Estimation of the temperature rise in cylindrical conductors subjected to heavy 10/350 μs lightning current impulses

Lightning is a very high-energy phenomenon, which can pose serious dangers for human beings and the environment. Although much progress has been made in the area of lightning protection, there are still many cases of fires caused by lightning and power and telecommunication system outages. We have carried out an experimental and mathematical investigation into the temperature rise in cylindrical conductors subjected to heavy 10/350 μs lightning current impulses. The temperature rise measurements took place in one of the most reliable laboratories in Europe (BET, Menden, in Germany). The proposed mathematical models used to estimate the temperature rise in cylindrical conductors assumed both a uniform and non-uniform current density distribution by taking into account the transient skin effect. In addition, verification of the mathematical results were studied. Suggestions for further investigations are also provided. The experimental results are consistent with the results from the mathematical models. It is convincingly shown that copper conductors can be influenced by the transient skin effect. The additional temperature rise however, caused by the transient skin effect, is minimal, and can be neglected. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.