Statistical evaluation of lightning-related failures for the optimal location of surge arresters on the power networks

Direct lightning strokes cause unscheduled supply interruptions in power systems because of a failure of the insulation. Metal oxide surge arresters, as a proper protective device, have been widely adopted in power systems to reduce lightning initiated flashovers and, hence, increase the power quality and reliability of the systems. Based on a genetic algorithm approach, a cost effective solution is described to find the optimum location of surge arresters on a power network in order to minimise the global risk of the network, and to improve its reliability. A statistical approach to evaluate lightning failures has been introduced and an optimisation procedure developed to analyse the network in order to satisfy the power utility requirement for a specific value of risk and/or line performance with a minimum set of arresters, that is, at minimum cost. Not only the insulation flashover but also the failure of the arrester can affect the reliability of power systems. Therefore, both the failure of the insulation and that of the arrester are considered in the proposed method.