Lightning Performance Studies - Overhead Lines

Engineering studies that pinpoint lightning-driven outages on overhead lines and optimize the mitigation.

Overview

Lightning performance studies for overhead lines identify which sections of a transmission or distribution line are causing lightning-related outages, and work out the most effective way to fix them. Raptronics delivers these specialized engineering studies with Metarresters.

Lightning outages are rarely spread evenly along a line. A small number of towers, often on high ground, in areas of high lightning activity or with poor footing resistance, tend to account for a large share of the trips. Treating the whole line the same way spends money where it does little good.

A study pinpoints the vulnerable sections and develops an optimized mitigation plan, including the placement of line surge arresters (LSA), so that investment goes to the towers that will reduce outages the most.

Specifications

Line types
Overhead transmission and distribution lines
Scope
Lightning outage assessment, vulnerable section identification, mitigation design
Mitigation focus
Line surge arrester (LSA) optimization

Types

  • Outage analysis

    Reviewing the line's outage history against lightning activity to understand how often lightning is the cause, and where on the line the problems are concentrated.

  • Lightning performance assessment

    Modelling how the line responds to lightning strikes, both direct strikes to the phase conductors and strikes to the towers or shield wires that cause back-flashover.

  • LSA optimization

    Deciding which towers and phases should receive line surge arresters to reach a target performance at the lowest cost, instead of fitting arresters everywhere.

Applications

  • Lightning performance

    Lines with a lightning outage rate above target, or new lines in areas of high lightning activity where performance needs to be checked at the design stage.

  • Outage analysis

    Utilities that need to understand the root cause of repeated trips and decide between mitigation options.

  • LSA optimization

    Programmes that plan to install line surge arresters and want to place them where they deliver the greatest reduction in outages.

Applicable standards

We carry the applicable standards for your voltage class. Please reach out with your inquiries for more details.

Study timelines

The timeline of a study depends on the length of the line, the number of towers to be modelled and how quickly line data and outage records can be gathered.

If you are planning a line refurbishment or an arrester programme, contact us before budgets are fixed so the study can guide where the money goes.

Frequently asked questions

What does a lightning performance study tell me?

It shows how often lightning is likely to cause outages on the line, which sections are most vulnerable, and which mitigation measures would bring the outage rate down most cost effectively.

Why not fit line surge arresters on every tower?

It is expensive and often unnecessary. A study usually shows that a limited number of towers and phases account for most of the outages, so arresters placed there give most of the benefit at a fraction of the cost.

Can studies be done for distribution lines as well as transmission lines?

Yes. The studies cover overhead transmission and distribution lines.

Who carries out the studies?

The studies are delivered with Metarresters, with Raptronics as the manufacturers' representative and local point of contact.

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