal line, which lies
in the same plane as the lightning
conductor, as shown in Fig. 31·1.
-r------------ ----74""
/I
When this point is situated directly . ·/ I
above the lightning conductor, the j ~"~~' I
.;;~
discharge must take place in the :r:
lightning conductor. However, in
proportion to the displacement of the
point of orientation from the light-
I
ning conductor the probability of ~~1-\W~~~~~~~~~
lightning discharge to ground increa-
ses. That position will be critical Fig. :n ·1. Experimental determi-
nation of the protective zone of
when the breakdown voltages to the a lightning mast.
lightning conductor Val and to "
ground Vd 2 are same. With further displacement of the point of
orientation, lightning discharge mamly 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 between the
lightning canal and the object will always be greater than the
breakdown· voltage either to the lightning conductor or to ground
and the object will be protected from the direct lightning stroke.
31·2. Protective Zone of Lightning Conductors
It is customary to call the space around a lightning conductor
in which the probability of lightning stroke is small, "the protective
zone·'. In view of the fact that breakdown voltages of air gaps,
specially for distances of tens of metres, have considerable statistical
scatter, lightning conductors ensure protection of an object only with
a certain degree of probability.

(n) Experimental Determination of Protective Zone of Light·

ning Conductors
Protective zones of lightning conductors are determined by
experiments on models. During this, it is ass.umed that the actual
protective zones of real lightning conductors of different heights are
geometrically similar to the zones obtained in the laboratory on
models.
426 High Yo ltage Engineering

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

Its development in long gaps takes place in two stages the leader and
the main stages. It is in this way, qualitatively identical with the
lightning.

The ~xperiments are conducted according to the experimental

set up of Ft~. 31·2 ; the electrode from which the discharge deve-
lops imitates the end of the leader
canal at the height of orientation of
lightning. In experiments conducted
in the Soviet Union by A.A. Akopyan,
for lightning rods of a height upto-:-
30 m, 11/h was taken to be equal t~
20, and for ground wires Hth= 10.
For lightning conductors of height
above 30 m, the height of orientation
was taken to be constant (H =600 m
Fig. 31·2. Diagram for the ex- for lightning masts and H = 300 for
perimental determination of the ground wires). The values taken can-
protective zone ; IVG-Impulse not be rigorously justified, however,
Voltage Gene-rator; !-electrode there is a basis to assume that their
imitating the end of tho leader
canal at the height of orientation use gives somewhat lower protective
of lightning ; 2-rr.<>del of the zones, thus ensuring a definite margin
lightning conductor (mast) ; 3- of safety.
grounded metallic plane.

In spite of the fact that most of lightning discharges to earth

have negative polarity, discharges of positive polarity are used dur-
ing an experimental determination of protective zones. This is due
to the fact that a meeting streamer, as though making the lightning
mast longer, develops from its tip during a lightning stroke int~
raised objects. However, the length of this meeting streamer for
lightning rods of a height upto 100 metres does not exceed a few
tens of metres. In those spark gaps with which one has to deal in
laboratory, the discharge starts developing from lightning mast if the
polarity of the upper electrode is negative and greatly increased pro-
tective zones are obtained. With positive pola,·ity of the upper
electrode the meeting streamer from the lightning rod comprises
a small fraction of the spark gap (upto l/3) which is much closer to
the conditipns occurring during lightning discharges. However, the
necessity of using that polarity which does not occur in natural con-
ditions testifies to very approximate modelling of the real processes
in a laboratory. Therefore it should be remembered that the pro-
tective zones obtain~d in a laboratory are of a conditional nature
and we can use them, only because many years of observations of the
performance of real lightning masts conhrmed the reliability of the
t;.ecommendations worked out on the basis of laboratory experiments.
The technique of experimental determination of the protective
zones is as follows (Fig. 31·3). The electrode, located at a height
H, is shifted in the horizontal direction relative to the model of
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes

lightning mast. For each location of the electrode, a definite num-

ber of discharges is produced. The experiment shows that for

.t--Y•h~-
Fig. 31·3. D~termination of the protective zone
of a lightning mast on its model.

