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SPECIFICATION
K0001-A430-E-SPC-0017 REV B
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 SCOPE ...................................................................................................................... 4
2 STATUTORY DOCUMENTS AND STANDARDS ................................................... 4
3 ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................ 5
4 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS................................................................................... 5
4.1 WIRING AND CABLING .................................................................................................. 5
4.2 CONNECTIONS............................................................................................................. 5
4.3 EARTH POINT MATERIAL AND COMPONENTS ................................................................ 6
4.4 PAINTING..................................................................................................................... 6
4.5 EARTHING POINTS AND SYSTEMS ................................................................................ 6
5 LIGHTNING PROTECTION ...................................................................................... 6
5.1 EARTH POINT CONNECTIONS ....................................................................................... 7
6 ALTERNATIVE EARTH POINTS ............................................................................. 8
7 CABLE SIZING ......................................................................................................... 9
8 EARTH BARS ........................................................................................................... 9
9 INSTRUMENT CLEAN EARTH BARS .................................................................. 10
10 EARTHING SYSTEMS FOR SUBSTATIONS ....................................................... 10
10.1 INDOOR SUBSTATIONS............................................................................................... 10
10.2 OUTDOOR SUBSTATIONS AND SWITCH YARDS ........................................................... 10
10.3 REACTOR SUPPORT STRUCTURES ............................................................................ 11
10.4 TRANSFORMERS, SURGE ARRESTORS, POTENTIAL TRANSFORMERS AND CURRENT
TRANSFORMERS........................................................................................................ 11
10.5 SUBSTATION SWITCHYARDS, BUILDINGS, SUPPORT STRUCTURES, FENCES, GATES,
BOXES AND KIOSKS ................................................................................................. 11
11 EARTHING SYSTEMS FOR MOTOR ROOMS AND SWITCH ROOMS .............. 12
11.1 SMALL INSTALLATIONS (SINGLE EARTH BAR) ............................................................. 12
11.2 LARGE INSTALLATIONS (RING EARTH BAR) ................................................................ 12
12 EARTHING SYSTEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL PLANT UNITS, APPARATUS AND
CABLE RUNS ......................................................................................................... 13
12.1 GENERAL PROVISIONS ............................................................................................... 13
13 EARTHING OF SWITCH BOARD / CONTROL BOA RD STRUCTURES ........... 13
SISHEN SOUTH PROJECT
SPECIFICATION
Doc No: K0001-A430-E-SPC-0017 Page 3 of 17
EARTHING AND LIGHTNING
Rev No: B 17-10-2007
PROTECTION
1 SCOPE
This Specification covers the minimum requirements for the design, manufacture,
supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the earthing system equipment
and assemblies and also provides for the supply and delivery of materials,
drilling, construction/installation and testing of earth points/earth systems. It is
applicable to the electrical earthing systems which are associated with electrical
distribution systems, plant drives, electronic equipment and lightning protection.
Each earthing system shall be complete with the necessary connections, earth
bars, interconnection cabling, required components and related drawings to
make a complete earthing system.
Any deviation from this specification or other standards applicable shall be listed and
discussed with and approval obtained in writing from SISHEN SOUTH PROJECT before
the commencement of works.
The earthing specialist supplier shall conduct an Earth Survey at the Sishen South site as
a part of the Tender.
3 ENVIRONMENT
The site conditions are as follows:-
The type of soil, the nature of the underground water table and surrounding buildings are
factors which shall be taken in account when designing the earthing system.
4 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
4.2 Connections
Connections and joints shall be mechanically substantial, with silvered or tinned
interfaces for connections to earth busbars. All connections on earth systems
shall be bolted. Bolts, nuts and washers shall be made of brass or shall be plated
for long term non-corrosion.
All bolted connections shall be so arranged that they are clearly visible and easily
accessible for routine testing of continuity and general maintenance purposes.
Thermitic welded joints/connections shall not be used other than on buried earth
rod connections. Any such welding shall be executed under immediate
supervision of Sishen South Project
SISHEN SOUTH PROJECT
SPECIFICATION
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EARTHING AND LIGHTNING
Rev No: B 17-10-2007
PROTECTION
4.4 Painting
Where bus bars and bus bar ring circuits are provided as part of the earthing
system, these bus bars shall be painted in bright green.
The use of reinforcing steel within concrete structures is not permitted for any
assigned earthing point or system duty, or for the specific conduction of lightning
discharges;
The use of integral steel structures as an earthing system for the purpose of the
assigned functions of an electrical earthing system or for the purpose of earth
points and earthing systems is not permitted, except where specifically allowed
under this specification.
All bus bar conductors shall be installed such that connections and joints are
visible, or can be made visible without undue interference with major structures
or coverings.
