14:17 07/11/2023 Quick calculation of the grounding resistance of a typical 110 kV transmission line tower grounding system - ScienceDirect

Electric Power Systems Research

Volume 131, February 2016, Pages 178-186

Quick calculation of the grounding resistance of a typical 110 kV transmission line tower
grounding system
J. Trifunovic , M. Kostic

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsr.2015.10.014
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Abstract

A general practical method, based on the Finite Element Method modelling and a numerical analysis of the obtained results, was applied for the calculation of the grounding resistance of a
complex grounding system frequently used for typical 110 kV transmission line towers. An approximate formula for a practical evaluation of such a grounding system resistance, valid for
the ranges of input parameters used in the Serbian transmission power system, is proposed. A new, more accurate formula for calculating the square loop grounding resistance is also
given. The proposed method for generating approximate formulas intended for fast grounding resistance calculations is general and, therefore, can be applied to any type of complex
grounding systems.

Introduction

In order to meet the electrical safety standards, grounding resistance of a grounding system must be sufficiently low, which is especially hard to reach in troubled environments [1], [2], [3].
Its recommended or maximum permitted value varies from 10 Ω for lightning protection [4] to 0.1 Ω for sites where protective devices must operate very quickly [5]. In order to ensure that
an adequate grounding system is designed, grounding resistance should be estimated in an early design phase [6]. Therefore, simple methods and the designer oriented formulas for the
calculation of the theoretical grounding resistance of various types of grounding systems are given in standards [7], [8] and handbooks [9], [10], [11]. Using them, the designers can
relatively easily and accurately calculate theoretical grounding resistances of differently shaped electrodes (e.g., long buried wires, circular and rectangular loops, grids, vertical rods and
metal plates, as well as complex grounding systems containing several elements of the same or different type) buried in uniform or non-uniform (usually two-layer) soil.

It was noticed in [12], and confirmed by the 3D Finite Element Method (FEM) modelling in [13], [14], that in cases where the grounding system is buried in soils which form poor contact
with the electrodes (e.g. in karst and sandy terrains), the contact resistance becomes a dominant component of the total grounding resistance. In such cases, the aforementioned methods
and formulas, valid for the calculation of the theoretical grounding resistance, are not applicable. The values of the square loop grounding resistance presented in [12], obtained
experimentally during a period of 30 months, differed from the theoretical ones from 238% to 1354%, although the soil resistivity variations were modest. It was concluded in [14] that the
seasonal variations in grounding resistance due to soil moisture variations, considered in [15], [16], can to the greatest extent be attributed to the variations of the effective contact surface
between the electrodes and soil, which cause great variations of the contact resistance and, consequently, the total grounding resistance.

The authors’ efforts are focused on developing a general method for deriving a set of simple formulas for estimating the total grounding resistance of complex grounding systems buried in
troubled soils (characterized by imperfect contact), which will be presented in the next paper [17]. Those formulas are based on coefficients reflecting the mutual (proximity) effect
existing between the grounding system elements [18], [19], because it was noticed that the proximity effects influence the theoretical grounding resistances of the grounding system
elements, and not their contact resistances (it was reported in [14] that imperfect contact does not influence the distribution of the current outside a narrow region around the electrode,
and, therefore, does not significantly affect the grounding resistances of other “distant” elements of the grounding system).

The first step in the development of a method intended for the calculation of the grounding system resistance in case of a troubled soil is the derivation of simple approximate formulas for
the calculation of the theoretical grounding system resistance based on coefficients reflecting the proximity effect. The method for generating such formulas will be presented taking the
grounding system of a typical 110 kV transmission line tower used in the Serbian transmission power system (Fig. 1) as an example. The grounding system, which usually consists of five
electrically connected square loops (usually made of zinc-protected steel strips), is shown in Fig. 2. The upper loop (of dimensions L1 × L1) is placed at a depth h1, while each of the four
identical lower loops (of dimensions L2 × L2) is placed around the concrete foundation of its tower footing, at a depth h2. Note that the described grounding system is also used in other
Balkan countries.

