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PRESENTATION BY:
Vijay Patel
Concept of Earthing Systems
All the people living or working in residential,
commercial and industrial installations, particularly
the operators and personnel who are in close
operation and contact with electrical systems and
machineries, should essentially be protected against
possible electrification. To achieve this protection,
earthing system of an installation is defined,
designed and installed according to the standard
requirements..
What Is Earthing
The process of connecting metallic bodies of
all the electrical apparatus and equipment to
huge mass of earth by a wire having negligible
resistance is called Earthing.
What Is Earthing
The term earthing means connecting the neutral point of
supply system or the non current carrying parts of the
electrical apparatus to the general mass of earth in such a
manner that all times an immediate discharge of electrical
energy takes place without danger.
• Provide an alternative path for the fault current
to flow so that it will not endanger the user
• Ensure that all exposed conductive parts do not
reach a dangerous potential
• Maintain the voltage at any part of an electrical
system at a known value so as to prevent over
current or excessive voltage on the appliances
or equipment.
Good Earthing Means
Good Earthing must have low impedance
enough to ensure that sufficient current can
flow through the safety device so that it
disconnects the supply ( <0.4 sec ). Fault
current is much more than the full load current
of the circuit which melts the fuse. Hence, the
appliance is disconnected automatically from
the supply mains.
Qualities Of Good Earthing
• Must be of low electrical resistance
• Must be of good corrosion resistance
• Must be able to dissipate high fault current
repeatedly
Purpose of Earthing
• To save human life from danger of electrical shock or death by
blowing a fuse i.e. To provide an alternative path for the fault
current to flow so that it will not endanger the user
• To protect buildings, machinery & appliances under fault
conditions ie. To ensure that all exposed conductive parts do
not reach a dangerous potential.
• To provide safe path to dissipate lightning and short circuit
currents.
• To provide stable platform for operation of
sensitive electronic equipments i.e. To maintain the voltage
at any part of an electrical system at a known value so as to
prevent over current or excessive voltage on the appliances or
equipment .
• To provide protection against static electricity from friction
Electric shock
• An electric shock (electrocution)occurs when two portion of a
person’s body come in contact with electrical conductors of a
circuit which is at different potentials, thus producing a
potential difference across the body.
• The human body does have resistance and when the body is
connected between two conductors at different potential a
circuit is formed through the body and current will flow
• When the human body comes in contact with only one
conductor, a circuit is not formed and nothing happens. When
the human body comes in contact with circuit conductors, no
matter what the voltage is there is potential for harm.
Electric shock
• The higher the potential difference the more
the damage. The effect of an electric shock is a
function of what parts of body come in contact
with each conductor, the resistance of each
contact point the surface resistance of the body
at the contact as well as other factor.
• When the electrical contact is such that the
circuit path through the body is across the
heart, you have the greatest potential for death.
Electric shock
• As shown in fig the human body’s resistance varies
from as low as 500 ohms to as high as 600,000 ohms.
As the skin become moist the contact resistance drop.
If the skin is moist due to sweat that contain salt the
resistance drop further
• Fig 1 illustrates the amount of current that can flow
through human body at three different potential
differences across the body also shown is the effect of
different current level both AC and DC the ultimate
effect is fibrillation which cause the heart to stop and
result in death.
Electric shock
• When a high voltage such as 13,800V is
involved the body is literally cooked and at
times explodes
Short circuit
• To analyze how an electrical shock occurs and how
grounding is applied you need to look at the circuit
involved.
• Fig 2 illustrates the basic circuit that consist of a
source, a transformer or generator for all AC circuits,
circuit protection, conductors(R1s), and a load (RL).
Short circuit
• A short circuit is any unintended connection Rsc across the
circuit conductors between the power source and the load
• See the second circuit in fig short circuit are classified as
bolted shorts, momentary shorts,intermittent shorts, or high
impedance shorts. A bolted short which is rare is a very low
resistant connection such as two conductors being bolted
together.
