Grounding and Bonding

Introduction
Grounding:- it is a conducting connection
by which the electrical circuit or an
electrical eqipment is connected to earth
or to some conducting body of relatively
large extent that serves in place of earth.
Bonding:- it is an international electrical
interconnecting of conductive paths in
order to ensure common electrical
potential between the bonded parts.

 The primary purpose of grounding and bonding

is electrical safety.
This electrical safety means both personal
protection as well as equipment protection. In
this both protections are worthy while
configuring a grounding system methodology.
This grounding and bonding will act as reference
planes for low level analog and digital signals.
This ground plane should provides low
impedance reference plane for the devices and
any noise introduced or propagated through this
will have low impact on the devices.

SHOCK AND FIRE HAZARDS

Grounding and bonding of electrical devices and
systems will ensures that providing adequately
protection to surrounded living people and
working environment.
Generally the human body does not take much
current to cause injured or death.
The resistance of an average human body under
dry condition is about 100 k ohms or higher.
When the skin is wet the resistance drops to 10
kilo ohms or lower.

 The following table will shows that

human body physiological hazards
associated with passage of electrical
current.
Current level

Shock Hazard

100 micro ampere

Threshold of perception

1-5 milli ampere

Sensation of pain

5-10 milli ampere

Increased pain

10-20 milli ampere

Intense pain;unable to
release grip

30 milli ampere

Breathing affected

40-60 milli ampere

Feeling of asphyxiation

75 milli ampere

Ventricular fibrilation,
irregular heart beat.

NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE

GROUNDING REQUIRMENTS
Grounding of electrical system is
mandated by the electrical code and
these codes govern the operation of
power systems.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) in U.S
lay out the requirements for electrical
systems for premises.
Article 250 of the NEC requires the
following electrical system of 50 to
1000V should be grounded.

 System that can be grounded so that the

maximum voltage to ground does not
exceed 150 V.
3-phase 4-wire, star connected systems in
which the neutral is used as a circuit
conductor,
3-phase, 4-wire, delta connected systems in
which the mid point of one phase is used as
a conductor.
The following are the alternating current
systems of 50 to 1000V that should be
permitted to be grounded but are not
required to be grounded by the NEC include:

 Electrical systems used exclusively to supply

industrial
electric
furnaces
for
melting,
refining,tempering,e.t.c.
Seperately derived systems used exclusively for
rectifiers that supply ASD.
derived
systems
supplied
by
Separetely
transformers that have a primary voltage rating
less than 1000V provided all of the following
conditions are met.
The system is used exclusively for industrial controls.
The conditions of maintanance and supervison ensure
that only qualified personal will service the installation.
Continuity of control power is required.
Ground detectors are installed in control system.

ESSENTAILA OF A GROUNDED
SYSTEM

 The above figure shows clear understanding about

the components of grounding system and safety
and power quality.
Grounded conductor:-a circuit conductor that is
intentionally grounded.
Grounding conductor:- a conductor used to
connect the grounded circuit of a system to a
grounding electrode or electrodes.
Equipment grounding conductor:- conductor
used to connect the non current carrying metal
parts of equipment ,raceways, and other enclosures
to the system grounded conductor, the grounding
electrode conductor, or both at the service
equipment or at the source of a separately derived
system.

 Grounding electrode conductor:-conductor used

to connect the grounding electrode to the
equipment grounding conductor, the grounded
conductor, or both.
Main bonding jumper:- an unspliced connection
used to connect the equipment grounding conductor
and the service disconnect enclosure to the
grounded conductor of a power system.
Ground:- earth or some conducting body of
relatively large extent that serves in place of earth.
Ground electrode:-a conductor or body of
conductors in intimate contact with the earth for the
purpose of providing a connection with the ground.

GROUND ELECTRODES
According to NEC
elements are part
electrode system.

the following
of a ground

Metal ungrounded water pipe

Metal frame of buildings or structures
Concrete encased electrodes
Ground ring
Other
made
electrodes
such
as
underground structures, rod and pipe
electrodes, and plate electrodes,

 Metal ungrounded gas piping system

and aluminum electrodes are not
used as ground electrodes.
The purpose of all these is to provide
low impedance path of large fault
energy.
It should be recognized that any one
of the ground electrodes may be
adequate it self bonding all these
together provides a superior ground
grid system.

Earth Resistance Tests

This is done, weather the ground electrode system
has adequate connection with the earth or not.
The most common test is the fall of potential test. In
this two ground rods are driven the farthest rod is
current rod (C2),and the rod intermediate is the
potential rod(P2).
A known current is circulated between the reference
electrode and the current rod. the voltage drop is
measured between the reference and potential rod.
The ground resistance is the ratio between the
voltage and current.

