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11/24/2016 EarthingCalculationOpenElectrical

EarthingCalculation
FromOpenElectrical

Contents
1Introduction
1.1Whydothecalculation?
1.2Whentodothecalculation?
1.3Whenisthecalculationunnecessary?
2CalculationMethodology
2.1Prerequisites
2.2EarthingGridConductorSizing
2.3TouchandStepPotentialCalculations
2.3.1Step1:SoilResistivity
2.3.2Step2:SurfaceLayerMaterials
2.3.3Step3:EarthingGridResistance
2.3.3.1SimplifiedMethod
2.3.3.2SchwarzEquations
2.3.4Step4:MaximumGridCurrent
2.3.4.1CurrentDivisionFactor
2.3.4.2DecrementFactor
2.3.5Step5:TouchandStepPotentialCriteria
2.3.6Step6:GroundPotentialRise(GPR)
2.3.7Step7:EarthingGridDesignVerification
2.3.7.1MeshVoltageCalculation
2.3.7.1.1GeometricSpacingFactorKm
2.3.7.1.2GeometricFactorn
2.3.7.1.3IrregularityFactorKi
2.3.7.1.4EffectiveBuriedLengthLM
2.3.7.2StepVoltageCalculation
2.3.7.2.1GeometricSpacingFactorKs
2.3.7.2.2EffectiveBuriedLengthLS
2.3.7.3WhatNow?
3WorkedExample
3.1Step1:SoilResistivity
3.2Step2:SurfaceLayerMaterials
3.3Step3:EarthingGridResistance
3.4Step4:MaximumGridCurrent
3.5Step5:TouchandStepPotentialCriteria
3.6Step6:GroundPotentialRise(GPR)
3.7Step7:EarthingGridDesignVerification
3.7.1MeshVoltageCalculation
3.7.2StepVoltageCalculation
4ComputerBasedTools
5Whatnext?

Introduction
Theearthingsysteminaplant/facilityisveryimportantforafewreasons,allofwhicharerelatedtoeithertheprotectionofpeopleandequipmentand/or
theoptimaloperationoftheelectricalsystem.Theseinclude:

Equipotentialbondingofconductiveobjects(e.g.metallicequipment,buildings,pipingetc)totheearthingsystempreventthepresenceof
dangerousvoltagesbetweenobjects(andearth).
Theearthingsystemprovidesalowresistancereturnpathforearthfaultswithintheplant,whichprotectsbothpersonnelandequipment
Forearthfaultswithreturnpathstooffsitegenerationsources,alowresistanceearthinggridrelativetoremoteearthpreventsdangerousground
potentialrises(touchandsteppotentials)
Theearthingsystemprovidesalowresistancepath(relativetoremoteearth)forvoltagetransientssuchaslightningandsurges/overvoltages
Equipotentialbondinghelpspreventelectrostaticbuildupanddischarge,whichcancausesparkswithenoughenergytoigniteflammable
atmospheres
Theearthingsystemprovidesareferencepotentialforelectroniccircuitsandhelpsreduceelectricalnoiseforelectronic,instrumentationand
communicationsystems

ThiscalculationisbasedprimarilyontheguidelinesprovidedbyIEEEStd80(2000)(http://standards.ieee.org/findstds/interps/802000.html),"Guidefor
safetyinACsubstationgrounding".Lightningprotectionisexcludedfromthescopeofthiscalculation(refertothespecificlightningprotectioncalculation
formoredetails).

Whydothecalculation?

Theearthingcalculationaidsintheproperdesignoftheearthingsystem.Usingtheresultsofthiscalculation,youcan:

Determinetheminimumsizeoftheearthingconductorsrequiredforthemainearthgrid
Ensurethattheearthingdesignisappropriatetopreventdangerousstepandtouchpotentials(ifthisisnecessary)
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Whentodothecalculation?

Thiscalculationshouldbeperformedwhentheearthingsystemisbeingdesigned.Itcouldalsobedoneafterthepreliminarydesignhasbeencompletedto
confirmthattheearthingsystemisadequate,orhighlighttheneedforimprovement/redesign.Ideally,soilresistivitytestresultsfromthesitewillbe
availableforuseintouchandsteppotentialcalculations(ifnecessary).

