A Study on Accident of Surge Arrester Due to Backflow Lightning Caused by Winter Lightning Strike on Wireless Communication Tower

In recent years, damage to lightning surge arresters on distribution lines caused by backflow lightning has drawn attention. In Japan, lightning with a large amount of energy known as winter lightning occurs in winter along the Sea of Japan coast. Winter lightning has the characteristics of being more likely to strike tall structures, and wireless communication tower is often struck by lightning. When lightning strikes tower, a potential difference occurs due to an increase in the ground potential, causing current to flow into the distribution lines as backflow lightning, which can damage surge arresters. The authors analyzed an actual lightning surge arrester damage accident caused by backflow lightning in a winter lightning area in Japan, using observed characteristics of the lightning current. Moreover, the authors examined countermeasures against lightning surge arrester damage caused by backflow lightning. Based on the analysis results, we present effective methods for preventing arrester damage by backflow lightning.