Abstract
Given that currently available lightning protection measures cannot effectively protect overhead lines from lightning strikes, this study develops an active and fast arc-extinguishing lightning protection gap to address this issue. When a power frequency arc is formed within the protection gap due to a lightning strike, the lightning current immediately ignites the device, while strong airflow is synchronously produced. In this manner, the follow-up power frequency arc can be extinguished within an arc duration that is considerably shorter than the action time of relay protection; thus, relay protection can be avoided, and the lightning trip-out of overhead lines can be effectively prevented. A test of insulation coordination for impulse flashover and a test of power frequency arc extinction are performed to validate the effectiveness of the device. The arc-extinguishing test proves that the strong airflow can extinguish the arc within 0.4 ms. The devices have been widely applied in China and have been extremely successful.
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