Whenisthecalculationunnecessary?

Thesizingofearthingconductorsshouldalwaysbeperformed,buttouchandsteppotentialcalculations(perIEEEStd80forearthfaultswithareturnpath
throughremoteearth)arenotalwaysnecessary.

Forexample,whenallelectricityisgeneratedonsiteandtheHV/MV/LVearthingsystemsareinterconnected,thenthereisnoneedtodoatouchandstep
potentialcalculation.Insuchacase,allearthfaultswouldreturntothesourceviatheearthingsystem(notwithstandingsomesmallleakagethroughearth).

However,wheretherearedecouplednetworks(e.g.longtransmissionlinestoremoteareasoftheplant),thentouchandsteppotentialcalculationsshouldbe
performedfortheremoteareaonly.

CalculationMethodology
ThiscalculationisbasedonIEEEStd80(2000),"GuideforsafetyinACsubstationgrounding".Therearetwomainpartstothiscalculation:

Earthinggridconductorsizing
Touchandsteppotentialcalculations

IEEEStd80isquitedescriptive,detailedandeasytofollow,soonlyanoverviewwillbepresentedhereandIEEEStd80shouldbeconsultedforfurther
details(althoughreferenceswillbegivenherein).

Prerequisites

Thefollowinginformationisrequired/desirablebeforestartingthecalculation:

Alayoutofthesite
Maximumearthfaultcurrentintotheearthinggrid
Maximumfaultclearingtime
Ambient(orsoil)temperatureatthesite
Soilresistivitymeasurementsatthesite(fortouchandsteponly)
Resistivityofanysurfacelayersintendedtobelaid(fortouchandsteponly)

EarthingGridConductorSizing

Determiningtheminimumsizeoftheearthinggridconductorsisnecessarytoensurethattheearthinggridwillbeabletowithstandthemaximumearthfault
current.Likeanormalpowercableunderfault,theearthinggridconductorsexperienceanadiabaticshortcircuittemperaturerise.Howeverunlikeafaulton
anormalcable,wherethelimitingtemperatureisthatwhichwouldcausepermanentdamagetothecable'sinsulation,thetemperaturelimitforearthinggrid
conductorsisthemeltingpointoftheconductor.Inotherwords,duringtheworstcaseearthfault,wedon'twanttheearthinggridconductorstostart
melting!

TheminimumconductorsizecapableofwithstandingtheadiabatictemperatureriseassociatedwithanearthfaultisgivenbyrearrangingIEEEStd80
Equation37:

Where istheminimumcrosssectionalareaoftheearthinggridconductor(mm2)

istheenergyofthemaximumearthfault(A2s)
isthemaximumallowable(fusing)temperature(C)
istheambienttemperature(C)
isthethermalcoefficientofresistivity(C1)
istheresistivityoftheearthingconductor(.cm)

is

isthethermalcapacityoftheconductorperunitvolume(Jcm3C1)

ThematerialconstantsTm,r,randTCAPforcommonconductormaterialscanbefoundinIEEEStd80Table1.Forexample.commercialharddrawn
copperhasmaterialconstants:

Tm=1084C
r=0.00381C1
r=1.78.cm
TCAP=3.42Jcm3C1.

AsdescribedinIEEEStd80Section11.3.1.1,therearealternativemethodstoformulatethisequation,allofwhichcanalsobederivedfromfirst
principles).

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Therearealsoadditionalfactorsthatshouldbeconsidered(e.g.takingintoaccountfuturegrowthinfaultlevels),asdiscussedinIEEEStd80Section
11.3.3.

