Grounding Techniques

Why Ground?
 Safety of the Personnel
 99.5% survival threshold –
 116 mA for 1 second.
 367 mA for 0.1 second.
 Protection of equipment
 Improve the reliability of equipment
 Reduce the likelihood of damage due
to lightning and fault currents
What is a Ground
The NEC, National Electrical Code
defines a ground as:
"a conducting connection, whether
intentional or accidental between an
electrical circuit or equipment and the
earth, or to some conducting body that
serves in place of the earth."
 Earth Ground: an intentional
connection from a circuit conductor
usually the neutral to a ground
electrode placed in the earth
 Equipment grounding: an operating
equipment within a structure is
properly grounded
Fig. Appliance with a Wire Insulation Fault.
Fig. Fault Current Path
Fig. Appliance with a Fault and an Equipment
Grounding Conductor.
What does a Ground do?
 protection of people, plant and
equipment
 provide a safe path for the dissipation
of Fault Currents, Lightning Strikes,
Static Discharges, EMI and RFI signals
and Interference
Ground Resistance Values
 A frequently quoted criteria is the
establishment of a 1 ohm resistance to
earth.
 The NEC (National Electric Code) requires
only 25 ohms of resistance for made
electrodes
 ANSI/IEEE Standard 141 and ANSI/IEEE
142 specifies a ground resistance of 1 to 5
ohms.
Ground Electrodes

Three basic components:

1) ground conductor
2) the connection/bonding of the
conductor to the ground
electrode
3) the ground electrode itself
Resistance of Ground
Electrode

1) The resistance of the ground

electrode itself and the
connections to the electrode.
2) The contact resistance of the
surrounding earth to the
electrode.
3) The resistance of the
surrounding body of earth
around the ground
electrode.
Ground Resistance
 The NEC specifies that the ground
electrode shall be installed so that it is at
least 2.4 m in length and in contact with
the soil.
 There are 3 variables that affect the
resistance of a ground electrode:
 The ground itself – soil, moisture
 The length/depth of the ground electrode
 Diameter of the ground electrode.
 Increasing the diameter of the ground
electrode has very little effect in lowering
the resistance – 10 % reduction in
resistance by doubling the diameter
 One very effective way of lowering
resistance is to drive ground electrodes
deeper – 40 % reduction in resistance by
doubling the length.
 Another way to lower the ground resistance
is through the use of multiple ground
electrodes.
Types of Ground Systems
 There are two types of grounding systems, simple
and complex.
 Simple consist of a single ground electrode driven
into the ground. The use of a single ground
electrode is the most common form of grounding
and can be found outside homes or place of
business.
 Complex grounding systems consist of multiple
ground rods connected, mesh or grid networks,
ground plates and ground loops. These systems
are typically installed at power generating
substations, central offices and cellsites.
Ground/ Earth Loops
 A ground/earth loop usually refers to a current,
generally unwanted, in a conductor connecting two
points that are supposed to be at the same potential,
often ground, but are actually at different potentials.
 Ground loops created by improperly designed or
improperly installed equipment are a major cause
of noise and interference in audio and video systems.
 They can also create an electric shock hazard, since
ostensibly "grounded" parts of the equipment, which are
often accessible to users, are not at ground potential.
 A common sign that a ground loop(s) exists, or that a
ground is missing, is the presence of induced power line
(50 Hz) noise or hum in the circuit.
 If several points are used for ground connections, differences in
potential between the points can cause troublesome "ground
loops" which will cause errors in voltage readings.
 In Fig. 8, two separated chassis grounds are used. Vg
represents a voltage existing between signal ground and the
load ground. If voltage measurements are made between the
load ground and the input signal, Vs, an erroneous voltage, (Vs
+ Vg) will be indicated.
Basic Grounding Practices
 A. Circuit Grounding

The ideal " single point ground " concept insures that no ground
loops are created. As the name implies, all circuit grounds are
returned to a common point. This concept is shown in Figure 9.
While this approach looks good on paper, it is usually not practical.
Even the simplest circuits can have 10 or more grounds, and
connecting them at a common point becomes a physical challenge.
 B. Ground Bus

Bus bars are available or can be constructed to serve as an adequate

substitute for single point ground.
The bus bar is simply a heavy wire or copper bar of low resistance which
can carry the maximum sum total of the load current back to the power
supply. The bus can be extended along the length of the circuitry so
that convenient connections can be made at various points. The use of a
ground bus is shown in Figure 10.
 C. Grounding Practice for Breadboards
Most Breadboards provide 2 or 3 lines of connected
terminals extending along the length of the board.
One of these continuous strips should be dedicated
as a circuit ground bus. All circuit grounds should
be tied directly to this bus.

 D. Analog/Digital Grounds
In general, analog and digital grounds should be
kept separated and connected together only at one
single point.