LIGHTNING CURRENT ARRESTERS WITH LOW PROTECTION LEVEL

CHANCE AND CHALLENGE

Dr.-Ing. Peter Hasse,
Dehn + Shne GmbH + Co. KG,
Hans-Dehn-Str. 1, 92318 Neumarkt/Opf., Germany
e-mail: hasse@dehn.de

AbstractThere is the risk of fire due to flashovers between electrical and metal
installations if a building will be hitten by lightning. This risk will be avoided by a
lightning protection system (LPS) with carefully carried out equipotential bonding.
Lightning current arresters (LCAs) are important components to ensure the potential
equalisation between the lightning protection systems (LPS) and the electrical
installation. Their application is required in IEC62305-3 [1] and their selection and
coordination is described in IEC62305-4 [2]. The steadily increasing number of
electronic devices and their growing sensitivity against overvoltages require surge
protective devices (SPDs), with a high lightning current carrying capability as well as a
low protection level.
The low protection level may cause a huge number of possible operations of the LCAs
with possible follow currents driven by the low-voltage mains generally. The number of
incoming surges, their energy content as well as the number and the amplitude of
power-frequency follow currents determine the life cycle of the SPD.
Today the assessment of risk becomes more and more important for the design of
electrical and electronic systems also in the field of lightning protection (IEC62305-2
[3]). The assessment of risk demands the specification of an expected life time of the
installed devices. Also manufactures of SPDs have to specify the expected life time of
their devices since an increasing number of projects are placed under the aspect of
risk assessment.
1 INTRODUCTION
The increasing electromagnetic sensitivity of electronic devices installed in low-voltage
systems requires a reliable mains-voltage supply. The proven concept of a co-ordinated
surge protection by SPDs with downstream decreasing protection levels and decoupling elements is sometimes not applicable: Restrictions in the application of such a stepped surge
protection concept are given, e.g. in applications with limited space or where high rated
currents are required.
This led to the design of a new generation of modern spark-gap based LCAs with a low
protection level and high surge current carrying capability. The new generation of
combination type SPDs is able to act without downstream installed class II SPDs and

therefore without further decoupling elements and offers an adapted protection level. This is
the Chance of this special type of arresters as a combination of Class I and Class II SPDs
and offers the user an improved protection behaviour in conjunction with a space saving
installation. In [4] the design of such a combination type SPD is described.
The advantage of a low protection level arises the question: Is the coordination between this
combination type SPD, other downstream installed SPDs (e.g. class III SPDs) and customer
devices really ensured?
The combination type SPD [4] can be directly installed in parallel to the fine protection
elements inside of a customers device to protect.
With the low protection level also an other question arises: Does the low protection level
cause a huge number of possible operations of the LCAs with follow currents driven by the
low-voltage mains?
To give a proper answer to this question, it is necessary to investigate the factors of influence
on the life cycle of LCAs. Therefore the occurring stresses like surges and overvoltages
coming from the mains, have to be compared with the number of surges without impermissible degradation declared by the manufacturer of the LCA.
The requirement for a high durability together with a low protection level and the possibility to
be coordinated with the customer devices to protect is the Challenge for the combination
type SPD.
2 MAIN REQUIREMENTS ON THE DESIGN OF MODERN LCAs
During the lightning event and in case of other overvoltages LCAs have to ensure the
potential equalization between the LPS and the electrical installation and the interruption of
possible follow currents. An ideal LCA would have the high surge current carrying capability
of a heavy-duty spark gap and the follow current behaviour of a varistor.
Reliable surge protection measures require a certain protection level UP, which is not only
lower than the withstand capability of the insulation of the electrical installation, but also low
enough to protect sensitive electronic equipment. In some cases only a low protection level
allows the co-ordination with other downstream installed surge protective devices or SPDs
integrated in customer devices. This leads to a new technology of spark-gap based LCAs
with a low protection level activated by an adjustable energy controlled monitoring unit.
The introduction of this technology causes 2 major questions:
Does the low protection level cause a huge number of operations of the LCAs with
possible follow currents driven by the low-voltage mains?
What are the consequences for the life cycle of these LCAs?
For a proper answer the occurring stresses (like surges and overvoltages coming from the
mains), have to be compared with the permitted number of surges, which cause no loss of
functionality of the LCAs?

