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Modelling of grounding systems with the method of moments

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 3 RD IEEE B ENELUX YOUNG R ESEARCHERS S YMPOSIUM IN E LECTRICAL P OWER E NGINEERING
27-28 A PRIL 2006, G HENT, B ELGIUM
Modelling of Grounding Systems with the
Method of Moments
P. Jacqmaer, Student Member, IEEE, and J. L. Driesen, Member, IEEE
Abstract— The Method of Moments (MoM) is a mathematical
technique to solve integral equations. It is used in
telecommunications for the analysis of antennas. Grounding
systems consist of grounding rods, loops or grids. When a
lightning current passes through these elements, they radiate
electromagnetic fields which can be analysed with the MoM. This
paper describes a technique based on the MoM to calculate the
transient voltages and impedances on or around a grounding
system subject to a lightning strike. First, the method is given for
a radiating element in a conductive medium, e.g. a grounding
electrode in earth. Next, the influence of the air-ground interface
is examined. Finally, the method is slightly adjusted to account
for dielectrically insulated structures. The method is applied to
test cases and typical grounding systems for which the transient
voltage is computed. This voltage is already described in other
papers so that the method described in this paper can be
validated.
Index Terms—Lightning Protection System, grounding system,
grounding electrode, lightning, Method of Moments, transient
voltage, transient impedance, modified image theory.
I. INTRODUCTION
M ODELLING of grounding systems for high frequencies
and steep transients has recently received a lot of
interest. This is because of the many practical problems with
grounding systems and because computers are becoming
powerful enough to perform computationally expensive
operations necessary for the modelling. The problems with
grounding systems are situated in domains such as
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), telecommunications
(radio base stations in high towers) and lightning protection of
power lines, critical infrastructure and wind turbines.
Furthermore, when choosing the withstand voltage of
insulators or isolation transformers in an electrical system, the
transient voltage across this device must be known. Because
of the many applications, accurate modelling of grounding
systems is becoming very important.
The available modelling techniques can be subdivided into
three categories [1]:
1. Circuit theory methods (including distributed
parameter circuits)
2. Electromagnetic field theory methods
3. Hybrid methods (combining the previous two)
P. Jacqmaer and J. Driesen are with the Department of Electrical
Engineering, ESAT, K.U.Leuven, Belgium
Pieter.Jacqmaer@esat.kuleuven.be - http://www.esat.kuleuven.be/electa/).
The electromagnetic field theory models are based on the least
neglects and can therefore be considered the most accurate
methods. However, they are the most difficult to implement.
Furthermore, it is hard to account for soil ionisation. Soil
ionisation occurs because of the high currents in a grounding
system when the electric field around a grounding electrode
exceeds the critical breakdown strength for soil
(approximately 300-500 kV/m or more [2]) so that breakdown
occurs.
In this paper, the electromagnetic approach is used to
calculate fields and transient voltages when lightning strikes a
grounding system. The Method of Moments (MoM) is used to
solve the equations of the electromagnetic theory. In the next
section, the method is given for a radiating element in a
homogeneous dissipative medium. Next, the influence of the
air-ground interface is examined. In the following section, the
method is extended so that dielectrically insulated structures
such as cables can also be included in the grounding system.
In the last section, the method is applied to typical grounding
systems and the results are compared with data from the
literature.
II. METHOD OF MOMENTS FOR RADIATING WIRE ELEMENTS IN
A HOMOGENEOUS DISSIPATIVE MEDIUM
A. Maxwell’s equations in term of a scalar and a vector
potential
The Method of Moments is a technique to solve integral
equations. It was introduced into the electromagnetic theory to
solve Maxwell’s equations by Roger F. Harrington in his 1967
seminal paper “Matrix Methods for Field Problems” [3] [4].
Poggio and Burke implemented Harrington’s method on the
computer at Lawrence Livermore National Labs during the
1970s. There, they developed the famous Numerical
Electromagnetics Code (NEC). The MoM became the
predominant method for antenna analysis.
Leonid Grcev and Farid Dawalibi were the first to use the
method for the calculation of transient voltages and
impedances in Lightning Protection Systems (LPS) [5]. The
method of Grcev and Dawalibi is investigated in this paper.
First, Maxwell’s equations are written in terms of a scalar
G
potential φ and a vector potential A . This is done because
Maxwell’s equations will finally be written in the form of
Ohm’s law [V ] = [ Z ][ I ] and because the potentials φ and
(e-mail:
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 3 RD IEEE B ENELUX YOUNG R ESEARCHERS S YMPOSIUM IN E LECTRICAL P OWER E NGINEERING
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G
A are functions of this current [ I ] . For sinusoidal varying When we do this substitution into Ampère’s law (2) and use
(8), we get
quantities, the equations of Maxwell can be written as:
G G G G G jω G
∇ × E = − jω B (1) ∇ × B = μ Js + 2 E (13)
G G G G c
∇ × H = J + jω D (2) Where
G G σ
∇⋅D = ρ (3) ε eff = ε + (14)
G G jω
∇⋅B = 0 (4)
G 1
From equation (4) it follows that there exists a vector field A , c= (15)
which is called the vector potential, so that με eff
G G G
B = ∇× A (5) This is a very important result. It means that we can account
Substituting (5) into (1) gives for a finite conductivity simply by replacing the permittivity ε
G G G G with an effective permittivity εeff. Then, we only have to use
(
∇ × E + jω A = 0 ) the source-charges and -currents. We don’t have to bother
This means that there exists a scalar function φ, which is with the total charges and currents; we only have to consider
called the scalar potential, so that minus the gradient of φ the charges and currents produced by the radiating source.
G G Substituting (5) and (6) into (12) and (13) gives
equals E + jω A , or equivalently,
G G G ρsω2
E = −∇φ − jω A ∇ 2φ + φ =− (16)
G
(6) c ε eff
2

