Calculation of the equivalent attractive area of horizontal conductors

This paper proposes an efficient method for calculating the equivalent attractive area of horizontal conductors. The border of the collection volume is defined in the directrix curve equation. Inside the collection volume the incident area of downward leader is found by using an improved geometrical algorithm, in which the probability distribution of the approach angle of the downward leader is taken into account. In terms of the probability density of lightning striking distance, an integral operation is performed for obtaining the equivalent attractive area. The calculated result is compared with those from the empirical formulae to check the validity of the proposed method.