EarthIng

BY
Vaibhav V Acharya
Yathiraj
Manish D Poojary
Vijetha
 EARTHING
• Earthing is the process in which the instantaneous discharge of the
electrical energy takes place by transferring charges directly to the earth
through low resistance wire.

• Low resistance earthing wire is chosen to provide the least resistance path
for leakage of fault current.

• The earth’s potential is taken as zero for all practical purposes and
therefore any electrical machine, appliance or component, when connected
to earth, attains zero potential and is said to be earthed.

• The neutral wire of an AC supply system and the middle wire of the three-
wire DC distribution system are always earthed to maintain line voltage
constant.

• In the event of any leakage, the leakage current immediately flows to earth,
the circuit fuses blow off and the machinery or appliance is disconnected
from the supply.

• Thus, earthing can eliminate risk to human life and risk of outbreak of fire.
Components used in
Electrical Earthing System:
>Earth Cable
>Earthing Joint
>Earth Plate
 NECESSITY OF EARTHING

1. To protect human being from shock in case the human body comes
in contact with the frame of any electrical machinery, appliance or
component which is electrically charged due to leakage current or
fault.
2. To maintain the line voltage constant.
3. To protect tall buildings and structures from atmospheric lightning
strikes.
4. To protect all machines, fed from overhead lines from atmospheric
lightning.
5. To serve as the return conductor for telephone, telegraph and
traction work.
Types of Electrical Earthing
Systems:
>Plate Earthing System
>Pipe Earthing System
>Rod Earthing System
>Neutral Earthing
>Equipment Earthing
 PLATE EARTHING

• The earth connection is provided

with the help of a copper plate or
galvanized iron plate or cast-iron
plate, embedded 3 meters into the
ground.

• The plate is kept with its face

vertical.

• Copper plates are most effective

earth electrodes and are least
affected by moisture (they do not
get rusted).

• But they are very costly and hence

G. I plates are preferred for normal
work.
• The plate is so arranged that it is embedded in alternate
layers of coke (or coal) and salt for minimum thickness of
about 15cm.

• The earth wire is drawn through a G. I pipe and is perfectly

bolted to the earth plate.

• The earth lead used must be G. I or G. I strip of sufficient

cross-sectional area to carry the fault current safely.

• The earthing efficiency increases with the increase in the

plate area and depth pf embedding.
DISADVANTAGES:
• Discontinuity of earth wire with the plate below the earth cannot be
observed physically and hence is misleading and is likely to result in
heavy loss in the event of a fault.

• If the resistivity of the soil is high, then it will be necessary to embed

the plate vertically at a greater depth into the ground. This results in
increased cost of material and excavating work.
 PIPE EARTHING

• A G. I pipe of 38mm diameter and 2 meters length is vertically embedded into

the ground to serve as earth electrode, the depth depending on the soil condition.

• The pipe must be placed upright in wet ground. The pit area around the G. I pipe
is filled with salt and coal mixture for improving the soil condition and efficiency
of the earthing system.

• In summer, the soil becomes dry, in which case salt water is poured through the
funnel connected to the main G. I pipe through a 19mm diameter pipe, to keep
the soil wet.

• The leading wire from the body of the apparatus to the earthing pit should be
made of G. I wire or G. I strip of sufficient cross-sectional area to carry the fault
current safely.

• The earth wires are connected to the G. I pipe above the ground level and can be
physically inspected from time to time and continuity checks can be easily
performed.
(i) Pipe earthing is done mostly to earth the machine of high power as the
earthing has wire earth contact, it provides more safety by earthing more
leakage current.
(ii) (ii) The contact surface area of GI pipe with soil is more in comparison to the
plate because of its circular section and hence can take up heavy leakage
current for the same electrode size.
(iii) (iii) The earth wire connection with the GI pipe being above the ground level
can be checked for carrying out continuity tests as and when desired while
plate-earthing it is difficult. It is an advantage over plate-earthing.
(iv) (iv) Iron is the cheapest material and remains serviceable even if put in the
salty mass of earth.
(v) (v) Pipe earthing and plate earthing is considered to be the best as they have
a reasonably low value of earth resistance.