Earthing system

Why earthing?
1. Type of earthing.
2. Factors deciding earthing value.
3. Typical roof top site earthing.
4. Typical tower site earthing.
5. Earthing practice practices to be followed.

Lightning
1. What happen when lightning strike?
2. How does lightning form?
3. Protection against lightning.
4. Working principle of class-I protection.
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Why earthing?

1. personnel safety.
2. protection of plants and equipment.
3. to provide a safe path for the dissipation of
fault currents, lightning strikes, static
discharges, EMI and RFI signals and
Interference.
A good earthing system will improve the reliability of
equipment and reduce the likelihood of damage as a
result of lightning or fault currents.
What is earthing?

"a conducting connection, between an electrical circuit or

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equipment and the earth"
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Type of earthing and it’s recommended value

1. equipment earthing : equipment earthing is to ensure

that operating equipment within a structure is properly
grounded.
2. neutral earthing : neutral earthing is a connection from
a neutral conductor to a ground electrode placed in
the earth.

Ideally a earthing should be of zero ohms resistance.

The earthing resistance values and objectives vary from
industry to industry, telecommunications industry has
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often used 5 ohms or less as there value for earthing.
3 SS Communication meeting May 2007
 50 * 6 Cu plate to be
Brazed with cu. strip
Testing cable of MS cover with hook
35-sq. mm

Ground Level Funnel with

Wire mesh
35-sq. mm, 7strand
PCC / Brick
cable to be brazed with
Chamber
Cu. plate

Min 10 ft.
or up to wet soil
38-mm dia. Class C
GI Perforated pipe

Cu. Strip
25*3 mm Layer of Charcoal &
Salt – 200 Kg. each

Brazing of Cu.Strip
with Cu. plate Cu.plate of
4 of 33 4 SS Communication meeting May 2007 600 * 600 * 6 mm
 50 * 6 Cu plate to be
Brazed with cu. strip
MS cover
Testing cable of 35-sq.

Ground Level Funnel with

Wire mesh
35-sq. mm, 7strand
PCC / Brick
cable to be brazed with
Chamber
Cu. plate

Min 10 ft.
or up to wet soil
38-mm dia. Class C
GI Perforated pipe

Cu. Strip
25*3 mm
Layer of Charcoal &
Salt – 200 Kg. each

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Factors deciding the earthing value

1. physical composition (soil resistivity)

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2. moisture

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3. chemical composition (salt)

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4. temperature

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Tower sites earthing.

SHELTER EQUIPMENT
OR EARTHING
CAGE IN SHELTER / CAGE

ELE. BODY
EARTHING
IN SHELTER / CAGE

SFU & C/O

BODY EARTHING

CHANGE TOWER
SFU OVER Both the Earth pits are Looped EARTHING
Under ground Using
buried 35 X 6 Cu Bus Bar

LOAD SIDE PLATE PLATE PLATE

NEUTRAL PIPE EARTHING
EARTHING EARTHING
EARTHING EARTHING 1
2 4

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Cell site layout
LIGHTINING
ARRESTER
AVIATION
LAMP
TOWER
RADIO
ANTENNA
ELECTRICITY BOARD
SUPPLY

GSM
GSM ANTENNA BTS FIRE
ANTENNA
SHELTER DETECTOR D.G
TIMER FOR

AIR CONDITIONAR
AIR-CONDITIONAR ROOM
SFU
CABLE TRAY
AMF
PANEL
DG
BTS NEUTRAL

ENERGY
METER
BATTERY
BANK
POWER PLANT
(RECTIFIER UNIT) D.G SET
ACDB
FIRE PANEL
DG BODY
TOWER ELECTRICAL BODY PP + EARTHING
EARTHING
11 of 33LA EARTHING
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EARTHING DG NEUTRL
EARTHING EARTHING
Roof top sites earthing

SHELTER EQUIPMENT
OR EARTHING
CAGE IN SHELTER / CAGE

ELE. BODY
EARTHING
IN SHELTER / CAGE
POLE & LA EARTHING
ON ROOF TOP

SFU & C/O

BODY EARTHING

CHANGE Both the Earth pits are Looped

SFU OVER Under ground Using
buried 35 X 6 Cu Bus Bar

LOAD SIDE PLATE

PIPE PLATE EARTHING
NEUTRAL EARTHING EARTHING
EARTHING 1
2

12 of 33 12 SS Communication meeting May 2007

Earthing practices to be followed

1. distance between to earth pits should be more

than twice the length of earthing conductor or at
least 10’
2. minimum depth of earth electrode should be 8’
3. remove paint from equipment body (i.e. rack,
battery, power distribution panels, tower, DG
set etc.) before providing earthing connection.
4. use proper size wire and lug for earthing
connection
5. avoid all sharp bend and maintain smooth
curve
6.13use
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straight route to reduce the length of
conductor & avoid all upward lift of conductor
13 SS Communication meeting May 2007
Lightning

• the most spectacular element of a thunderstorm.

• is a discharge of electricity.
• can heat the air around it to 30,000 degrees Celsius!
• the extreme heating causes the air to expand at
an explosive rate. The expansion creates a shock
wave that turns into a booming sound wave, and
known as thunder.
• over 40,000 thunderstorms occur throughout the
world each day.
• about 80% of all lightning occurs within a single cloud.
Most of the other 20% occurs from cloud to ground.
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What happens when a building/area is struck
by lightning?

• A lightning strike to an unprotected building/area

can be catastrophic.
• Lightning has the power to rip through roofs,
explode walls of brick and concrete and ignite
deadly fires.
• In addition to structural damage, lightning
surges throughout power lines causing wire
damage and destruction of valuable electronic
equipment including computers, televisions,
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stereos, security systems, etc.
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Types of lightning discharges

Cloud-to-ground lightning is the most damaging and

dangerous form of lightning.

Inter-cloud lightning, as the name implies, occurs

between charge centers in two different clouds with the
discharge bridging a gap of clear air between them.

Intra-cloud lightning is the most common type of

discharge within the cloud.

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Protection against lightning
Class I type lightning rods conducted current away
from buildings to earth. Lightning rods are sending
streamers upward at varying distances and times
according to shape, height and other factors.
Thunderstorm or lightning can not be avoided but we
can always aim at protection against the dangers and
damaging effects of direct lightning and indirect surges
when handling electricity.

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 THANK YOU

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