Second International Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering ICECE 2002, 26-28 December 2002, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Effect of Lightning Induced Return Stroke Current Parameters on The Lightning Generated Electric Field on and Above The Finitely Conductive Earths Surface
M. Z. I. Sarkar M. M. Ali M. A. G. Khan and M. J. Hossain Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Bangladesh Institute of Technology, Rajshahi Bangladesh.

Abstract - This paper has discussed the effects of the following parameters of lightning induced return stroke current on the characteristics of lightning generated electric fields: peak value, propagation velocity, front time and tail time. It has also discussed the effects of distance of observation point from the lightning strike point on the characteristics of lightning generated electric fields. Modified dipole technique has been used to investigate the effect of those parameters on the lightning generated electric fields. It has been observed that both horizontal and vertical electric fields are affected by the lightning induced return stroke current parameters. The intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields increases in magnitude with the increase in peak value and tail time, and decreases in magnitude with the increase in velocity of propagation and front time of lightning induced return stroke current. Horizontal electric field exists on the finitely conductive earths surface and the intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields decreases in magnitude with the increase in distance of observation point from the lightning strike point. Keywords: Lightning induced return stroke current, Finitely conductive earth, Modified dipole technique. 1. INTRODUCTION

the nature of the soil condition. So the fields of the previously published works in which the earth has been taken as the medium of infinite conductivity are not adequate to explain the practical problems. In this paper the modified dipole technique, which is used to investigate the effect of earths conductivity on the lightning generated electric field [10], has been used to investigate the effect of lightning induced return stroke current parameters on the same. 2. THEORY

A generalized time varying source i(t), expressed as I(s) in laplace domain is assumed at height h above the lossy earths surface, as shown in Fig.1 to induce electromagnetic fields at any point P on the interface of air-finitely conductive earth media. The fields at point P then must satisfy the following boundary conditions in laplace domain. az (E1 -E2 )=0 az (1 E1 -2 E2 )= s az (H1 -H2 )=0 az o (H1 -H2 )=0 az(J1 -J2 )= -s s (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

The nearby lightning activity is found to affect the operation of electrical/electronic/telecommunication equipment most severely because of the discharge of lightning return strokes. The surge voltages induced on the telecommunication lines due to induction of lightning generated electromagnetic fields may range from few hundreds of volts to few kilovolts. These overvoltages and overcurrents on overhead and underground communication and power lines are very important factors in the design of effective and economic protection devices because of their more frequent occurrence. As a consequence, their evaluation has been the subject of theoretical and experimental studies for the last few decades [1-9]. The conductivity of the earth is a finite quantity and varies from 10-3 to 310-2 -1 /m [3] depending on

where the symbols are standard and assumed to be in laplace domain and s is the charge density induced on the air-finitely conductive earth interface. The subscripts 1 and 2 refer to the fields on the corresponding medium.
I(s) h Medium-1 Air

az

(a ,a ,a )

- - - + + + - - s - + + + P- - - + + + - Eh
Medium-2 Finitely conductive Earth

(e ,e ,e ) Fig.1. Problem geometry for air-finitely conducting earth media.

ISBN 984-32-0328-3

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The generalized expression of image source I(s), i placed at a depth h below the air-finitely conducting earth interface and capable of inducing a surface charge density si = - s on the interface, can be estimated from the following equation [10], - Ii (s) = e 1 ( s +e/e) I(s) (6)

fields at point Pg (r,,z) due to small dipole of length dz carrying a current i(t) referring to the Fig.3 can be expressed as follows: dz dEz = 4o 2(z z/)2 - r2 R5 2(z-z/)2 - r2 + i(z, t-R/c) cR4 r2 c2 R3 t i(z,t-R/c) (8) t i(z, t-R/c)dt 0

