NECESSITY OF MAINTENANCE FREE EARTHING SOLUTIONS

Fundamentally, every electrical installation is required to have a good and

reliable earthing system. Good earthing systems is important for

Safety of human and animal life

Protection of building and installation against lightning
Limitation of electromagnetic disturbances (EMI)
Correct operation of the electricity supply network and to ensure
good power quality

The main components of earthing systems are

Earthing/Protective conductor
Earth Electrode
The types of electrodes are as detailed below:

Surface Electrode (Strip Electrode)

Rod (vertical) Electrode
Meshed Electrode (Grid)
Foundation Earth Electrode

The resistance of an earth electrode purely depends on the soil resistivity.

The two main factors which contribute to electrode resistance are
a. Resistance of the electrode
b. Soil resistivity
The soil resistivity (p in M) is value of resistance in of 1M cube. Soil
resistivity of different types of soil is given below. If no data is available, we
assume the value as 100 Mtr.
Type of Earth Wet soil
Resistivity
(-Mtr)

10

Moist soil

Dry soil

Bed rock

100

1,000

10,000

Conventionally a GI pipe or a cast iron pipe is used as an electrode. The pit

is excavated and the electrode is placed in the centre and it is filled with
soil, mixed with salt and charcoal. The conduction of current in the
conventional electrode is electrolytic, hence regular watering and charging
of the earth pit is of a paramount importance to maintain low earth
resistance.

India being a tropical country, where close to 9 months is dry season

making necessary provision for watering is recommended in Indian
standards.
Even to raise the moisture content to 5% that can be expected in dry
season a single earth pit needs around 4000 liter of water. One can imagine
the quantity that may be required for a substation or an industry with
higher loads. Water has become worth more than gold nowadays.
However due to various practical constraints, this watering to electrode
and charging with salt gets neglected and the salt dissolves over a period of
time due to rain. Further combination of water and salt has a deteriorating
effect on the GI electrode. Aided with the corrosiveness of the soil in many
places, the electrode gets corroded within 2-3 years.
Another misconception/myth is about Plate Electrode made of copper or
Steel. Over the years it has been believed that the plate electrode because
of large surface area offers less resistance.Infact it is one of the most
inefficient electrode. Let us look at the following calculations. All
calculations were made in reference to BS 7430 -2011 standard.
Case 1: Resistance to earth of a Plated Electrode
Size of Plate Electrode: 600 x 600 mm x 3.15 mm
Material: Copper
Soil resistivity: 100 Ohm-meter
Resistance as per Clause 9.5.2: 52.2 Ohm
Case 2: Resistance of Pipe Electrode
Dimensions of pipe Electrode: 3 meter long, 40 mm dia GI pipe
Soil resistivity: 100 Ohm-meter.
Resistance as per Clause 9.5.3: 30.24 Ohm
While the surface area of plate electrode is 0.72 sq.meter. the pipe
electrode surface area is only 0.38 sq.meter.However , the improvement in
reduction of resistance is around 42% in Pipe electrode.

To sum up, the limitations in Conventional Earthing system are :

No standardization Neither in electrode nor in backfill
Commercial grade GI pipe is used as electrode in most cases
The backfill (SALT) reacts with the electrode (GI / COPPER) and causes
corrosion
The salt dissolves in water and conductivity dips over time
Not suitable for places with high water table, flowing water etc.
Plate electrodes are inefficient.
Indian standards also recommend periodical measurement of earth
resistance .Which also becomes difficult due to lack of skilled manpower
and shut down of plant is not possible as in many cases.
Hence the international standards as well as Indian standards recommend
soil treatment.JEF have come out with an international product using
Carbon based Compound having Resistivity of less than 0.1 Ohm meter as a
backfill material surrounding the electrode.
The carbon based back fill compound offers the following advantages:
Special Carbon based Back fill is compatible with all copper / copper
coated electrodes enabling use of plate, strip or rod electrodes to
suit terrain and space restrictions at site.
Contains corrosion inhibitor to protect copper coating.
Complies with the requirements of IEEE 80 for artificial treatment
and BS : 7430.
Carbon based Back fill compounds conduct like metal through
electron flow and do not rely on moisture for conductivity
Carbon is highly stable and lasts for several decades
Truely maintenance free

Combining all these factors , today , JEFs carbon based back fill compound
which meets all the criteria stipulated by the Indian & International
standards offers a totally maintenance free solution. The advantages of
carbon based back fill compound are:

Positive low resistance electrical connection to the earth

Do not contain any hazardous chemicals
Never needs recharging
Electronically conductive (Like in metals) and is not dependent on
moisture
Environmentally friendly and conforms to ANSI / NSF standard 60
for use near potable ground water systems.
Can be installed in dry / slurry form
Compatible with all grounding systems, giving flexibility in
adopting horizontal radial counterpoise design with plate or rod
or strip electrodes.
Suitable for any kind of soil
Will not leech / diffuse into the ground
Offers a stable grounding system
Not affected by drought
Contains a corrosion inhibitor to protect copper
Will not expand or experience any shrinkage
Simple to install
East of installation in rocky terrain.

Now let us look into the resistance offered by Jef earthing system in place
of above mentioned Plate and pipe electrodes.
Specification of electrode: 17.2mm diameter, 3 meter long, in100 mm
backfill.
Resistance calculated as per Clause 9.5.7: 23.75 Ohm
Improvement comparing to plate electrode: 55 %
Improvement comparing to GI pipe electrode: 21.5 %
Less earth resistance means current density is low in the medium
surrounding the electrode, better heat dissipation, low GPR.

JEFs Earthing system system is truly Maintenance Free since it does not
need the presence of moisture for low resistance.
It is filled in an augured hole around the electrode either in a dry form or in
premixed slurry form.
These backfill compounds come in two different types
1.
A carbon based compound which is in powder form and
remains so.
2.

A carbon based compound when mixed with water or

exposed to moisture, attains the hardening characteristics of
cement while retaining its highly conductive properties. It
also does not shrink or expand and remains in constant
contact with Earth.

Setting type of compound is recommended where there is a high water

table or runoff water.
In the carbon based back fill compound the dissipation of current is due to
electric conduction, because of which it does not depend on moisture and
hence this method can be called a truly maintenance free solution.
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