Project No.

DU1222
Lotus Towers- Business Bay, Dubai

Main Works Contract

Electrical Specifications

**
SECTION 26 05 26

EARTHING SYSTEM
(UNDER MAIN CONTRACTOR'S SCOPE OF WORK)

PART

PART

PART

GENERAL

1.1

General Instructions

1.2

Scope

1.3

Codes and Standards

PRODUCTS

2.1

Materials

2.2

Protective Conductors

2.3

Earthing Pit

2.4

Protective Conductors

EXECUTION

3.1

Earthing Installation

3.2

System Earthing

3.3

Service Equipment Earthing

3.4

Equipment Earthing of the Electrical Works

3.5

Structural Steelwork Bonding

Khatib & Alami (CEC)

Section 26 05 26
Earthing System
26 05 26- 1

Project No. DU1222

Lotus Towers- Business Bay, Dubai

Main Works Contract

Electrical Specifications

**
SECTION 26 05 26
EARTHING SYSTEM
(UNDER MAIN CONTRACTOR'S SCOPE OF WORK)

GENERAL

PART

1.1

General Instructions

1.1.1

Works under this section shall be governed by Conditions of Contract and Section of
Division 1.

1.2

Scope

1.2.1

Provide earthing system(s) for all Buildings as indicated on Electrical drawings, schedules
and specified herein.

1.3

Codes and Standards

1.3.1

The Earthing system shall be in full compliance with the requirements of the lEE Wiring
Regulations, Local Authorities Practices and the Specifications.

1.3.2

Any modification required by Local authorities shall be done at no extra cost.

1.3.3

The impedance of equipment (earth loop) shall comply the requirements of lEE wiring
regulation.

1.3.4

The earthing resistance shall be in accordance with BS 7430 and in compliance with
requirements of Local Power Authorities.

1.3.5

All earthing and bonding installation and equipment, shall comply with the requirements of
the BS 7671 and BS 7430.

1.3.6

Deleted.

1.3.7

All Equipment earthing of the Electrical Works through a removable link at the Main
Distribution Switchboard connecting the main earthing bus to the neutral bus. If no main
switchboard is included in the works, a peripheral earth bus shall be provided in the
Meters Room to which all the equipment earthing shall be bonded. The earthing bus
shall in turn be bonded to the Local Authorities Low Tension Pillar neutral.

PART

2.1

Materials

2.1.1

Unless otherwise specified all materials used for earthing shall be of copper or approved
copper alloys, and shall be specially manufactured for the purpose.

2.1.2

The complete earthing system shall be electrically and mechanically continuous to provide
an independent fault current return path to the earthing source.

PRODUCTS

Khatib & Alami (CEC)

Section 26 05 26
Earthing System
26 05 26-2

Project No. DU1222

Lotus Towers- Business Bay, Dubai

Main Works Contract

Electrical Specifications

2.1.3

Bolted connections shall be of the multiple bolt type. Bolts, washers and stop nuts shall be
of high copper alloy. Ferrous hardware will not be accepted .

2.1 .4

The impedance of equipment (earth loop) at any point in the electrical wiring system shall
be sufficiently low to limit the voltage to earth and to facilitate the operation of the circuit
protective devices in the circuits. Otherwise earth leakage circuit breakers shall be used.

2.1.5

Locations where the electrode is above water table, in rock or where there is soil is
chloride free. 5/8" or%" diameter copper-bonded steel rod, the copper shall be 99.9% pure
electrolytic molecularly bonded onto a low carbon steel core to BS 970 with a high tensile
strength of at least 600 N/mm 2 , the copper th ickness shall at least 0.25 mm. the rod shall
be complete with driving stud, high strength copper alloy connectors and screw in spike.

2.1 .6

Earthing systems for sub-stations shall be in accordance with BS 7430 and the Local
Electricity Authority regulations.

2.1.7

The earth system shall be tested in accordance with BS 7430.

2.2

Protective Conductors

2.2.1

Earthing wires (protective conductors) are not shown on the Drawings. All circuits running
in conduits or in flexible conduits shall have earthing insulated conductors of minimum
sizes as follows:
Current carrying conductor

(mm2)

s
s

less than or equal to 16

greater than or equal to 16
But less than or equal to 35
S greater than 35

Earthing Wire
(protective conductor)
SP
(mm2)

s
16
0.5

2.2.2

If more than one circuit is included in a conduit, one protective conductor per neutral or
per three phase circuit with no neutral shall be provided.

2.3

Earthing Pit

2.3.1

The earthing rod shall be constructed from copper clad steel rod. Copper sheath shall be
99.9% pure electrolytic copper. The steel core shall be of carbon steel, with tensile
strength min 97,000 psi yield strength at 0.2% offset 85,000 psi, proportional limit
57,000 psi, percent of elongation 13%. Rod shall be cold drawn.

