• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.119-125
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• 2009

This paper deals with the characteristics of soil ionization affecting the dynamic performance of grounding systems under lightning impulse voltage. A concentric hemispherical electrode system was employed in order to facilitate the field calculation and analysis of the experimental results. The parameters such as the ionization threshold and breakdown field intensity, the pre-ionization and the post ionization resistances, the time-lag to ionization, the transient impedance, the equivalent ionized radius for various soil media were measured and analyzed. The dynamic characteristics of ionization processes under lightning impulse voltage are strongly dependent on the types of soil and water content. As a result, a soil ionization reduces the ground resistance and there is a little effect of applied impulse polarity on the soil ionization threshold field intensity. Although the ionization threshold field intensity of wet clay with 30% water content is the highest, its ionized zone was found to be the smallest amongst the test samples.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.103-109
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• 2010

In this paper, breakdown characteristics of soil in a coaxial cylindrical electrode system stressed by impulse currents were experimentally investigated. The breakdown voltage and current waveforms for 4 types of soils were measured, and the threshold electric field intensity, the time-lag to breakdown and the voltage-current (V-I) curves were analyzed and discussed. As a result, the breakdown voltage and current waveforms are strongly dependent on the grain size of soil, and the voltage and current waveforms for gravel and sand differ from those for silt and loess. The threshold electric field intensity Ec is increased in the order of gravel, sand, loess and silt. The V-I curves for all test samples show a 'cross-closed loop' of ${\infty}$-shape. Also, the time-lag to breakdown for gravel and sand are longer than those for silt and loess. It is expected that the results presented in this paper will provide useful information on the design of improving transient performance of a grounding electrode system subjected to lightning current considering the soil ionization.