EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

PROJECT NAME : ENHANCEMENT OF CAPACITY OF GRID SUBSTATIONS &

TRANSMISSION LINES UNDER RURAL ELECTRICITY
TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION (T&D) PROJECT OF
JICA.
CONTRACT NAME : DESIGN, SUPPLY, INSTALLATION, TESTING &
COMMISSIONING OF 132/33 KV SUB-STATION AT
BHALUKA, MYMENSINGH, BAROIHAT AND RAMGANJ ON
TURNKEY BASIS.
CONTRACT NO : PGCB/JICA/BD-P70/P3, DATED: 08/03/2016
EMPLOYER : POWER GRID COMPANY OF BANGLADESH LTD. (PGCB)
SUBSTATION NAME : BAROIHAT 132/33 KV NEW (AIS) GRID SUBSTATION
CONTRACTOR : CONSORTIUM OF ENERGYPAC-DAEWOO
SUBMITTED BY : ENERGYPAC ENGINEERING LTD.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

BILL OF QUANTITY (BOQ) FOR EARTHING LAYOUT:

Description Unit Quantity

Size of Earthing conductor sqmm 150
Length of Earthing conductor on long side mtr 78.7
Length of Earthing conductor on short side mtr 77.5
Total area enclosed by Earthing Grid sqmm 6099.25
Total length of Earthing conductor mtr 2655.4
Total no of Earth electrode no’s 150
Length of each Earth electrode mtr 6
Total length of Earth electrode mtr 900
Depth of main earthing grid mtr 1

NOTES:

1. Earthing design & calculation is based on IEEE std. 80 (IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation
Grounding)
1. Calculation is based on considering the soil resistivity, ρ = 40 Ω-m.
2. Each Transformer body should be earthed at least 02 (Two) points.

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A) DESIGN PARAMETERS:

Description Symbol Value Unit

1. Length of earthing grid on long side. LX 78.7 mtr
2. Width of earthing grid on short side. LY 77.5 mtr
3. Total area enclosed by earthing grid. A 6099.25 sq. mtr
4. Soil resistivity as per field data. ρ 40 ohm-mtr
5. Surface layer resistivity. ρs 7000 ohm-mtr
6. Symmetrical earth fault current for sizing earthing If 40 KA
conductor.
7. Duration of fault current for sizing earthing tc 1 sec
conductor.
8. Thermal co-efficient of resistivity at 20◦C of subsoil αr 0.0038 per ◦C
ground grid conductor material.
9. Resistivity of subsoil ground grid conductor material ρr 1.78 micro ohm-cm
(20 ◦C).
10. Thermal capacity (per unit volume). TCAP 3.42 J/(cm³.◦C)
11. Maximum allowable (fusing) temperature. Tm 1084 ◦C
12. Design ambient temperature. Ta 40 ◦C
13. Diameter of earthing conductor d 13.8200 mm
14. Reflection factor between different materials K -0.9886363636 N/A
resisvities.
15. Surface layer thickness. hs 0.15 mtr
16. Surface layer-derating factor. Cs 0.77054945 N/A

17. Duration of shock for determining allowable body ts 1 sec

current.
18. Maximum tolerable step voltage for 70 kg person Estep70 5238.003 volt

19. Maximum tolerable touch voltage for 70 kg person Etouch70 1427.25 volt

20. Depth of subsoil ground grid conductors. h 1 mtr

21. Spacing between parallel conductors. D 5 mtr
22. Maximum distance between any two points on the Dm 120 mtr
grid.
23. Total length of earthing conductor. LC 2655.4 mtr

24. Length of each earth electrode. Lr 6 mtr

25. Total no. of earth electrode. nr 150 no’s
26. Total length of earth electrode. LR 900 mtr
27. Total effective length of grounding system including LT 3555.4 mtr
conductor & earth electrode.
28. Effective length of LT=LC+LR for mesh voltage LM 4103.6 mtr

29. Effective length of LT=LC+LR for step voltage LS 2756.55 mtr

30. Earthing grid resistance Rg 0.205875261 Ohm

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Description Symbol Value Unit

31. Fault current division factor (split factor) Sf 0.6 N/A
32. Symmetrical grid current (without dc offset) Ig 24000 A
33. Decrement factor for determining, Ig Df 1 N/A
34. Maximum grid current IG 24000 A
35. Ground potential rise GPR 4941.006263 volt
36. Geometric factor n 17 N/A
37. Corrective weighting factor for earth electrodes on the Kii 1 N/A
corner of mesh
38. Corrective weighting factor for depth of burial Kh 1.414213562 N/A
39. Correction factor for grid geometry Ki 3.16 N/A
40. Geometric spacing factor for mesh voltage Km 0.54156964 N/A
41. The maximum attainable touch voltage within a mesh EM 400.360175 volt
42. Geometric spacing factor for step voltage Ks 0.27586598 N/A
43. The maximum attainable step voltage ES 303.595752 volt

B) CALCULATION:

I) Calculation of Earthing Grid Conductor Size:

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 40), we get the required minimum conductor size,

By putting values from design parameters table we get,

143.198 sqmm

As per Technical Data Sheet (TDS), the minimum conductor size for the main earth and interconnections
between earth bars and the earth electrode system shall not be less than 150 sqmm.

