Analysis of Surge Arrester Burnout Faults on Actual Distribution Line in Summer

Analysis of actual outages is essential for efficient lightning‐protection design. In this study, we estimate strokes that cause surge arrester burnout faults by considering not only the distance from the fault position to the stroke position estimated by a lightning location system but also the estimated peak current. Different configurations of the distribution line experiencing surge arrester damage are observed: various types of surge arresters are installed at the lightning striking pole, and the low‐voltage power distribution line is installed below the medium‐voltage line in some cases. The effect of this variation on the possibility of surge arrester damage is examined via numerical calculation. Results show that the variation in the withstand capability of surge arresters and the presence of appendant wires should be considered to reproduce surge arrester burnout faults on actual distribution lines in the summer. © 2026 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.