Professional Documents
Culture Documents
NW S11 SpecialTestLineTowers 1.100 103 PDF
NW S11 SpecialTestLineTowers 1.100 103 PDF
NW S11 SpecialTestLineTowers 1.100 103 PDF
Specialized Testing
for Line Towers
By Je f f J owe tt
Megger
Because the functions are narrowly defined, ground testing instrumentation exists in only a few
fundamental designs. The basic tests performed are ground resistance, soil resistivity, and bonding,
or the continuity of the grounding conductors connecting equipment to ground. Traditionally
designed testers perform two or all three of these tests, depending on whether 3- or 4-terminal
models. The latter add soil resistivity to the repertoire; the former do not. Clamp-on testers are a
later addition, designed mainly for speed and ease of use. They do not require walking out hundreds
of feet with leads and probes in order to connect the terminals to ground. Clamp-ons perform
ground resistance and have a limited continuity function (they can indicate if the return circuit is
open or high resistance, but have no means to test specific points). They cannot do soil resistivity.
Another later addition doesnt replace either of these technologies but enhances the capabilities of
the traditional terminal design. This is the incorporation of a current clamp into a 3- or 4-terminal
tester so that test current can be selected (by clamp placement) between various components of a
parallel system, and hence the resistance of that component alone can be measured separate from
the total resistance of the parallel system of grounds.
Earth Ground
Tester Kit
These
few
basic
choices cover nearly all ground
testing applications. But not all. A particularly
difficult challenge is presented by the grounding
SPRING 2011
TECH TIPS
Performing a ground test by the familiar fallof-potential method, or any of its related
procedures that involve extending leads and
probes out into the soil, will be defeated by
the overhead wire that parallels the entire
transmission line. Test current is not confined,
as it should be, to the specific tower, but
divides down the line of grounded towers. Any
attempt at measurement will probably run off
the low end of the testers range. Disconnecting
the overhead, of course, is not a practical
option. Neither is clamp-on technology a
solution. One of the major benefits of clampon testing is that it uses parallel grounds as
part of a minimal-resistance return path for
the induced test current, thereby eliminating
the problem of having to isolate the ground
under test. Tower footing is much too large,
however, to be accommodated by the jaws of a
handheld tester, which are meant for clamping
a rod or conductor. Flexible CTs are available
that can encircle the largest footing, but thats
not the issue. All four legs are grounded in
parallel. Test current would merely travel to
the other legs to complete the feedback loop,
producing an essentially meaningless reading.
The technology works well for an application
like pole grounds because there is only one per
pole. Test current must traverse an expanse of
soil to the next pole, and on down the line, in
order to complete a circuit. For towers, current
wouldnt have to go to the next tower, merely
across to the other legs, making the method
essentially useless.
What to do? The problem appears unsolvable,
and it isby conventional testers. But
specialized applications of technology have
been developed to deal with this imperative.
The prime solution is to employ a highfrequency test signal. Standard ground testers
normally utilize a square wave test current at
a frequency close to, but a little off from, a
prevalent power harmonic. A common example
would be 128 Hz. This frequency is close to the
second harmonic of a 60 Hz system, but a little
offset. The idea is to approximate the frequency
of a fault current while at the same time giving
the tester something distinctive to recognize as
Figure 1
NETAWORLD
TECH TIPS
Figure 2
SPRING 2011
TECH TIPS
highly specialized and sophisticated technology
addresses this issue thoroughly. With all four
legs encircled simultaneously, a selector switch
enables the measurement to be taken on any
one of them, any combination, or all four
together, from one setup. Thus, the operator is
provided a complete look at the effective ground
resistance of the tower while still energized and
without disconnecting the overhead ground
or the counterpoise. Frequency selection and
sweep enable assessment of tower condition
and the connections to neighboring towers as
well. By utilizing power frequency and moving
a flexible sensor above the lead connections,
current is measured going up the tower and
the quality of the bond to the overhead ground
wire can be assessed. Measuring current at
different frequencies can also indicate the
amount of leakage from the system to different
legs and aid in evaluating the overall grounding
condition of the tower.