Main factors of influence on the life cycle of LCAs are:

technology of the spark gap
numbers, amplitudes and energies of incoming surges or overvoltages
numbers and amplitudes of power-frequency mains follow currents
Mains follow currents and surges are mainly responsible for the numbers of events which can
be handled by the LCA without a loss of functionality. It is obviously that LCAs with low
protection levels have to operate more frequently. This may lead to a huge number of follow
currents and may cause an accelerated degradation. On the other hand it will be shown later
that not in any case of LCA-operation a mains follow current will be initiated.
3 OVERVOLTAGES IN LOW-VOLTAGE MAINS
A complete description of overvoltages in low-voltage mains is not possible. Overvoltages in
low-voltage mains originate from different sources, e.g. direct and nearby lightning strikes or
indirect lightning effects, switching operations of inductive loads or capacitor banks or during
fault situations in the power system
3.1 Peak Amplitude vs. Rate of Occurrence
To estimate the probability that a certain voltage level will be exceeded, different
measurements have been made through the years [5-14] (Figure 1).

10000

A, B, C
D
E
F, G
H, I

1000

p/1/year

100
F

10

[5]
[10]
[7]
[13]
[14]

1
B

D
A

0.1
0
1

5 u/kV

10

Fig. 1 - Rate of surge occurrences vs. voltage levels

Taking into account that surge amplitudes within buildings may be limited by installed surge
protective devices or by flashover of clearances or by the propagation effects in the wiring
system, a basic dependency for the peak amplitude as a function of number of surges per
year can be found.

3.2 Duration and Energy Contents of Incoming Surges

The time of interference (duration of a surge or an overvoltage) is significant for the energy
contents of the incoming surges.
The measurements made with different equipment and with different time resolutions show a
broad scattered range of surge durations from a few ns up to some 100 s. The investigation
of [7] shows clearly that the energy content of the incoming overvoltages is constant in a
range up to 500 V. This is a clear indication that overvoltages with lower crest values have
shorter durations. The energy contents of the measured overvoltages above 500V increase
with V2 (as to be expected).
The wide range of pulses makes it difficult to determine a typical source impedance. Usually
long duration surges (in the range of some s) can be considered as surges with lower
source impedances as fast and short pulses.
Short and fast events as they occur during switching operations of small inductive loads are
called burst-pulses of Electrical Fast Transients ( EFTs). For testing purposes a typical
waveshape of a single burst pulse is given by the time parameters 5/50ns. These very short
burst-pulses can be assumed as electromagnetic waves travelling through the low-voltage
system.
The behaviour of different types of LCAs during burst stress was tested to check, if the low
protection level UP can also be kept during burst pulses. E.g. burst pulses with a crest value
of uOC = 4 kV were applied to a spark-gap based LCA with an adjustable energy controlled
monitoring (Figure 2).

mains

itotal

load
iprim.

Trigger-Unit

Triggerspark
gap

Wtrigger

isec.

Mainspark gap

ULCA

Fig. 2 - Spark-gap based LCA (combination type SPD) with

an adjustable energy monitoring unit [4]
Figure 3 shows that due to the special trigger unit this energy controlled LCA can limit these
burst pulses to values of UP 1,5 kV.
This LCA was also connected to a power frequency source with a maximum continuous
operating voltage Uc. Burst-pulses with a crest value of Uoc = 4 kV were applied to determine

the number of occurring power frequency follow currents. It could be shown that (due to the
low energy content of the burst pulses) no follow currents occured.

u [kV]
3.5
Input : Burst-pulse
(UOC = 4 kV)

3.0
2.5
2.0

LCA output
voltage

1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
0

100 200 300 400 500 600

t [ns]

Fig. 3 - Protection behaviour of the combination type LCA (Figure 2) during burst pulse
application
These investigations have shown, that short-term pulses, even if they are repetitive, are not
able to initiate mains follow currents through an energy-controlled LCA (Figure 4).