So the image source of modified dipole model is not just opposite to that of the original source. It is affected by the properties of earth. The generalized time domain expression of the image source Ii (s) can be obtained from the above equation. To investigate the effect of lightning induced return stroke current parameters on the lightning generated electric field above the finitely conductive earths surface, a simple model of lightning return stroke current having the waveform shown in Fig.2 is assumed to propagate up and upright channel from the ground at a velocity of v.
10 9

dz dEr = 4o

3r(z z/)2 R5 3r(z-z/)

t i(z, t-R/c)dt 0

i(t)= Ip (e

-t

- t

+ cR4 r(z-z/) + c2 R3 t

i(z, t-R/c) i(z,t-R/c) (9)

Magnitude of current in KA

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 5 10 15

where Ez= Vertical electric field Er= Horizontal electric field

Time in microsecond
20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Fig.2. Geometry of lightning induced return stroke current.

Cloud The image current i(t) is then obtained from the i inverse laplace transform of (6) asii (t) = - Ip (e -t e-t ) e + Ip e [(e / e)- ] [(e / e)-] (e -t e-t ) [(e / e)- ] [(e / e)-] (7) Ri H z/ i(z,t) R i(t) r

Pg (r, , z) (z-z/) z

(-) e- ( e / e ) t - e-t + e- -z/

ii (t) Equation (7) obviously satisfy the two extreme cases where e is either 0 or . The expression of image current consists of two terms, the first term is the image of original current and the second term is the effect of the properties of earth. 3. CALCULATION OF ELECTRIC FIELD The electric field at any point on and above the earths surface can be calculated by solving the time varying Maxwells equations. The equation for electric
Fig.3. Geometry of field computation for a channel current of height H above the perfectly conducting earths surface.

The fields due to the image source ii(t) can be determined from equations (8) and (9) by replacing R b y Ri , z/ by z/ and i(t) by i(t). The field at point i Pg (r,,z) for the small segment of channel is the vector sum of the fields induced by the source dipole and

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4.

RESULTS

The electric fields obtained by the modified dipole technique [10] have been compared with the electric fields obtained from the numerical integration of the Sommerfeld Integral at the same current and environmental parameters. It has been observed that the agreement between the approaches is quite satisfactory [10]. Following numerical analyses are based on the earths conductivity of 0.001mho/m. Figure 4(a) and (b) show the effect of peak value of lightning induced return stroke current on the horizontal and the vertical electric fields respectively. The intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields increases in magnitude with the increase in peak value of lightning induced return stroke current

Vertical Electric Field(v/m)

image dipole and the total field can be obtained from the integration of this field over the whole channel.

o for velocity= 100m/ sec + for velocity= 150m/ sec * for velocity= 200m/ sec

(b)
Fig.5(b). Effect of velocit y of propagation of lightning induced return stroke current on the vertical electric field .

Horizontal Electric Field(v/m)

Figure 6(a) and (b) show the effect of front time of lightning induced return stroke current on the horizontal and vertical electric fields respectively. The intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields decreases in magnitude with the increase in front time of lightning induced return stroke current.
Horizontal Electric Field(v/m) o for front time=1 sec + for front time=5 sec * for front time=10sec

* for Ip=15kA + for Ip=10kA o for Ip=5kA

(a)

Vertical Electric Field(v/m)

(a)
Vertical Electric Field(v/m) * for Ip=15kA + for Ip=10kA o for Ip=5kA

(b)
Fig.4. Effect of peak value of lightning induced return stroke current, I p, on (a) the horizontal electric field and (b) the vertical electric field.

(b) Effect of velocity of propagation of lightning induced return stroke current on the horizontal and vertical electric fields are shown in Fig.5(a) and (b) respectively. The intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields decreases in magnitude with the increase in velocity of propagation of lightning induced return stroke current
Horizontal Electric Field(v/m) o for velocity= 100m/ sec + for velocity= 150m/ sec * for velocity= 200m/ sec

Fig.6. Effect of front time of lightning inducd return stroke current on (a)the h orizontal electric field and (b)the vertical electric field

Effect of tail time of lightning induced return

Horizontal Electric Field(v/m)

Fig.5(a). Effect of velocity of propagation of lightning induced return stroke current on the horizontal electric field .

