ITU - T - K.111 - 2015 - Protection of Surrounding Structure of Telecom Tower Against Lightning
ITU - T - K.111 - 2015 - Protection of Surrounding Structure of Telecom Tower Against Lightning
ITU - T - K.111 - 2015 - Protection of Surrounding Structure of Telecom Tower Against Lightning
ITU-T K.111
TELECOMMUNICATION (11/2015)
STANDARDIZATION SECTOR
OF ITU
Summary
Recommendation ITU-T K.111 considers the protection of structures in the area surrounding
telecommunication towers (including masts and poles) against damage and injury derived from direct
lightning flashes to the towers. The assessment and protection measures intend to reduce the possible
risk derived from the erection of towers, but not to improve the overall lightning protection for every
surrounding structure.
This Recommendation considers towers whose height is less than 100 m from ground level, which
rarely meets the initiation condition of upward flashes, so that the presence of the tower does not
significantly influence the incidence of lightning flashes.
Based on the analyses of sources of damage for an individual surrounding structure referring to
IEC 62305-2, the risk components mostly include the possible influence in the close vicinity of a tower
due to earth potential rise (EPR) and the transferred transients through common power feeds. For the
former risk component, the hazard resulting from the occurrence of sparking and the injury to living
beings are under consideration. For the latter, a series of exemption criteria and the corresponding
protection (mitigation) measures are recommended. The requirements detailing the implementation of
protection measures are also introduced.
History
Edition Recommendation Approval Study Group Unique ID*
1.0 ITU-T K.111 2015-11-29 5 11.1002/1000/12668
Keywords
Earth potential rise, lightning protection, surrounding structures, telecommunication tower, transferred
surge.
* To access the Recommendation, type the URL http://handle.itu.int/ in the address field of your web
browser, followed by the Recommendation's unique ID. For example, http://handle.itu.int/11.1002/1000/11
830-en.
NOTE
In this Recommendation, the expression "Administration" is used for conciseness to indicate both a
telecommunication administration and a recognized operating agency.
Compliance with this Recommendation is voluntary. However, the Recommendation may contain certain
mandatory provisions (to ensure, e.g., interoperability or applicability) and compliance with the
Recommendation is achieved when all of these mandatory provisions are met. The words "shall" or some other
obligatory language such as "must" and the negative equivalents are used to express requirements. The use of
such words does not suggest that compliance with the Recommendation is required of any party.
ITU 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, by any means whatsoever, without the prior
written permission of ITU.
1 Scope
This Recommendation considers the protection of structures in the neighbourhood of
telecommunication towers (including masts and poles) against damage and injury derived from direct
lightning flashes to the towers. These protection measures intend to reduce the possible risk derived
from the erection of towers, but not to improve the overall lightning protection for every surrounding
structure. The systemic protection for these structures should refer to the IEC 62305-x series.
This Recommendation only considers towers whose heights are less than 100 m from ground level.
Towers higher than 100 m or those situated on mountain ridges or high hills are not considered in this
Recommendation.
The lightning protection of telecommunication sites attached to the tower, such as a radio base station
(RBS) and a dedicated telecommunication building, is not included in this Recommendation. To this
aim, the user should refer to the corresponding Recommendations, such as [b-ITU-T K.27],
[b-ITU-T K.35], [b-ITU-T K.56] and [b-ITU-T K.97].
The lightning protection of service lines, such as power lines and telecommunication lines, is not
included in this Recommendation. The information about telecommunication lines is given in
[b-ITU-T K.46] and [b-ITU-T K.47].
2 References
The following ITU-T Recommendations and other references contain provisions which, through
reference in this text, constitute provisions of this Recommendation. At the time of publication, the
editions indicated were valid. All Recommendations and other references are subject to revision;
users of this Recommendation are therefore encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the
most recent edition of the Recommendations and other references listed below. A list of the currently
valid ITU-T Recommendations is regularly published. The reference to a document within this
Recommendation does not give it, as a stand-alone document, the status of a Recommendation.
[ITU-T K.39] Recommendation ITU-T K.39 (1996), Risk assessment of damages to
telecommunication sites due to lightning discharges.
[ITU-T K.66] Recommendation ITU-T K.66 (2011), Protection of customer premises from
overvoltage.
[IEC 62305-1] IEC 62305-1 (2010), Protection against lightning – Part 1: General principles.
[IEC 62305-2] IEC 62305-2 (2010), Protection against lightning – Part 2: Risk management.
[IEC 62305-3] IEC 62305-3 (2010), Protection against lightning – Part 3: Physical damage to
structures and life hazard.
[IEC 62305-4] IEC 62305-4 (2010), Protection against lightning – Part 4: Electrical and
electronic systems within structures.
6 Reference configuration
Figure 1 shows the typical layout scenario consisting of the telecommunication tower and the affected
surrounding structures (area) in the neighbourhood. In this figure, the possibly affected items are
divided into two parts according to the corresponding risk components introduced in Annex A. These
two parts can be classified as tower vicinity and local community and are defined as follows:
– tower vicinity: Includes the close vicinity around the tower within a limited distance from
the edge of the telecommunication site. In this area, the current density and the voltage
gradient is much larger than that of the far vicinity. There is the possible risk of injury to
living beings by electric shock due to step and touch voltages and/or the hazard resulting
from the occurrence of sparking between the tower and the metal parts of adjacent structures.
