Lightning induced voltages in large loops

Abstract

This paper analyses the lightning induced voltages in large loops, considering the propagation of the scattered voltages along the loop. The loop is modeled as a transmission line having two possible configurations: two wires above ground and one wire above ground. The inducing electric field components are introduced gradually, in order to identify the effect of each one of them. It is shown that the electric field components due to the scalar potential also produce scattered voltages in the loop. The results show that the propagation of the scattered voltages produces large oscillations on the induced voltage, and that their amplitude and wavelength increases with increasing loop length. It is also shown that the electric field developed in lossy ground has no effect on the induced voltages if the loop is above ground, but it has a predominant effect if the loop is on the ground surface.