Some issues concerning lightning strikes to communication towers

Abstract

It is a usual phenomenon that lightning strikes tall communication towers. Some of the questions about lightning interaction with communication towers are dealt with in this paper. Can tall towers influence the incidence of lightning in the area where the tower is situated? Are the parameters of lightning, such as peak currents, influenced by the presence of the tower where lightning strikes? What would be the difference in the electric and magnetic field environment in the near vicinity of the tower and far from the tower when compared to the corresponding values with lightning striking level ground? Are lightning protection methods designed primarily to protect the communication equipment sufficient to prevent lightning surge transfer to nearby local networks? This paper addresses the above issues based on the analysis, models and observations made in the recent past and also using some simple calculations by the authors.