R=3·5 h, all discharges strike the lightning ~ast. For R 1 some-

what greater than R, a part of the discharges strikes the g;·ound.
During this, the discharges deflect very much away from the verti-
cal and strike the ground at a distance r:> 1·6h. The quantity r
is the radius of the protective zone at the ground level. The dis-
tance R is called the radius of zone of 100% strokes to the light-
ning mast.
The protective zone at a height h:z is determined with the help
of a mast of height h.. which models the object to be protected. The·
electrode and the model of the object which are initially situated in
the same plane, are ~hifted 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 maximum distance r:z between the model of the object
and the lightning mast at whicl;l.the model of object is not struck by
the discharge, is found. This distance r, is the radius of protective
zone of the model of lightning mast at a height h_,.
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-
ing mast. Usually, protective zones are determined with a proba-
bility of stroke to the model of object of O·l %.
If the lightning conductor is not a lightning mast but a ground
wire, theelectrode and the o!~ject are shifted ::tlong the horizontal in
a plane perpendicular to the ground wire (Fig. 31·4). Experience
shows that in this case the dimension of protective zone is b= l·2h,
and the dimension of the zone of I 00% ~troke to the model of ground
428 High Voltage Engineering

wire equals B= 2h. If the electrode is shifted further, thus increasing

the distance upto the vertical plane in which the ground wire is

Fig. 31·4. Determinatlon of prot3ctivc zone of <t ground

wire on its mod Pl.

situated, smaller and smailer strokes will occur to the ground wire
and finally, at a certain distance, all the discharges will occur only to
the ground. The distribution of strokes determined experimentally is
shown in Fig. 31·5, from which it follows that on an average all
discharges of lightning, developing at a distance B~3h from the
ground wire occur to the ground wire.

Stroke; 111 ~round wire

Shot<.#' to
')rou"d

P·
• h

Fig. 3Hi. Distribution of discharges bet- Fig. 31·6. Protective zone of a

ween a ground wire and the ground. a lightning maBt.

(b) Protective Zones of Tile Lightning Masts

Thf protective zone of a single lightning mast upto a height of
'30 m. ·(Fig. 31·6) is a space bounded by the surface of rotation of a
·curve which can be found from the formula.
1·6
'l'.,= --h- (h-h;e), (31·1)
1+..::..
h
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 429

where h-height of lightning conductor ;

r.,-radius of the protective zone at a height h.,
h.,-level under examination above the surface of ground
(or height of the object to be protected) ;
h-h.,=ha-projection of height of the lightning conductor above
the level under examination (or above height of the
object to be protected) ; called the active height of the
lightning conductor.
In order to be protected from direct lightning strokes, the
object must be fully located within the cone like space which
represents the protective zone of the lightning mast.
Since during experimental determination of protective zones,
a number of departures from real conditions are permitted, there is

....... :::..:~

I CTD!J!. .!Je.;:Jion or
the I'Totediv~
I zone "1: a. 1\oishf h ~

·---~------>-
1
I
i
Fig. 31·7. Construction of the protective zone of a single
lightning mast.
1-simplified construction ; 2-protective zo 1e
constmet\)d from Eq. (31·1)

·WJ need to make use of the accurate boundaries of protective zones,

which become specially complicated in case of protection by two
lightning masts. It is possible to make use of the simplified construe-
' tion shown in Fig. 31·7. The generator surface enclosing the pro-
tective zone can he represented .by a broken line. One of the
sections of this broken line ab is a part of the straight line joining
the tip of the lightning conductor and a point on the surface of
">30 High Voltage Engineering

ground situated at a distance of 0·75 h from the axis of the lightning

mast ; and the other section (be) is a part of the straight line joining a
point of the lightning conductor at a height of 0·8 h and a point
on the surface of ground situated at a distance of 1· 5 h from the
axis of the lightning mast. The protective zone constructed
according to (31·1) is also shown in the same figure for comparison.
From Fig. 31· 7 it is clear that the point b is sij uated at a height
equal to fi h. It is easy to show that the radius of protection at a
level h~< i h is equal to :
1'x= 1·5 h ( 1--~~~-)·
0·8 h
(31·2)

The radius of protection at a level h,.; j h is

rx=0·7sh( I-~"'-} (31·3)

