A software based on MATLAB for teaching substation lightning protection design to undergraduate students with emphasize on different striking distance models

Everyday experience and scientific observations, including those made as far back as the 18th century, indicate that lightning most often strikes individual structures elevated above the earth, these may high voltage substations. The lightning conductors as a means of protection from direct lightning strokes were used much before the beginning of the present era, but they acquired wide recognition only in the middle of 18th century as a result of the work of Benjamin Franklin. The paper presents an approach to teaching high voltage course using specially designed exercises that can be done using MATLAB. This paper present MATLAB based software to design substation lightning protection. Evaluation of the simulation with 40 students is very positive in terms of their developing confidence in and understanding of this simulation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 256–267, 2011