DISCUSSION ON "THE DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN OF ELECTRICAL CONTROL GEAR FOR MACHINE TOOLS" 287
With reference to Fig. 22, no unsatisfactory test results were
obtained with the motor terminals placed on the upper side of
the support bar.
In answering Mr. McVie's statement on the amplidyne, I wish
to draw his attention to Section 11.3, which does refer to this
machine. The cost question is not relevant. The d.c. injection
method of speed control is limited on machine tools to inching
duty and to close adjustment of machine parts; continuous use is
DISCUSSION ON
"THE COST AND EFFICIENCY OF EARTHING ON LOW- AND MEDIUM-VOLTAGE
OVERHEAD LINE SYSTEMS"*
SOUTHERN CENTRE, AT SALISBURY, 29TH MARCH, 1950
Mr. H. L. White: The cost/accident-rate graph shows that for
three seconds in the year one person might be killed, but it does
not define the particular year, so that it is probable he would
never be killed. To evaluate the risk of death against cost might
satisfy statisticians, but is of very little value to the unfortunate
victim, and in a court of law might be a dangerous argument.
Mr. R. A. McCulloch: I think that the calculations employed to
ascertain comparative costs for the various methods of protective
earthing discussed are far from reliable. For example, where a
continuous earth wire is used, the degree of safety does not
depend in any way upon earth resistivity, and to compare the cost
of attaining a degree of safety for this method with that for any
other method, in which the degree of safety will depend upon the
value of earth resistance, would surely lead to wrong conclusions,
since earth resistivity is likely to vary considerably with varying
soil-conditions experienced during the year.
Mr. A. Abbott: An earth resistance of 10 ohms on a 400-volt
3-phase supply to a factory would worry me. I think I am right
NORTH-WESTERN CENTRE, AT MANCHESTER, 25TH APRIL, 1950
Mr. F. Mather: Table 3 shows that the "external risk index"
with direct earthing by means of electrodes is likely to be 30-9.
Without any earthing system it would be 34-2, so that little is
achieved by expenditure on electrodes. The corresponding
figure for protective multiple earthing (relaxed) is 0-94, for
continuous earth wires it is 0-47 and for earth-leakage circuit-
breakers it is 0-185. Protective multiple earthing offers the best
value for money and is probably safer than the figures indicate.
If, as seems likely, breakages in neutral lines could be reduced
from 2-5 to 1 0 per 1 000 miles per annum and breakages in
neutral service conductors from 0 1 to 0 01 per 1 000 services
per annum, the risk index would fall from 0 • 94 to 0 • 32.
In the case of the earth-leakage circuit-breaker it is doubtful
whether the appliance risk (ab) and the protection risk (jnn) are
truly random so as to give a total risk of abmn. If the regular
testing of the circuit-breakers is neglected, mn may become
unity, in which case the risk index will become 34-2.
Recommendations (a) and (6) could be more readily applied if
they called for electrodes "near" instead of "at" the transformer
and the end of each main and branch.
Recommendation (h) states that supply shall not be continued
to any consumer unless certain requirements are observed.
This is impracticable so long as the consumer is free to alter the
* Paper by L. GOSLAND (see 1950, 97, Part II, p. 563).
not contemplated. The control is simple to apply, and no special
machine is required.
There is a point Mr. Buckle has rather overlooked in his dis-
cussion on the ideal thermal overload, i.e. the reset period. If
the thermal-overload trip is placed near the motor hot-spot the
device will respond correctly to overloading, but the reset time will
be proportional to the motor cooling time. This would reflect
adversely on production, and a compromise should be adopted.
in saying that, with a leakage voltage to earth as low as 20 volts,
hot spots can develop in conduit in a building and may cause a
fire. When I was in Manchester I gathered a lot of valuable
information regarding fire risk in cotton warehouses, where there
is a large amount of combustible material usually stocked from
floor to roof.
Regarding the earth-leakage circuit-breaker, I think it has not
been applied because many authorities did not know how to
apply it. I believe that, in Germany, almost all of the service
earthing in the densely populated areas was based on the use of
the earth-leakage circuit, using a thermal device which was
manufactured by Siemens Schuckert, and the German authorities
had very good data which proved, over a period of years, that
fire risks were practically negligible. I am surprised that the
authorities in this country have not been able to do something
similar.
[The author's reply to the above discussion will be found on
page 292.]
installation after the initial inspection without informing the
supply authority.
Recommendation (Ji) (iv) calls for a test of each earth-continuity
conductor at 15 amp for 1 min. This represents three times the
rated current of a 1/-044 earth conductor in the 3/ 036 t.r.s. cable
which is commonly used in domestic installations.
In view of the extreme importance of keeping the line and
service neutrals intact in a protective-multiple-earthing system,
it is suggested that the recommendations should draw attention
to this point, and particularly to the need for robust and non-
corrodible fittings at joints.
Mr. A. L. Shaw: With reference to Section 5,1 suggest that a
number of consumers' earth-electrodes may be reduced by
utilizing the building itself as an earth electrode in certain cases.
At present, this practice is not permitted by the Institution's
Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Buildings, e.g.
Regulation 1004A (Buildings of Steel-Frame Construction) states:
"Metal required to be earthed may, where convenient, be con-
nected to the structural steelwork of a building provided that
such steelwork is itself earthed in accordance with Regulations
1 005 to 1 008 inclusive."*
I suggest that, if it can be shown that a steel-frame building
has a low resistance to earth, then the installation of a conven-
* The building steelwork must be connected to a recognized form of earth electrode.