Grounding

• According to IEEE standard 142

• Grounding is a conducting connection, whether intentional or
accidental, by which an electric circuit or equipment is connected to
the earth, or to some conducting body of relatively large extent that
serves in place of the earth. It is used for establishing and maintaining
the potential of the earth (or of the conducting body) or
approximately that potential, on conductors connected to it; and for
conducting ground current to and from the earth (or the conducting
body).
Some definitions
• Ungrounded system : A system, circuit, or apparatus without an
intentional connection to ground, except through potential indicating
or measuring devices or other very high impedance devices.
• Grounded system : A system of conductors in which at least one
conductor or point (usually the middle wire or neutral point of
transformer or generator windings) is intentionally grounded, either
solidly or through an impedance.This can be further divided as,
solid grounded, resistance grounded, inductance grounded
 Reasons of Grounding
• Personal safety

Dalziel found that the shock energy that can be survived by 99.5%
of persons weighing approximately 50 kg (110 lb) results
Reasons of Grounding
• To protect people and animals from the electrocution risk and to the
equipment from damages for short circuits and overvoltages.
• To supply a zero reference point.
• To offer a path to earth for the lightning currents and for any fault of
the type of surge
• To suppress electrical noise
Types of grounding
• Of service or functional grounding: it is for example the grounding that
maintains the potential of earth of the feeding circuits, which is connected
to the star-centre of the secondary winding of the distribution transformer.
• Protection grounding: it is where all the conductive elements that can enter
in contact with the active parts of the installation are connected, in order to
protect people against direct electrical contacts
• Reference grounding: it is the one in charge of offering constant potential
for earth reference to equipment that require it for their operation
• Grounding for lightning discharges: it is the one in charge of taking to earth
the currents of the atmospheric discharges
Grounding Issues and Power quality
• earth loops
• noise of electromagnetic interference
• loose connections
• poor earthing
• lightning
• neutral conductor of insufficient capacity
• loss of protection ground
• Of these problems, the most serious is the one caused by earth loops
that exists when two or more points of an electric system that are
nominally to earth potential, are connected by a conductive path, in
such a way that current will circulate when one or both of them are
not to the earth potential
If there is more than one connection to earth,
several paths will exist for the fault currents,
harming this way the operation of the
overcurrent protection for division of currents;
and in the event of discharges dangerously
high voltage potentials can appear inside the
installation.
Solution: Grounding mesh

Trenches are dug to the specified depth (usually about 0.5 m or 1.5 ft). Conductors are installed
in these ditches and ground rods are driven and connected to the conductors.
Ground Electrode
• Ground Electrode:
• The ground rod provides the electrical connection from the power system ground to earth.
The item of primary interest in evaluating the adequacy of the ground rod is the resistance
of this connection. There are three basic components of resistance in a ground rod
• Electrode resistance. Resistance due to the physical connection of the grounding wire to the
grounding rod
• Rod-earth contact resistance. Resistance due to the interface between the soil and the rod.
This resistance is inversely proportional to the surface area of the grounding rod (i.e., more
area of contact means lower resistance).
• Ground resistance. Resistance due to the resistivity of the soil in the vicinity of the
grounding rod. The soil resistivity varies over a wide range, depending on the soil type and
moisture content
Four Point method of soil resistivity
measurement
Effect of Soil Condition
Grounding Conductor material
• Basic requirements: Each element of the grounding system, including
grid conductors, connections, connecting leads, and all primary
electrodes, should be so designed that for the expected design life of
the installation, the element will
• Have sufficient conductivity
• Resist mechanical damage
Materials for conductor : Copper, Aluminum, Copper clad steel, steel