EARTHING

by S.Varun Naidu
 EARTHING

Earthing means connecting the dead part (it means the part which
does not carries current under normal condition) to the earth for
example electrical equipment’s frames, enclosures, supports etc.
(or)
The process of transferring the immediate discharge of the
electrical energy directly to the earth by the help of the low
resistance wire is known as the electrical earthing. The electrical
earthing is done by connecting the non-current carrying part of the
equipment or neutral of supply system to the ground.
 Need of Earthing or Grounding. Why
Earthing is Important?
The purpose of earthing is to minimize risk of receiving an electric shock if
touching metal parts when a fault is present. Generally green wire is used for
this as a nomenclature.

When the metallic part of electrical appliances (parts that can conduct or
allow passage of electric current) comes in contact with a live wire, maybe due
to failure of installations or failure in cable insulation, the metal become
charged and static charge accumulates on it. If a person touches such a
charged metal, the result is a severe shock.
To avoid such instances, the power supply systems and parts of appliances
have to be earthed so as to transfer the charge directly to the earth.
 Basic Needs of Earthing

• To protect human lives as well as provide safety to

electrical devices and appliances from leakage current.
• To keep voltage as constant in the healthy phase (If fault
occurs on any one phase).
• To Protect Electric system and buildings form lighting.
• To serve as a return conductor in electric traction system
and communication.
• To avoid the risk of fire in electrical installation systems.
Electrical System with and with Out
Earthing
Why is the earth pin on a three pin plug made bigger
than the others?

 In three pin plug point the earth

pin is bigger than other two pins
reason is if fault or excess current
flow in a circuit the excess current
flow to earth way of earth pin
because of earth pin having low
resistance,resistance depends on
area of conductor if area
increasing - resistance reduced.
Earthing Values of Different Sub-Stations

* The Earthing Resistance of a Power Station should not be 

greater than 0.5-Ohm because a Power Station is required to 
carry high earth currents.
* The Earthing Resistance of a Major Substation such as 
a "Receiving Station" or a 400kV/220kV/110kV/66kV etc 
Transmission or Stepping Up/Down Substations should not be 
greater than 1-Ohm
* The Earthing Resistance of a Minor Substation such as an 
11kV/230V Distribution Substation should not be greater 
than 2-Ohm.
* The Earthing Resistance of a household should not be 
greater than 5-Ohm.
 Different Terms used in Electrical Earthing
 Earth: The proper connection between
electrical installation systems via conductor
to the buried plate in the earth is known as
Earth.
 Earthed: When an electrical device,
appliance or wiring system connected to the
earth through earth electrode, it is known as
earthed device or simple “Earthed”.
 Solidly Earthed: When an electric device,
appliance or electrical installation is
connected to the earth electrode without a  
fuse, circuit breaker or
resistance/Impedance, It is called “solidly
earthed”.
 Earth Electrode: When a conductor (or conductive
plate) buried in the earth for electrical earthing system.
It is known to be Earth Electrode. Earth electrodes are
in different shapes like, conductive plate, conductive
rod, metal water pipe or any other conductor with low
resistance.
 Earthing Lead: The conductor wire or conductive
strip connected between Earth electrode and Electrical
installation system and devices in called Earthing lead.
Earth Resistance: This is the total resistance between
earth electrode and earth in Ω (Ohms). Earth
resistance is the algebraic sum of the resistances of
earth continuity conductor, earthing lead, earth
electrode and earth.
 Required Materials For Earthing
1.Coal
2.Salt
3.Earth Clamps
4.Plate [2ft*2ft*1/8 inch of copper]
[2ft*2ft*1/4 inch of GI ]
5.GI pipe [1.5 inch-10 feet long]
6.Rod [1/2 inch copper-10 feet long]
7.Funnel covered with wire mesh
NOTE
The size of the earth conductor should not
be less than half of the Thickest wire used
in Installation.
It is recommended to bury the earth electrode in
the moisture earth. If it is not possible, then put
water in the GI (Galvanized Iron) pipe to make
possible the moisture condition.
In the earthing system, put the earth electrode in
vertical position (underground) . Also, put a 1 foot
(about 30cm) layer of powdered charcoal and
lime mixture around the earth plate (don’t
confuse with earth electrode and earth plate as
both are the same thing).
This action makes the possible increase in the
size of the earth electrode which leads a better
continuity in the earth (earthing system) and also
helps to maintain the moisture condition around
earth plate.
Different Types of Earthing Systems
 International standard IEC 60364 distinguishes three types of earthing
arrangements,using the two letter codes TN,TT,and IT.
 The first letter Indicates the connection between earth and the power supply
equipment(generator or Transformer.
 T : Direct connection of a point with Earth.
 I : No point is connected with Earth( Isolation),except Perehaps via a high
impedance.
 The second letter indicates the connection between earth and electrical device
being supplied.
 T : Direct connection with earth,independent of any other earth connection
in supply system.
 N : Connection to earth via the supply network.
 “TT” EARTHING SYSTEM
 This system normally used for consumer
power supply. No earthing system provided
by power distributor. The owner must install
the earthing protection by their own
connection to the earth. They must installing
a suitable electrode and safe arrangement for
which they are responsibility to their
installation.
 The neutral and earthing conductor must be
separately through the installation because
power distributor only provide the supply
neutral or protective conductor for the
connection to consumer.
 “IT” EARTHING SYSTEM
 This system is similar with TT
system but totally different in
earthing supply. The distributor
system not have any connections to
earth or it have only a high
impedance connection. It mean the
usual protection is not effective for
this system. This type is not for
consumer power supply. It special
for power distributor such as
substation or generator area.
 “TN-S” EARTHING SYSTEM