2.3.2

Earth pits shall be installed at least 2 meters away from building fagade.

2.4

Protective Conductors

2.4.1

Protective conductors shall be supplied and installed to in accordance with BS 7671.

PART

3.1

Earthing Installation

3.1.1

Two separate earthing installations shall be provided. One installation shall be the System
earthing and the other shall be the Authorities Service Equipment Earthing.

EXECUTION

Khatib & Alami (CEC)

Section 26 05 26
Earthing System
26 05 26-3

Project No. DU 1222

Lotus Towers- Business Bay, Dubai

Main Works Contract

Electrical Specifications

3.1.2

Where earthing terminals are brazed to equipment, the metal shall be thoroughly cleaned
prior to brazing and the impaired surface repainted to prevent corrosion .

3.2

System Earthing

3.2 .1

The System Earthing shall consist of earthing pits connected in parallel if practicable,
or shall consist of 95 mm2 ring (counterpoise) buried under ground at a depth of 1 meter
minimum around the periphery of the building or substation if the latter is a separate
structure. The specified system shall be in accordance with the project layout and location
as indicated on the drawings.

3.2.2

The main earth ing bus of the main switchboard(s) if any shall be connected to the
system earth ing by a 95 mm2 bare copper cable via a 40 x 5 mm main earthing busbar
fixed on the wall in an approved location.

3.3

Service Equipment Earthing

3.3.1

The service equipment earthing shall be a separate earthing installation consisting of

earthing pits connected in parallel. These pits shall be at least 8 meters away from the
system earthing if practicable otherwise the service equipment earthing shall be bonded to
the system earthing and the combined resistance shall be less than 1 Ohm.

3.3.2

To th is installation will be connected: the ring main unit earthing bar, the transformer(s)
and HT switchgears, HT cable sheaths, all exposed structural metal works including metal
cable trays when the substation is situated above a basement.

3.3.3

Connection material and sizes shall be as approved by the Local Authorities.

3.4

Equipment Earthing of the Electrical Works

3.4.1

Equipment earthing of the Electrical Works shall consist of bonding all non-current carrying
metal parts of the Electrical installation to the System earth (TN-S system as per IEE
W iring Regulations, latest edition).

3.4.2

Non-current carrying metal parts of the electrical installation shall include such items as
cabinets, exposed metal parts of apparatus as well as enclosures, doors, grill, etc.,
protecting or shielding electrical equipment from direct access to unauthorized personnel.

3.4.3

The series earthing of one piece of equipment to another will not be permitted .
equipment earthing connections shall be tapped from the applicable earth source.

3.4.4

The cable armouring will not be accepted as equipment earth ing conductor.

3.4.5

All socket outlets, power apparatus, lighting fixtures and switches shall be earthed.

3.4 .6

No point on the neutral shall be connected to the earth system except as described under
"System Earthing".

3.4.7

Additional earthing pits may be shown on the drawings at different locations. These pits
shall be bonded to the earthing bus of the relevant switchboards or panelboards as
applicable in order to reduce the earthing resistance. Neutral at such points shall not be
bonded to the earthing system .

3.4.8

Shells of all water heaters shall be con nected to the neutral and earthing of the
correspond ing circuit.

3.4.9

Bonding connections to gas and water pipes as required by the BS 7671 shall be made as
near as practicable to the point of entry. These connections shall be made with solid

Khatib & Alami (CEC)

All

Section 26 05 26
Earthing System
26 05 26-4

Main Works Contract

Electrical Specifications

Project No. DU1222

Lotus Towers- Business Bay, Dubai

copper conductors of minimum cross section in accordance with BS 7671. These bonds
shall be installed as inconspicuously and nearly as possible. The connections shall be
visible after installation.
3.4.10

Bonding conductors shall comply with BS 7671.

3.4.11

Tests of individual and combined LV system earthing electrodes shall be carried out and
the results recorded for presentation in accordance with BS 7671.

3.5

Structural Steelwork Bonding

3.5.1

Steelwork bonding shall be installed utilizing bolted or (thermic process) welded

connections. Close coordination shall be made with other trades to ensure the timely
installation of bonding conductors during the construction program. Bonding of structural
steelwork shall be carried out in accordance with the BS 7671 and shall include but not be
limited to the following examples:

3.5.1 .1

Exposed Main Structural Columns & Beams.

3.5.1.2

Metallic Louvres and Grilles.

3.5.1.3

Crane Runway Beams

3.5.1.4

Steel Door and Frames

3.5.1.5

Reinforcing Steelwork Bars and Mesh

3.5.1.6

Mechanical and HVAC Plant

End of Section 26 05 26.

Khatib & Alami (CEC)

Section 26 05 26
Earthing System
26 05 26-5