Lightning-channel morphology revealed by return-stroke radiation field waveforms

1995 ◽  
Vol 100 (D2) ◽  
pp. 2727 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Willett ◽  
D. M. Le Vine ◽  
V. P. Idone
Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1642
Author(s):  
Vernon Cooray ◽  
Gerald Cooray ◽  
Marcos Rubinstein ◽  
Farhad Rachidi

In positive lightning return strokes, the net momentum transported by the radiation field has the same direction as the momentum associated with electrons, whereas the momentum associated with electrons is in opposite direction to the momentum of radiation in negative return strokes. It is shown here that this polarity asymmetry could limit the maximum speed of positive return strokes with respect to the negative return strokes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yunfeng Zhang ◽  
Erchun Zhang ◽  
Jialiang Gu

The horizontal electric field from the lightning return-stroke channel is evaluated by the electromagnetic field equations of moving charges in this paper. When a lightning flash strikes the ground, the charges move upward the lightning channel at the return-stroke speed, thereby producing the electromagnetic fields. According to the electromagnetic field equations of moving charges, the detained charges, uniformly moving charges, and decelerating (or accelerating) charges in each segment of the channel generate electrostatic fields, velocity fields, and radiation fields, respectively. The horizontal component of the sum is the horizontal electric field over the perfectly conducting ground. For the real soil with finite conductivity, the Wait formula is used here for the evaluation of the horizontal electric field over the realistic soil. The proposed method can avoid the oscillation of the fields in the long distance by the FDTD method and the singularity problem of the integral equation by the Sommerfeld integral method. The influences of the return-stroke speed, distance, and soil conductivity on the horizontal electric field are also analyzed by the proposed method. The conclusions can be drawn that the horizontal electric field decreases with the increasing of the return-stroke speed; the negative offset increases with the increasing of horizontal distance and with the decreasing of the soil conductivity, thereby forming the bipolar waveform. These conclusions will be practically valuable for the protection of lightning-induced overvoltage on the transmission lines.


2003 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 767-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. A. Rakov

Characteristics of lightning discharges that transport either positive charge or both positive and negative charges to the ground are reviewed. These are termed positive and bipolar lightning discharges, respectively. Different types of positive and bipolar lightning are discussed. Although positive lightning discharges account for 10% or less of global cloud-to-ground lightning activity, there are five situations that appear to be conducive to the more frequent occurrence of positive lightning. These situations include 1) the dissipating stage of an individual thunderstorm, 2) winter thunderstorms, 3) trailing stratiform regions of mesoscale convective systems, 4) some severe storms, and 5) thunderclouds formed over forest fires or contaminated by smoke. The highest directly measured lightning currents (near 300 kA) and the largest charge transfers (hundreds of coulombs or more) are thought to be associated with positive lightning. Two types of impulsive positive current waveforms have been observed. One type is characterized by rise times of the order of 10 μs, comparable to those for first strokes in negative lightning, and the other type is characterized by considerably longer rise times, up to hundreds of microseconds. The latter waveforms are apparently associated with very long, 1–2 km, upward negative connecting leaders. The positive return-stroke speed is of the order of 108 m s−1. Positive flashes are usually composed of a single stroke. Positive return strokes often appear to be preceded by significant in-cloud discharge activity, then followed by continuing currents, and involve long horizontal channels. In contrast to negative leaders, which are always optically stepped when they propagate in virgin air, positive leaders seem to be able to move either continuously or in a stepped fashion. The reported percentage of bipolar flashes in summer storms ranges from 6% to 14% and from 5% to 33% in winter storms. Bipolar lightning discharges are usually initiated by upward leaders from tall objects. It appears that positive and negative charge sources in the cloud are tapped by different upward branches of the bipolar-lightning channel.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2356-2363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Homayun Kabir ◽  
Jeevan Kanesan ◽  
Ahmed Wasif Reza ◽  
Harikrishnan Ramiah ◽  
Kaharudin Dimyati

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-25
Author(s):  
Vladimir A. RAKOV ◽  
◽  
Evgeny A. MAREEV ◽  

The paper is devoted to the review of the data on the lightning parameters necessary for development and perfection of lightning protection systems. It is shown, that down to present time national and international lightning protection standards are based on the Berger’s data on distribution of lightning amplitudes currents. Experimental data on amplitude of the return-stroke current the received recently in Brazil, Japan, USA (Florida) and Austria are resulted. It is emphasized, that the given data on currents of a lightning are characterized by a wide scatter that specifies necessity of realization of the further researches. The detailed description of parameters of the return-stroke peak current, including duration of front time, duration of a pulse, a steepness of a current at the front is given. It is emphasized, that median value of amplitude of a current of the first making the return-stroke in 3-4 times is higher than a current of the subsequent components. The analysis measured median (50%) and severe (1%) values of lighting parameters which are necessary for construction of a curve of distribution in the assumption of its submission lognormal law is carried out. Results of theoretical researches are given according to extreme values of currents of a lightning. It is shown, that, depending on length of the lightning channel (from 4 up to 6 kms), the maximal current can vary from 300 kA up to 500 кА. The minimal value of lightning current is appreciated in 2 кА. The analysis of results of new direct measurements has shown, that for a lightning of positive polarity the maximal current can reach 340 кА, that appreciably is higher than a settlement maximum for a lightning of negative polarity (200 кА). Recent theoretical researches have allowed to prove experimentally received lognormal distribution of currents for lightning of negative polarity.