The effectiveness of lightning masts of heights greater than
30m becomes less, since during this the height of orientation of
lightning remains constant.
For determining the radius of protective zone of a lightning
mast of height h>30 m, the va)ues obtained from (31·2) and (31·3)
. 5·5
must be multiplied by the coefficient P= .r _. Construction of
"'h.
protective zone is done in the same way as in Fig. 31·7, but straight
lines aa' and c1;' are drawn through the points on the surface of
gro:.md situated at distances of 0·75 hp and I·S hp respectiu('ly from
the axis of the lightning mast.
The protective zone between two lightning masts ha\'e
considerably greater dimensions than the sum of protective zones
of two single lightning masts. It was mentioned above that the
radius of 100% strokes to the lightning mast is R=3·5 h. Evidently,
if two lightning masts are situated at a distance of a=2h= 7h, the
point of ground !mrface which lies mid-way between the two
lightning masts will not be struck by lightning. If it is necessary to
p~·otect a point situated mid-way between the two lightning masts
at a height of ho the distance between the lightning masts of height h
must.bc a~ 7 (h -h.), i.e. must not be greater than seven times the
active height _of the lightning masts. Or, if height of lightning
masts :>.nd the distance between them· are known, height of a point
which lies mid-way between the lightning masts and will be pro-
tected from lightning discharge is found as

(31·4)

The internal part of the protective zone of two lightning

masts . (Fig. 31·8) in a plane, passing through both the
lightning masts is bound~d by the arc of a circle which can be
 Protecl:ion from Direct Lightning Strokes 431

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

Fig. 31·8. Protective zone of two lightning masts,

.at a height equal to h.,. Cro3s-section of the protective zone in a
plane perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 31-8 (shown on the left) is
constructed ir: the same way as for a single lightning mast of height
equal to h0 (cross-section along 0-0 in Fig. 31·8). The external
part of the protective zone of the lightning masts is determined in
the same way as for single lightning masts.
For two lightning masts of height h > 30 m, point h0 is determined
as
a
h0 = h - -
7p
s-s
where P=-= (31·5)
yh
The radii of protective zone in the cmss-sections 0-0 are similarly
reduced by p times.

1-- 1<2'
I.- ~a
Fig. 31·9. Protective zone of two lightning masts of differe-nt heights.
Construction of protective zones for two lightning masts of
different heights is ;hown in Fig. 31·9.
432 High Voltage Engineering

At first the protective zone of higher lightning mast is

constructed. After that through the tip of the lightning mast of
smaller height a horizontal line is drawn till it intersects the
protec~ive zone of the single lightning mast of greater height.

. .Considering that the tip of a certain fictitious lightning mast

~omci?es with this point of intersection 3. protective ~ones of the
hghtnmg masts 2 and 3 of the same height h 2 and situated at a
distance a', are constructed.
. Such objects as the equipment of outdoor distribution sub-
stations are located on sufficiently large territory. They have to

.l!
00
--II

i
/

--
/
""
0.,3
Fig. 31·10. Area at a. height. h., protected by three lightning
ma~ts of height h ( 1, 2 and 3)

be protected by a number of lightning masts. In this case, the

external part of the protective zone is determined in the same way
as the protective zone of two lightning masts. The internal part
of the protective -zone of a number of lightning masts is not cons-
tructed. An object of height h., situated inside the triangle (or
rectangle) formed by the lightning masts will be protected in case
the diameter D of the circle passing through the tips of the lightning
masts (or the diagonal of the rectangle at the corners ofwhich the
lightning masts are situated) is not greater than 8 times the active
height (ha=h-h.,) of the lightning masts i.e. the condition that the
area between the lightning masts at a level h., will be protected is
D<,8 (h-h.,). (31·6)
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 433
The protective zones at a level !1£ for three aml four lightning
masts are shown in Figs. 3l·IO and 3 l · l l.

Fig. 31·11. Aro•1 'It n height k, protected by four lightning

masts which are located a.t the corners of a rectangle.