It can be shown that there exist two different sets (φ , A) and G ω G2 G

G ∇2 A + 2 A = −μ J s
(φ ', A ') which give the same electric field and the same c
(17)
magnetic induction when these fields are calculated from Equations (16) and (17) are known as Helmholtz equations.
these potentials using equations (5) and (6). These different Their solution is well-known [14] and is:
sets of potentials are related by G G
−γ r − r '
φ ' = φ − jω f G 1 G e 3G
φ (r ) = ∫ ρ s (r ') G G d r' (18)
G G G (7) V' ε eff 4π r − r '
A ' = A + ∇f G G
G G G G e−γ r −r ' 3G
Where f is an arbitrary scalar function. In order to fully A(r ) = ∫ μ J s (r ') G G d r' (19)
define the potentials, the so-called Lorentz-condition is V' 4π r − r '
imposed: Where
G G 1 ω
∇ ⋅ A = − 2 jωφ (8) γ= = jω με eff (20)
c c
The current density consists of a source current density, is the propagation constant. V’ is the volume over which the
conducted by the radiating metal element, and a conduction source-charges and -currents exist.
current density because of the non-zero conductivity of the
medium that surrounds the radiating element:
G G G G G B. Method of Moments for wire scatterers
J = J s + Jc = J s + σ E (9)
In its easiest form, the Method of Moments is applied to
Charge is the accumulation of current, integrated in time: wire scatterers. The method is in fact a general technique and
−1 G G
ρ= ∇⋅J (10)
can be applied to any kind of geometry which radiates
jω electromagnetic waves. Many grounding systems consist of
rods, loops or grids and can be modelled as wire structures. To
Furthermore, in linear media, there is a relationship between
be able to numerically solve the equations (5), (6), (18) and
the electric field and the electric displacement and between the
(19), the wire structure is divided in smaller segments. A thin-
magnetic induction and the magnetic field:
G G wire assumption is made: it is assumed that the radius of the
D =εE wire is much smaller (more than ten times smaller) than the
G G (11) length of a segment. This is because when we make this
B = μH assumption, the current flowing through the wire structure and
The quantities ε and μ are called permittivity and the electric charges on the wire surface can be modelled as
permeability, respectively. Inserting (9), (10) and (11) into being concentrated on the axis of the wire. When the
Gauss’ law (3), gives observation point, where we want to calculate the fields, is on
G G ρ the surface of the wire scatterer, the boundary condition for
∇⋅E = s (12)
ε eff the electric field applies in this point. This condition states that
the tangential electric field component is continuous across

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the boundary between two electrically different media. 1 e −γ R

Because the electric field inside a perfect conductor is zero, it φ (m − ) ≈
ε eff
∑ ρ s (n − ) ∫ Δln − 4π R
dl (26)
only has a normal component just outside the boundary n
surface of a perfect conductor. The electric field of equation 1 I s (n + 1) − I s (n)
(6) is the field scattered by the conductive structure. We shall ρ s (n + ) ≈ − (27)
GS jω Δln+
denote it by E . The electric field on the outside boundary of
Gi 1 I s (n) − I s (n − 1)
a perfect conductor consists of an electric field E incident to
GS ρ s (n − ) ≈ − (28)
the structure and a field E scattered by the structure. The jω Δln−
boundary condition states that the total electric field has only a
normal component:
G G G G
(E S + Ei ) × n = 0 (21)
G
Where n is a unit vector normal to the surface of the perfect
conductor. When we apply this boundary condition and the
thin-wire assumption to the equations (5), (10), (18) and (19),
they are transformed into
∂φ
− Eli = − − jω Al
∂l
Fig. 1. Division of a wire in smaller segments: definition of the notation
G 1 e −γ R
φ (r ) = ∫ ρ s (l ) dl
ε
axis eff
4π R The ρs’s are given in terms of the Is’s by (27) and (28). This
(22) means that (23) can be written in terms of the currents Is only.
G G G e −γ R Thus, there exists a relationship between the electric field Eli
A(r ) = ∫ μ I s (l ) 4π R dl
axis
incident on a wire segment and the currents Is that produce
this electric field. We can view the N equations (23) as the
1 dI s − +
ρs = − equations of an N-port network with terminals ( n , n ). The
G i JJJG
jω dl
voltage applied to each port is E Δln . Hence, we can rewrite
Where l is the length variable along the wire axis and R is the
distance form a source point on the axis to a field point on the equation (23) in matrix form as:
wire surface. [V ] = [ Z ][ I s ] (29)
Equations (22) are the integro-differential equations which Where
are solved by the Method of Moments. Integrals are G JJG
approximated by the sum of integrals over the smaller ⎡ I s (1) ⎤ ⎡ E i (1).Δl1 ⎤
⎢ I (2) ⎥ ⎢ Gi JJJG ⎥
segments, obtained by taking ρ s and I s constant over each ⎢ E (2).Δl2 ⎥
⎢
[Is ] = s ⎥ [V ] = ⎢
segment. Derivatives are approximated by finite differences ⎢ # ⎥ # ⎥ (30)
over the same intervals as the ones used for integration. ⎢ ⎥ ⎢G JJJG ⎥
Figure 1 illustrates the division of the wire axis into N smaller ⎣ I s ( N )⎦ ⎢ E i ( N ).Δl ⎥
segments and defines the notation. The nth segment is
⎣ N⎦

