Critical Facilityy Groundingg

XIT GROUNDING

Agenda
Common Ground Importance / Pyramid
Grounding Resistance Defined
Site Specific Design Achieving 5 Ohms?
Electrode Choices Pros / Cons
Ground System Testing Why 95% is Invalid

Why Ground?
Equipment
q p
Protection
Satisfy Warranty Requirements
Service Protection
System Performance
Personnel Safety (NEC)

Electrical Protection Systems

Protection Pyramid
RF
AC Surge
Telco / Data

Lightning
Grounding
Surge Dissipater

Surge
C ll t
Collectors

Typical Performance Reqs

National
a o a Electrical
ec ca Code ((NEC)
C)
< 25
5O
OHMS
S
Practical Safeguarding of..
IEEE Standard 142
Equipment
D
Dependent
d t
IEEE Standard 1100

< 5 OHMS

Motorola Standard R-56

< 10 OHMS

Verizon Wireless 8501

< 5 OHMS

Typical Telecom Switch

< 2 OHMS

Ground System Resistance

Defined!!
Ground System Resistance?
Finite Resistance between the
Ground System and Remote Earth

Ground System Resistance

What Two Factors Determine
Ground System Resistance??
Soil Resistivity ( P )
Size of the Grounding System ( A )

Ground System Resistance

How Are They
y Related? The Relationship
p
/ Simple Formula

R=P/A
R = Ground System Resistance
P = Soil Resistivity
A = Effective Cross Sectional
Area of The Ground System

Ground System Resistance

With Only
y Two Elements, Why
y is
Resistance Difficult to Design/Predict?

P-

Varies with Depth/Location

Of Soil

A -

Determined by Size / Configuration

Of The Grounding System

Types off
T
Grounding Electrodes

Types of Grounding Systems

Driven Rods
Ground Enhancement Materials

Copper
pp Plates
Chemical Wells
Ufer Grounds
Building Steel
Ground Ring
Water Pipes
XIT Electrolytic
El t l ti S
Systems
t

++

S il R
Soil
Resistivity
i i i
Testing
(Determining P)

Soil Resistivity Testing

4-Pt. WENNER
METHOD

R=E/I
4-Pole Digital
g
Ground Tester

Voltage Drop

Soil Resistivity Testing

Probe Spacing

Meter Reading

= 1.915
1 915 AR
Resistivity

52 00
52.00

497 90
497.90

10

19.68

370.87

15

10 16
10.16

292 00
292.00

20

6.53

250.10

30

4.30

247.04

40

10.80

827.28

60

7.40

850.26

80

5.58

855.60

100

4.44

850.26

Soil Resistivity Testing

Site Area
Direction of Test

Grounding System Design

Grounding
g Calculations

Grounding System Design

The Simple
p Formula:

R=P/A
R = Ground System Resistance
P = Soil Resistivity
A = Effective Cross Sectional
Area of The Ground System

Grounding System Design

The Simple
p Formula:

R=P/A
R Is Known (Required Ohms, 5?)
P Is Known (Soil Resistivity)
P & R Are
A U
Used
dT
To D
Determine
t
i A
A=P / R

Grounding System Design

Design
g Alternatives?
Nomograph
IEEE T
Table
bl
Software Programs

Grounding System Design

Properly
p y Designed
g
System
y
Benefits?
Predictable Results
Improved Personnel Safety
Improved Equipment Reliability
Improved Equipment Performance
Improved Power Quality
Meet Mfgs
Mfg s Warranty Requirements

Grounding System
Resistance Testing

Ground System Testing

Why
y Test Grounds?
Determine Baseline
Validate Construction
Confirm Design Spec
Satisfied
Satisfy Warranty Reqs
Ensure Equip Protection & Performance

Ground System Testing

Two Test Methods
Fall Of Potential Test - Inserting Current /
Measuring Voltage
Clamp-On Test - Inducing Voltage /
Measuring Current

Fall of Potential Test

Advantage
g
Recognized As Accurate
Most Commonlyy Utilized ((IEEE Std 81))

Disadvantages

(95+%)
Results
R
lt are F
Frequently
tl Invalid
I
lid (75
(75+%)
X %)
Requires Isolated Ground System
Requires Large Area
Time Consuming
Access To Soil

Fall of Potential Test

Required
q
Equipment
q p
3 / 4 Pole Tester
AEMC / Megger
Test Kit
Probes
Conductor
Tape Measure

Fall of Potential Test

Current Flow

3 Pole Meter

R=E/I
Voltage
Drop

Neutral

Remote
Current
El t d
Electrode
Earth

Fall of Potential Test

195
185
175
165
155
145
135
125
115
105
95
85
75
65
55

Resistance
G
Ground
d Resistance
R i t
(Pl
(Plateau)
t
)

Voltage Probe Spacing (%)

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Fall of Potential Test

Neutral
Connected
Current

You are
testing every
ground
d iin
parallel.

Fall Of Potential Test

Neutral Connected
Ohms
20
15
10

Test With Neutral

Connected
Plot
Plot For
For
1000
100
25
5 Oh
Ohm
Oh
Ohm
Ohm
Oh
Ohm
Oh Ground
GG
Ground
Ground
GG
Ground
dddd

Distance (Ground-Probe)

Invalid
Test
Graph

Clamp-On Resistance Test

Advantages
Quick and Easy
No Disconnecting Neutral
No Long Leads, Property

Disadvantage
Ground Configuration
Finding Proper Location To Test
Invalid Most Of The Time

Clamp-On Resistance Test

??? ohms

R=E/I

2 Control Xformers

2 Control Xformers
One Induces .4
4 mv

Current Flow

One Measures
Current Flow

Clamp-On Resistance Test

Utility Neutral Line
Parallel Paths

NeutralGround
Bond
Grounding
G
ou d g
Conductor

Series
Loop

Current Flow

R = ???
E/I

Clamp-On Resistance Test

Invalid
Clamp-On
Test

Utility Neutral Line

Additional
Grounding
Conductor

Current Flow

R = ???
E/I

NeutralGround
Bond
Grounding
Conductor

Clamp-On Resistance Test

Main Reasons For Invalid Testing
g
Fall Of Potential Test - Must Isolate
Ground from Neutral
Clamp-On Test - Must have Single
Point Ground

Ground Resistance Testing

Contributing
g Reasons For Invalid Testing
g
Grounding / Testing Not Taught
Not Many Good Courses Available
IEEE G
Guidance
id
/ Procedures
P
d
Weak
W k
Mfg
Mfgss Procedures Weak / Wrong
Old Habits / Bad Assumptions / Pressure

Ground Resistance Testing

How To Improve
p
Testing
g Results?
Insist On Training
Dont Insist On Results
Design Facility For Testing
Test Prior To Connecting Power
Dont Depend
p
On Mfgs
g Procedures

Lyncole XIT Grounding

Phone 1-800-962-2610
Fax 1-310-214-1114
www.Lyncole.com
S
Support@Lyncole.com
@