For an arbitrary location of the lightning masts the condition

stated ab:we m·.nt b~ separately verified for each group of three
lightning m:lsts near one another.
If the height of lightnin~ masts exceeds 30m, the condition
of protection at a level h., will be :
D<,8(h-h.,)p. (31·7)

The complex of an outdoor distribution installation of 110 KV

to be protected from direct lightning stroke.s is shown in Fig. 31·12.
On the basis of trial calculations the pr.:.-> of location of the
li?:htning masts on the gantry of. ll m height are chosen. After the
protective zones formed by each group of three or four lightning
masts are calculated.
We shall examine the protective zone of lightning masts 1, 3
and 4. The diameter of the circle passing through the tips· of
these lightning masts is D=50 m.
The condition of full protectien pf the area of triangle formed
by the lightning rods 1,3 and 4 is
D~B ha.
Consequently, minimum active height of these lightning ma$ts
must be:
434 High Voltage Engineering

Fig. 31·1~. 1-J·vLelL.ut•" u, l11J 1\._ V subRtdlion by lightning masts.

The minimum active height of the lightning masts 1, 2 and 4

essential for the protection of area of the triangle formed by these
lightning masts is

The minimum acti1·e height of lightning masts 2, 4, 5

55
ha= 8 =6·9 m.

For the protection of area of the rectangle at thr: corners of

which lightning masts 3, 4, 6 and 7 are situatel, a active height
51
ha= /3 =6·4 m.
is essential.
The minimum height of lightning masts 4, 5, 7 and 8 is
1 57 7.f)
rla=s= .., m.

In this 11·ay, it is possible to use the same active height

h.=7·5 m f<;Jl' all tl:c, lightning masts.
The objects to he protected
have a maxnnum hergnt of about ll m. (lmsbars of the S1tbstation),
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 435

hence the total height of lightning masts must be h= ll+ 7·5=18 5 rn.
For installation of lightning masts, gantries of llm. are used.
Gantries A and B of height 8 2 m are situated- outside the triangles
l, 3, 4 and 2, 4, 5, therefore it is essential to verify whether they entet
in the protective zones formed by the lightning masts J --3 and 2-5
The radius of the protective zone of the lightning masts o
height h=l8·5 mat a level of h..,=8·2 according to (:11·2) is

1'x=l·5xl8·5( I- 0 . 8 ·~~ 85 )=12-4 m.

The maximum height of the protective zone in betwee1

lightning masts 1-3 or 2--5 is det~rmined from (31·4) as
. 43 .
h0 =18·5-7=12-3 m.

Dimensions of the protective zone in between the lightnin

rods at a height h..,=8·2 m according to (31·2) is
r = 1·5x 12·3 ( 1-- ~ 8·2---- ) =3m.
"" IJ·B >:: 12·3

The construction shows that gantries A and B fully- ·<:mer

tne protective zones of
the Jightnin'~ ffil:'~S 1-3 and 2-5 respectivr· 1;·

em~~ 5ed•Ot1
of PYo~edivt ZOI\t
!-2bx+_ _____.. at a he13h~ h'$.
1
I
I

Fig. 31·13. Protective mnc of~' groun<l wire'.

4'6 High Voltage Engineering

(r) Protective Zones of Ground Wires

The pr(Jtective zone of a ground wire is shown in Fi~. 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 h~30 ra equals 1·2h.
Half the breadth of the protective zone at a level h,> i h i_s deter-
mined as
(31·8}

·)

At a level h,< ; h, half the breadth of the protective zone is :

~
!J,=l·2h( 1-~)-
0·8h
(31·9}

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

a di.splacement of the electrode a distance B=2h, all the discharges
strike the ground wire. Evidently, if two ground wires are to be
med as lightning conductors. for a distance 8=4h between them,
the point situated on ground surface midway between the ground
wires will ttot be struck by lightning.
If the distance between two -ground wires S<4h the point
situated midway between the ground \Vires at a level of

(31·10)

\\·ili be protected from lightning strokes.