identified by its starting point, n-, its midpoint, n and its To calculate the elements of the impedance matrix [Z] we
can apply (23) to (28) to two isolated segments. The integrals
termination point n+. The interval Δln denotes the segment in (24), (25) and (26) are of the same form and are denoted
terminated by n- and n+. The intervals Δln− and Δln+ denote by:
1 e−γ R
ψ ( n, m ) = ∫Δln 4π R dl
the segments shifted one-half segment minus or plus along the
(31)
axis l of the wire scatterer. The approximations to equations Δln
(22) become:
Element n consist of a current Is and two charges
φ (m + ) − φ (m− ) −1
− E ≈ − jω Al (m) −
i
(23) q(n + ) =
1
I s ( n) q(n − ) = I s ( n)
Δlm (32)
l
jω jω
G G e −γ R q = ρ s Δl . By using this representation we are in fact
A(m) ≈ μ ∑ I s (n) ∫ dl (24)
Where
Δln 4π R assuming that the current amplitude on each segment is
n

1 e −γ R constant and that each segment can be represented by an

φ (m + ) ≈ ∑ ρ
ε eff n s
( n +
) ∫Δln+ 4π R dl (25) electric dipole consisting of two equal but opposite charges
oscillating sinusoidal.
The vector potential at m due to Is(n) is
G JJJG
A = μ I s (n)Δlnψ (n, m) (33)

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 3 RD IEEE B ENELUX YOUNG R ESEARCHERS S YMPOSIUM IN E LECTRICAL P OWER E NGINEERING
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The scalar potentials at m+ and m- due to the charges (32) are,

according to (25) and (26),

1
φ (m + ) = ⎡⎣ I s (n)ψ (n + , m + ) − I s (n)ψ (n − , m+ ) ⎤⎦
jωε eff
(34)
1
φ (m ) =
−
⎡ I s (n)ψ (n , m ) − I s (n)ψ (n , m ) ⎤⎦
+ − − −

jωε eff ⎣
Substituting equations (34) and (33) into (23) and defining
impedance as Fig. 2. Modified image theory
G JJJG
E i (m).Δlm
Z mn = (35) The electric field in any point on the boundary plane is the
G
I s ( n) vectorial sum of the coulombian component EC , due to the
then, after a few calculations, we obtain G
JK JJK charge Q and the rotational component Eind , due to the
Z mn = jωμ Δl n .Δlm + JJG
current I dl . Index 1 represents the complex image
(36)
[ψ (n , m ) − ψ (n , m ) − ψ (n , m ) + ψ (n , m )]
1 + + − + + − − −
coefficients the image current and charge have to be
jωε eff multiplied with in order to calculate the electric field in
We see that the impedance of segment m due to segment n medium 1. The original source elements in medium 1 also
consists of five terms. The first term is the influence of the remain and the entire space consists of the material medium 1
magnetic vector potential on the electric field and the last four is made of. Index 2 represents the complex image coefficients
terms represent the influence of the scalar potential on the the current and charge have to be multiplied with in order to
electric field. calculate the electric field in medium 2. The original source
elements in medium 1 remain and the mirroring does not have
III. INFLUENCE OF THE AIR-GROUND INTERFACE to be performed. The entire space now consists of the material
medium 2 is made of.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the problem of The continuity condition at the boundary plane for the nor-
transmitting information by electromagnetic waves has been G G G G
researched by many scientists. An important problem is the mal component of the current density J = ε E +∂D/ ∂t = σeff E
situation where the transmitting or receiving antenna is in the with σeff =σ + jωε , states that
vicinity of the earth’s surface. This problem is solved by the
G G G G G G G G
mathematician Arnold Sommerfeld (also known from his σ ⎡ Q R .n dl .n ⎤ σ ⎡ Q R .n dl .n ⎤
+ jωμ (1 − F ) I + jωμ F I
⎢ (1 − F ⎥= ⎢F ⎥
eff 1 eff 2

atom model) in 1947 in his book on partial differential )

