© 2015 IJSRSET | Volume 1 | Issue 6 | Print ISSN : 2395-1990 | Online ISSN : 2394-4099

Themed Section: Engineering and Technology

SUB-STATION EARTH GRID DESIGN

Nikhil M Kushram*1, Abhiranjan Singh2, Sanket Patel3
*1
Nikhil Kushram, Department of Electrical Engineering, SIGMA INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
nikhilkushram@gmail.com
2
Abhiranjan Singh, Department of Electrical Engineering, SIGMA INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
itsfick@gmail.com
3
Mr. Sanket Patel, Department of Electrical Engineering, SIGMA INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
sanket.el.engg@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
This project aims to present the design for earthing grid for a substation and calculation of its parameters. Successful
operation of entire power system depends considerably upon efficient and satisfactory performance of substations.
Hence substations in general, can be considered as the heart of the entire power system. In any substation, a well
designed grounding plays an important role. Since absence of efficient grounding system can lead to malfunction
and non-operation of control and protective devices, grounding system deserves considerable attention for all
substations. Grounding system has to be safe as it is directly concerned with the safety of persons working within
the substations. Main purpose of this project is to design safe and cost effective grounding system for HV/EHV
substations situated at such locations where the soil type is not uniform in the whole substation area.

Keywords: Substation , Earthing , Grid Design

IJSRSETXXX | Received: XX June 2015 | Accepted: XX June 2015 | May-June 2015 [(1)2: XX-XX] 1
 I. INTRODUC least two earths and low current
TION resistance path flows are experienced.
for fault After studying the
advantages and
The method used for currents to
III. Earthing disadvantages of both the
earthing at different power protect both
design for methods, we can choose
stations is of immense machinery and HV/EHV the earthing method as per
importance. But this is people. our requirement.
often overlooked. his
substation
 A low
aspect is covered in most resistance 3.3 Types of Earthing
of the textbooks and 3.1 Earthing
earth grid “Earthing can be defined Electrode
reference books, but this is
generally disregarded as related to as the procedure for I) Rod electrode
too simple or not remote earth providing a least resistance
important. Such reference avoids path for fault currents to
books are referred in the harmful protect electrical
following paragraphs. This equipments as well as
ground
is very important for any human beings”
potential rise,
engineer at a power
for earth faults 3.2 Types Of Earthing
station. The design for
earthing must be designed with return Earthing can be classified
in such a way that they can paths for as :-
be easily maintained and offsite 1) System earthing
also further improvements generating This type of
in the systems must also earthing is
source.
be considered, while generally
 A low
designing earthing grid. associated with
resistance path protection of
must be given equipments by
Earthing is necessary to
provide protection to not for voltage stabilizing the
only the people working in transients. voltage w.r.t
a power plant but also the  Electrostatic ground
equipments but also for buildup and 2) Equipment
proper functioning of the earthing
discharge can
power system. The This type of
cause sparks earthing deals
earthing method must be to burn
reliable and secure and with the protection
flammable of people from
also follow all the standard II) Pipe electrode
rules and regulations. This atmosphere. electrical shock by
paper deals with earth grid To avoid this monitoring the
design of AC substation of equipotential potentials of no
50 Hz power frequency. current carrying
bonding must
conductors at
be provided. ground potential
 A good The above discussed
earthing types of earthing are
system will generally interconnected
provide a and therefore fault in
II. IMPORTAN reference for system ground raises
potential of the safety
CE electrical
ground and causes a big
circuits and increase in the substation
Earth grid design is reduces noise potential gradient. But
very essential in a for electrical when the two methods are
power plant for the and separated, certain demerits
following reasons: communicatio like higher short circuit
 Earth grid n systems. current, long distance to be
must provide a covered to separate the

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 III) Plate increases and a large
electrode number of parallel paths
are created. Eventually the
earth resistance of this
interconnected combined
earth resistance will be
less than that of the
individual earth
resistances.
The interconnection is
made through flat/rod
conductor which is known
as earth mat/grid. It keeps
the surface of substation
equipments as near as
absolute earthing potential
as possible. To achieve our
main goal, the earthing
grid must be designed
keeping in mind various
factors like step potential,
touch potential and
transfer potential.
3.4 Permissible
values of earth
resistance
The permissible values
of earth resistance for
different types of power
plants and substations are
given as following, in the
below table.
3.5.1 Factors effecting
Sr. no Particulars
mat design
1 Power stations
2 EHT substations  Maximum fault
3 33kV substations current
4 d/t centers  Duration of fault
5  Earth resistance
Tower foot resistance
 Resistivity of
3.5 Earth Grid Design
surface material
Main aim is to have less  Shock duration
earthing resistance.  Material of earth
Substation contains many
mat conductor
individual earthings
 Earthing mat
through electrodes having geometry
high resistances. But on
linking this individual
3.5.2 Design
electrodes inside the
earth , the surface area Parameters
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 Programming and
 Size of earth grid designing by using
conductor MATLAB.
 Safe step and  Recommendations
touch potential to minimize
 Mesh potential problems in
 Grid configuration existing
for safe operation substation.
 Number of  Focus on the study
electrodes to reduce
required problems in the
earthing process.
The main properties of
V. Conclusion
earthing grid are:
1) Earthing
This paper discusses the
resistance designing process of a 400
2) Earth surface
kV substation earthing
potential grid system. The results
distribution are achieved by
3) Current carrying computational methods.
ability For the conductors of
earthing mild steel is used.
The most common earth The structural approach to
surface potential design a substation earth
distribution have grid system is followed.
horizontal earth electrodes
whose surface potential The various conductors
can easily be controlled. used in the earth grid
The most unfavourable are system are mentioned in
the vertical electrodes, this paper. The harmful
having the least surface effect of touch and step
potential distribution. But potential for human beings
the vertical electrodes are discussed in this paper.
have low earthing During the fault
resistance with stable conditions, special care is
values, independent of given to ground potential
seasons. The horizontal rise(GPR).
and vertical electrodes are
also used together in a REFERENCES
combination to achieve
lower values of earthing [1] IEEE, “IEEE
resistances. Results prove Recommended Practice
that the earth grid is for Determining the
considered to be safe for a Electric Power Station
400 kV substation if the Ground Potential Rise and
soil resistivity ranges Induced Voltage From a
between 100-350 ohms.
Power Fault,” IEEE Std
367-1996, 1996, pp. 1-125
IV. Future Scope
[2] IEEE 142,"IEEE
 Mathematical recommended practice for
modeling and grounding industrial and
simulation.
4
commercial power
systems"

[3] Dwarka Prasad,

H.C.Sharma," Significance
of Step and Touch Voltage
"International Journal of
Soft Computing and
Engineering (IJSCE)
Volume-1, Issue-5,
November 2011,pp.193-
197.

[4] R. J. Heppe,
―Computation of
potential at surface above
an energized grid or other
electrode, allowing for
nonuniform current
distribution,‖ IEEE Trans.
on PAS, vol. 98, no. 6, pp.
1978–1989, Nov.–Dec.
1979.

[5] N.M. Tabatabaei, S.R.

Mortezaeei; ―Design of
Grounding System in
Substation by ETAP
Intelligent
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49

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