TouchandStepPotentialCalculations

Whenelectricityisgeneratedremotelyandtherearenoreturnpathsforearthfaultsotherthantheearthitself,thenthereisariskthatearthfaultscancause
dangerousvoltagegradientsintheeartharoundthesiteofthefault(calledgroundpotentialrises).Thismeansthatsomeonestandingnearthefaultcan
receiveadangerouselectricalshockdueto:

Touchvoltagesthereisadangerouspotentialdifferencebetweentheearthandametallicobjectthatapersonistouching
Stepvoltagesthereisadangerousvoltagegradientbetweenthefeetofapersonstandingonearth

Theearthinggridcanbeusedtodissipatefaultcurrentstoremoteearthandreducethevoltagegradientsintheearth.Thetouchandsteppotential
calculationsareperformedinordertoassesswhethertheearthinggridcandissipatethefaultcurrentssothatdangeroustouchandstepvoltagescannotexist.

Step1:SoilResistivity

Theresistivitypropertiesofthesoilwheretheearthinggridwillbelaidisanimportantfactorindeterminingtheearthinggrid'sresistancewithrespectto
remoteearth.Soilswithlowerresistivityleadtoloweroverallgridresistancesandpotentiallysmallerearthinggridconfigurationscanbedesigned(i.e.that
complywithsafestepandtouchpotentials).

Itisgoodpracticetoperformsoilresistivitytestsonthesite.Thereareafewstandardmethodsformeasuringsoilresistivity(e.g.Wennerfourpinmethod).
AgooddiscussionontheinterpretationofsoilresistivitytestmeasurementsisfoundinIEEEStd80Section13.4.

Sometimesitisn'tpossibletoconductsoilresistivitytestsandanestimatemustsuffice.Whenestimatingsoilresistivity,itgoeswithoutsayingthatone
shoulderronthesideofcautionandselectahigherresistivity.IEEEStd80Table8givessomeguidanceonrangeofsoilresistivitiesbasedonthegeneral
characteristicsofthesoil(i.e.wetorganicsoil=10.m,moistsoil=100.m,drysoil=1,000.mandbedrock=10,000.m).

Step2:SurfaceLayerMaterials

Applyingathinlayer(0.08m0.15m)ofhighresistivitymaterial(suchasgravel,bluemetal,crushedrock,etc)overthesurfaceofthegroundiscommonly
usedtohelpprotectagainstdangeroustouchandstepvoltages.Thisisbecausethesurfacelayermaterialincreasesthecontactresistancebetweenthesoil
(i.e.earth)andthefeetofapersonstandingonit,therebyloweringthecurrentflowingthroughthepersonintheeventofafault.

IEEEStd80Table7givestypicalvaluesforsurfacelayermaterialresistivityindryandwetconditions(e.g.40mmcrushedgranite=4,000.m(dry)and
1,200.m(wet)).

Theeffectiveresistanceofaperson'sfeet(withrespecttoearth)whenstandingonasurfacelayerisnotthesameasthesurfacelayerresistancebecausethe
layerisnotthickenoughtohaveuniformresistivityinalldirections.Asurfacelayerderatingfactorneedstobeappliedinordertocomputetheeffective
footresistance(withrespecttoearth)inthepresenceofafinitethicknessofsurfacelayermaterial.Thisderatingfactorcanbeapproximatedbyanempirical
formulaasperIEEEStd80Equation27:

Where isthesurfacelayerderatingfactor

isthesoilresistivity(.m)
istheresistivityofthesurfacelayermaterial(.m)
isthethicknessofthesurfacelayer(m)

ThisderatingfactorwillbeusedlaterinStep5whencalculatingthemaximumallowabletouchandstepvoltages.

Step3:EarthingGridResistance

Agoodearthinggridhaslowresistance(withrespecttoremoteearth)tominimisegroundpotentialrise(GPR)andconsequentlyavoiddangeroustouchand
stepvoltages.Calculatingtheearthinggridresistanceusuallygoeshandinhandwithearthinggriddesignthatis,youdesigntheearthinggridtominimise
gridresistance.Theearthinggridresistancemainlydependsontheareatakenupbytheearthinggrid,thetotallengthofburiedearthingconductorsandthe
numberofearthingrods/electrodes.

IEEEStd80offerstwoalternativeoptionsforcalculatingtheearthinggridresistance(withrespecttoremoteearth)1)thesimplifiedmethod(Section14.2)
and2)theSchwarzequations(Section14.3),bothofwhichareoutlinedbrieflybelow.IEEEStd80alsoincludesmethodsforreducingsoilresistivity(in
Section14.5)andatreatmentforconcreteencasedearthingelectrodes(inSection14.6).

