Application of the nonlinear antenna theory model to a tall tower struck by lightning for the evaluation of return stroke channel current and radiated electromagnetic fields

In this paper an improved antenna theory (AT) model with nonlinearly varying resistive loading and fixed inductive loading is used to electromagnetically simulate lightning strikes to tall structures. Measurement data captured from Toronto's CN tower are used to verify the validity of the new model. Both the return stroke channel (RSC) and the tower are modeled by straight thin conducting wires. The wire model of the channel is assumed to have distributed nonlinear resistive elements as a function of current and time, adopted from the numerical models of a spark channel and consequent shockwave from a lightning discharge, yielding a varying value of the channel radius from the base to the cloud along the RSC. Such distributed elements are used to take into account the current attenuation while propagating along the channel and varying propagation speeds lower than the speed of light. RSC current distribution and radiated electromagnetic fields in near, intermediate, and far range distances predicted by the proposed model are compared with those obtained from the measurement data and with those of the original AT model and the AT with fixed inductive loading (ATIL‐F) model. Current wave propagation speed profile in RSC and tower is investigated as a function of height as well. The effects of applying different tower geometry models are also studied. It is shown that the new model is able to reproduce one of the characteristic features of the electromagnetic fields radiated by lightning, namely, the far‐field inversion of polarity with a zero crossing occurring in the tens of microseconds range. We have also investigated the effect of nonlinearity of the channel assumed in the new model. It is shown that among the electromagnetic models, distributed nonlinear resistance along the channel leads to a zero crossing in the tens of microseconds range even for large values of resistance. It is also shown that decreasing the nonlinearity results in the predictions asymptotically converging to those of the ATIL‐F model in which a uniformly distributed resistance along the channel is used. Further, the profile of the return stroke current attenuation and speed and removed charge as a function of height are investigated. Finally, the effect of lossy ground is analyzed using Wait‐Cooray convolution formula in the time domain to verify the validity of PEC assumption in the proposed model.