u/V

LCA voltage

i/A
50
0
-50

200
0
-200
LCA current

-600
15 ms/150 Impulses
0

10 15 20 25 30 35 t/ms

Fig. 4 - Time behaviour of current and voltage during the application of burst pulses to the
energy controlled LCA (Figure 2)
Therefore burst pulses as an additional stress can be excluded for these kind of energy-

controlled LCAs with low protection level. This allows the following assumption: Due to the
low energy contents of burst pulses (which are not able to initiate mains follow currents) in
further considerations only overvoltages with a duration above 1 s have to be taken into
account.
The basis for the further considerations are the results of investigations [10,11] which were
performed with the goal to detect low-voltage insulations endangering overvoltages.
Therefore the measuring equipment was adjusted to detect only overvoltage events with a
time duration tmin > 1s.
3.3 Assessment of Threat to SPDs with Low-protection Levels
Modern spark-gap based LCAs with low protection levels are generally SPDs with a trigger
circuit. Several conditions for the ignition of a power frequency mains follow current can be
defined depending on the trigger circuit design as well as on the spark gap characteristics
themselves.
To assess the threat by overvoltages to a SPD the boundaries of follow current initiation have
to be defined. Independend from the LCA-technology two boundaries can be found (Figure
5).
Duration of the surges: If the time of interference is smaller than a given limit no
follow current will occur (boundary b1 or b2).
Energy contents of the incomming surges: If the surge current remains smaller
than a defined value, the LCA is not activated independent from the duration of the
surge (boundary a1 or a2).

isurge/kA
LCA with energy-controlling
trigger circuit[2]

50
20
10
5
2
1
0.5

LCA without energycontrolling

trigger circuit
b1)
b2)
a2)

0.2
0.1

a1)

10 20 50 100 200 t / s

Fig. 5 - Boundaries of a follow current initiation in LCAs

From a very conservative point of view, all measured surges above a certain peak value and
longer than a certain duration can be considered as surges generated from a combination
wave generator with a fictive impedance of Zf = 2 . They are able to initiate follow currents.
These considerations allow a correlation between the measured overvoltages and the
resulting surge currents.
3.4 Application to an Energy Controlled LCA
The minimum specific energy to initiate a mains follow current in a LCA with energy
controlling trigger circuit [4] was determined with W/R = 16 A2s. This value corresponds to a
8/20s current i8/20 = 1 kA or a 10/350s pulse current of Ipeak = 240 A (Figure 6).

u/kV
1.2

i/A
1200

total current

a)

0.8

LCA-voltage

0.4

800
400

main spark gap current

u/kV

10

b)

20

30

40

t/s

main spark gap current

1.2

i/A
180

LCA-voltage
0.8

120
total current

0.4

60

0.0

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

t/ms

Fig. 6 - Behaviour of the LCA with energy controlling trigger circuit at different surge currents
a) LCA operates in the 8/20s-pulse tail (imax = 1 kA) only
b) LCA operates already in the 10/350s pulse-front (ipeak = 240 A)
Acc. to the previous assumption of a representative source impedance of Zf = 2 follow
currents may occur if the overvoltages exceed a value of = 2 kV. The rate of occurrence of
this overvoltage level is (acc. to [10]) p = 1..3 events per year.
This rate of occurrence describes only the number of overvoltages which are able to initiate
mains follow currents and is not the total number of overvoltage per year. The total number of
overvoltages may activate the energy-controlled LCA, but only a few of them have sufficient

energy contents to initiate follow currents. The number of overvoltages in connection with
mains follow currents increases rapidly with a lower crest value boundary (Figure 5 a1) or a
lower duration boundary (Figure 5 b1): This is the case at LCAs without an energy controlling
trigger unit.
4