SimplifiedMethod

IEEEStd80Equation52givesthesimplifiedmethodasmodifiedbySveraktoincludetheeffectofearthinggriddepth:

Where istheearthinggridresistancewithrespecttoremoteearth()

isthesoilresistivitiy(.m)
isthetotallengthofburiedconductors(m)

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isthetotalareaoccupiedbytheearthinggrid(m2)
isthedepthoftheearthinggrid(m)

SchwarzEquations

TheSchwarzequationsareaseriesofequationsthataremoreaccurateinmodellingtheeffectofearthingrods/electrodes.TheequationsarefoundinIEEE
Std80Equations53,54,55(footnote)and56,asfollows:

Where istheearthinggridresistancewithrespecttoremoteearth()

istheearthresistanceofthegridconductors()
istheearthresistanceoftheearthingelectrodes()
isthemutualearthresistancebetweenthegridconductorsandearthingelectrodes()

Andthegrid,earthingelectrodeandmutualearthresistancesare:

Where isthesoilresistivity(.m)

isthetotallengthofburiedgridconductors(m)
is forconductorsburiedatdepth metresandwithcrosssectionalradius metres,orsimply forgridconductorsonthe
surface
isthetotalareacoveredbythegridconductors(m2)
isthelengthofeachearthingelectrode(m)
isnumberofearthingelectrodesinarea
isthecrosssectionalradiusofanearthingelectrode(m)
and areconstantcoefficientsdependingonthegeometryofthegrid

Thecoefficient canbeapproximatedbythefollowing:

(1)Fordepth :

(2)Fordepth :

(3)Fordepth :

Thecoefficient canbeapproximatedbythefollowing:

(1)Fordepth :

(2)Fordepth :

(3)Fordepth :

Whereinbothcases, isthelengthtowidthratiooftheearthinggrid.

Step4:MaximumGridCurrent

Themaximumgridcurrentistheworstcaseearthfaultcurrentthatwouldflowviatheearthinggridbacktoremoteearth.Tocalculatethemaximumgrid
current,youfirstlyneedtocalculatetheworstcasesymmetricalearthfaultcurrentatthefacilitythatwouldhaveareturnpaththroughremoteearth(callthis
).Thiscanbefoundfromthepowersystemsstudiesorfrommanualcalculation.Generallyspeaking,thehighestrelevantearthfaultlevelwillbeon
theprimarysideofthelargestdistributiontransformer(i.e.eithertheterminalsorthedeltawindings).

CurrentDivisionFactor

Notalloftheearthfaultcurrentwillflowbackthroughremoteearth.Aportionoftheearthfaultcurrentmayhavelocalreturnpaths(e.g.localgeneration)
ortherecouldbealternativereturnpathsotherthanremoteearth(e.g.overheadearthreturncables,buriedpipesandcables,etc).Thereforeacurrent
divisionfactor mustbeappliedtoaccountfortheproportionofthefaultcurrentflowingbackthroughremoteearth.

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Computingthecurrentdivisionfactorisataskthatisspecifictoeachprojectandthefaultlocationanditmayincorporatesomesubjectivity(i.e.
"engineeingjudgement").Inanycase,IEEEStd80Section15.9hasagooddiscussiononcalculatingthecurrentdivisionfactor.Inthemostconservative
case,acurrentdivisionfactorof canbeapplied,meaningthat100%ofearthfaultcurrentflowsbackthroughremoteearth.