 This system has the neutral of

power supply with connection of
earth only at one point to the
source. the consumer’s earthing
terminal is usually connected to
the metallic Armour of the
distributor’s cable into the High
voltage and low Voltage
transformer.
 “TN-C-S” EARTHING SYSTEM
 This system has the supply neutral conductor
of a distribution main connected with earth at
source as protective multiple earthing. The
supply distributor neutral conductor is also
used to return earth fault currents from the
consumer installation back to the source with
a safely manner.
The power supply distributor will provide a
consumer’s earthing terminal which is linked
to the incoming neutral conductor. This
combined earth and neutral system called the
protective and neutral conductor or the
combined neutral and earth conductor.
 “TN-C” EARTHING SYSTEM

 This system is not familiar or

unusual for earthing system. It a
combined neutral conductor
fulfills the functions of both a PE
and an N conductor. The neutral
conductor is the sheath of a cable
and therefore is concentric with
(totally surrounds) the phase
conductor.
Different Methods of Earthing
 Plate Earthing
 Pipe Earthing
 Rod Earthing
 Strip or Wire Earthing
 Earthing through the Waterman
Coal is added to maintain
moisture and enhance
conductivity, as it is a form of
carbon. Adding salt around
the earthing electrode
maintains the ions and helps
in expediting the outflow of
fault current.
However, this method is
becoming redundant
nowadays.
PLATE EARTHING
In plate earthing
system, a plate made
up of either copper
with dimensions 60cm
x 60cm x 3.18mm (i.e.
2ft x 2ft x 1/8 in) or
galvanized iron (GI) of
dimensions 60cm x
60cm x 6.35 mm (2ft x
2ft x ¼ in) is buried
vertical in the earth
(earth pit) which
should not be less
than 3m (10ft) from
the ground level.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Plate Earthing

 Advantages:
 - Tried and tested method for earthing
 - Economic and easily available
 Disadvantages:
 - Salts get washed away during rains or water flow
 - Plate gets corroded and thus has a short life span
 - Due to high current flow, coal may burn and get reduced into ash, thus
creating resistance instead of being conductive
 - Regular addition of water is must.
 Plate earthing is nowadays being replaced by Advance Maintenance Free
Earthing (pipe in pipe/ Strip in pipe/ Solid Copper Bonded Earthing Rods)
 PIPE EARTHING
A galvanized steel and a perforated pipe of approved
length and diameter is placed vertically in a wet soil in this
kind of system of earthing. It is the most common system
of earthing.
The size of pipe to use depends on the magnitude of
current and the type of soil. The dimension of the pipe is
usually 40mm (1.5in) in diameter and 2.75m (9ft) in length
for ordinary soil or greater for dry and rocky soil. The
moisture of the soil will determine the length of the pipe to
be buried but usually it should be 4.75m (15.5ft).
PIPE EARTHING
ROD EARTHING
Rod earthing is similar to pipe
earthing. In this method of
earthing a copper rod of
diameter 12.5 mm or 16mm
diameter galvanized steel or a
hollow section of 25mm
galvanised iron pipe of length
not less than 2.5m is buried
vertically underground. The
pipe can be buried manually
or using pneumatic hammer.
The earth resistance is
reduced to a desired value by
the embedded electrode.
 Earthing through the Waterman
In this type of eathing system,
the water main (galvanized
iron) pipe is used for earthing.
The resistance of the
galvanized iron pipes are
checked and earthing clamps
are used to minimise the
resistance for earthing
connection. If standard
conductors are used as earth
wire, end of the strands are
cleaned. The earth wire must
be straight and parallel to
water main pipe to make firm
connection possible.
 Strip or Wire Earthing

 In this method of earthing, strip electrodes of cross-section not

less than 25mm x 1.6mm (1in x 0.06in) is buried in a horizontal
trenches of a minimum depth of 0.5m. If copper with a cross-
section of 25mm x 4mm (1in x 0.15in) is used and a dimension of
3.0mm2 if it’s a galvanized iron or steel.
 If at all round conductors are used, their cross-section area
should not be too small, say less than 6.0mm2 if it’s a galvanized
iron or steel. The length of the conductor buried in the ground
would give a sufficient earth resistance and this length should
not be less than 15m.
General method of Earthing / Proper Grounding
Installation (Step by Step)
 First of all, dig a 5x5ft (1.5×1.5m) pit about 20-30ft (6-9 meters) in the
ground. (Note that, depth and width depends on the nature and structure of
the ground)
 Bury an appropriate (usually 2’ x 2’ x 1/8” (600x600x300 mm) copper plate in
that pit in vertical position.
 Tight earth lead through nut bolts from two different places on earth plate.
 Use two earth leads with each earth plate (in case of two earth plates) and
tight them.
 To protect the joints from corrosion, put grease around it.
 Collect all the wires in a metallic pipe from the earth electrode(s). Make sure
the pipe is 1ft (30cm) above the surface of the ground.
 To maintain the moisture condition around the earth plate, put a 1ft (30cm)
layer of powdered charcoal (powdered wood coal) and lime mixture around
the earth plate of around the earth plate.
 Use thimble and nut bolts to connect tightly wires to the bed plates of
machines. Each machine should be earthed from two different places. The
minimum distance between two earth electrodes should be 10 ft (3m).
 Earth continuity conductor which is connected to the body and metallic parts
of all installation should be tightly connected to earth lead.
 At last (but not least), test the overall earthing system through earth tester. If
everything is going about the planning, then fill the pit with soil. The
maximum allowable resistance for earthing is 1Ω. If it is more than 1 ohm,
then increase the size (not length) of earth lead and earth continuity
conductors. Keep the external ends of the pipes open and put the water time
to time to maintain the moisture condition around the earth electrode which
is important for the better earthing system.