ABSTRACT
Any transient disturbance, such as a lightning stroke terminating on a phase conductor or the closing or opening of a circuit breaker, can be analyzed by use of traveling waves. Normally, this subject is approached by first noting that a transmission line is a distributed parameter network composed of a series inductance and resistance and shunt capacitance and resistance. Partial differential equations are then written and solved for the voltage and current, and normally the series and shunt resistances are neglected. This seemingly high theoretical development does not represent the most sophisticated approach, nor does it in many cases provide a needed insight into the approximations required to view transient phenomena as traveling waves. The superior method begins with Maxwell’s equations and uses retarded potential equations.
