Soil Ionization Impact on the Grounding Grid Performance of High Voltage Substations Exposed to Lightning Strokes

This article presents a study investigating the effects of soil ionization on the resistivity of homogeneous and heterogeneous soils surrounding grounding electrodes in substations, and consequently, the effect of soil ionization on the impedance of the grounding network and the ground potential rise. The study also addresses the critical electric field strength surrounding the electrodes. The paper examines the behaviour of grounding electrodes affected by lightning strikes, taking soil ionization into account. In the model proposed for this study, each heterogeneous soil layer has its own frequency-dependent electrical parameters. The results are supported by the most recent published articles to ensure their validity. The current study concluded that as soil resistivity increases and…