| Abstract: | Grounding wires and enclosed ZnO elements have been incorporated generally in 6.6‐kV distribution systems by TEPCO for the reduction of lightning overvoltages. At present, the reliability to lightning surges is tolerably good. However, the facility of grounding wires is not inexpensive and its maintenance is hard due to corrosion and disconnection in some areas. A typical model simulating TEPCO field adopting enclosed ZnO elements has been developed and we have evaluated relative failure risks systematically according to conditions with and without grounding wires against lightning overvoltages. Two kinds of failures discussed in the paper are the flashover of insulation and the overduty of ZnO elements, and two kinds of induced and direct lightning overvoltages are studied in flashover. The greatest problem with no grounding wire is the increase of ZnO elements' duty, but it was demonstrated that a short partial grounding wire around ZnO elements or the selection of heavier ZnO elements provides a solution. The main objectives of this study are to clarify the relative failure risks systematically according to realistic field conditions, the risk of small stroke currents having long duration to ZnO elements' duty, and countermeasures against ZnO elements' overduty. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 127(1): 1–10, 1999 |