4π ⎣ ε ⎦ 4π ⎣ ε ⎦
Q1 3 1 I1 Q2 3 2 I2

R R R R
equations [6]. Sommerfeld considers the problem of a eff 1 eff 2

Hertzian dipole above an arbitrary earth as an application of The continuity condition for the tangential components of the
his mathematical theory on partial differential equations. total electric field at the boundary plane, states that
Sommerfeld’s solution involves complicated integrals that GG G G GG G
G
1 ⎡ Q R.t dl .t ⎤ 1 ⎡ Q R.t dl .t ⎤
+ jωμ (1 + F ) I + jωμ F I
must be solved using complex analysis. In this section, an
⎢ (1 + F )
⎥= ⎢F ⎥
4π ⎣ ε ⎦ 4π ⎣ ε ⎦
Q1 3 1 I1 Q2 3 2 I2

approximate solution is derived. The method is known as the eff 1

R R eff 2
R R
modified image theory.
Consider a space made up of two half-spaces characterised G G
Where n and are t the normal and tangential unit vectors in
by the electromagnetic properties (ε eff 1 , μ1 ) for the upper G
a point on the boundary plane. R is the distance vector from
halve-space and (ε eff 2 , μ 2 ) for the lower halve-space. The the source to the observation point on the interface plane. In
situation is depicted in figure 2. An elementary charge and an calculating the image sources, the retardation and attenuation
−γ R
elementary dipole exist in only one of the two media factor e had been neglected. This means that the modified
(medium 1). It will now be proven that the electric field in the image method is an approximate method and that it can only
halve-space of the dipole can approximately be calculated by be used when:
mirroring the dipole with respect to the boundary plane γ R << 1 (37)
between the two media, and multiplying the current and
charges of the dipole with factors FI and FQ respectively. After a few calculations, the boundary conditions yield
Then, the boundary plane between the two media can be ε eff 1 − ε eff 2
removed and we must consider only one space consisting of FQ1 = FI 1 = =F (38)
the material of medium 1. The factors FI and FQ shall now be
ε eff 1 + ε eff 2
computed. 2ε eff 2
FQ 2 = (39)
ε eff 1 + ε eff 2

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 3 RD IEEE B ENELUX YOUNG R ESEARCHERS S YMPOSIUM IN E LECTRICAL P OWER E NGINEERING
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μ1 2ε eff 1 Hϕ 2π r = I ( z ')
FI 2 = (40)
μ 2 ε eff 1 + ε eff 2 I ( z ') (44)
Hϕ =
The mutual impedance between segments n and m is given by 2π r
(35) and is Ampère’s law, written in differential form, is:
JK JJK G G G G
Z mn = jωμ1 Δl n .Δlmψ ( n, m ) + ∇ × H = J + jω D (45)
JJK JJK
jωμ1 F ΔlnI .Δl mψ ( nI , m ) + For a point inside the dielectric, the source and conduction
G G
currents are zero: J = 0 . Ampère’s law therefore becomes:
[ψ (n , m ) − ψ ( n , m ) − ψ ( n , m ) + ψ ( n , m ) ] + (41)
1 + + − + + − − −

jωε eff 1
G G G
∇× H = jω D
G
F
[ψ (n +
, m ) − ψ ( nI , m ) − ψ ( nI , m ) + ψ ( nI , m )
+ − + + − − −
] = jωε d E
I
jωε eff 1
= ⎛⎜
1 ∂H ∂H ⎞ ⎛ ∂H − ∂H ⎞ ϕˆ + 1 ⎛ ∂ ( rH ∂H r ⎞ zˆ
⎟ rˆ + ⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
ϕ
− z r z
)−
In previous equation, the index “nI” stands for the current and ⎝ r ∂ϕ ∂z ⎠ ⎝ ∂z ∂r ⎠ r ⎝ ∂r ⎠
ϕ
∂ϕ
charge element which is obtained by mirroring element n with
∂H 1⎛ ∂ ⎞
respect to the interface plane between medium 1 and 2. The
= − rˆ ϕ + ⎜ (rH ϕ ) ⎟ zˆ
factor F is given by (38). ∂z r ⎝ ∂r ⎠
1 ∂I ( z ')
IV. DIELECTRICALLY INSULATED WIRE STRUCTURES = − rˆ
A dielectric is a material with a high specific resistivity. A 2π r ∂z '
perfect dielectric is, in fact, an insulator and it has a
permittivity ε higher than that of air (ε0 ≈ 8.85.10-12 F/m). The This gives us the polarisation electric field inside the dielectric
resistivity of a real dielectric isn’t infinite but finite. In a insulation and, using (42), the polarisation current, which we
dielectric material, there exist electric dipoles which orientate can write in terms of the Heaviside step function u:
themselves according to an externally applied electric field. G −(ε d − ε eff ) 1 ∂I ( z ')
JP = [u ( r − a ) − u ( r − b)].rˆ (46)
When this electric field has a time-varying orientation, the εd 2π r ∂z '
moving charges produce a current, which is called
''polarisation current''. The relationship between the electric The polarization volume charge density is, by (10),
field and the polarisation current is, for sinusoidal varying 1 (ε d − ε eff ) 1 ∂I ( z ')
ρP = [δ ( r − a ) − δ ( r − b )] (47)
quantities [7]: jω εd 2π r ∂z '
G G
J P = jω (ε d − ε eff ) E (42) Where δ is the Dirac impulse. This means that there is only a
Where εd is the permittivity of the dielectric insulation and εeff charge density at r=ra and at r=rb and not for ra<r<rb.
is the effective permittivity of the surrounding medium. The scalar potential due to this charge density is,
using cylindrical coordinates for the integration,
−γ R
1 e
φP =
ε eff
∫∫∫ ρP
4π R
dV
dielectric