LIFE CYCLE TEST

The durability of a LCA installed in the low-voltage system depends on the number of
overvoltages with high energy content, on the number of follow currents and their peak
values. In [15] prospective short- circuits at different points of installations were investigated
(household and smaller industrial installations). It could be shown that approximately 95% of
all measured values of the prospective short-circuit currents were smaller than ip 5 kAeff.
Modern LCAs with their high follow current interrupt rating ifi are able to limit mains follow
currents to low values and to extinguish them (independent from the prospective short-circuit
current at the point of installation).
It is also reasonable, that overvoltages with an energy content high enough to cause follow
currents, are shared equally: This means, that in a life cycle test all synchronization angles
with respect to the mains voltage should be considered.
4.1 Life cycle test procedure
To test the durability of a LCA to be installed at the mains the test procedure taken from the
preconditioning test procedure described in [16] was applied to the energy-controlled LCA.
With a power-frequency source of Uc and prospective short-circuit currents from ip = 5 kA to
ip = 25 kA 8/20s-surges (Imax = 5kA) starting from a synchronisation angle of 0 in steps of
30 electrical degrees were applied to inititate possible follow currents. The test was repeated
as long as the pass criteria of [16] could be fulfilled by the LCA. The pass-through energy
provided from the mains was measured.
Furthermore a 35 A fuse was included into the test circuit. The test was finished if the fuse
operates. This additional pass criteria is not equivalent to a general end-of-life of the LCA. It
indicates only, that the LCA is not longer selective with an 35 A fuse. These tests were
performed with different types of LCAs of the DEHNventil-family [2]. The results are
summarized in Figure 7.
Also in case of high prospective short circuit currents (ip > 5 kA) where the follow current
frequency increases, the mains follow current can be limited to negligible values (comparable
to those ones of MOVs).
Figure 8 shows the behaviour of the LCA (DEHNventil) during the application of the mains
voltage UC = 230 V with a prospective short circuit current iP = 25 kA. The mains follow
current if was limited to 500 A peak or 1.5 % of iP. The let-through integral of this follow current
doesnt exceed the value of the melting integral of a 35 A NH-fuse.

This remarkable limitation of follow currents is the result of the immediate increase of the arcvoltage within the spark gap. As faster this arc-voltage reaches the present value of the
mains voltage as lower the peak values of follow currents will become. The property of this
kind of spark gaps to reach high arc voltages within a short time leads furthermore to the
behaviour that only for some few synchronisation angles a high energy surge causes a
noticeable follow current (Figure 8).
If the arc-voltage within the spark gap is in the order of the mains voltage (Figure 8) the
influence on other connected devices is small. This is comparable with the limiting behaviour
a MOV based SPD.

32 - 36
34 - 36

4,0
3,0
2,0
1,0

*s]
kA
W/

20 - 23
20 - 24

8 - 11
8 - 12

40

+
iP = 25 kA
iP = 5 kA

0
0 60 120180240300 0 60 120180240300 0 60 120180240300 0 60 120180

R[
4,0

44 - 48
44 - 48

3,0

52
52 - 53

56 - 59
56 - 60
64
63 - 65

2,0
1,0

68 - 71
68 - 72

80 - 81
80 - 84

76

iP = 25 kA
iP = 5 kA
180240300 0 60 120180240300 0 60 120180240300 0 60 120180240300360

Surge at ? electr
electr..

Fig. 7 - Pass through-energy of the LCA DEHNventil during a

life cycle test at ip = 5 kA and ip = 25 kA

u/V
400
0

mains voltage

-400

spark gap voltage

i / kA
40

prospective short
circuit current

20
0
-10

follow current of
the LCA

10

15

20 t / ms

i / kA

current flow
for t 7 ms

0
10

15 t / ms 20

ip = 25 kA

Fig. 8 - Limitation of the mains follow current of the LCA (DEHNventil) at 10 kA (8/20s) and
a prospective short circuit current iP = 25 kA r.m.s.
Figure 7 shows clearly, that only at a few synchronisation angles a mains follow current is
initiated. The given numbers correspond to synchronisation angles in the positive and
negative half-wave of the mains voltage where follow currents occur. During the test
procedure the pass through-energy increased evenly and not rapidly. At a prospective shortcircuit current of ip = 25 kA the pass through-energy reaches the defined pass criteria at 85
surges and at a prospective short-circuit current of ip = 5 kA even at 117 surges.
The claimed protection level of up = 1,5 kV and a sufficient insulation have always been kept
during these test.
With these test sequences the number of stresses was determined where no inadmissible
change of functionality of the LCA occurs.
With the above mentioned rate of occurrence of overvoltages (causing follow currents) of
p = 1..3 per year a life time of the investigated LCA (DEHNventil) of tLCA 33 years can be
extrapolated.