 The potential rod is moved to

another location and again repeat
the same . And calculate the
resistance
value.
After
this
calculating at different points plot the
graph. it gives the typical earth
resistance
.

 The earth resistance depends on the

type of soil and mineral composition ,
moisture content, and temperature.
Resistivity of common materials
Material

Resistivity range
(ohm-cm)

Surface soil

100-5000

Clay

200-10,000

Sand and gravel

5,000-100,000

Lime stone

500-400,000

Shales

500-10,000

Sand stone

2000-200,000

Granite

1,000,00

Tap water

1000-5000

Sea water

20-200

Effect of moisture on soil

resistivity
Moisture content
(% by weight)

Resistivity (ohm-cm)
Top soil

Sandy loam

1000X106

1000X106

2.5

250,000

15,000

165,000

43,000

10

53.000

22,000

15

21,000

13,000

20

12,000

10,000

30

10,000

8000

Effect of temp.on earth

resistivity
Temperature
0

Resistivity (ohmcm)

20

68

7200

10

50

9900

32(water)

13,800

32(ice)

30,000

-5

23

79,000

-15

330,000

Change in earth resistance with

multiple ground rods
No.of ground
rods

Distance between rods

D=L (%)

D=2L(%)

D=4L(%)

100

--

--

60

52

50

42

37

35

35

29

27

28

25

23

10

16

14

12

EARTH GROUND GRID

SYSTEMS
The main purpose of metal grid of sufficient
area of contact with the earth as drive low
resistance between the ground electrode and
earth.
These ground grids are in different forms and
shapes.
The main requirements of metal grid is it will be
stable with time and will not form any chemical
reaction with other objects I the vicinity. (i.e
buried water, pipes, building reinforcement
bars,e.t.c)

 Ground Rods:-according NEC ground

rod should not less than 8 feet and
have the following requirements.
Electrodes of conduits or pipes that are no
smaller than inch trade size. When these
conduits are made of steel the outer
surface should be galvanized or otherwise
metal coated for corrosion protection.
Electrodes of rods of iron or steel that are
at least 5/8 inches in diameter. the
electrodes should be installed so that at
least an 8 feet length is in contact with soil.

 Typically copper clad steel rods are used for

ground rods. Because steel provides strength to
with stand forces during of the rod into the soil.
while copper coating provides corrosion protection
and also allows copper conductors to be attached
to the ground rod.
The values indicated above are the minimum
values , depending on the installation and type of
soil encountered, larger and longer rods and pipes
may be needed.
The following tables will shows earth resistance
variation with the length and earth resistance
values for ground rods for various diameters. these
values are shown for soil typically 10000 ohm cm.

Effect of rod length on earth resistance

Ground rod length (ft)

Earth resistance (ohms)

40

25

10

21

12

18

15

17

Effect of ground rod diameter on earth resistance

Rod diameter inches

% resistance

0.5

100

0.75

90

1.0

85

1.5

78

2.0

76

PLATES
Rectangular or circular plates should
present an area of at least 2 ft2 to the
soil.electrode of iron and steel shal
be at least inches thickness.
Electrodes of non ferrous metal
should have a minimum thick ness of
0.06 inch. plate electrode are to be
installed at a minimum distance of
2.5 ft below the surface of the earth.

Resistance of circular plates buried 3 feet below surface

Plate area (ft2 )

Earth resistance

30

23

18

10

15

20

12

Ground Ring
The ground ring encircling a building in direct
contact with the earth should be installed at a depth
of not less than 2.5 feet below the surface of the
earth.
The ground ring should consist of at least 20 feet of
bare copper conductor sized not less than #2AWG.
Typically ground rings are installed in trenches
around the buildings, and wire tails are brought out
for connection to the rounded service conductor at
the service disconnect panel or switch board. it is
preferred that a continuous piece of wire be used.

Wire
siae

Resistance (ohms) for total buried wire length

20 ft

40 ft

60 ft

100 ft

200 ft

#6

23

14

#1/10

18

12

Power Ground system

A good ground electrode grid system with
low resistance to earth is a vital foundation
to the entire power system for the facility.
The primary object of the power system
grounding is personal saftey in addition to
limiting the damage equipment.
When ground fault occurs large ground
return currents are set up which causes the
over current protection to open and isolate
the load from the power source.