ε d − ε eff ∂I ( z ) ⎛
2π ⎛ e ⎞ ⎞
−γ R −γ R
j e a b

= −
ε d ε eff 8π ω
∫ ⎜
∂z ⎝
∫ ⎜ − ⎟ dϕ ⎟ dz
⎝ Ra Rb ⎠ ⎠
2 ϕ =0
axis

ε d − ε eff 1 ⎛ 2π ⎛ e−γ R a
e ⎞ ⎞
− γ Rb

= −
ε d ε eff 8π
∫ σ s ⎜ ∫ϕ =0 ⎜ − ⎟ dϕ ⎟ dz
⎝ ⎝ Ra Rb ⎠ ⎠
2
axis

Where Ra is the distance from a charge element on the

Fig. 3. Dielectric insulated wire element
We like to calculate the polarization current now. Consider
the situation depicted in figure 3. Ampère’s law for an
integration path inside the insulation, is
G JJG
v∫ H dl = ∫∫ ( J + jω D)dS
Let’s take as integration path a circle with radius r
G
(ra ≤ r ≤ rb ) and centre on the conductor’s axis. D is
radially oriented and therefore vanishes in Ampère’s law:
cylinder with radius ra to the observation point, Rb is the
distance from a charge element on the cylinder with radius rb
to the observation point and σs is the source charge per unit
length.
Maxwell’s equations in discretised form which must be solved
using the Method of Moments are still given by (23) to (28).
G G JJG There is one exception, however: the scalar potential must be
(43) replaced by:

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⎡Z ⎤ ⎡I ⎤ ⎡0 ⎤
−γ R
1 e Z12 " Z1, k −1 Z1k Z1, k +1 " Z1 N
φ (m ) ≈
+

ε eff
∑σ s
(n )
+
∫ Δl n
+

4π R
dl
⎢"
11

⎥ ⎢#
1

⎥ ⎢# ⎥
" " " " " " "
⎢ ⎥⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
n
(48)
1 ε d − ε eff
2π
⎛e − γ Ra
e ⎞− γ Rb
⎢Z " " ⎥ ⎢I ⎥ ⎢0 ⎥
∑σ
Zk −1, 2 Zk −1, k −1 Zk −1, k Zk −1, k +1 Zk −1, N
∫ ∫⎜ ⎟ dϕ ' dl
+
− (n ) − k −1,1 k −1

8π
2
ε d ε eff
s
⎝ Ra Rb ⎠ ⎢0 " 0 " 0
⎥ . ⎢I ⎥ = ⎢I ⎥
⎢ 0 1 0
⎥⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
n Δl +
ϕ '= 0
n k exc

A similar adaptation should be made for φ(m-). Then, using ⎢Z Zk +1, 2 " Zk +1, k −1 Zk +1, k Zk +1, k +1 " Zk +1, N ⎥ ⎢I ⎥ ⎢0 ⎥
⎢ ⎥⎢
k +1,1

⎥ ⎢ ⎥
k +1
equation (35), the elements of the impedance matrix can be
calculated as: ⎢" " " " " " " " ⎥ ⎢# ⎥ ⎢# ⎥
JK JJK ⎢⎣Z ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣I ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣0 ⎥⎦
Z mn = jωμ1 Δl .Δl ψ ( n, m) + n m
N1
ZN 2 " Z N , k −1 Z Nk Z N , k +1 " Z NN N

⎛ ε eff
⎞ (50)
⎡ 2π
⎤
⎢⎣ 2π ⎜⎝ ε ⎟⎠ ∑ ( )
1 1
ψ ( n , m ) − ψ a ( n , m ) − ψ a ( n , m ) + ψ a ( n , m ) Δθ
+ + − + + − − −

⎦⎥
a
jωε θ =0
eff 1 d
In this equation, Iexc is the amplitude of a sinusoidal excitation
th
+
⎡ .
1 1 ε d − ε eff 2π

.∑ (ψ ( n , m ) − ψ ( n , m ) − ψ ( n , m ) + ψ ( n , m ) )Δθ
+ ⎤ current on the k segment, andth Ii, i=1,..,N, is the amplitude of
+ − + + − − −

jωε
⎢⎣ 2π ε θ =0
b
⎥⎦ the sinusoidal current of the i segment. The right-hand side
b b b

eff 1 d

of equation (50) is the vector with known quantities. The

(49)
elements of the impedance matrix are also known. Applying a
Where ψa is calculated over a segment on the straight line simple matrix inversion, the vector with the unknown currents
which is located on the surface of the cylinder with radius ra can be calculated.
and parallel to the wire axis. ψb is calculated over a segment
on the straight line which is located on the surface of the
cylinder with radius rb and is parallel to the wire axis. Of
course, equation (49) can be modified to account for the
boundary plane between the air and the ground.