– local community: Includes the premises and installations connected with the
telecommunication site through common low voltage (LV) power feeds, which suffer the
influence of transferred surge from the interconnected LV power lines. If the
telecommunication site is supplied by a dedicated transformer, the influence of transferred
surge through medium voltage (MV) power lines can be negligible.
NOTE 1 – The earth-termination system of the tower shall comply with [IEC 62305-3] and [b-ITU-T K.56].
NOTE 2 – There may be other interconnected lines, such as telecommunication lines, and their influence is
under study.
NOTE 3 – If the tower is erected on a rented building, the overall risk re-assessment and protection are needed
for the rented building according to the IEC 62305-x series.
Under the most severe conditions, the required maximum protection factor (Pdis') can be given by the
ratio between the tolerable (FT) and expected number of direct flashes to the tower (ND), which is
shown by Equation 3:
Pdis' = FT / ND (3)
The LPL to be considered in the protection design can be determined by the comparison of Pdis' and
Pdis as shown in Table 2. The value of Pdis corresponding to the selected LPL cannot be greater than
the Pdis' value calculated by Equation 3. For example, for a value Pdis' = 0.03, the LPL II is at least
needed. The lightning parameters associated with LPL are given in Table 3 of clause 7.2.
The breakdown electric field strength of asphalt-concrete is approximately 1500 kV/m. The thickness
(b) of an asphalt-concrete segregation layer can be determined by Equation 6.
b = (ILPL·Z − S·Esoil) / (1500 − Esoil) (6)
Where:
b is the thickness of the asphalt-concrete segregation layer
S is the actual distance between the earth electrodes of the tower and the affected
object.
The depth and width of the segregation layer should also meet the requirement of Equation 7.
S1 + S2 + b Sd (7)
Where:
S1 is the minimum distance between the edge of the segregation layer and the
affected object
S2 is the minimum distance between the edge of segregation layer and the earth
electrodes of the tower.
A similar method could be used for the aerial separation, provided that the insulation material has
adequate insulating properties.
4) Equipotential bonding
If the affected structure is isolated and not dangerous, equipotential bonding between the
electrodes of the tower and the affected parts can be carried out. The efficiency of the
connecting materials and the LPS (including external and internal LPS) of the affected
structure should be confirmed according to [IEC 62305-3]. Occasionally, for as yet unknown
reasons, this measure must be adopted. In this case, the affected structure would be
considered as part of the tower system and the expansion of the influence zone of the latter,
7.4 Protection measures against injury to living beings due to touch and step voltages
For more detailed information refer to [IEC 62305-3].
3) Exemption rule 3
The occurrence rates of dangerous events derived from direct strokes on the LV lines and connected
structures (S3) for the LV system can also be used for an exemption criterion. These rates shall be
computed for two conditions: (i) considering the presence of the tower (S3T) and (ii) disregarding the
presence of the tower (S3). If the ratio between S3T and S3 is lower than 1.5, then the installation of
Even if the electric fields are not sufficiently high enough to generate sparking, the current flow close
to the ground surface may also give rise to step potential hazards when human beings and animals
stand on the ground.
Because the distribution of EPR is related to the amplitude and shape of the lightning current,
characteristics of the earthing grid, soil resistivity, soil dielectric constant and other factors, it is very
difficult to carry out a precise calculation. However, from an engineering perspective, it is necessary
to regulate sufficient separation (safety distance) from these existing metallic parts of structures,
cables and metal pipes in the earth to avoid the occurrence of dangerous sparking. This separation is
permitted to be relatively rough and conservative. At the same time, the LPSs of towers should make
special provisions for protection against dangerous step voltages or touch voltages in the vicinity of
the earth-termination networks, if they are installed in areas accessible to the public.
In an actual situation, the LV power distribution system is the most critical common dispersion route.
The surrounding premises and installations sharing a mutual transformer with the tower site can all
be affected. The transferred overvoltage and partial lightning current along the LV distribution lines
will stress all of the connected apparatus and SPDs in the interconnected structures. At first glance,
the most threatening situation would be the overvoltages between conductors and local earth applied
to the power equipment. In addition, these transferred overvoltages may lead to overvoltages between
the power system and the communications system connected to the same equipment. Field
investigations have revealed that this coupling path is also the common damage mechanism.
Depending on the division of the lightning current, the configuration of the LV distribution system,
earthing practices and the presence or absence of SPDs, the transferred overvoltage can be large or
moderate. Because all the above factors vary over a wide range according to the general practice of
the utility, as well as local configurations, it is impossible to present a quantitative calculation for all
types of systems.
The division of the lightning current is mostly determined by the ratio of the resistances between the
tower and local community, as described in [b-IEC 61643-12], [b-IEC TR 62066]. As a result, the
worse the earthing condition of the tower or the higher the density of the mutual feeding buildings in
an area, the greater the portion of the lightning current that would flow out of the telecommunication
site through the incoming LV power cable.