 According NEC ,a solidly grounded star connected

electrical service requires ground fault protection
more than 150 V and not exceeding 600 V phase
to phase fro each service rated 1000A or more.
Because of arcing ground faults ground fault
protection systems are rated greater than 150 V.
These ground faults are generate considerably low
fault current than other faults.
The ground fault protection is set at levels
considerably lower than the phase fault protection.
For instatnt a 1000 A rated over current protection
system may have the ground fault protection set
at 200 A or lower.

 The setting of the ground fault device

depends on the degree of protection
required, as this requirement is
strictly ground fault protection for
equipment.
The ground fault circuit interruption
is set to open a circuit at a current of
5 mA. the GFCI is not intended for
equipment protection but it is strictly
personal protection.

Signal reference ground

The SRG is not equipment protection and
personal protection. But it is provide a
common reference low impedance plane from
which a sensitive load may operate.
Generally low level micro circuits sharing the
data and power lines when both of the devices
will have common reference signal and ground
, and the reference ground has high
impedance connection voltage difference may
be created
this will affected the point of
reference for the devices.

 Low impedance means the impedance is low

at higher frequencies.
When two devices are connected to a 10 feet
length of #4 copper conductor ground wire
the dc resistance of the wire is 0.00025 ohms,
the inductive reactance at 60 Hz is 0.0012
ohms inductive reactance at 1MHz is 20 ohms
if noise current of 100 ma at 1MHz is to find
its way into the ground wire between the two
devices, the noise voltage must be 2V which
is enough to cause loss of communication and
perhaps even sustain damage depending the
device sensitivity.

Signal reference ground

methods
Depending on the user performance SRG can take
many forms. Some facilities use a single conductor
installed underneath the floor and looped around
the space of the computer center.
While this method is practilcl and it is limited the
functionality due large impedance associated with
long wire.
Large computer data centers use more than one
conductor but the limitations are the same.
A preferred SRG consists of #2AWG laid underneath
the floor of the computer center to form a grid of
2X2 ft square.

 By creating multiple parallel paths

the impedance for the reference
plane is made equal for all devices
and circuits sharing the SRG.if the
impedance is measured at any two
nodes of the SRG and plotted against
frequencythe shape of the frequency
charateristics would appear as shown
in the graph.

 Some installations use copper strips instead

of circular conductors to form the grid.
Constructing an SRG with a continuous
sheet of copper creates a reference plane
made up of infinite parallel paths instead of
discrete parallel paths as with SRG made up
of circular wires.
The SRG also bonded to building steel that
support the raised floor of the computer
centers.
This provides better noise immunity and
allows the creation of good reference plane
of sensitive circuits.

Single point and multipoint grounding.

With this multipoint grounding every piece of
equipment is sharing a common space or
building is individually grounded.
This is adequate for power frequencies.
This method is both convent and economical.
Where as in single point grounding each
piece of equipment is connected to a
common bus or reference plane, which in turn
bonded to the building ground grid electrode.

Ground loops
It
is
defined
as
potentially
detrimental loop formed when two or
more points in an electrical system
that are normally at ground potential
are connected by a conducting path
such that either or both points are
not at the same potential.

 Here the ground plane is at different

potentials for the two devices that share the
ground circuit.
This will set up circulation current in the loop
formed between devices by the common
ground wire and the signal ground conductor.
It leads to degradation or damage of the
device with in the loop.
These are the result of faulty or improper
facility wiring practices that cause stray
currents to flow In the ground path, creating
voltage differential between two points in the
ground system.

 The problems due to ground loops

can be difficult to identify and fix. to
fix these problems removing the
ground connections from power
cards.

Electro chemical reactions due to

grids.
When two dissimilar metals are
installed in a damp or wet soil an
electrolytic cell is formed.
If there is an external connection
between two metals a current can
flow using the electrolyte formed by
the wet soil which can cause
deterioration of the anodic of metal
pair.

 The fig shows the copper water pipes and

ground rings bonded to the building steel.
This configuration results in current flow
between the members.
the steel that are more electro positive and
will start the supply of electrons to support
current flow.
If it is not observed the building is weakened.
The more positive or anodic metals are more
active and prone to corrosion.in some
installations to prevent corrosion of a specific
metal member sacrificial anodes are installed
in the ground.

Electromotive series of metals

Metal

Electrode potential (V)

Magnesium

2.37

Aluminum

1.66

Zinc

0.763

Iron

0.44

Cdamium

0.403

Nickel

0.25

Tin

0.136

Lead

0.126

Copper

-0.337

Silver

-0.799

Palladium

-0.987

gold

-1.5

Examples of grounding anomalies

or problems
Loss of ground causes Fatality
Stray ground loop currents cause
computer damage
Ground noise cause ASD to shut
down