Fig.7(a). Effect of tail time of lightning induced return stroke current on the horizontal electric field.

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Vertical Electric Field(v/m)

in peak value and tail time, and decreases in magnitude with the increase in velocity of propagation and front time of lightning induced return stroke current. Horizontal electric field exists on the finitely conductive earths surface and the intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields decreases in magnitude with the increase in distance of observation point from the lightning strike point. REFERENCES [1] M. A. Uman, D.k.Mclain, and E.P. Krider, The Electromagnetic Radiation from a Finite Antenna, Am.J.Phys.,vol.43,1975,pp. 33-38. H. Koga, T. Motomitsu, and M. Taguchi, Lightning Surge Waves Induced on Overhead Lines, Trans. IECE of Japan, vol. E62.1979, pp.216-223. Magdy F. Iskander, Electromagnetic fields and Waves, 1992 by Prentice-Hall Inc. A Simon & Schuster Company Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632. M. J. Master, M. A. Uman, Y.T.Lin, and R.B. Standler, Calculation of Lightning Return Stroke Electric and Magnetic Fields above Ground, J. of Geophys, Res., vol.86.1981, pp.12, 127-12,132. M. J. Master and M. A. Uman, Lightning induced Voltages on power Lines: Theory, IEEE Trans. On power apparatus and system, vol. PAS-103, 1984, A. Zeddam and P. Degauque, Current And Voltage Induced on the Telecommunication Cables by a Lightning Stroke, Electromagnetics,vol. 7, 1987, pp.541-564. C. A. Nucci, F. Rachidi, M.V.Ianoz, and C. Mazzetti, Lightning induced Voltages on overhead lines, IEEE Trans. Electromag. Compart., vol.35, 1993, pp.75-85. M. Ishii, K. Michishita, Y. Hongo, and S. Oguma, Lightning Induced Voltages on an Overhead Wire Dependent on Ground Conductivity, IEEE Trans. On Power Delivery, vol.9,1994,pp. 109-118. K. Michishita, M. Ishii, and Y. Hongo, Experiment on Lightning-Induced Voltages on Distribution Line by Inclined Returnstroke Channel influence by Ground Conductivity, T. IEE japan, vol. 115b,1995,pp.964-969(in Japanese). M. M. Ali, M. Z. I. Sarkar, and M.Y. Hussain. Modified Dipole Technique for Estimating Electric Field Above The Finitely Conducting Earth due to a Generalized Source in Air Proc. of the Annual Pape Meet and International Conference, The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, Electrical Engineering Division, 9th February, 2002.

Fig.7(b). Effect of tail time of lightning induced return stroke current on the vertical electric field

stroke current on the horizontal and vertical electric fields are shown in Fig.7(a) and (b) respectively. The intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields increases in magnitude with the increase in tail time of lightning return stroke current. The effect of distance of observation point from lightning strike point on the horizontal and vertical electric fields on the earths surface are shown in Fig.8(a) and (b) respectively. Horizontal electric field exists on the finitely conductive earths surface and the intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields on the earths surface decrease in magnitude with the increase in distance of observation point from the lightning strike point.
Horizontal Electric Field(v/m)

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

* for distance=3km + for distance =1km o for distance =0.5km

[6]

[7] (a) [8]

Vertical Electric Field(v/m)

[9]

(b) Fig.8. Effect of distance of observation point from lightning strike point on (a) the horizontal electric field and (b) the vertical electric field.

[10]

5.

CONCLUSION

Modified dipole technique has been used to investigate the effect of lightning induced return stroke current parameters on the lightning generated electric field. The intensity of both horizontal and vertical electric fields increases in magnitude with the increase

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