V. APPLICATION OF THE METHOD OF MOMENTS ON THE

ANALYSIS OF GROUNDING SYSTEMS
The method of moments can be used to analyse the
effectiveness of grounding systems when a lightning strikes Fig. 4. Grounding system excited by a current source
the system. Consider a grounding system which is divided into
N small segments. A lightning that strikes the system can be When the current on each segment is known, the scalar
modelled by a current source which injects the lightning potential in an arbitrary point inside the ground can be
current. The source is placed in the kth segment and one end of calculated using following equation:
−γ R
this segment is connected to the far earth (figure 4). G 1 e
When external impedances are present in the grounding φ (r ) ≈ ∑
ε eff n
σ s ( n) ∫
Δl
4π R
dl
n
+

system, e.g. current or surge arresters or isolation

transformers, they can be included in the model by adding 1 ε d − ε eff
2π
⎛ e−γ R e−γ R ⎞
∑ σ s ( n) ∫
a b

them to the corresponding diagonal element of the impedance −

8π ε d ε eff
∫ ⎜ − R ⎟ dϕ ' dl
ϕ ' = 0 ⎝ Ra b ⎠
2
matrix Z. n Δl
n
+

It is possible to account for the finite conductivity of the −γ R

(51)
F e
metal where the grounding system is made of. Instead of
assuming that the grounding electrodes are built out of a
+
ε eff
∑ σ (nI )∫s Δln
I
+

4π R
dl
nI
material with infinite conductivity, we can, when we modify
F ε d − ε eff
2π
⎛ e−γ R e−γ R ⎞
∑ σ s ( nI )
previous method slightly, consider electrodes with a finite a b

conductivity. For most applications however, it is not −

8π ε d ε eff
∫ ∫⎜ − R ⎟ dϕ ' dlI
ϕ ' = 0 ⎝ Ra ⎠
2
nI Δl b
necessary to take a finite conductivity into consideration. n I
+

Details on the exact implementation can be found in [5] and This scalar potential can be used as the definition of the
[8].
G
voltage between the point r and the far earth. Theoretically,
Because the grounding system is excited with a current the concept “voltage” does not exist in electromagnetism
source on the kth segment, we can write following matrix except at DC. Two definitions for the voltage between the
equation: points 1 and 2 exist:
V12 = φ2 − φ1 (52)
2 G JJ
G
V12 = − ∫ E.dl (53)
1
These definitions generally yield different results except at
DC, and that is why voltage theoretically only exists at zero
frequency. Furthermore, the definition with the scalar
potential (52) is preferred because the result of (53) is

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 3 RD IEEE B ENELUX YOUNG R ESEARCHERS S YMPOSIUM IN E LECTRICAL P OWER E NGINEERING
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dependent on the path which connects point 1 to point 2. VI. VALIDATION OF THE MODEL
When one calculates the voltage between 1 and 2 using two The model described in previous sections was tested on
different paths between 1 and 2, the difference in voltage is various configurations. A MATLAB program [15] was written
equal to: which implemented the Method of Moments. For some of the
∂ JGJJJG
∂t ∫∫
test configurations there exist analytic solutions, for other
V12 path1 − V12 path 2 = − B.dS (54)
configurations the results are described in other papers. For
S
some configurations, other authors even measured the
Where S is the surface bounded by the two different paths. transient voltage.
Therefore, the voltage in a point shall always be computed First of all, the input impedance of a dipole antenna fed
using the first definition, equation (52). from a voltage source was calculated for varying frequency.
It is often useful to compute the voltage in a point on a The length of this antenna was L = 51 m and the radius of the
grounding electrode. Because equation (51) can only be used wire was 1 mm. The antenna was suspended in free space.
for potentials in points inside the medium with effective The input conductance and susceptance were calculated and
permittivity εeff, the equation should be applied to points are shown in figure 5. One observes resonances at L/λ =
which are situated on the boundary between the grounding 0.478, 1.455 and 2.428 respectively. Theoretically, this should
electrode and the earth. be 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5. The input conductance at the first
resonance frequency is 0.0139 S. Theoretically, this is
The method of moments works in the frequency domain. This 1/(73.13 Ω) = 0.01367 S for a halve-wave dipole. This means
means that the input and output data must be pre- and that the simulation results correspond well with the theoretical
postprocessed in order to calculate the transient behaviour of values.
e.g. the voltage in a point on a grounding electrode. For
instance, the Fourier transform can be applied to obtain the
frequency components of a lightning current. For each
frequency, the current vector of (50) and the potential (51) is
to be computed. In (50), the Fourier component of the
lightning current at that frequency is to be used. After all the
frequency components of the voltage in a point are collected,
the inverse Fourier transform has to be used to transform the
signal to the time domain. This gives us the transient voltage.
The transient impedance of a grounding system can then be
calculated by dividing the transient voltage at the current
injection point by the lightning current:
v(t )
Z (t ) = (55)
i (t )
Fig. 5. Input conductance and susceptance of a dipole antenna
An other important quantity which can be computed with the
described MoM-based technique is the step voltage on the Next, a vertical dipole above a loss-making ground is
earth’s surface above the grounding system. More precisely, considered. It is fed at a frequency of 3 MHz. The
we can use the electric field (V/m) on the earth’s surface to conductivity of the ground is 3 mS/m. Its permittivity is 10ε0 .
represent this step voltage. Denoting the source-charges of The length of the dipole is 0.47λ0 and the wire radius is
G
(32) by Qs, the electric field in a point r , scattered by a 0.0005λ0. λ0 is the free space-wavelength. The input resistance
grounding system, is given by and reactance are calculated for varying d. d is the distance
G G N
G JJG
E (r ) = − jωμ ∑ I s ,iψ (i, r )Δli
between the midpoint of the dipole and the ground. The
results are given in figures 6a and 6b. The exact Sommerfeld
i =1
(56) solution for this problem is described in [9]. The results
1 N
⎛ 1 ⎞ e −γ R G
∑
presented in this paper, calculated with the modified image
+ Qs ,i ⎜ γ + ⎟ R
4πε eff i =1 ⎝ R ⎠ R2 approximation, correspond very well with the results of [9].