A large number of grounding systems such as the one shown in Fig. 2 have been analysed using 3D FEM, which was followed by a numerical analysis of the obtained results. The final step
was the derivation of an approximate formula for a practical assessment of such a theoretical grounding system resistance, containing coefficients which take into account the proximity
effect. A new formula for calculating the theoretical grounding resistance of a square loop was also derived.

The accuracy of the derived formulas was compared with the accuracy of the well-known formulas given in standards [7], [8] and handbooks [9], [10], [11] in a way that the results
obtained using all of those formulas were compared to those obtained by the 3D FEM modelling as referent.

Section snippets

The ranges of input parameters of a typical 110 kV transmission line tower used in the Serbian transmission power system

The size of the grounding system presented in Fig. 2, relevant for the calculation of its grounding resistance, is conditioned by the structure parameters of the transmission line tower, and
especially by the dimensions and disposition of its footings (the lower loop size depends on the footing base dimensions, while the upper loop size depends on the span between the
footings). The footing dimensions, as well as their span, are conditioned by the transmission line tower height (H) and soil…

Review of the previous calculation methods

The following basic formulas for the calculation of the loop grounding resistance (R) in a homogeneous soil are given in [7], [8]: where ρ is the soil resistivity, and A is the area

occupied by the loop, where LT is the total length of the buried conductors, and where h is the depth of the loop.

Eq. (1) relates to the grounding resistance of a circular metal plate installed at the ground surface (zero depth). The second term in Eq. (2) recognizes the fact that…

Application of the Finite Element Method (FEM)

Many studies have analysed behaviour of different grounding systems, buried in various soil structures, using both analytical formulas and FEM simulations (grounding loops were
analysed in [20], grids in [21], [22], rods surrounded by a backfill material in [23], multi-layer soil structures in [24], local soil nonuniformities in [25] and interference phenomena between
separate grounding systems in [26]). Furthermore, it was shown in [13], [14], [27], [28], [29] that the grounding resistances…

A new formula for calculating the square loop grounding resistance

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378779615003107 1/3
14:17 07/11/2023 Quick calculation of the grounding resistance of a typical 110 kV transmission line tower grounding system - ScienceDirect
A large number of square grounding loops, the parameters of which belong to the ranges given in Table 1, were modelled applying 3D FEM. As an illustration of the obtained data, the
grounding resistances for some of those loops are presented in Fig. 3. In order to determine a formula characterized with both simplicity and satisfactory accuracy (suitable for a quick
calculation of a square loop grounding resistance), the fitting of several functions R(ρ,LT,h,p) was done using both the method of…

An approximate formula for a quick calculation of the grounding resistance of a typical 110 kV transmission line tower

A simple method for determining the theoretical grounding resistance of a complex grounding system is presented in [18], [19]. The method, based on the principles of superposition and
reciprocity, results in a simple formula for the calculation of the grounding system resistance. Applying this method to the grounding system shown in Fig. 2 and considering the upper
loop as the first and all of the four lower loops as the second part of the grounding system, the following formulas apply: …

Comparison of methods for calculating the grounding system resistance

According to Table 3, all three methods (the one proposed in this paper and Methods A.1 The analytical method, A.2 The semi-numerical method) are generally characterized by good
accuracy. Considering the fact that Eqs. (6), (7), (8), (9) from the proposed method produce results deviating less than 3% from those obtained by the FEM calculations, these equations can
be recommended for a quick analysis or design of grounding systems shown in Fig. 2. However, these formulas possess the following…

Conclusions

A general practical method, involving the Finite Element Method modelling and a numerical analysis of the obtained results, was applied to a frequent practical case of a grounding system
of a typical 110 kV transmission line tower used in the Serbian transmission power system (Fig. 2). It is based on the calculation of the grounding resistances of its elements (square loops in
this case), which can be done using simple approximate formulas, as well as the coefficients taking into account the…

Acknowledgements
This research was partially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (project TR 36018). The authors would like to thank
Mr. Ivan Milanov, design engineer from Elektroistok Design Office, Belgrade, for providing the design documentation of typical 110 kV transmission line towers used in the Serbian
transmission power system.…

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