Propagation of current pulses with an amplitude of up to 85 kA in soil over distances of several tens of meters
- ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation (Russian Federation)
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Joint Institute for High Temperatures (Russian Federation)
- Krzhizhanovsky Power Research Institute (Russian Federation)
- Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research (Russian Federation)
- Federal Network Company of the Unified Energy System (Russian Federation)
Conditions for the propagation in soil of current pulses with an amplitude of up to 85 kA and temporal characteristics typical of a lightning stroke are studied with the help of a specially designed mobile test complex on the basis of a 4-MJ capacitive energy storage with an output voltage of up to 2 MV. In contrast to the conventional opinion that the ionization processes in highly conductive soils are weakly pronounced, a dramatic reduction in the grounding resistance at a resistivity of about 100 Ω m and currents above 10 kA was observed. A time interval in which the grounding resistance is determined by the skin effect in soil is revealed. It is shown that the grounding resistance continues to decrease behind the front of the current pulse due to the continuous growth of spark channels in soil. Time variations in the grounding resistance cannot be related to the formation of a continuous ionization zone near the grounding electrodes and are explained only by the simultaneous growth of several long spark channels extending from the grounding device.
- OSTI ID:
- 22614156
- Journal Information:
- Plasma Physics Reports, Vol. 42, Issue 2; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2016 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1063-780X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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