Thesymmetricalgridcurrent iscalculatedby:

DecrementFactor

Thesymmetricalgridcurrentisnotthemaximumgridcurrentbecauseofasymmetryinshortcircuits,namelyadccurrentoffset.Thisiscapturedbythe
decrementfactor,whichcanbecalculatedfromIEEEStd80Equation79:

Where isthedecrementfactor

isthedurationofthefault(s)
isthedctimeoffsetconstant(seebelow)

ThedctimeoffsetconstantisderivedfromIEEEStd80Equation74:

Where istheX/Rratioatthefaultlocation

isthesystemfrequency(Hz)

Themaximumgridcurrent islastlycalculatedby:

Step5:TouchandStepPotentialCriteria

Oneofthegoalsofasafeearthinggridistoprotectpeopleagainstlethalelectricshocksintheeventofanearthfault.Themagnitudeofacelectriccurrent
(at50Hzor60Hz)thatahumanbodycanwithstandistypicallyintherangeof60to100mA,whenventricularfibrillationandheartstoppagecanoccur.The
durationofanelectricshockalsocontributestotheriskofmortality,sothespeedatwhichfaultsareclearedisalsovital.Giventhis,weneedtoprescribe
maximumtolerablelimitsfortouchandstepvoltagesthatdonotleadtolethalshocks.

ThemaximumtolerablevoltagesforstepandtouchscenarioscanbecalculatedempiricallyfromIEEEStdSection8.3forbodyweightsof50kgand70kg:

Touchvoltagelimitthemaximumpotentialdifferencebetweenthesurfacepotentialandthepotentialofanearthedconductingstructureduringafault(due
togroundpotentialrise):

50kgperson:

70kgperson:

Stepvoltagelimitisthemaximumdifferenceinsurfacepotentialexperiencebyapersonbridgingadistanceof1mwiththefeetwithoutcontacttoany
earthedobject:

50kgperson:

70kgperson:

Where isthetouchvoltagelimit(V)

isthestepvoltagelimit(V)
isthesurfacelayerderatingfactor(ascalculatedinStep2)
isthesoilresistivity(.m)
isthemaximumfaultclearingtime(s)

Thechoiceofbodyweight(50kgor70kg)dependsontheexpectedweightofthepersonnelatthesite.Typically,wherewomenareexpectedtobeonsite,
theconservativeoptionistochoose50kg.

Step6:GroundPotentialRise(GPR)

Normally,thepotentialdifferencebetweenthelocaleartharoundthesiteandremoteearthisconsideredtobezero(i.e.theyareatthesamepotential).
Howeveranearthfault(wherethefaultcurrentflowsbackthroughremoteearth),theflowofcurrentthroughtheearthcauseslocalpotentialgradientsin
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andaroundthesite.Themaximumpotentialdifferencebetweenthesiteandremoteearthisknownasthegroundpotentialrise(GPR).Itisimportanttonote
thatthisisamaximumpotentialpotentialdifferenceandthatearthpotentialsaroundthesitewillvaryrelativetothepointoffault.

ThemaximumGPRiscalculatedby:

Where isthemaximumgroundpotentialrise(V)

isthemaximumgridcurrentfoundearlierinStep4(A)
istheearthinggridresistancefoundearlierinStep3()

Step7:EarthingGridDesignVerification

Nowwejustneedtoverifythattheearthinggriddesignissafefortouchandsteppotential.IfthemaximumGPRcalculatedabovedoesnotexceedeitherof
thetouchandstepvoltagelimits(fromStep5),thenthegriddesignissafe.

Howeverifitdoesexceedthetouchandstepvoltagelimits,thensomefurtheranalysisisrequiredtoverifythedesign,namelythecalculationofthe
maximummeshandstepvoltagesasperIEEEStd80Section16.5.

MeshVoltageCalculation

ThemeshvoltageisthemaximumtouchvoltagewithinameshofanearthinggridandisderivedfromIEEEStd80Equation80:

Where:: isthesoilresistivity(.m)

isthemaximumgridcurrentfoundearlierinStep4(A)
isthegeometricspacingfactor(seebelow)
istheirregularityfactor(seebelow)
istheeffectiveburiedlengthofthegrid(seebelow)

GeometricSpacingFactorKm

Thegeometricspacingfactor iscalculatedfromIEEEStd80Equation81:

Where isthespacingbetweenparallelgridconductors(m)

isthedepthofburiedgridconductors(m)
isthecrosssectionaldiameterofagridconductor(m)
isaweightingfactorfordepthofburial=
isaweightingfactorforearthelectrodes/rodsonthecornermesh

forgridswithearthelectrodesalongthegridperimeterorcorners
forgridswithnoearthelectrodesonthecornersorontheperimeter

isageometricfactor(seebelow)

