Simulation Study on Discharge Current Characteristics of Gapped Line Arresters

For line arresters with series gaps, leakage current monitoring is generally infeasible due to the isolation by the gaps. Current fault detection methods primarily rely on monitoring discharge counts, which alone are inadequate for condition assessment. Research indicates that analyzing discharge current characteristics under lightning impulses is a viable approach to assess arrester conditions. This study constructs a model of a gapped line arrester and validates its feasibility. Using this model, lightning current impulse simulations are conducted to investigate discharge current characteristics and residual voltages. The work in this paper is of great significance for improving the state evaluation and fault diagnosis technology of gapped line arresters.