Surge Propagation and Characteristics in Building Wiring Systems

This paper presents an experimental study of propagation characteristics of lightning surges in building wiring systems. Typical power cables or cable installations used for power distribution in buildings are selected for measurement. The influence of circuit branches and connected loads on the surges in systems is investigated as well. Finally surges measured in a large residential building are presented. It is found that surge impedance of power cables is generally lower than that of overhead lines. A significant reduction of surges is expected if the overhead line is terminated with an armored cable. Both circuit branch and connected loads can alter the waveform and amplitude of a surge significantly. This is further illustrated in the measurement of the surges conducted in a large residential building.