The external part of the protective zone for two ground wires
is determined in the same way as for a single ground wire. The
internal part is bounded by a surface which in the cross-section per-
pendicular io the ground wire gives an arc of a circle.
This arc of the circle can be constructed through three points :
one of them is h 0 and other two the ground wires (Fig. 31·14).
In electrical installations ground wires are mainly used for the
protection of conductors of transmission lines. Average height of
suspension of conductors (hx) is greater than 2/3 the height of suspen-
sion of the ground wires (hJ ; usually h.,jh is about 0·8. For ground
wires, instead of the term protective zones, the term protective angles
is used. Protective angle of a ground wire is the angle between a
vertical lir:e passing through a ground wire and the line joining a
conductor and the ground wire and lying on the plane perpendicular
to the conductoc axis (Fig. 31·15).
In a single lightning mast of a height h = 30 m situated in a
regi<!m of average intensity of lightning activity, direct strokes occur
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 437

very rarely-once in every 15 years (see Chapt. 29). Therefore, if the

protective zone is detP.;mined with a probability of O·l%, with ten

Fig. 31•14, Protective zone ('ftwo ground wires.

lightning conductors on the territory of a substation, it is possible to

guarantee that th'ere will not be any srroke on the objects to be

Fig. 31·15. Prot0ctivo nngle a and protective zonos of

grom1tl wires on tt transmi~sion litw.

protected in the course of 1500 years. Besides this, the objects to bP:
protected are inscribed in the protective ,zone with a certain margin
of safety, which very greatly increase the reliability. Hence for
lightning masts, the necessity of coerect detel'mination of the probabi-
lity with which the protective zoncs·havc been found out, docs not
arise.
438 Hlgh Voltage Engineering
An altogether different situation exists during the protection of
transmission lines by g1 ")und 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
1\-!oscow of lengths of the order of 1000 km are struck by lightning not
Je~s ~han 200 times during a lig·htlling season. Therefore, for trans-
mission lines the probabi!it; of protection with the help <S>f ground
wires attains great importance.
. On account of the approximate nature of modelling of lightning
1ll a laboratory, it docs not s~:em possible to· determine these probabi-
lities experimentally and the only method is to generaiise the experi-
ence of operation cf w:,Ja.l lines having different tower heights and
different protective angles The experience of operation shows that
an angle of protection of C( = 31 o corresponding to Fig. 31·13 ensures
an acceptable reliability d protection ; however, in practice, it is
attempted to use an angle of the order of cx=20- 25°.

31·3. Permissible Distances Be"t.ween the Object to be Pro-

tected and the Lightning Conductor
The object to be protected must fully lie within the protective
zone of a lightning conductor. Besides this, it must be located at a
definite distance fron~ the lightning conductors. If this distance is
too small flashovers from parts of the lightning conductor to the
uhject to be protected can take place during lightning strokes.
The lightning protection equ.ipment which ihcludeo; lightning
conductors, current conductors and earthing device have resista~ces
a~ well as inductance. A coniderable portion of the active resistance
is formed· by the earthing grid. The conductors for carrying away
lightning current to earth hehave like inductances in the. electrical
sense, the value of which depends, first of all, on the length of a
current carrying conductor.
Lightning current, while passing through a lightning conductor,
gives rise to a voltage drop in the resistance of earthing and the
inductance of the current carrying conductor.
For an oblique-angled form of the front of lightning current the
maximum potential at a point of the lightning conductor, situated at
a distance l from the earthing grid (Fig. 31·16} will be equal to:

Vz=IuR+L (ddiwi)
t (l1)

where 1M-amplitude <•f Lhe lightning current,

R -resistance of the earthing grid during flow through it
of lightning current,
L -inductance of the section of current carrying conductor
of length l measured frol11 the earthing grid upto the
point under consideration,
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes

(diu)
dt (,V
-average steepness of the front of lightning current.

Cbjte~ Ia b~
pror~chd

Fig. 31·1.6. For tho determination of tlw pPrmissible

distAnce between u lightning mast mul the object to
be protected.

For the calculation of the potential of a lightning conductor,

IJI is taken as 150 kA (probability 0·3%) and ( d~;r )=30 kA/[J. sec.
For m~tallic lightnins condu::tor3 of lattice coastru·:tioa, and simi-
larly for separately laid current carrying conductors, the specific
inductance is approxim::ttely L = 1·7 ftH/ l\L In this manner, for
concitions of calculations we have :
V1 =150 R+50 l, KV. (31·11)
The amplitudes of voltage in the lightning conductor happens
to be very high, for instance, for R,= 10 ohm and at a distance
l= 10 Jlf from the earthing grid, we have
V1 =2000 KV.
The potential of the earthing grid of the lightning conductor during
ili~~ .
V 1 =1JrR=l500 KV.
Evid~ntly, in order tlut there would not b~ any flashover on
the object to be protected, the strength of th~ inmlation between the
object and the lightning conductor mmt b;.: higher than the value
of vnltage on the lightning conductor.
440 High Voltage Engineering
If the object happens to be a conductor, suspended on a string
of insulators which, with its other end, is attached to a cross arm, it
is necessary to satisfy the condition
V 11 >I50 R+50 l, (30·12)
where Fn-is the impulse flashover voltage of the string of insu-
lators.

