EARTHING

OF
EHV TRANSMISSION LINE TOWERS

S. K. Ray Mohapatra
Chief Engineer
Central Electricity Authority

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 OUT LINE

1. Introduction

2. Why proper earthing of transmission line is

essential ?

3. Earthing of EHV transmission lines

4. Conclusion

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 1. Introduction

Two basic purposes served by Grounding system

1. To provide a safe environment for operating
personnel
2. To provide a low resistance path to earth such
that protective device detect and isolate faults
quickly and potential rise of the grounding
system does not exceed a value which could
damage electrical equipment or adversely affect
continuity of service
Under Normal and Abnormal condition

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 1. Introduction

Severity of electric shock to human from

Grounding systems under abnormal electrical fault
conditions depend on many variables, like
· Body current magnitude
· Frequency & Duration of current
· Current path traversed in the human body
· Voltage and frequency of the circuit
· Weight of the body
· Both contact and internal resistance of the
body

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 1. Introduction

100 to 200 mA low frequency current may cause

death by heart fibrillation (cardiac arrest)
(if shock duration is of the order of 0.5 secs or
more)
But a person can survive 100A short duration
surge current (high frequency current)
Allowable body current
IB = 0.116 / Sqrt (ts) for 50 kg Bogy weight

[116mA for 1 sec]

IB = 0.157 / Sqrt (ts) for 70 kg Bogy weight

[157mA for 1 sec]

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 1. Introduction

In Power system, maximum number of faults

originates from

• Over Head Lines or underground cables (75%)

• Transformer and reactor (15%)

• Generator and step up transformer (7%)

• Bus Bar fault (3%).

• [As per survey of one of the CIGRE committee].

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 1. Introduction

• Most of the Power System faults occur on over head

lines.

• Lightning is a major cause of transmission and

distribution line outages.

• Lightning stroke is always followed by few

subsequent strokes of lower amplitude

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 1. Introduction
• Towers [ Self Supporting steel Lattice structure /
Monopole Structure]
Approximate Height of D/cTowers
• 765kV 69 - 70m (15+13+42)
• 400kV 45 - 46m (8.84+13+24)
• 220kV 30 - 32m (7+10+15)
• 132kV 26 - 28m (6.1+7+12)
With body extension height
further goes up by
[3m /6m/9m/18m/25m/(42m/52m)]

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 1. Introduction
• Generally, one earthwire for transmission lines upto
220 kV
• Two earthwires for transmission lines of 400 kV and
higher voltage classes.
• The earthwire used in 66kV above voltage class line
shall be OPGW and at least one out of two
earthwires shall be OPGW at 400kV and above
voltage class lines,
Shielding Angle
• For 765kV and above transmission line -10 deg
• For 400kV transmission line – 20 deg.
• For 220kV / 132kV / 66kV transmission line – 30 deg.
Midspan Clearance
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1. Introduction

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NEGATIVE SHIELDING ANGLE

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1. Introduction
1. Introduction

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 2. Why earthing of transmission line is essential?
• Lightning is a major cause of transmission and
distribution line outages,
• Two classes of effects the lightning has on power
delivery systems.
• First Class effect: Voltage transients that are produced
by a combination of resistive (due to lightning current)
and inductive (due to rate-of-change of lightning
current) effects.
• voltage transients result in arcing, line faults, or current
flow in surge arresters or other protective devices.
• 2nd Class of effects becomes important - those which
produce heating in these devices and possibly resulting
in equipment damage due to lightning current flowing in
power system components and protective devices
• . 14
 2. Why earthing of transmission line is essential?
• When lightning terminates on a tower or a shield
wire connected to it, the lightning current circulating
through the tower and the grounding electrode will
produce a voltage at the top of the tower.
• The voltage at the top of the tower expressed by:

•
•
• • R = Resistance of the grounding electrode;
• • L = Equivalent inductance of the tower;
• • Itw(t) = Current circulating in the tower.
•
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 2. Why earthing of transmission line is essential?.
essential?
• A fraction of the tower-top voltage will appear on
every insulated phase conductor, based on the
coupling coefficient Cn established by mutual surge
impedances between the nth phase conductor and
the shield wires.

• The voltage appearing across the insulator string:

V(t) (1-Cn).

• If the voltage appearing along the insulator string is

higher than its LIFV, a back flashover occurs.

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 2. Why earthing of transmission line is essential?.
essential?
• Transmission line passes through different
Isokraunic level (e.g. Maximum 70-80 thunder storm
days per year)

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 2. Why earthing of transmission line is essential?

The number of back flashovers can be reduced by:

• Lowering the grounding electrode resistance R;

• Installing line arresters in parallel with insulator

strings;

• Increasing the lightning withstand voltage of the

insulator strings;

• Adding shield wires to raise the coupling coefficient

Cn;
•
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 2. Why earthing of transmission line is essential?

• Low amplitude Lightning current can bypass the

overhead ground wire and strike directly on phase
conductor [Shielding failures]

• High amplitude flashes strikes the shield wire and

may cause back flashover

• Due to Practical design limitations, probability of

Shielding failures and Back flashovers will always
exist

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 3. Earthing of transmission line towers

Normal practice is to use either of following depending

on requirement
• Pipe earth (25mm dia GI pipe of 3m long)
• Counter poise earth [450mm upt0 (220kV) and 1m
(400kV and above) below ground, 4 lengths of
Galvanised steel stranded wire, equal to size of earth
conductor (7/3.15mm upto 220kV and 7/3.66mm for
(400kV) - normally limited to 15m (upto 220kV) & 25m
(400kV and above), but increased if resistance
requirements are not met]
in accordance with the following standards :
• IS: 3043 Code of practice for Earthing.
• IS:5613 (Part-II/Section-2) - Design, Installation
and maintenance of overhead power lines.
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 3. Earthing of transmission line towers

• Tower footing resistance not to exceed 10 ohms.

• For counterpoise type earthing the earthing will vary

depending on soil resistivity.

• For soil resistivity < 1500 ohms-meter [4 lengths of

30m counterpoise wire]

• For soil resistivity > 1500 ohms meter [4 length of

70m counterpoise wire.]

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Counterpoise type of earthing

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• Each tower shall be earthed such that tower
footing resistance does not exceed 10 ohms.
Pipe type or Counterpoise type earthing shall be
provided in accordance with relevant IS. As per
site requirement, multiple earthing arrangements
or earthing enhancement material can also be
used for earthing of towers. Additional earthing
shall be provided on towers after every 7 to 8
kms distance for direct earthing of shield wires.

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 4. CONCLUSION

1. Proper Earthing of transmission line towers

is essential to reduce the tower footing
resistance and thereby reduce the
probability of back flashover.

2. It also provide a safe environment around

the tower base.

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 THANK YOU
FOR
YOUR ATTENTION

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