GeometricFactorn

Thegeometricfactor iscalculatedfromIEEEStd80Equation85:

With

forsquaregrids,orotherwise

forsquareandrectangulargrids,orotherwise

forsquare,rectangularandLshapedgrids,orotherwise

Where isthetotallengthofhorizontalgridconductors(m)

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isthelengthofgridconductorsontheperimeter(m)
isthetotalareaofthegrid(m2)
and arethemaximumlengthofthegridsinthexandydirections(m)
isthemaximumdistancebetweenanytwopointsonthegrid(m)

IrregularityFactorKi

Theirregularityfactor iscalculatedfromIEEEStd80Equation89:

Where isthegeometricfactorderivedabove

EffectiveBuriedLengthL M

Theeffectiveburiedlength isfoundasfollows:

Forgridswithfewornoearthingelectrodes(andnoneoncornersoralongtheperimeter):

Where isthetotallengthofhorizontalgridconductors(m)

isthetotallengthofearthingelectrodes/rods(m)

Forgridswithearthingelectrodesonthecornersandalongtheperimeter:

Where isthetotallengthofhorizontalgridconductors(m)

isthetotallengthofearthingelectrodes/rods(m)
isthelengthofeachearthingelectrode/rod(m)
and arethemaximumlengthofthegridsinthexandydirections(m)

StepVoltageCalculation

ThemaximumallowablestepvoltageiscalculatedfromIEEEStd80Equation92:

Where:: isthesoilresistivity(.m)

isthemaximumgridcurrentfoundearlierinStep4(A)
isthegeometricspacingfactor(seebelow)
istheirregularityfactor(asderivedaboveinthemeshvoltagecalculation)
istheeffectiveburiedlengthofthegrid(seebelow)

GeometricSpacingFactorKs

Thegeometricspacingfactor basedonIEEEStd80Equation81isapplicableforburialdepthsbetween0.25mand2.5m:

Where isthespacingbetweenparallelgridconductors(m)

isthedepthofburiedgridconductors(m)
isageometricfactor(asderivedaboveinthemeshvoltagecalculation)

EffectiveBuriedLengthL S

Theeffectiveburiedlength forallcasescanbecalculatedbyIEEEStd80Equation93:

Where isthetotallengthofhorizontalgridconductors(m)

isthetotallengthofearthingelectrodes/rods(m)

WhatNow?

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Nowthatthemeshandstepvoltagesarecalculated,comparethemtothemaximumtolerabletouchandstepvoltagesrespectively.If:

,and

thentheearthinggriddesignissafe.

Ifnot,however,thenfurtherworkneedstobedone.Someofthethingsthatcanbedonetomaketheearthinggriddesignsafe:

Redesigntheearthinggridtolowerthegridresistance(e.g.moregridconductors,moreearthingelectrodes,increasingcrosssectionalareaof
conductors,etc).Oncethisisdone,recomputetheearthinggridresistance(seeStep3)andredothetouchandsteppotentialcalculations.

Limitthetotalearthfaultcurrentorcreatealternativeearthfaultreturnpaths

Considersoiltreatmentstolowertheresistivityofthesoil

Greateruseofhighresistivitysurfacelayermaterials

WorkedExample
Inthisexample,thetouchandsteppotentialcalculationsforanearthinggriddesignwillbeperformed.Theproposedsiteisasmallindustrialfacilitywitha
networkconnectionviaatransmissionlineandadeltawyeconnectedtransformer.

Step1:SoilResistivity

ThesoilresistivityaroundthesitewasmeasuredwithaWennerfourpinprobeandfoundtobeapproximately300.m.