The measured pass through-energies of the tested LCAs are always lower then the melting
energy of a 35 A fuse, which means that the LCAs of the DEHNventil-family keep their
claimed selectivity to a 35 A fuse during their whole determined life time. This is remarkable
with respect to the fact, that the SPDs of the DEHNventil-family are encapsulated LCAs,
without blowing any hot gases or particle emission during operation.
5 CONCLUSIONS
The design of a modern spark-gap based LCA with a low protection level and high surge
current carrying capability has to consider a possible increase of operations and a possible
increase of mains follow currents. The number of overvoltages, their energy contents as well
as the number and r.m.s.-values of prospective short-circuit currents at the points of
installation are influencing the life time of spark-gap based LCA.s.
Only surges with sufficient energy contents are able to initiate mains follow currents. Due to
their short time of interference burst-pulses or EFT are not able to initiate follow currents in
the investigated LCA. With the measured behaviour, that only surges with a sufficient energy
content and a certain duration can initiate follow currents, a rate of occurrence of these
overvoltages (p = 1..3 per year) could be found.
The investigations were performed with LCAs with a high follow current interrupt rating and
have been done an addition to the existing operating test [16]. The measured number of
surges up to n > 80 without a loss of functionality delivers for the investigated LCAs (with their
high follow current limiting behaviour) a prospected life time of tLCA 33 years even at very
high prospective short circuit currents (e.g. ip = 25 kA)..
6 REFERENCES
[1] IEC 62305-3, Ed. 1: Protection against lightning - Part 3: Physical damage to structures
and life hazard, IEC 81/214/CD
[2] IEC 62305-4, Ed. 1: Protection against lightning - Part 4: Electrical and electronic systems
within structures IEC 81/212/CD
[3] IEC 62305-2, Ed. 1: Protection against lightning - Part 2: Risk management IEC
81/213/CD
[4] R. Brocke, P. Hasse, F. Noack, P. Zahlmann, Spark gap based lightning current arresters
th
without mains follow currents , Proceeding of the 24 International Conference on
Lightning Protection, pp. 654-659, Rhodes-Greece 2000.
[5] ANSI/IEEE C62.41-1991, IEEE Recommended Practice on Surge Voltage in LowVoltage AC Power Circuits.
[6] Goedbloed, J. J. Transients in Low-Voltage Supply Networks IEEE Transactions, EMC29, No. 2, May 1987, pp. 104-115.

[7] Meissen, W. berspannungen in Niederspannungsnetzen. (Overvoltages in low-voltage

networks) Elektrotechnische Zeitschrift(etz), vol. 104, 1983, pp 343-345
[8] Meissen, W. Transiente Netzberspannungen (Transient overvoltages in Networks):
Elektrotechnische Zeitschrift(etz), vol. 107, 1986, pp 50-55
[9] Standler, R. B. Transients on the Mains in a Residential Area, IEEE Transactions, EMC31, May 1998, pp 170-176
[10]Ackermann, G.; Hudasch, M.; Schwetz, S.; Stimper, K.: berspannungen in
Niederspannungsanlagen (Overvoltages in low-voltage installations) Elektrotechnische
Zeitschrift (etz), Vol. 114 (1993), pp 218-223
[11]Ackermann, G.; Scheibe, K.; Stimper, K.: Isolationsgefhrdende berspannungen im
Niederspannsbereich (Overvoltages hazardous to insulation in low-voltage systems)
Elektrotechnische Zeitschrift (etz), Vol. 116 (1997), pp 36-40
[12]Martzloff, F. D. and Gruzs, T. S. Power Quality Site Surveys: Facts, Fiction, and
Fallacies, IEEE Transaction, IA-24, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 1988, pp 100-1018
[13]Harich, H.; Enders, W.: Transiente berspannungen in Niederspannungsanlagen
(Transient overvoltages in low-voltage installations), Bericht der Bundesversuchs- und
Forschungsanstalt Arsenal, Vienna 1982
[14]IEC-Contribution 28A (France) 25 juin 1986: Contribution du Comit national francais
pour la rvision du rapport 664 de la CEI
[15]F. Noack, J. Pospiech, "Kurzschlu-Kenngren
von
Nieder-spannungsnetzen
(Characteristics of short-circuit currents in low-voltage mains)", Elektrotechnische
Zeitschrift (etz),Vol. 116(1995), No. 5, pp 218-223
[16]IEC 61643-1:1998: Low-voltage surge protective devices - Part 1: Surge protective
devices connected to low-voltage power distribution systems - Performance requirements
and testing methods.