LIGHTNING PROTECTION

USING LFA-M
CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION
 WHAT IS A LIGHTNING STROKE?
 TYPES OF LIGHTNING STROKES.
 WHAT IS LFA-M?
 HOW LIGHTNING AFFECTS OVERHEAD
TRANSMISSION?
 HOW CAN IT BE PROTECTED?
 CONCLUSION
Lightening can be serious….not only for
overhead lines but also for human lives….
WHAT IS LIGHTNING STROKE?

 Lightning is an electrical discharge between cloud

and earth, between clouds or between the charge
centers of same cloud.

 Lightning is a huge spark that takes place when

clouds are charged to a high potential with respect
to earth object (e.g. overhead lines) or neighboring
cloud such that the dielectric strength of the
neighboring medium (air) is destroyed.
TYPES OF LIGHTNING STROKES

 DIRECT STROKE
 INDIRECT STROKE
DIRECT STROKE

 Lightning discharge is directly from cloud to

overhead line.

 From the line, current path may be over the

insulators down to the pole to the ground.

 The over voltage set up due to the stroke may be

large enough to flashover this path directly to the
ground.
DIRECT STROKE- types

 STROKE-A -The lightning discharge is from the

cloud to the subject equipment(e.g. overhead lines).
 The cloud will induce a charge of opposite sign on
the tall object.
 When the potential between the cloud and line
exceed the breakdown value of air, the lightning
discharge occurs between the cloud and the line.

 STROKE-B – Lightning discharge occurs on

overhead line due to stroke-A.
INDIRECT STROKE

 Results from electrostatically induced charges on the

conductors.

 (+ve) ly charged cloud induces (-ve) charge right under the

cloud on the line and (+ve) charge away from it.

 When cloud discharges to earth, (-ve) charge rushes along

both directions in form of travelling wave.

 Most common.
PREVIOUSLY….

 Pole-top arresters were used to protect

distribution line from induced voltage
flashovers.

 Itwas recommended to install an arrester at

every insulator.

 Very costly.
What is LFA-M?
 Long flashover arrestors are those devices which capture the high voltage sparks
resulting out of lightening.

 ”M” indicates that LFA-M is for the protection of medium overhead transmission
lines.

 It can be applied for lightning protection of overhead distribution line against both
induced over voltages and direct lightning strokes.

 The induced over voltages can be counteracted by installing a single arrester on an

overhead line support (pole).

 For the protection of lines against direct lightning strokes, the arresters are
connected between the poles and all of the phase conductors in parallel with the
insulators.
Performance data of LFAM-
10-0,4
Voltage rating, kV 10
Flashover length, cm 40
1.2/50 μs impulse flashover
voltage, kV 120
Impulse protection level, kV*
500
Switching overvoltage
impulse withstand
voltage, kV
100
Power frequency withstand
voltage, kV
- clean dry ..................
- clean wet .................
- polluted wet, at 20 μS
specific surface
conductance ..................
70
40
30
Arc extinction current at
How does LFA-M protect the
overhead lines?
 First, a lightning impulse causes a spark over of the spark gaps
 Next, the semiconducting core of the upper cable piece, whose
resistance , carries the high potential to the surface of the lower
piece at its middle. Similarly, the semiconducting core of the
lower piece of the same resistance applies the low potential 0
to the surface of the upper piece, also at its center.

 Thus the total voltage is applied to each flashover module at

the same moment, and all the three flashover modules 1, 2 and
3 are assured conditions for simultaneous initiation of creeping
discharges which,with respective modules flashed over,
develop a single long flashover channel
CONCLUSION

 The LFA-M is a simple, low weight and convenient

apparatus.
THANK YOU

ANY QUESTIONS?