1. Use of Lightning Data for Electricity Transmission Operations
Juha Paldanius,
IV International Conference of Lightning Protection St.Petersburg,Russia

2. Presentation Outline NLDN Introduction
Lightning Data Applications in Electricity Transmission Ops.
Operations Management
Transmission line engineering
Transmission line analysis
Technology upgrades
2013 upgrade
2014 improvements
12/8/2018
[Name]

3. NLDN Introduction Continuous CONUS Data Since 1989
The Vaisala operated U.S. National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) has been providing real-time, continental-scale lightning data since 1989.
Continuous and Quantified Improvement
Upgrades in 1995, , and were coupled with detailed performance analyses.
Cloud-to-Ground Lightning
Tower studies - Cramer and Cummins (2014)
Rocket triggered lighting studies - Mallick et al. (2014)
Cloud Lightning
Video camera studies - Cummins et al. (2014)
Comparison against Lightning Mapping Array - Murphy and Nag (2014)
In this paper, we discuss the results expected from the current network-wide upgrade on the performance characteristics of the U.S. NLDN. We also examine the peak current distributions of cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning reported by the network.

4. NLDN – CG Flash Detection Efficiency & Accuracy

5. User Case – Operations Management
Customer has built an real time weather information system to manage maintenance crews
Mobile application for crews on the field
Automatic alarm function
30/60 mile radius
15/30 min time delay
Storm mitigation
On-duty calls
On-hand spare part inventory
Active on-call location
12/8/2018
[Name]

6. User Case – Transmission Line Engineering
FALLS software
Reliability Analysis for fault investigation
Regional Analysis by Substation & Line Design
Claims Support
Small Area Analysis for Distribution network monthly reports
Small Area Analysis for Maintenance prioritization
A FALLS® 5.0 Regional Analysis displaying lightning discharges by amplitude. The yellow and red circles represent cloud-to-ground strokes with amplitudes greater than +/- 165 kA that are likely associated with faults.
12/8/2018
[Name]

7. FALLS® 5.0 Exposure Analysis - 115kV Line
21 operations (2000)
46.43 Miles = 74.7km
60% operations are lightning induced
Considerations included:
Budget – how much improvements would cost?
Reliability Targets – How much the reliability would increase
Other Externals
A FALLS® 5.0 Exposure Analysis showing a segment of transmission line that has been exposed to an above average number of lightning challenges. This information can provide an electric utility guidance for further inspection or protection investments.

8. 115kV Line – Improvement Project
6 out of 10 line sections were noticed to be vulnerable to lightning
Improvement of 20 – 40 spans per year (2 – 5 miles)
Alumoweld shielding overhead ground wire (2003 – 2011) and optical ground fiber shielding (2012)

9. 115kV Line – Results
Performance as expected showed improvement year 2 – 3
Lightning outages from 12 (2000) to 4 (2011)
Approach used as a general road map
Asset Sections used to monitor program performance

10. User Case – Transmission Line Analysis
Lightning density maps
Lightning events along the transmission line
Comparison to IEEE Flash tool
Statistics of whole transmission network
12/8/2018
[Name]

11. IEEE Flash Tool
Estimates frequency of failures based on CG lightning density and transmission line parameters
12/8/2018
[Name]

12. Analysis Results
12/8/2018
[Name]

13. Technology Upgrades
NLDN updated in 2013, results in performance improvements.
Vaisala’s LS7002 sensors have been deployed, replacing the older generation LS7001 and IMPACT sensors.
The cloud flash detection efficiency in the NLDN is expected to be about 40-50%.
These performance characteristics continue to be validated by triggered lightning, tower strikes, network inter-comparison, and camera studies.
A new NLDN central processor is expected to be operational in April 2014.
Burst processing,
new classification algorithm
location accuracy improvements.
Future developments will be included in Vaisala’s lightning detection technology offering
In this paper, we discuss the results expected from the current network-wide upgrade on the performance characteristics of the U.S. NLDN. We also examine the peak current distributions of cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning reported by the network.