A simplified physical model to determine the lightning upward connecting leader inception

In this paper, a generalized leader inception model is proposed. It is based on an iterative geometrical analysis of the background potential distribution of an earthed structure to simulate the first meters of propagation of an upward connecting leader. By assuming a static field approach, the leader stabilization fields and the striking distances were computed for a lightning rod and for a building. The obtained results were compared with the existing leader inception criteria. Furthermore, in order to validate the model, the leader inception condition was computed for a triggered lightning experiment. Excellent agreement with the experimental results was obtained. The present model has several advantages in comparison with the existing leader inception criteria. One of them is related to the fact that the proposed model can be used to analyze the effect of the space charge on the upward leader inception.