LPM-Based Shielding Performance Analysis of High-Voltage Substations Against Direct Lightning Strokes

The leader progression model (LPM) is employed to investigate the shielding system performance of high-voltage substations against direct lightning strokes in the presence of substation instruments. The substation is simulated in detail for high accurate calculation of the shielding failure rate. Almost all of the apparatuses are modeled as fictitious charges in the stepwise simulations of LPM. The charge simulation method is used for finding the electrical field during the lightning movement. The probability of upward leader propagation is considered from all apparatuses. For more practical simulation, the environmental conditions are also included in simulations. The investigations are implemented on a test case and a practical high-voltage substation. The results are compared to those of the electrogeometric model. It is very likely that the results of this paper better simulate reality because lots of parameters have been taken into account. The results reveal that the presence of substation instruments increases the striking distance and the SF since they attract the lightning moving down near the substation.