Application of surge arresters for lightning protection of 33kV wood pole distribution lines

Line surge arresters may be applied in high lightning activity areas for the protection of uprated/compact lines that have a lower basic insulation level. In this paper, a lightning protection study considering the application of surge arresters was conducted on a compact 33kV overhead wood pole distribution line. Different arrester configurations and spacing were investigated in open ground and naturally shielded ground and compared with the results obtained from an unprotected line. The variation in lightning protection level due to application of surge arresters at poles with unearthed and earthed crossarm structures was examined. The surge arrester energy duties were computed statistically.