2012 International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP), Vienna, Austria

Statistical Analysis of Winter Lightning Current and Measurement of Step Voltage in a Wind Power Generation Site
Koichi Nakamura, Hitoshi Sakurano, Yoshiyuki Kubouchi, Takashi Watanabe
Chubu University, Kaela R&D Inc., Hokkei Industries Co., Unchinada Municipal Bureau E-mail: nakamura.kaela@cube.ocn.ne.jp, h-sakura@p2.tcnet.ne.jp, kubouchi-y.288@hokkei.co.jp, t.watanabe@town.uchinada.lg.jp
Abstract The authors have carried out the measurement of winter lightning current at a wind power generation site, Uchinada, for eight years since 2003 through 2010. We have presented the preliminary paper on 2006 ICLP Kanazawa and 2008 ICLP Uppsala, based on the statistical analysis of current obtained during five years since 2003 through 2007. In this paper the current obtained in 2010 is discussed in the first. And more than one hundred lightning currents during eight years are statistically analyzed, and the protection ability of lightning tower to a wind power generator is discussed. Moreover, the step voltage in the site was measured and the potential gradient is discussed. Keywords- winter lightning striking wind turbine and lightning protection tower, currentmeasurement, lightning protection ability, step voltage measurement, potential gradient

and lightning tower (LT, right) with, and Rogowski coils (#1 and #2). Their sampling frequency is 4MHz in the first stage and 500 kHz in the later. The dynamic range and the minimum sensitivity are 100kA, 0.5kA, and 50kA , 0.2kA, respectively.

I.

INTRODUCTION (HEADING 1)
#1 coil

The observation has been carried out at Uchinada wind power generation site, locating near Kanazawa, the coast of Japan Sea, which has a wind generation tower (rating output: 1500kW) and a lightning tower for lightning protection. Their height is 100m and 105m, respectively, and the distance between them is 45m. The measurement was performed almost in winter. In the measurement of lightning current, two different types of Rogowski coil were equipped at the base of each tower as shown in Fig. 1, and in the measurement of potential gradient around the site, four step voltage units were separately placed on the ground. With the twenty six lightning current through the two towers obtained in 2010, current peak, charge, current duration time are discussed. And more than one hundred lightning currents during eight years are statistically analyzed, and the protection ability of lightning tower for wind power generator is discussed and compared with the theory of rolling sphere method. Moreover, the step voltage and the potential gradient measured on the site are introduced. I. MEASUREMENT ARRANGEMENT

#2 coil

Figure 1

Uchinada Wind Power Generation Site.

A. Lightning Crrent Figure 1 is a photograph of wind generation tower (left)

B. Potentinal Gradient Figure 2 is a photograph of step voltage measurement unit. The grounding electrode is 1.5m long, and the distance of step is 1m. The sampling frequency of each unit is 4MHz. Four units are separately placed around the site as shown in Figure 3. Location of each unit is, 6m (the closest, #1), 26.3m (#2), 46.3m (#3) and 66.3m (#4) from one leg of the lightning tower. Besides a long grounding electrode with 75m is buried with the tower foundation. The total grounding resistance is around 1 .

(1) The positive polarity of current has short time duration in the first step as listed in the table, No. 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-6, 10-16 and 10-20. This means they have higher steep front characteristics. (2) On the other hand, the negative current has comparatively long duration time and the steepness is small. (3) In the current of No. 10-13, the peak value of current is 86kA and +4kA, the corresponding charge is about -150C and +100C, respectively. The duration time is long, in the negative is about 60ms, and in the positive is about 65ms.
TABLE 1 DATA OF LIGHTNING CURRENT IN 2010

No.

peak value [kA] -2.4 +6 and -5

Charge [C] -0.12 +0.005 and -0.21 +0.006 / -16.9 +0.007 and -0.14 -0.36 +0.006 and -0.16 small -73 and +3.5 small -0.006 small -1.3 -148.9 and +105.2 -0.27 and +0.21 +0.025 and -1.59 +0.01 and -0.26 +25.0 +7.0 +16.0 +0.006 and -0.24 -4.6 +222.0 +6.9 small small small

Figure 2

Unit of step voltage measurement.

