AnOverviewOfGroundingSystem(Ungrounded)

An Overview Of Grounding System (Ungrounded) (On photo: installed ground clamp. The 2 x 0.022 copper strip is
treated with a copper based anti oxidation grease and then clamped to the clean copper plated 8 ground rod by
beevo.com )

Topics:
Ungroundedsystem
Derivationofcurrentexpressioninungroundedsystem
Advantages&disadvantagesofungroundedsystem
Conceptofeffectiveandnoneffectivegrounding
Coefficientofearthingandearthfaultfactor

UndergroundNeutralOrUndergroundedSystem
Before1950powersystemwereoftenwithout neutralgrounding.Suchsystemhadrepeated
arcinggrounds,insulationfailureanddifficultearthfaultprotection.
Everyphasehasinherentdistributedcapacitancewithrespecttoearth.Ifearthfaultoccurson
phaseB,thedistributedcapacitancedischargesthroughthefault.Thecapacitanceagaingets
chargedandgetsdischarged.Becauseofthissevervoltageoscillationisreachedinhealthy
phases.
Thesevoltageoscillationcausesstressoninsulationofconnectedequipment.
Figure 1 Ungrounded neutral or ungrounded system

Ic2=jCwv2
Ic3=jCwv3
Ic=jCwv2+jCwv3
Ic=jCw(v2+v3) // Equation01
Nowbydrawingthephaserdiagramasshownbelowwecanwrite:
VN+V2=v2 // Equation02
VN+V3=v3 // Equation03
Substitutingequation02andequation03inequation01:

Ic=jCw(VN+V2+VN+V3)
Ic=jCw(2VN+V2+V3) // Equation04
Figure 2 Ungrounded neutral or
ungrounded system

VoltagephasersV3canberesolvedinthedirectionofVNandindirectionperpendicularto
VNasV3CosandV3Sin.
SimilarlyvoltagephaserV2canberesolvedasV2CosandV2Sin
Hence:
V2+V3=V3Cos+V3Sin+V2CosV2Sin // Equation05
V3=V2
V3Cos+V2Cos=VN
Substitutinginequation05weget:
V2+V3=VN=V1(SinceV1isshortedto groundsoVN=V1) // Equation06
Substitutingequation06inequation04weget:
Ic=jCw(2VN+VN)

Totalcapacitivecharginganddischargingcurrentofhealthyphaseis:

Ic=j3CwV1
Forungroundedsystem:

If=IC2+IC3=IC=j3CwV1 // Equation07

Asseenfromequation07,inunearthedsystemgroundfaultcurrentistotally
dependentoncapacitivecurrentreturningviathenetworkphaseearthcapacitances.
Thisisthereasonforsevervoltagestressinhealthyphasesofungroundedsystem.

Sincethereisnoreturnpathavailableforfaultcurrentinungroundedsystemsodetectionof
earthfaultcurrentisdifficult.Thisisotherdisadvantageofungroundedsystem.
GobacktoTopics

AdvantagesofUngroundedSystem

AdvantagesofUngroundedSystem
Therearesomeadvantagesofungroundedsystem:
1. Ungroundedsystemhas negligibleearthfaultcurrent
2. Somecontinuousprocessorsystemandessentialauxiliarieswheresinglephasetoground
faultshouldnottripthesystem.
GobacktoTopics

DisadvantagesofUngroundedSystem
Howeverbelowlisteddisadvantagesofungroundedsystemaremoreadversethan
advantages:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Unearthedsystemexperiencerepeatedarcinggrounds.
Insulationfailureoccursduringsinglephasetogroundfaults.
Earthfaultprotectionforunearthedsystemisdifficult.
Voltageduetolightningsurgesdonotfindpathtoearth.

Inordertoovercometheabovementionedtechnicalandoperationissuestheconceptofsystem
groundingwasintroduced.Systemgroundingisconnectingtheneutralofsystemtoearth.

Ateveryvoltagelevelneutraloftransformerisconsideredasneutralofsystem.

Systemgroundingisoftwotypes:
1. Effectivegrounding:Effectivegroundingisalsocalledsolidgroundingthatiswithout
resistanceorreactance.Inthiscasecoefficientofearthingismorethan80%
2. Noneffectivegrounding:Whenneutraltoearthconnectionismadethroughresistanceor
reactancethanthesystemissaidtobenoneffectivelygrounded.Inthiscasecoefficientof
earthingisgreaterthan80%
GobacktoTopics

Coefficientofearthingandearthfaultfactor

Coefficientofearthingandearthfaultfactor
Coefficientofearthingistheratiowhichismeasuredduringsinglephasetoground
fault:
Ce=Highestphasetogroundvoltageofhealthyphase/Phasetophasevoltage

Inasystemwithoutneutralearth(referFigure1),phasetoearthvoltagephase1andphase2
risesto3timesphasetophasevoltageVrmsduringsinglephasetoearthfaultonphase3.Ina
neutralearthedsystemthevoltageofhealthyphaserisestoCetimesVrms.
ThereforevalueofCe:
FornoneffectivelyearthedsystemCe=1
ForeffectivelyearthedsystemCe<0.8.Hencesurgearresterratedvoltageis>0.8Vrms
SurgevoltagekVinstantaneousistakenas2.5timesofcriticalflashovervoltage(CFOV)ofline
insulation.Thusdischargecurrentisgivenas:
I=(2.5(CFOV)Residualvoltageofarrester)/Surgeimpedanceofline

Earthfaultfactorisaratiocalculatedatselectedpointofthepowersystemforagiven
system.Earthfaultfactor=V1/V2

V1=HighestRMSphasetophasevoltageofhealthyphases(phase2and3refertoFigure
1)duringearthfaultonpahse1
V2=RMSvalueofphasetoearthvoltageatsamelocationwithfaultonfaultyphases
removed
GobacktoTopics

REF ERENCES:

1. IndustrialelectricalnetworkdesignguideBySchneiderelectric
2. Switchgearprotection&powersystemBySunilSRao,Khannapublications
3. EARTHING:YourquestionsansweredByGeoffCronshaw
4. IEEERecommendedPracticeforElectricPowerDistributionforIndustrialPlants