Detailed Investigation on the Effects of Medium and High Voltage Power Cables in Direct Contact with Vehicles and Passengers

We have seen recently in Brazil a significant number of medium and high voltage power cables falling on vehicles causing catastrophic accidents leading to serious injuries and deceases. It is advised that the car works as a shield so passengers inside the vehicle should not open doors and windows, but to the knowledge of the authors no work has presented a quantified study showing details like electromagnetic field intensity and 3D plots to really illustrate this situation. This work uses numerical simulation to replicate a scenario of a high power cable in direct contact with a vehicle and numerous positions of human body models inside and outside of the vehicle. Electromagnetic field is calculated showing the shielding effectiveness of the vehicle chassis. Also, current density are calculated to show the path of the current including the human body models. Safety guidelines are presented based on electromagnetic field strength and several scenarios are simulated and quantified.