Of course, previous equation must be modified to account for

the air-ground interface and to account for possible insulated
wire structures; equation (56) is just written in its most simple
form when there is a radiating wire structure in one
homogeneous dissipative medium. Equation (56) is obtained
G
by combining (6), (18) and (19). R is the vector pointing
from the source element to the observed field point.

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 3 RD IEEE B ENELUX YOUNG R ESEARCHERS S YMPOSIUM IN E LECTRICAL P OWER E NGINEERING
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Fig. 6a. Input resistance of a dipole above a lossy earth Fig. 7b. Input susceptance of an insulated dipole in free space

In figure 8, the maximum strength of the electric field (i.e.

at elevation angle 0o) of a 51-m dipole is given for varying
frequency at 350 m from the midpoint of the dipole. Results
are shown for an insulated and for a not-insulated dipole. The
wire radius is 3 cm and the outer insulation radius is 18 cm.
The relative dielectric permittivity is 3.5. The voltage
excitation has an amplitude of 500 V. The results which are
obtained with the MATLAB program are compared with the
results calculated by EZNEC4.0, a freeware MoM-
implementation [10].

Fig. 6b. Input resistance of a dipole above a loss-making earth

In a next experiment, the input conductance and

susceptance of an insulated dipole antenna in free space and
fed at 600 MHz, are calculated for a varying length of the
dipole. The wire radius was 0.3175 mm and the outer radius
of the insulation was 1.85 mm. The relative permittivity of the
insulation was 2.3. The results are presented in figure 7 and
correspond again very well with the results of [9]. The
resonance frequency is slightly less than of [9]. The difference
is less than 6%. The resonance input conductance is 16.7 mS
and differs less than 2% from the value of [9].

Fig. 8. Maximal electric field of a bare and an insulated dipole antenna

In order to evaluate to transient behaviour in the time

domain, a simple RC-circuit was simulated with the MoM-
method. The circuit is depicted in figure 9. The wire radius is
1 mm. The resistance value is 47 Ω and the capacitance value
is 1/47 F, so that the time constant is 1 s. The voltage source
generates a trapezoidal wave with maximum value 2 V and
period 10 s. The voltage across the capacitor was calculated
and is depicted in figure 10. The theoretical exponential
behaviour can clearly be seen. The time constant is 1.01 s
which corresponds really well with the theoretical value of 1
s. A trapezoidal wave is used instead of a rectangular wave
because of the Gibbs phenomenon, which states that if a time
Fig. 7a. Input conductance of an insulated dipole in free space
signal is approximated by a Fourier sum with an infinite

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number of terms, an oscillation occurs around every point

where the signal is discontinuous and the height of the
oscillations is approximately:
0.09.( f (t0 +) − f (t0 −)) (57)
Where the discontinuity occurs at t0 and f(t0+) and f(t0-) are
the right and left limits in this point. Using a trapezoidal wave,
no discontinuities are present.

Fig. 11. Transient voltage in three points along a horizontal grounding

electrode

Fig. 9. RC-circuit, simulated with the Moment Method Finally, a grounding grid is presented in figure 12. A
current is injected in point A. It has a double-exponential
−27000 t −5600000 t
form: i (t ) = 1.(e −e ) . The rise time (= period
from I=10% to 90% of the maximal value) of this current is
about 0.36 μs. The time to half-value is 26.8 μs. The grid is
buried at 0.5 m depth in a soil characterized by ρ=1000 Ωm
and εr=9. The simulation results are shown in figure 13. They
are obtained by different methods in [11] and in [13]. The
method of [11] uses a distributed parameter model and the
method of [13] is a hybrid electromagnetic-circuit model. The
results of this paper correspond really well with the results
presented in [11] and [13].

Fig. 10. RC-circuit, simulated with the Moment Method: simulation result

Next, a horizontal grounding electrode is considered. The

Fig. 12. Grounding grid, used for method validation
electrode is 15 m long and buried at 60 cm depth in soil with
parameters ρ=70 Ωm and εr=15. The excitation is given by
−α t −βt
the double-exponential current I m (e − e ) with I0=36.5
A and α=60000 s-1, β= 6000000 s-1. The time to peak (= time
period from I=0 to I=maximum value) is 0.8 μs and the time
to half-value is 12.5 μs. The transient voltages to the far earth
are shown in figure 11. They are calculated in three points
along the electrode, at 0 m, 3.5 m and 7 m from the current
injection point. The transient voltages reach their maximal
value before the applied current peak. The reason for this time
difference is that the grounding system has an important
inductive behaviour. The transient voltages are also computed
using a distributed parameter method in [11] and are simulated
and measured in [12]. The rise and fall times of the obtained
waveforms correspond well with the simulation results of
[12]. The dead time that is observed in figure 11, is also Fig. 13. Transient voltage at injection point
present in [11] and [12]. However, the peak value of the
transient voltage in figure 11 is less than the results of the
simulation in [12].