10-1 10-2

Time of current [ s] (| I |0.8kA 83 3.25 and 94

Lightning striking location LT LT

10-3 10-4 10-5 10-6 10-7 10-8

+3.8 / -10.8 +10.2 and -3.4 -6 +2.8 and -2.4 -3 -14.2 and

6 / 11400 4 and 93 225 2 and 137 (-) 8225 & 21646 and (+) 6310 41 1000 57910 and 64635 23 and 127 26 and 413 2 and 180 16000 8516 12390 5 and 100 2744 73565 8820 -

LT LT LT LT TB TB

10-9 10-10 10-11 10-12 10-13 10-14

Ground level 75m long grounding electrode

10-15 10-16 10-17 10-18 10-19 10-20 10-21 10-22 10-23 10-24 10-25 10-26

Figure 3 Arrangement of four step voltage measurement units

II.

DATA AND ANALYSIS

A. Lightning Current In 2008, 2009 and 2010, twenty, eleven and twenty six currents have been obtained, respectively. Table 1 shows the current peak, charge, time of current duration, and lightning striking location in 2010. Among twenty six lightning, the seven struck the turbine blade (TB), and the residual, nineteen, the lightning tower (LT). Some features are summarized in the following.

-2 -2 +6 / -2 -4.4 -86 and +4 -19 and +9 +15.8 and -12.4 +18.3 and -3.4 +13.2 +2.6 +3.8 +4.8 and 12.2 -25.4 +8.8 -5.6 -8 -2.2 -1.5

LT TB LT LT TB LT LT LT TB TB LT LT LT TB LT LT TB TB

Note: The meaning of and and / in the table, and : current change is continuously from positive to negative, or negative to positive. / : current change is not continuously.

Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are typical waveforms through the wind turbine blade (TB) or lightning tower (LT), respectively. Figure 4 (No.10-16) corresponds to the positive current with high steep front through LT. The on-set steepness in this case is 43.2 kA/ s. Figure 5 (No.10-17) shows a long term positive current flowing through the TB during 160ms. Figure 6 (No.10-14) shows the current through the LT with two polarities changing from negative to positive.

The figure 7 (No.10-13) indicates the current with large charge and long duration time. The four figures from (a) to (d) shows the current in each time domain. The charge is -148.9C in
negative part and +105.2 in positive. These duration time is 57910 s and 64635 s, respectively. Figure 8 (No. 10-21) shows the

negative continuous current with two pulses.

Figure 4 Positive current with high steep front through LT (10-16, steepness 43.2kA/s)

(a)

0 1500 us

(b) Figure 5 Positive current through TB (10-17)

1500 - 9000s

Figure 6 Current with two polarities changing from negative to positive (1014, LT, -19 and +9kA)

(c) 9000 - 16000s

Figure 9 shows three cumulative frequency distribution characteristics of peak current with total one hundred seventy two (LT +TB), one hundred one (LT) and fifty one (TB) in Table 2, respectively. The distribution of TB looks smaller than that of LT. Two vertical lines A and B correspond to the value of current 10kA and 15kA, respectively.
(c) 16000 - 166000s

(d)

16000 160000s

A B

Figure 7 Large current in magnitude and duration time (10-14, LT, -19 and +9kA)

Figure 9 Cumulative frequency distribution of peak current through lightning tower (LT), and turbine blade (TB) and both (LT+TB)

Figure 8 Negative continuous current with two pulses (No. 10-21)

B. Lightning Striking and Protction Ability Table 2 shows the number of lightning striking counting from the current through the lightning tower (LT) and wind turbine blade (TB) in each year since 2003 through 2010. Our optical observation indicates the total incident of lightning striking the two towers is larger than number of current. The protection ability of the lightning tower means the ratio of number of lightning tower for the total number of LT and TB. The figures of protection ability E are indicated in Table 2. The average protection ability of LT shows 0.70.
TABLE 2 LIGHTNING STRIKING TIMES LT AND BLADE, AND STRIKING PROTECTION RATE OF LT

year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 total

LT 10 9 26 13 14 23 9 17 121

TB 9 6 13 5 6 1 2 9 51

Protection ability E 0.53 0.60 0.67 0.72 0.70 0.96 0.82 0.65 0.70

Note

E= LT/(LT+TB)

C. Discussion on protection Ability from Rolling Sphere Method We will discuss the protection ability of LT from the view point of interception criterion based on the rolling sphere method. The rolling sphere method is applied to evaluate the interception criterion of structure, generally introduced from the experience of summer lightning. In summer lightning, the discharge well starts from the cloud bottom with downward leader. On the other hand, in winter lightning, lightning discharge occurs well with the upward leader from the ground top. Assuming the rolling sphere method can be applicable to the lightning discharge with upward leader, we will compare the lightning protection ability and the interception criterion. The geometrical condition is that the height of two towers is almost the same with 100m and the distance between them is 45m. Figure 10 shows a modeling of rolling sphere space. The radius R of rolling sphere gives 45m and 60m at lightning protection level IV and III, respectively. Then the interception criterion Ei of lightning tower are given as 0.84 (IV) and 0.91 () as noted in Table 3, and the corresponding minimum peak values of current are 15.7 kA and 10.1 kA, respectively. Considering the cumulative distribution frequency characteristics in Figure 9, the following discussion can be made. (1) Total number of current larger than 15kA is 47. Number of current through LT larger than 15kA is 37. Lightning protection ability of LT becomes 37/47 = 0.79 This condition corresponds to the lightning protection level IV.

