Validation of the Lightning Fractal Model Based on the Attachment Probability Experiments Using Rod-Rod Air Gaps

Direct lightning poses a serious threat to the safety of power systems. In recent years, the lightning fractal model, which can reflect the fractal characteristics and randomness of lightning leaders, has been gradually applied to direct lightning protection for substations, transmission lines, etc. However, since few studies have linked simulations with experiments, the reliability of the lightning fractal model in terms of attachment probability prediction lacks experimental verification. In this paper, a series of attachment tests are carried out under a rod-rod gap. The equivalence between simulation tests and natural lightning is discussed, and the influencing factors of the attachment results are investigated. The attachment probability is simulated and compared to the test value under each test configuration. The test results show that the fractal dimension of discharge channel is consistent with the observation results of natural lightning. Under different configurations, the test value of attachment probability basically conforms to the simulation value. In general, the dispersion of the test results is slightly greater than the simulation results, but the average probability differences are all within 10%. The test results strongly indicate that the lightning fractal model is of good reliability in the prediction of strike probability.