Estimation of lightning current amplitudes incident to wind turbines in exposed locations

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel and comprehensive methodology for estimation of lightning current amplitudes, which are incident to wind turbines (WT) at lightning-exposed locations, i.e., hilltops. The proposed methodology takes into the account the following aspects related to WT lightning incidence: (i) site topology and keraunic level, (ii)statistical nature of lightning currents, (iii) WT effective height, (iv) dependence of lightning current amplitudes on the WT effective height, (v) influence of an upward-initiated connecting streamers interaction with a downward-propagating step leader on the WT lightning attractiveness, and (vi) both downward and upward lightning strikes and their relative contribution in relation to the WT effective height. This methodology could be perceived as beneficial in providing relevant lightning-current amplitudes-particularly at lightning-endangered locations and wind farm sites characterized by high soil resistivity-for wind turbine and wind farm overvoltage protection and backsurge studies, as well as the WT grounding systems transient analysis.

Analysis and suppression measures of lightning transient overvoltage in the signal cable of wind turbines

“…Transient overvoltage analysis under lightning for a wind turbine has been tackled by means of the electromagnetic transient analysis, and the main concern in its application to the overvoltage analysis of a wind turbine is the development and usage of appropriate electrical component models . The model of a wind turbine for lightning‐caused transient studies could be decomposed into the following main parts: the blade, nacelle, cable, tower, and grounding system, which had been separately analyzed by researchers in recent years.…”

The impact of multiple lightning strokes on the energy absorbed by MOV surge arresters in wind farms during direct lightning strikes

“…Most recently, a computational analysis for estimating the lightning current amplitudes on wind turbines was performed in Ref. [20]. However, hitherto, there is no published research that deals with the impact of multiple lightning strokes terminating on wind turbine blades and affecting the energy absorbed by the surge arresters or impacting the transient overvoltages.…”