Natural disasters are an inevitable part of life and sometimes be difficult to predict. The good news is that you are definitely able to prepare for such events and minimize damage to distribution lines. Whenever there is lightning, distribution lines are vulnerable. If lightning touches your distribution line, the surge will divide and travel in opposite directions. As a result of this lightning surge, you will then be likely to have an insulator flashover.
This occurs because the average 10 kA lightning strike on a distribution line will result in around 4 000 000 Volts arriving at the insulator. If your distribution line is a nominal system of 25 kV, the strength of a standard transformer insulation will be about 150 kV. Anything above this number will cause a flashover. Additionally, the surge coming to your line will not stop but will make its way down the distribution line to your other transformers and insulators.
As you know, lightning can cause a temporary (or even, sometimes, a permanent) interruption to power when it strikes your distribution line. With the advances in technology and an increase in high-tech devices and appliances in homes, consumers are inadvertently putting a lot of pressure on electric utilities to maintain power supply and to minimize interruptions as much as possible. This has resulted in power utilities having to investigate how to improve power reliability to homes and industry. The good news is that surges can definitely be effectively managed if an appropriate arrester is used. A good arrester will protect a power utility’s main assets and are considered crucial for all distribution lines.
Protecting your distribution lines is, put simply, good business practice. If you select the correct arrester, also taking into consideration line lead impact, insulation coordination, as well as underground protection, you should be well protected in a natural disaster!