(2) Total number of current larger than 10kA is 69. Number of current through LT larger than 10kA is 56. Lightning protection ability of LT becomes 56/69 = 0.81 This condition corresponds to the lightning protection level III. Comparing the interception criterion in Table 3 and protection ability of the LT actually obtained, the protection ability is somewhat small. Such difference may be caused by the difference conditions with the propagating mechanism of leader and the turbine blade to be protected is rotating, not stable.

R =45m R =60m

D. Step Voltage and Potentil Gradient Four units of step voltage measurement were separately placed around the site as shown in Figure 3. Figure 11 indicates waveforms of lightning current and four step voltage (2010/01/01 14:48) measured. The figure (a) is lightning current through the LT, and (b) is four step voltage. The current change shows somehow complex, first negative, second positive and final negative. The positive peak is +16kA and negative one is -26kA. The four step voltage were triggered independently; those waveforms are displayed mutually shifting within several tens microsecond. Comparing the current and step voltage, they are alike in waveform. The figures of four step voltage are also well alike in waveform. Fig. 12 shows the characteristics of step voltage vs. distance from the tower foot, i.e. potential gradient. Two are corresponding to positive and negative peak of the current. It is interesting that the step voltage in negative case is smaller than in the positive in spite of large current. The reason of such difference is not clear.

(a)

Lightning current through the lightning tower

Figure 10 Application of rolling sphere method to the lightning tower TABLE 3 COMPARISONS OF INTERCEPTION CRITERION AND LIGHTNING PROTECTION ABILITY

Lightning protection level

Radius of rolling sphere R [m]I 60 45

Min. peak value of current I [kA] 15.7 10.1

Interception criterion Ei 0.84 0.91

(1) Total number of current larger than 15kA: 47 Number of current through LT larger than 15kA: 37 Lightning protection ability of LT: 37/47 = 0.79 (2) Total number of current larger than 10kA: 69 Number of current through LT larger than 10kA: 56 Lightning protection ability of LT: 56/69 = 0.81
(b) Step voltage of four unit

Figure 11 current and step voltage measured

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors wish to thank Mr. Kenji Asai, Ryo Tsubouchi, and Yokota for their cooperation. REFERENCES

[1]

[2]

Figure 12 Potential gradient

[3]

IV CONCLUSIONS
[4]

(1) For twenty six current waveforms obtained in 2010, their statistical distribution of current magnitude, charge and specific energy are obtained, and compared to the past data. It cannot be found large difference from the data obtained in the ordinal year. (2) Using one hundred twenty one lightning current through the lightning tower, fifty one through the turbine blade, and their total one hundred seventy lightning current, their cumulative frequency distribution was obtained, and the lightning protection ability of lightning tower was evaluated. The statistics indicates the protection ability of the LT was similar to the interception criterion obtained by rolling sphere method. (3) Potential gradient was obtained by step voltage measurement. It is interesting that the different magnitude of step voltage was measured in a current waveform.

[5]

K. Nakamura, H. Sakurano, Lightning Damage and Protection Technique for Wind Farm in Winter Japan, Proc. of International Conf. on Grounding and Farthing, Brazil, 2004 H. Sakurano, M. Hashimoto, K. Nakamura, Observation of Winter Lightning Striking A Wind Power Generation Tower and A Lightning Tower, Proc. of 28th ICLP, XI-8 28th International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP), Kanazawa, Japan, 2006 K. Nakamura, H. Sakurano, A. Nakanishi, Observation of Winter Lightning Striking a Wind Power Generation Tower/a Lightning Tower and its Statistical Analysis, Proc. of 29th International Conf. on Lightning Protection (ICLP), Uppsala, Sweden, 2008. K.Nakamura, H. Sakurano, S. Yasui, A. Nakanishi, Lightning Current Measurement on a Wind Power Generator Tower / a Lightning Tower and those Grounding Electrodes, Proc. of 6th ALPF, E-03, Yokohama, Japan, 2009. Dehn + Sohne, Lightning Protection Guide, Book, 2004.