2010 ◽  
Vol 59 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 177-188
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Masłowski

Corona current concept in lightning return-stroke models of engineering typeA role of radial corona current in a lightning discharge is discussed in the paper. It is shown that the corona current concept previously introduced by Cooray for lightning return stroke models of distributed-current-source (DCS) type, and later, by Maslowski and Rakov for lumped-current-source (LCS) type models enables to show duality between these two types of models. Further, it is demonstrated that the corona current is useful during consideration of dynamics of the lightning-channel corona sheath. As an example of application of presented approach a relaxation model of charge motion in the corona sheath is analysed together with plots which show the rate of expansion and shrinkage of the lightning corona sheath on both microsecond and millisecond time scales.


2015 ◽  
Vol 793 ◽  
pp. 44-48
Author(s):  
S.N.M. Arshad ◽  
Mohd Zainal Abidin Ab Kadir ◽  
Mahdi Izadi ◽  
A.M. Ariffen ◽  
M.N. Hamzah ◽  
...  

In this paper, the characterization of measured electric fields on first return stroke due to lightning channel was studied done. Likewise, previous studies on this case were discussed and reviewed accordingly. Furthermore, the first return stroke was analyzed done in detailed and was indicated on the real measured electric fields. Later the results were discussed appropriately. The behaviorsof first return stroke signal has beencharacterized from previous researchers. This study shows themeasured data in detailed, which include there are slow front time, first return stroke peak, time to peak, zero crossing time and 10% to 90% rise time. The characteristic of first return stroke signal data in Malaysia was compared with data gathered in Sweden. Moreover In addition, the statistical correlation between electric field zero times and corresponding rise times was also been studied.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Vernon Cooray ◽  
Marcos Rubinstein ◽  
Farhad Rachidi

In return strokes, the parameters that can be measured are the channel base current and the return stroke speed. For this reason, many return stroke models have been developed with these two parameters, among others, as inputs. Here, we concentrate on the current propagation type engineering return stroke models where the return stroke is represented by a current pulse propagating upwards along the leader channel. In the current propagation type return stroke models, in addition to the channel base current and the return stroke speed, the way in which the return stroke current attenuates along the return stroke channel is specified as an input parameter. The goal of this paper is to show that, within the confines of current propagation type models, once the channel base current and the return stroke speed are known, the measured radiation field can be used to evaluate how the return stroke current attenuates along the channel. After giving the mathematics necessary for this inverse transformation, the procedure is illustrated by extracting the current attenuation curve from the typical wave shape of the return stroke current and from the distant radiation field of subsequent return strokes. The derived attenuation curve is used to evaluate both the subsequent and first return stroke electromagnetic fields at different distances. It is shown that all the experimentally observed features can be reproduced by the derived attenuation curve, except for the subsidiary peak and long zero-crossing times. In order to obtain electromagnetic fields of subsequent return strokes that are in agreement with measurements, one has to incorporate the current dispersion into the model. In the case of first return strokes, both current dispersion and reduction in return stroke speed with height are needed to obtain the desired features.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammadsadegh Rahimian Emam

The main aim of this PhD work is to advance tall-structure lightning return-stroke current modelling. The Alternative Transients Program (ATP), a version of the Electromagnetic Transients program (EMTP), is used to model the lightning current distribution within a tall structure and the attached lightning channel. The tall structure, namely the CN Tower, is modeled as three or five transmission line sections connected in series. The lightning channel is represented by a transmission line with a continuously expanding length. The presented model takes into account reflections within the tower and within the lightning channel. Locations of reflections, current reflection coefficients and the parameters of the current simulation function are calculated based on the time analysis of the current derivative signal, measured at the tower. The decay parameters of the simulation function are first determined by curve fitting the decaying part of the current obtained from measurement. The other parameters are determined by curve fitting the measured initial current derivative impulse with the derivative of the simulation function, before the arrival of reflections. The simulation results substantially succeeded in reproducing the fine structure of the measured current derivative signal. The model allows for the computation of the lightning current at any point along the current path (the tower and the attached channel), which is required for the calculation of the associated electromagnetic field. Using the three-section model of the tower, the presented return-stroke current model enables the determination of a discrete return-stroke velocity profile, demonstrating that the velocity generally decays with time. Furthermore, based on the five-section model, the proposed approach enables taking into account the existence of upward-connecting leaders, which allowed, for the first time, the determination of upward-connecting leader lengths and return-stroke velocity variation profiles with more details. The return-stroke velocity profile is found to initially increase rapidly with time, reaching a peak, and then decrease less rapidly. The proposed model is also experimentally verified based on the comparison between the computed and measured electromagnetic fields. The simulated electric and magnetic field waveforms are found to reproduce important details of the measured fields, including initial split peaks that appear due to channel-front reflections in the presence of upward-connecting leaders.


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