Line Arrester Energy Discharge Duties

Abstract

Surge arresters could practically eliminate lightning flashovers on distribution lines, if they are properly deployed in large enough numbers, and if they could survive the current and energy discharge duties imposed by high-magnitude lightning strokes. The discharge duty depends on complex interactions between the arrester locations, grounding, shielding from nearby objects, and the local lightning environment. But many factors of traditional concern with distribution arrester application, such as the lead length, surge front time, and protective margin, play little or no role in the discharge duty. Probabilistic methods determine the expected arrester failure rate. This should be much lower than the original flashover rate on the line insulation, otherwise the design is not acceptable. A transient program such as EMTP/ATP provides the best tool for calculating the discharge duty, but simplified methods are also available.