An improved methodology for evaluation of lightning effects on distribution networks

摘要

Overhead distribution lines are usually subject to voltage transients during thunderstorms. Lightning flashes, whether direct or indirect, are one of the main causes of power quality disturbances on the electric grid. In this paper, a methodology to establish a correlation between the incidence point of a lightning flash, the stroke current amplitude and polarity and its effects on the electric distribution network is presented. This methodology has been implemented with the installation of monitoring network and integrated database analysis, and development of a geo-processed application, allowing the utility to make decisions about the monitored distribution system. Finally, a case study showing the impact of lightning events on the distribution grid and on the failure of a distribution transformer is detailed, validating the proposed method.