Selected conductor size for earthing grid, Ac = 150 sqmm.

CONDUCTOR SIZE FOR EARTHING GRID = 150 sqmm.

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II) Calculation for Maximum Tolerable Step Voltage & Touch Voltage:

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 21), we get the reflection factor between different material resistivities,

By putting the values from design parameters table we get,

K = -0.9886363636

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 27), we get the surface layer derating factor,

By putting the values from design parameters table we get,

Cs = 0.77054945

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 30), we get the maximum tolerable step voltage (assuming avg. weight
of per person 70 kg)

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

Estep70 = 5238.003 volt.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 33), we get the maximum tolerable touch voltage (assuming avg. weight
of per person 70 kg)

Etouch70=

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

Etouch70 = 1427.25 volt.

MAXIMUM TOLERABLE STEP VOLTAGE, Estep70 = 5238.003 VOLT.

MAXIMUM TOLERABLE TOUCH VOLTAGE, Etouch70 = 1427.25 VOLT.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

III) Calculation of Earth Resistance of Earthing Grid System (Accurate Version/Schwarz

Equation):

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 54), we get the earth resistance of ground conductors,

By putting the values from design parameters table and below calculation we get,

R1 = 0.21582939 Ω.

Here, a’ =

Where, r = radius of the selected conductor = 0.00691 mtr.

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

a’ = 0.1174734012

From IEEE standard 80 (Figure 25 (a) & (b)), we get the constant co-efficient,

K1 = 1.14922581

K2 = 4.78154839

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 55), we get the earth resistance of earth electrodes,

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

R2 = 0.20757288 Ω.

Here, cross sectional radius of an earth electrode, b = 0.008 mtr.

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From IEEE standard 80 (equation 56), we get the mutual earth resistance between the grid conductors
and the earth electrodes,

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

Rm = 0.20176451 Ω

Now from IEEE standard 80 (equation 53), we get the earthing grid resistance,

Rg = 0.205875261 Ω

As per Technical Data Sheet (TDS), the calculated Earthing Grid Resistance, Rg should not be exceed 0.5
Ω.

EARTHING GRID RESISTANCE, Rg = 0.205875261 Ω

Here, Earthing Grid Resistance, Rg < 0.5 Ω, hence the result is acceptable.

IV) Calculation of Maximum Grid Current:

Symmetrical earth fault current, If = 40KA (As per given document)

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 65), we get symmetrical grid current (rms),

By putting the values from design parameters table we get,

Ig = 24000 Amps.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 64), we get the maximum grid current,

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

IG = 24000 Amps.

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MAXIMUM GRID CURRENT, IG = 24000 Amps.

V) Calculation of Ground Potential Rise (GPR):

From IEEE standard 80, we get the ground potential rise (GPR),

By putting the values from above calculation we get,

GPR = 4941.006263 volt.

Etouch70 = 1427.25 volt.

GROUND POTENTIAL RISE (GPR) > MAXIMUM TOLERABLE TOUCH VOLTAGE

Since GPR exceeds Etouch70, therefore further design verification is necessary.

C) DESIGN VERIFICATION

VI) Calculation of Mesh Voltage (Maximum Attainable Touch Voltage within a Mesh):

Peripheral length of the grid, LP =

LP = 312.4 mtr

The geometric factor, na =

na = 17

The geometric factor, nb =

nb = 1.000015

The geometric factor, nc = 1 (For rectangular grid)

The geometric factor, nd = 1 (For rectangular grid)

The geometric factor composed of factors, n =

n = 17

For grids with earth electrodes along the grid perimeter or corners, corrective weighting factor for earth
electrodes on the corner of mesh,

Kii = 1

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 83), we get the corrective weighting factor for depth of burial,

Kh =

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION
Kh = 1.414213562

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 89), we get the correction factor for grid geometry,

Ki = 3.16

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 81), we get the geometric spacing factor for mesh voltage,

Km = 0.54156964

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 90), we get the effective length of (LC+LR) for mesh voltage,

LM = 4103.6 mtr.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 80), we get the mesh voltage (maximum attainable touch voltage within
a mesh)

Em = 400.360175 volt.

Etouch70 = 1427.25 volt.

EM < Etouch70
The maximum attainable touch voltage is less than tolerable touch voltage; hence, the
grid design is correct.

VII) Calculation of Maximum Attainable Step Voltage:

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 94), we get the geometric spacing factor for step voltage,

Ks = 0.27586598

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION
From IEEE standard 80 (equation 93), we get the effective length of (LC+LR) for step voltage,

LS = 2756.55 mtr.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 92), we get the maximum attainable step voltage,

ES = 303.595752 volt.

Estep70 = 5238.003 volt.

ES < Estep70
The maximum attainable step voltage is less than tolerable step voltage; hence, the
grid design is correct.

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