Risk Assessment of a Transmission Line Insulation Breakdown Due to Lightning and Severe Weather

Abstract

The transmission line insulation breakdown is typically assessed by performing insulator chain tests, and by conducting network modeling and simulation studies incorporating various stress conditions. This paper investigates how historical data coming from the lightning detection network and measurement stations capturing associated weather conditions can be utilized to provide a predicted assessment of risk of insulation breakdown for a given exposure and associated weather threats. The proposed analysis is enabled by the space and time correlation of the transient data recorded in the substations at the end of the lines, as well as by the assimilation of data obtained from the lightning detection network and weather stations. The proposed modeling and simulation tools are utilized to facilitate the time and space correlation analysis that leads to predication of the risk.