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EARTHING Means
Earthing means any connection given to the earth mass by means of a conductor connected to
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the earth electrode buried in soil.
There are various formal definitions of a good Earthing, e.g., how many amps of current it can
Good Earthing must have impedance low enough to ensure that sufficient current can flow
through the safety device so that it disconnects the supply ( <0.4 sec ) and that voltage of
In simple theory this will prevent a potential difference between earth and earthed parts, as
well as permitting the flow of fault current which will cause the operation of the protective
systems.
EARTHING STANDARD
The material, selected for earthing electrode, should exhibit a galvanic potential with respect to
the ground as nearly equal to that exhibited by the structure in its natural or unprotected
condition, the material used should be such that it resists the corrosion.
Tests in a wide variety of soils have shown that copper is entirely satisfactory and taking the life
of copper earthing as max. 12 years, the average loss is weight of copper, buried for 12 years,
is 0.2 percent per year and average loss in weight of galvanized steel , a little inferior to copper,
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1. To save human life from danger of electrical shock or death by blowing a fuse i.e. To
provide an alternative path for the fault current to flow so that it will not endanger the
user
2. To protect buildings, machinery & appliances under fault conditions ie. To ensure that
Should a fault develop within the equipment that causes the active (live) conductor to come
into contact with the chassis, the fault current will flow to earth, and the equipment or main
switchboard fuse or circuit breaker will blow. This protects the user from electric shock,
bypassing the dangerous current directly to earth, rather than through the body of the
Earth leakage circuit breakers (RCD - residual current detectors) measure the current in the
active and neutral conductors. If these differ by more than a few milliamps, the circuit is
disconnected. The principle is simple - if the current in the two wires differs, some of it must be
going somewhere that is undesirable, so the supply is interrupted almost instantly. While these
are mandatory in some countries (or under some circumstances), it is best not to rely on any
TYPES OF EARTHING
1. Conventional EARTHING
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Pipe Earthing,
GI Plat Earthing,
CONVENTIONAL EARTHING
sandy soil.
year.
zone, which provides the increased surface area for peak current
repeatedly.
6. Long Life.
7. Easy Installation.
Earthing Electrode:-
Two ‘B’ class mild steel pipes, one inside the other, are subjected to Hot dip Galvanization :
80-100 micron on the secondary electrode and 250 – 300 micron on the primary electrode.
Empty space inside the primary electrode and the secondary electrode is filled with
1. Empty space inside the primary and the secondary electrode is filled with Conductor rich
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1. Empty space around the electrode is filled with a compound which Contains eco-friendly
materials.
with dug out soil in small quantities along with water. Continue till
electrode for few days for the entire system to set. About 4
EARTH RESISTANCE
2. Earth Resistance Value (Ohmic value) of an earth pit depends solely on soil resistivity
at the location.
5. It depends on the composition of soil, its Moisture content, & electrolyte content,
Dissolved salts, grain size and its distribution, seasonal variation, temperature and
current magnitude.
SOIL RESISTIVITY
3. In depends on the composition of soil, Moisture content, Dissolved salts, grain size and
SOIL CONDITION
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2. Most of the soils are very poor conductors of electricity when they are completely dry.
MOISTURE
5. In many locations water table goes down in dry weather conditions. Therefore it is
essential to pour water in and around earth pits to maintain moisture in dry weather
conditions.
DISSOLVED SALTS
2. Resistivity of soil depends on resistivity of water which in turn depends on the amount
4. Common salt is most effective in improving conductivity of soil. But it corrodes metal
The grain size, distribution and closeness of packing also contribute to retention of moisture in
the soil.
SEASONAL VARIATION
resistivity.
2. Thus in dry whether resistivity will be very high and in monsoon months the resistivity
will be low.
CURRENT MAGNITUDE
A current of significant magnitude and duration will cause significant drying condition in soil
For measuring soil resistivity, and earthing device resistance, Earth Tester is used. It is also
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It is measured by using Four Terminal Earth Tester Instrument. The terminals are connected by
wires as in illustration.
The distance between the spikes may be 1M, 2M, 5M, 10M, 35M, 50M.
All spikes are equidistant and in straight line to maintain electrical continuity. Take
P = 2 Л LR where,
π = 3.14
electrical continuity.
Suppose, the distance of Current Spike from Earth Electrode D = 60 ft, Then, distance of
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