Traveling Waves on Transmission Lines with Artificial Lightning Surges

The paper describes tests on a transmission line of the Consumers Power Company using a portable million-volt impulse generator. Data were secured on attenuation with one, two, and three conductors in parallel, with and without ground wires. A study was made of the influence of ground wires in reducing voltages induced by overhead discharging clouds and also the effect on surges of entering or leaving a section of line having ground wires. A brief study was made comparing steel and copper for ground wires. The effect of ground resistance in tower footings was considered and a method given for measuring surge impedance of transmission lines.