About lighting strikes and sources

[bottecchia]

Hello everyone.

I would like to know why we simulate in programs like atp lighting strikes with current sources and not with voltage sources.

Could anyone help?

Thank you :)

 

[mfb]

No idea about lightning strike simulations, but from the electrics side:
If you put a small resistor (whatever gets hit by lightning) in series with a large resistor (all the air) and attach it to a voltage source (cloud-ground), the current through the resistors doesn't depend significantly on the resistance value, but voltage does.

 

[bottecchia]

so why we cannot simulate the lightning strike with a voltage source?

we will have a small resistance and a high voltage so we will produce a high current between the cloud and the ground.

does anyone know what is wrong in my thoughts?

 

[nsaspook]

so why we cannot simulate the lightning strike with a voltage source?

we will have a small resistance and a high voltage so we will produce a high current between the cloud and the ground.

does anyone know what is wrong in my thoughts?

It's represented by the equivalent of a current source because once we exceed the breakdown voltage of air to the grounding point the measured current is almost equal to the short circuit current for a wide range of path resistances (a high impedance source). The impedance of the object in the path of current flow determines the amount of voltage generated across that object as the voltage will rise to the level needed to maintain constant current.

 

[bottecchia]

It's represented by the equivalent of a current source because once we exceed the breakdown voltage of air to the grounding point the measured current is almost equal to the short circuit current for a wide range of path resistances (a high impedance source). The impedance of the object in the path of current flow determines the amount of voltage generated across that object as the voltage will rise to the level needed to maintain constant current.

wow... thank you man you are my hero... :)

 

[mitre]

Could you be more specific?

It's represented by the equivalent of a current source because once we exceed the breakdown voltage of air to the grounding point the measured current is almost equal to the short circuit current for a wide range of path resistances (a high impedance source). The impedance of the object in the path of current flow determines the amount of voltage generated across that object as the voltage will rise to the level needed to maintain constant current.

 

[nsaspook]

Could you be more specific?

This mighty help.
http://www.dehn-usa.com/manager/file.asp?tableName=tblPublications&idField=publicationId&namePrefix=smImg&idValue=38

 

[davenn]

thanks nsaspook

nice informative link

Dave