Short circuit
• Most shorts are high resistant or they are
momentary or intermittent. The high resistant
short starts out as a high resistance or
impedance connection but usually progress to
a low impedance connection.
• In electrical system shorts are classified as
phase to phase, phase to neutral , or phase to
ground short.
Short circuit
• Most short are phase to ground and short which start as phase
to phase or phase to neutral progress to a phase to ground short
• When considering short circuit and protecting against the
damage they can cause one needs to know what is the
maximum amount of short circuit current that can flow in a
given circuit.
Equipment Earthing
• In case of insulation failure, the primary object
of connecting all the above points and
apparatus to earth is to release the charge
accumulated on them immediately to earth so
that the person coming in contact may not
experience electric shock.
Equipment Earthing(Cont.)
The other object is that a heavy current when
flows through the circuit that operates the
protective devices that is fuse or CB, which
open the circuit
Max. Value of Earth Resistance to
be achieved
Equipment to be Earthed Max. Value of Earth Resistance to be
achieved in Ohms
Large Power Stations 0.5
Major Substations 1.0
Small Substations 2.0
Factories Substations 1.0
Lattice Steel Tower 3.0
Industrial Machine and Equipment 0.5
* The Earth Resistance depends upon the moisture content in the soil.
Methods of Earthing
• Conventional Earthing
• Maintenance Free Earthing
Conventional Earthing
• The Conventional system of Earthing calls for
digging of a large pit into which a GI pipe or a
copper plate is positioned in the middle layers
of charcoal and salt.
• It requires maintenance and pouring of water
at regular interval.
FIGURE:.
CONVENTIONAL EARTHING
Maintenance Free Earthing
• It is a new type of earthing system which is
Readymade, standardized and scientifically developed.
Its Benefits are
• MAINTENANCE FREE: No need to pour water at
regular interval- except in sandy soil.
• CONSISTENCY: Maintain stable and consistent earth
resistance around the year.
• MORE SURFACE AREA: The conductive compound
creates a conductive zone, which provides the increased
surface area for peak current dissipation. And also get
stable reference point.
Maintenance Free Earthing(Contd.)
• Design Details :
1. Earthing Pit : Size 1000 X 1000 X 1800 mm
Depth.M.S. / C.I. Plate : 500 X 500 X 8 mm
Thick.
2. Electrode Assembly : 40 mm Ø GI / CI
Perforated pipe duly fitted or welded with base
plate and 50 X 6 mm flat termination taken on
top for equipment earthing as shown in drawing.
Standard Pipe & Plate Type Earthing Design for the 11
Kv. System Equipments, Distribution Transformer
Centers, L.T. Distribution System Equipments
4. Mixture - I : Homogeneous mixture of black
soft soil 0.3 CMT. approx.
5. Mixture - II : Homogeneous mixture of
common salt 25 Kgs. + wood charcoal pieces
25 Kgs. + Black soft soil 1 CMT. Approx.
6. Crushed Rock pieces Gravel Size 50 X 35 mm
0.1 CMT. Approx.
7. Arrangement for earthing lead terminations
from equipment body, and connection for
main earthing Grid.
Typical arrangement for Pipe
electrode earthing pit (Bore Type)
• Design Details :
1. 75 mm thick RCC Cover.
2. 300 mm Ø 6000 mm deep (Approx. 20 ft.)
bore in the earth.
3. 65 mm Ø 6000 mm long (Approx 20 ft.) G.I.
pipe electrode. Forged at the top up to 75 mm
length and 12 mm hole provided for taking
earthing connection.
4. A homogeneous mixture of 50 kgs. wooden
coal pieces + 50 kgs. common salt
5. Water pouring purpose at the time of routine
maintenance
Applications
• Telecommunication
• Transmission
• Substations & Power Generations
• Transformer Neutral earthing
• Lightning Arrestor Earthing
• Equipment Body Earthing
• Water Treatment Plants
• Heavy Industries
• College, Hospitals, Banks
• Residential Building