5 LIGHTNING PROTECTION
High structures of more than 15m height and carrying electrical equipment which
is connected to the plant, or is supplied from an electrical distribution system,
shall be provided with lightning spike/rods and earth points. The lightning
protection system shall be separate from the electrical earthing system and earth
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SPECIFICATION
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EARTHING AND LIGHTNING
Rev No: B 17-10-2007
PROTECTION
Note:
The above-mentioned ground resistance is rather lower than the value proposed
in the SANS Code of Practice No. 03; their recommended value of ohms is only
to be applied when no electrical equipment is associated or mounted on the tall
structures.
The standard method for the provision of earth points shall be the installation of
"Copperweld" rods, drilled vertically into the subsoil hole to be drilled and filled
with Bentonite.
The earth rods are to be buried vertically to a minimum depth of 5m from the
normal surface or datum mark.
Earth rods to be installed vertically in the ground from the bottom of excavations,
shall be installed to a minimum depth of 4m from the bottom of the excavation.
Subject to the above minimum depths, the rods shall be installed until they have
a measured resistance-to-ground value of 1 ohms. If the soil/rock cannot be
penetrated to reach the required value of 1 ohms, a series of additional parallel
rods, at 3 m intervals, shall be installed to achieve the correct value of 1 ohms.
The number of parallel rods per earth point should normally not exceed 3. If more
than 3 rods are required, the minimum spacing from the next rod onwards, shall
be increased to 4m.
All rod tops shall be approximately 400mm below surface ground level and they
shall normally be covered with topsoil or other surface material.
When paralleling such rods for the establishment of an earth point with a
resistance -to- ground value of 1 ohms only one cable shall be used. The circuit
is to be formed by welding the rods sequentially and individually to this cable.
Parallel rods shall be connected as described above for inaccessible rods. Earth
points with individual rods, or sets of rods, which become inaccessible after the
completion of the civil engineering works, the number of earth points per location
shall be doubled, in order to allow for long term deterioration or
accidental/incidental failure. Such duplicate earth points shall be connected to
their relevant earth system by their own and separate cable. The duplicate sets
of rods may be installed in the same or immediately adjacent area(s).
The distance between individual earth points (or sets of duplicate earth points, as
detailed above), and which serve specific earthing systems, shall be as large as
practical, with the following as guidelines:
¾ When the earthing system extends beyond a linear distance of 40m, additional
earth points shall be provided at intervals of 40 - 60m, or on every fourth (steel)
building column, as indicated by practical considerations.
¾ Earthing systems for substations with a surface area of more than 100m² shall be
provided with four earth points, located at the corners of the building or yard and
connected to the substation earth bar or system.
¾ Where electrical earthing systems may be subject to occasional lightning discharges
(e.g. switchyards, remote substations or buildings), the systems shall be connected
to at least four radially distributed earth points.
¾ When the rods are to be installed at, or below, the normal water table levels the rods
may be driven horizontally, following the general level and direction of the shale layer
formations.
¾ Lead holes of ± 50mm diameter may be drilled vertically by means of pneumatic or
rotating drills to approximately 5m. These holes shall then be filled with a 50/50
SISHEN SOUTH PROJECT
SPECIFICATION
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EARTHING AND LIGHTNING
Rev No: B 17-10-2007
PROTECTION
mixture of top soil and Bentonite, watered down well. The rods may then be driven
into these holes.
¾ The foundation top surface level will be above the shale/rock and soil dividing line,
rods may be driven horizontally at this line. Such rods shall not be driven more than
4m and a "ground mat" effect is to be obtained by driving rods at all corners of such
foundation holes; the rods to bisect the angles between the walls of the hole.
If the above alternatives prove impractical or too costly, the following are to be
considered:
¾ Abandon the proposed earth point(s) and bring earth system connections in from two
other locations. This would apply to either large buildings, when isolated and
individual snags are countered, or very small buildings or installations situated on a
rocky or very dry subsoil area.
¾ For the latter case the required earth system connections shall be brought in through
an additional cable core plus the cable armouring for all cables to such installations.
Such cable core(s) shall have the same cross section as the other cores in the
cable(s).
¾ In addition an earth mat or trench earth shall be provided.
7 CABLE SIZING
Sizing of copper cables for earthing purposes, of loads such as motors etc., shall
be according to the following Table 1:
8 EARTH BARS
Each enclosure or group of enclosures shall have an earth bar with a cross
sectional area to suit the application. The maximum thickness of the bar shall be
63mm and the minimum 10mm. Sandwiching of bars will not be permitted.
All metal parts other than those forming part of an electrical circuit shall be
connected to the earth bar. The earth bar which shall run throughout the full
length shall be installed in the bottom of the enclosure(s).
SISHEN SOUTH PROJECT
SPECIFICATION
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EARTHING AND LIGHTNING
Rev No: B 17-10-2007
PROTECTION
Alternatively, an earth terminal (to serve the purpose of an earth bar) may be
provided in a enclosure where less than 4 earth connections are to be made.
Busbar ring circuits shall be constructed of 100mm x 6.3mm flat copper and are
to be connected to the earth points at the four extreme corners of the building.