_ In the case wL~n the obje~t and the lightning conductor are
:separated by an air gap of length S, the condition

8~ : 1
- must be satisfied.
per

Taking the value of the permissible average intensity of the

electric field in air gaps E 1,.r=500 KVfM we get:
S>0·3 Rl+O·I l, M. (31·13)
If it is essential to prevent flashover from the earthing grid of
the lightning c:mductor to the object situ:tted on ground, it is essen-
tial that the distance between them in earth is

(31·14)

The permissible average intensity of electric field in earth is

EP'l,:.:30:J KV/M. With the 1ightni·g current 1.~1 of 150 kA used
in calculations, we will get the condition
S.>0·5 RiM. (31·15)

31·4. Specialities of Constructional Details of Lightning

Conductors
Structures of objects to be protected must, where it is possible,
l>e used as supports for fastening the current carrying parts of light-
ning conductors. For example, in outdoor distributions substations
of 110 KV and abpvc, lightning conductors can he mounted on the
metallic gantries meant for supporting the husl>ars and the gantries
themselves can be used as current carriers connecting the lightning
conductors with the earthing grid>.
Sel_,arately mounted lightning concluetors can similarly be made
metallic : from steel tubes, if height of ligl~tning conductors does not
exceed 20 m, or in the for :n of lattice constructions, if height is more
lhan 20m. However, lightning conduct0rS made on cement con-
crete or wooden sugports happen to be cheaper (for a height upto
20 m). , The r~inforcem!'nt of cement concrete: supports is uscd.as
current carrie!'s; along wooden supports special current carrying
conductors carrying lightning current to ground arc used. It is
recommended \(_o construct lightning conductors in the form of self-
--stt}Jp(}l"ting cwHtructions with out (stay ':'ires) guys.
 Protection from Direct Lightning Strokes 441

\Ve will find the necessary cross-section of the current carrying

:parts of lightning conductors, lightning receivers and current carrier.
While calculating the heat developed in these parts, we shall
neglect the heat radiated to the surrounding medium. The energy,
given out during the passage of current through a resistance per unit
length, c<>.n be calculated as

w =1' I
0
iM
2
dt.

Since the front of lightning current wave has a small effect on

the heating of the conductor, we shall take
0·7
. I -tjT -- t
~.u= Me =Ie 'w
Since -:-w~0-7 T.
In this manner we get

The temperature rise ofthe conductor is determined by the

following formula :
c TV piM 2"w
t =usc=r4gcS2' (31·16)

where !]-density of the material of the conductor ;

U-its mean specific heat capacity ;
8-cross-section of the conductor ;
p-specific resistance of the material.
We shall take the amplitude oflightning current as I M= 150 kA;
and considering additional heating by repeated discharges, we shall
take the length of wave tail -r:w= lOr. !J.B. There are very severe
conditions which correspond to the transicr, after one of a multiple
stroke of lightning, of a quantity of electricity

Q=I 0
.
1M dt=
IM-r:w
_ N20 coulombs,
0 7

which happens rarely.

For commonly used steel conductors g=7-8 gramfcm 3 , 0=0·11
Calorie gr. degree. Average . specific . resistance of steel in the
 High Voltage Engineering

temperature range of0-400°C can be taken to be equal to p=3·10- 5

ohm em. For this data we shall get the temperature rise as
fo= 1_3~
82
A steel conductor of cross-section S=2j mm 2 will be heated by
lightning current in all to 2l5°C. Such a heating is fully admissible
even in the case when the current carrier .is mounted along timber.
However, for increasing the mechanical strength and the life span,
steel conductors of 50 mm~ cross-section arc recommcEded (round
steel of 8 mm. dia).
For protection from corrosion lightning conductors must be·
paillted or zinc plated. Use of multi-conductor steel wire is notre-
commended from the point of view of corrosion.