Step2:SurfaceLayerMaterials

Athin100mmlayerofbluemetal(3,000.m)isproposedtobeinstalledonthesite.Thesurfacelayerderatingfactoris:

Step3:EarthingGridResistance

Arectangularearthinggrid(seethefigureright)withthefollowingparametersisproposed:

Lengthof90mandawidthof50m
6parallelrowsand7parallelcolumns
Gridconductorswillbe120mm2andburiedatadepthof600mm
22earthingrodswillbeinstalledonthecornersandperimeterofthegrid
Eachearthingrodwillbe3mlong

Usingthesimplifiedequation,theresistanceoftheearthinggridwithrespecttoremoteearthis:

Figure1.Proposedrectangularearthinggrid

Step4:MaximumGridCurrent

SupposethatthemaximumsinglephasetoearthfaultattheHVwindingofthetransformeris3.1kAandthatthecurrentdivisionfactoris1(allthefault
currentflowsbacktoremoteearth).

TheX/Rratioatthefaultisapproximately15,themaximumfaultduration150msandthesystemnominalfrequencyis50Hz.TheDCtimeoffsetis
therefore:

Thedecrementfactoristhen:

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Fianlly,themaximumgridcurrentis:

kA

Step5:TouchandStepPotentialCriteria

Basedontheaverageweightoftheworkersonthesite,abodyweightof70kgisassumedforthemaximumtouchandsteppotential.Amaximumfault
clearingtimeof150msisalsoassumed.

Themaximumallowabletouchpotentialis:

Themaximumallowablesteppotentialis:

Step6:GroundPotentialRise(GPR)

Themaximumgroundpotentialriseis:

TheGPRfarexceedsthemaximumallowabletouchandsteppotentials,andfurtheranalysisofmeshandstepvoltagesneedtobeperformed.

Step7:EarthingGridDesignVerification

MeshVoltageCalculation

Thecomponentsofthegeometricfactor , , and fortherectangulargridare:

Thereforethegeometricfactor is:

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Theaveragespacingbetweenparallelgridconductors is:

where and arethewidthandlengthofthegridrespectively(e.g.50mand90m)

and isthenumberofparallelrowsandcolumnsrespectively(e.g.6and7)

Thegeometricspacingfactor is:

Theirregularityfactor is:

Theeffectiveburiedlength is:

Finally,themaximummeshvoltageis:

Themaximumallowabletouchpotentialis1,720V,whichexceedsthemeshvoltagecalculatedaboveandtheearthingsystempassesthetouchpotential
criteria(althoughitisquitemarginal).

StepVoltageCalculation

Thegeometricspacingfactor is:

Theeffectiveburiedlength is:

Finally,themaximumallowablestepvoltageis:

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Themaximumallowablesteppotentialis5,664V,whichexceedsthestepvoltagecalculatedaboveandtheearthingsystempassesthesteppotentialcriteria.
Havingpassedbothtouchandsteppotentialcriteria,wecanconcludethattheearthingsystemissafe.

ComputerBasedTools
Ascanbeseenfromabove,touchandsteppotentialcalculationscanbequiteatediousandlaborious
task,andonethatcouldconceivablybedonemuchquickerbyacomputer.EvenIEEEStd80
recommendstheuseofcomputersoftwaretocalculategridresistances,andmeshandstepvoltages,and
alsotocreatepotentialgradientvisualisationsofthesite.

Computersoftwarepackagescanbeusedtoassistinearthinggriddesignbymodelingandsimulationof
differentearthinggridconfigurations.Thetoolseithercomeasstandalonepackagesorpluginmodules
topowersystemanalysissoftware(suchasPTW'sGroundMat
(http://www.skm.com/products_grownmat.shtml)orETAP'sGroundGridDesignAssessment
(http://etap.com/groundgridsystems/groundgridsystems.htm).Examplesofstandalonepackages
includeSESAutogrid(http://www.sestech.com/products/softpackages/autogridpro.htm)andSafeGrid
(http://www.elek.com.au/safegrid.htm).

Whatnext?
Theminimumsizefortheearthinggridconductorscanbeusedtospecifytheearthinggridconductor
sizesinthematerialtakeoffsandearthingdrawings.Thetouchandsteppotentialcalculations(where
necessary)verifythattheearthinggriddesignissafefortheworstearthfaultstoremoteearth.The Figure2.PTWGroundMatsoftwareoutput
earthingdrawingscanthereforebeapprovedforthenextstageofreviews. (courtesyofSKMSystemsAnalysisInc)

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