NOTE – The above current division is suitable for 10/350 s as defined in [IEC 62305-1]. In the initial phase
of lightning current, the current division is determined by the ratio of the inductances. In the tail, where the
current time-derivative is low, the division is determined by the ratio of the resistances. For cases where the
waveform is much shorter than 10/350 μs, the current division cannot be simply assessed by considering only
the resistances.
Different practices of earthing the neutral are found in different countries, so that some difference can
be expected in the way the lightning current will disperse among the available paths. As a result, the
transferred overvoltages will also be different, according to the actual configuration of the LV
distribution system. For example, in a TN-C system, because the phase-to-earth voltage is much less
attenuated than the neutral-to-earth voltage due to the multiple earthing connections of the neutral
conductor, a significant phase-to-neutral voltage builds up as the distance from the BS increases. This
is why the damage may be more severe when the structure is far from the tower in some actual
incidents.
Table B.2 – The referring value of Esoil under different soil property and resistivity [b-Huai]
Soil property Soil resistivity Esoil
( Ω·m ) ( kV/cm )
clay 2700 16
1000 14.4
250 8.4
160 9
140 10.4
120 8.2
70 7.4
humus 1050 4.2
550 7.2
350 5.8
90 9.2
35 9.6
22 4.5
sandy soil 45~3400 12.8~13.8
Table B.3 – Conventional earthing impedance values Z according to [IEC 62305-3], for
different soil resistivities
Soil resistivity Conventional earthing impedance (Z) related to the type of LPS
( Ω·m ) (Ω)
I II III – IV
100 4 4 4
200 6 6 6
500 10 10 10
1000 10 15 20
2000 10 15 40
3000 10 15 60
NOTE 1 – Values reported in this table refer to the conventional earthing impedance of a buried conductor
under impulse condition (10/350 s).
NOTE 2 – Earthing system complying with clause 5.4 of [IEC 62305-3].
Table B.4 – The referring average values L of the inductance of tower body
[b-Huai]
The referring average value
Tower type
(H·m)
Tubular tower 0.84
Tubular tower with stay wires 0.42
Three-leg tower 0.70
Three-leg tower with stay wires 0.35
Four-leg tower 0.50
For a tall structure, there may be two basic types of flashes of concern:
– downward flashes initiated by a downward leader from cloud to earth;
– upward flashes initiated by an upward leader from an earthed structure to cloud.
Most downward flashes occur in flat territory, and to lower structures, whereas for exposed and/or
higher structures upward flashes become dominant. The relative information about possible
components of these two categories is given by [IEC 62305-1].
[b-ITU-T K.27] Recommendation ITU-T K.27 (1996), Bonding configurations and earthing
inside a telecommunication building.
[b-ITU-T K.35] Recommendation ITU-T K.35 (1996), Bonding configurations and earthing at
remote electronic sites.
[b-ITU-T K.46] Recommendation ITU-T K.46 (2012), Protection of telecommunication lines
using metallic symmetric conductors against lightning-induced surges.
[b-ITU-T K.47] Recommendation ITU-T K.47 (2008), Protection of telecommunication lines
using metallic conductors against direct lightning discharges.
[b-ITU-T K.56] Recommendation ITU-T K.56 (2010), Protection of radio base stations against
lightning discharges.
[b-ITU-T K.97] Recommendation ITU-T K.97 (2014), Lightning protection of distributed base
stations.
[b-ITU-T K.110] Recommendation ITU-T K.110 (2015), Lightning protection of the dedicated
transformer for radio base stations.
[b-IEC 61643-12] IEC 61643-12 (2008), Low-voltage surge protective devices – Part 12: Surge
protective devices connected to low-voltage power distribution systems –
Selection and application principles.
[b-IEC TR 62066] IEC TR 62066 (2006), Surge overvoltages and surge protection in low-voltage
a.c. power systems – General basic information.
[b-Chandimal] A.P.L. Chandimal, Chandima Gomes (2012), Lightning related effects on the
neighborhood of telecommunication tower sites, International Conference on
Lightning Protection (ICLP), Vienna, Austria.
[b-Huai] Du Song Huai, Zhang You Hui (2011), Grounding technology in power system,
China water industry and power system Press.
[b-Mirra] C. Mirra, A. Porrino, A. Ardito, C.A. Nucci (1997), Lightning overvoltages in
low-voltage networks, 14th CIRED conference, paper 2.19, Publ. No. 438,
Birminghan, U.K., June.
[b-Theethayi] N. Theethayi, and R. Thottapillii (2007), Some issues concerning lightning
strikes to communication towers, Journal of Electrostatics, Vol. 65,
pp. 689-703.
[b-Zeng] Zeng Yong Lin (1989), Earthing technology, China Water Industry and Power
System Press.
Series E Overall network operation, telephone service, service operation and human factors
Series F Non-telephone telecommunication services
Series G Transmission systems and media, digital systems and networks
Printed in Switzerland
Geneva, 2016