These earth points shall be installed at locations which will not interfere with
existing or future civil engineering works or other structures or assemblies. The
required spacing between the earth points shall not be less than 0.5m and shall
not exceed 3m.
The substation earth system shall be also include for earthing of transformer
neutral points, transformer tanks, switchboard structures and steel work, via
individual copper busbars and copper cables.
The earth mat grids shall consist of squares of not less than 15m x 15m, and not
larger than 18m x 18m.
For grids which have a total length or width dimension of 50m, or more, the earth
mat itself shall be considered as the combined earth system and earth point.
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SPECIFICATION
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EARTHING AND LIGHTNING
Rev No: B 17-10-2007
PROTECTION
Where the soil resistivity, at 900mm below surface level, exceeds 10 ohms per
meter, the earth mat shall be provided with additional earth points. Such
additional earth points shall be located at the connection points for system
neutrals and at the four corners of the mat, within the perimeter of substation or
switch-yard. The resistance-to-ground value of such earth points shall each be 1
ohms.
Note:
This requirement will normally apply to situations where the substation or yard is
located on back-filled soil, rubble, rock or in (seasonally) extremely dry terrain.
Where the total length/width is less than 50m, the earth mat shall always be
provided with additional earth points. Such earth points shall be located at the
connection points for system neutrals and at two diagonally opposite corners,
within the perimeter of substation or switch-yard. The resistance-to-ground value
of such additional earth points shall each be 1 ohms.
For purposes of inspection and earth resistance measurement the additional rods
that have been installed shall be inserted such that 250mm shall remain above
ground level for ease of inspection and regular measurement.
The copper cables connecting the earth points to the earth mat shall have a
cross-section of 95mm². The copper cables shall be connected to the rods by
means of proprietary bolted clamps or Thermitic welding ('Cadweld") to the earth
mat grid elements.
The earth mat shall be made up of 9.5mm copper rods, brazed at the joints and
crossings, buried 900mm below finished ground level and 150mm below
concrete when passing below foundations, drains or trenches.
grid elements, with a horizontal run of not less than 300mm before emerging
vertically above the surface.
The building structural steel work, crawl beams, roof and gutters shall be connected to
the earth system with individual copper drop wires.
Fences shall be earthed to the grid elements with bare copper strap of 40mm x 4mm at
corners, gateposts and at intervals not exceeding 20m. Ancillary mechanism boxes and
connection kiosks shall be earthed directly to the grid elements, by means of 25mm x
2.5mm bare copper straps.
Brick/concrete buildings, within the yard or at the perimeter, shall be treated as indoor
substations. The external earth bar shall be bonded directly to the grid elements at two
points, as far apart as the longest dimension of the building permits.
These earth systems shall consist of a single copper bus bar along the major
wall, or in the centre of the installation.
Note:
Such a track or rail shall be connected to two earth points, or an earth system"
via copper cable or busbar with a minimum cross-section 35mm² or 95mm² for a
connected rating of > 500kW.
The earth point or earth system connections may be omitted if the track or rail
has a multiple point mechanical contact with a metal building structure which is
served by at least two earth points or an earth system.
The earth system shall be continuous from the spring loaded earth shoe or
collector, and run the full extent of the moving equipment. All panels, controllers
and machines shall be connected directly to the earth system.
No specific connections to the general structural metal work of the trench, tunnel
or tray are required, with the following exceptions:
Metal sheaths or armouring of electric power and control cables (excluding signal
cables) shall be earthed at both terminations of their runs. Such sheaths/armour
shall be bridged on cable joints in the cable runs; they need not be electrically
insulated from the earthed supporting structures or the earth conductor.
Note:
SISHEN SOUTH PROJECT
SPECIFICATION
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EARTHING AND LIGHTNING
Rev No: B 17-10-2007
PROTECTION
Lighting and plug outlet systems in tunnels shall carry their own earth conductor.
Conduit or cable armouring shall not be used as an earth conductor.
All such connections shall be with copper cable with a minimum cross-sectional
area of 35mm².
16 SURGE SUPPRESSION
The Contractor shall install surge suppression equipment as required by the plant
equipment manufacturers, or when deemed necessary by Sishen South Project.
17 LABELLING
All earth bars and earth cables, when used inside motor/control rooms and
enclosures, shall be clearly marked to indicate the function thereof, e.g. PE
(Protective earth), SCCOM (Screen common), SIGCOM (Signal common), etc.
Coding of cables for the purpose of "Cable Routing Schedules" shall be in
accordance with Specification Electrical Installation.
20 INFORMATION TO BE SUBMITTED
The Earthing Specialist Supplier Tenderer shall submit, where applicable, all
information, data and drawings to the project standards.
For lightning protection works the Tenderer shall complete and submit Schedule
B14.
20.2 Drawings
Where the Tenderer is to engineer the earthing system, he shall submit the
following principle drawings to reflect the basic design of the earthing system:
Where the Tenderer is to supply equipment which will utilize an existing earth
system on the plant, he shall submit a principle drawing to reflect the connections
and integration between new equipment and existing earth system.