volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

To reveal the impulse behavior of radial grounding electrodes with different geometries, a comparative analysis was performed on three typical types: cross-shaped, Y-shaped, and rectangular ray-shaped electrodes. Existing research often examines only a single lightning waveform or influencing factor without addressing the coupled effects of electrode shape and soil resistivity. In this work, CDEGS simulation software was used to analyze the lightning transient characteristics of the grounding electrodes. Multiple lightning current waveforms and soil resistivity levels were considered to quantitatively compare the power frequency resistance, impulse resistance, ground potential rise, step voltage, and frequency-domain response. The results indicate that the rectangular ray-shaped electrode exhibits better impulse performance in low-resistivity soils (150 Ω·m), whereas the cross- and Y-shaped electrodes performed more effectively in high-resistivity soils (2000 Ω·m). For mountainous regions with high lightning density, a cross-shaped configuration is preferred owing to its smaller footprint and lower inductive effect. In high-resistivity areas with infrequent lightning, a Y-shaped electrode provides a more favorable overall protection

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Professor Wen Cao

Dr. Jiarui Zhang

Professor Wei Shen

Dr. Yasong Cao