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 3 RD IEEE B ENELUX YOUNG R ESEARCHERS S YMPOSIUM IN E LECTRICAL P OWER E NGINEERING
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10

VII. CONCLUSION IX. BIOGRAPHIES

This paper focuses on a rigorous electromagnetic technique Pieter Jacqmaer was born in 1980 in Belgium.
He received the MSc degree in 2005 as
for the modelling of grounding systems. Accurate modelling is Electrotechnical Engineer from the Catholic
becoming more and more important because of the increased University of Leuven (KULeuven), Belgium
interest the engineering community has for EMC issues and and is currently pursuing a PhD in
because the applied grounding technique influences EMC Electrotechnical Engineering at the Research
Group ELECTA, KULeuven. His main interests
problems to a great extend. Also, because tall metal electric are power electronics and control strategies for
structures such as radio base stations and wind turbines are drives. His research focuses on the development
built, which are prone to lightning strikes, it must be possible of circuits for new wide-bandgap power
electronic components.
to assess the effectiveness of the grounding system.
This paper gives an extensive explanation of the method
introduced by Grcev and Dawalibi [5] and extends it so that
insulated wire structures such as cables can be included in the Johan Driesen (S’93–M’97) was born in 1973
grounding system. The method is known as the in Belgium. He received the M.Sc. degree in
electromagnetic field theory approach and is based on the 1996 as Electrotechnical Engineer from the K.U.
Leuven, Belgium. He received the Ph.D. degree
Method of Moments, which is widely used in the in Electrical Engineering at K.U.Leuven in 2000
telecommunications sector for antenna analysis. on the finite element solution of coupled
The method was implemented in MATLAB and applied to thermal-electromagnetic problems and related
applications in electrical machines and drives,
grounding structures which are already described in other microsystems and power quality issues.
papers. Currently he is an associate professor at the
K.U.Leuven and teaches power electronics and
drives. In 2000-2001 he was a visiting researcher
VIII. REFERENCES in the Imperial College of Science, Technology
[1] L. Grcev and V. Arnautovski-Toseva, “Grounding systems modeling for and Medicine, London, UK. In 2002 he was
high frequencies and transient: some fundamental considerations,” working at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Currently he
accepted for presentation at 2003 IEEE Bologna PowerTech Conference, conducts research on distributed generation, including renewable energy
June 23-26, Bologna, Italy, 2003. systems, power electronics and its applications, for instance in drives and
[2] F. E. Menter and L. Grcev, “EMTP-based model for grounding system power quality.
analysis,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp.
1838-1849, October 1994.
[3] R. F. Harrington, “Matrix methods for field problems,” Proceedings of
IEEE, Vol. 55, pp. 136-149, Feb. 1967.
[4] R. F. Harrington, Field computation by moment methods, New York:
MacMillan, 1968, ch. 4.
[5] L. Grcev and F. Dawalibi, “An electromagnetic model for transients in
grounding systems,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 5, No.
4, pp. 1773-1781, Nov. 1990.
[6] A. Sommerfeld, Vorlesungen über Theoretische Physik VI. Partielle
Differentialgleichungen in der Physik, Wiesbaden: Auflage Diederich,
1947. Translation in English available on
http://kr.cs.ait.ac.th/~radok/math/mat10/starter.htm, last accessed on
April 7 2006.
[7] P. E. Atlamazoglou and N. K.Uzunoglu, “A Galerkin moment method
for the analysis of an insulated antenna in a dissipative dielectric
medium,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques,
Vol. 46, No. 7, pp. 988-996, July 1998.
[8] J. A. Stratton, Electromagnetic Theory, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1941.
[9] X. Li, K. El Khamlichi Drissi and F. Paladian, “Insulated vertical
antennas above ground,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas and
Propagation, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 321-324, Jan. 2004.
[10] http://www.eznec.com/, last accessed on April 7, 2006.
[11] Y. Liu, M. Zitnik and R. Thottappillil, “An improved transmission-line
model of grounding system,” IEEE Transactions on Electromagnetic
Compatibility, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp 348-355, August 3001.
[12] L. Grcev, “Computer analysis of transient voltages in large grounding
systems,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 11, pp. 815-823,
April 1996.
[13] L. D. Grcev and M. Heimbach, “Frequency dependent and transient
characteristics of substation grounding system,” IEEE Transactions on
Power Delivery, Vol. 12, pp. 172-178, Jan. 1997.
[14] http://www.soton.ac.uk/~jhr/MA361/node50.html, last accessed on April
9, 2006.
[15] http://www.mathworks.com/, last accessed on April 10, 2006.

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