Substation Grounding Overview

Grounding is an important aspect of every

substation. The function of a grounding system is: to
ensure the safety of personnel and the public, to
minimize hazard from transferred potential, to
protect equipment, to provide a discharge path for
lightning strikes, and to provide a low-resistance path
to ground. A good grounding system has a low
resistance to remote earth to minimize the ground
potential rise (GPR) [In order for a grounding design
to be safe, it needs to provide a way to carry the
electric currents into the ground under both normal
and faulted conditions. Also, it must provide
assurance that a person in the vicinity would not be
endangered. Because there is no simple relation
between the resistance of the grounding system and
the maximum shock current a person can
experience, a complete analysis must be done to
consider many different aspects such as the location
of the ground electrodes, soil characteristics,
etc.People assume that any grounded object can be
safely touched, but that is not always the case. A low
substation ground resistance doesnt not guarantee
safety There are no simple relation between the
ground system resistance and the maximum shock
current that a person might be exposed to.
Design of a Substation Grounding System
The substation ground grid design is based
on the substation layout plan. The following points
serve as guidelines to start a grounding grid
design:The substation should surround the perimeter
and take up as much area as possible to avoid high
current concentrations. Using more area also reduces
the resistance of the grounding grid. Typically
conductors are laid in parallel lines. Where it is
practical, the conductors are laid along the structures
or rows of equipment to provide short ground
connections. Typical substation grid systems may
include 4/0 bare copper conductor buried 0.3-0.5 m
(12-18 in) below grade and spaced 3-7 m (10-20 ft)
apart in a grid pattern. The conductors should be
securely bonded at cross-connections. Ground rods
may be installed at grid corners and junction points
along the perimeter. They may also be installed at
major equipment, especially near surge arresters.
The grid should extend over the entire substation
and beyond the fence line
Grid Connections
Typically different sized conductors are used
in linking the substation to the grounding grid. Any
above-ground conductive material which could
possibly become energized such as a metal
structures, machine frames, and transformer tanks or
any metal parts that could have a different potential
from others should be tied together by the grounding

grid. All other equipment that could be the source of

a fault current must also be connected to the grid.
Copper cable is often used for the connections, but in
some cases the equipment and buildings can be used
as the conductor link [4]. Usually the grid
connections are securely welded together to prevent
any failure during high fault currents

Material Selection
Conductors can be of various materials
including copper, copper-clad steel, aluminum, or
steel. Each type of conductor has advantages and
disadvantages.Copper is the most commonly used
material for grounding. Copper has high conductivity.
Also, it is resistant to most underground corrosion
because it is cathodic with respect o most other
metals . It also has good temperature characteristics
and thermal capacity. The disadvantage of copper is
that it is expensive and often stolen, leaving the
equipment ungrounded.Copper-clad steel is usually
used for ground rods, and sometimes for grounding
grids. Copper-clad steel has a fraction of the
conductivity of copper, but it is adequate for use of
grounding. It combines the strength of steel with the
conductivity of copper. Copper-clad steel is less
susceptible to theft than copper because it is a
bimetallic product and has virtually no recycle
value.Aluminum has good conductivity, but not as
good as copper. Aluminum may corrode in certain
soil.Aluminum costs less than copper, and theft is
less of an issue. Its fusing temperature is about half
of copper and its thermal capacity is about two
thirds.Steel can be used for ground grid conductors
and rods, but corrosion is an issue. Steel has good
temperature characteristics and thermal capacity as
well. Theft is not an issue for steel
Soil Characteristics
The earths soil can be considered to be a
pure resistance and thus is the final location that a
fault current is dispersed. Soil resistance can contain
a current up to a critical amount which varies
depending on the soil and at this point, electrical arcs
can develop on the surface of the soil that can
electrify objects on the surface such as a person . A
soils resistivity can be affected by the flow of current
through it by being heated which makes the soil dry
out and become more resistive [4]. Wet soil has
much less resistance than that of dry soil so ideally
the grounding grid and rods should be located in
moist earth. Typically soil resistance quickly
increases when its moisture content is less than 15%
of the soil weight and the resistance barely changes
once the moisture content is at least 22% [4]. Table 1
shows a basic collection of soil resistivity depending
on the moisture and type.

Protective Surface Material

In order to greatly reduce the shock current
and increase the contact resistance between the soil
and the feet of people in a substation, a thin layer of
a highly resistive protective surface material just as
crushed rock (gravel) is spread above the earth
grade at a substation. Generally a layer of the
surface material is 3-6 inches and it extends 3-4 feet
outside the substation fence. If it is not extended
beyond the substation fence, the touch voltages
become dangerously high.
The resistivity values for the surface
material layers vary. The range depends on many
factors such as type of stone, size, condition of the
stone, amount and type of moisture content,
atmospheric contamination.
Soil Resistivity Measurements
Before the design of the grounding system
begins, soil resistivity measurements need to be
taken at the substation. Stations with uniform
resistivity throughout the entire area are rarely
found. Thus, measurements should be made at
multiple locations within the site. Usually there are
several layers, and each has a different resistivity. If
there are large variations, more readings should be
taken at these location . Lateral changes may occur
as well, but in general the changes are gradual and
negligible.
Ground Resistance
The ground resistance for a substation
needs to be very low to minimize the ground
potential rise and increase the safety of the
substation. The ground resistance is usually 1 or
less for transmission and other large substations. In
distribution substations, the usual acceptable range
is 1-5 .Resistance primarily depends on the area to
be occupied
Construction of a Grounding System
The method chosen for construction
depends on the size of the grid, soil type, size of
conductor, burial depth, equipment available, cost of
labor, and physical or safety restrictions. There are
two common ways to install the ground grid. These
methods are the trench method and the cable
plowing method. Both methods use machines. If the
job site is too small or there is not enough space to
move the machines around, then the ground grid is
installed by hand digging.
Ground Grid Construction-Trench
Method

Markers are placed on the perimeter to

identify the spacing between the parallel conductors.
These markers serve as a guide for the trenching
machine. The trench machine is used to dig trenches
along the side having a larger number of parallel
conductors to a specified depth, usually 0.5 m (1.5
ft). Conductors are then installed in these trenches
and the ground rods are driven and connected to the
conductors. Pigtails for the equipment grounds are
also placed at this time. These trenches are then
backfilled with dirt up the cross connections.
Ground Grid Construction-Conductor
Plowing Method
This method is economical and quick when
conditions are favorable and the proper equipment is
available. This method plows the conductors in using
a special narrow plow. This plow can be attached to,
or drawn by, a tractor or a four-wheel drive truck.
Special Danger Points
There are several danger points within a
substation such as the fence, equipment operating
handles, surge arrestors, etc. One has to make sure
that they are properly grounded to ensure safety.
Substation Fence Grounding
It is critical to ground the substation fence
because the fence is generally accessible to the
public. The touch potential on both sides of the fence
needs to be within the calculated tolerable touch
potential limit. The substation fence should be
connected to the main ground grid
Surge Arrestor Grounding
Surge arrestors need to be reliably grounded
to ensure protection of the equipment they are
protecting. They should be connected as close as
possible to the terminals of the equipment its
protecting and have as short and direct path to the
grounding system as possible and practical . Also
arrestor leads should be as free from sharp bends as
practical .
Control Cable Sheath Grounding
Metallic cable sheaths may attain dangerous
voltage levels with respect to ground if not
effectively grounded. All grounding connections
should be made to provide a permanent lowresistance bond. Cable sheaths should be grounded
at two or more locations