Introduction to Earthing of Sensitive Electronic Equipment

(Computers/IT Loads/PLCs/Other Similar Sensitive Electronic Equipments)

Electrical Standard Products/VR

Sensitive Electronic Equipment

S stems to !e Earthed"""
#) Equipment earthing $ metallic enclosures% or frame of electronic equipment" &) Signal Common Earthing $ the 'ero reference s stem for data lines ( the signal portion in general" )) *C Po+er Suppl ,eference Earthing $ the electronic equipment ma have different *C voltage s stems #&-/&.-"

Sensitive Electronic Equipment

/asic Issues
# Suscepti!le to random voltages far !elo+ the levels that are percepti!le to humans ( that have no effect on electrical po+er equipment (even the static voltage charges generated ! lightning stro0es +ithin several thousand feet can cause damage)"

Sensitive Electronic Equipment

/asic Issues
& Pro!lem of noise coupling (capacitive ( inductive) !et+een signal circuits ( po+er circuits"

Sensitive Electronic Equipment

/asic Issues
) Impedance considerations related to the po+er frequenc safet aspects of a earthing s stem ma not necessaril provide the desira!le lo+ impedance at the high frequenc signals"

Sensitive Electronic Equipment

/asic Issues
. Several elements at different locations% !ut lin0ed ! a data ca!le that carries it o+n 'ero reference $ a conductor lin0ing the earthing connections at different locations" 1nder certain conditions su!stantial differences can e2ist !et+een distant elements of the s stem $ leading to component failures"

Earthing 3ethods
#) 3ultiple Earthing Connections 4 In a commercial/non$industrial !uilding it is not unusual to find neutral connected to earth/panel enclosures at more than one location" 4 ,esults in noise causing errors or +orse" 4 5hether accidental or intentional% this practice is not recommended"

3ultiple Earthing
%he & current gets di'ided ( a part of it "ill )e flo"ing thru ground/ground "ire* e'en "/o earth fault

#round $oops

Signal ( 6round 5ire 7"# Ohm 8

5V Pick-Up if (say) 5 ! stray current flo"

Building Steel (Earthed)

Earthing 3ethods
&) Separate/Isolated Earthing Connection 4 To earth computers to isolated earthing electrodes separate from the po+er s stem earthing electrode s stem" 4 5hile continuous lo+$level noise are eliminated% other catastrophic incidents are encountered" 4 Since unsafe% therefore not recommended"

Isolated Earthing
Building Steel/Po"er Syste+ Earthing

Signal ( 6round 5ire (Insulated)

,solated -o+puter Earthing

#7 9: Stro0e to /uilding /uilding to Computer Capacitance # Ohm #7 9-

Isolated Earthing
5h 1nsafe; . $arge 'oltages i+pressed on co+puter co+ponents under thunderstor+ conditions (direct strike or charge induced )ecause of clouds o'erhead)/ . 0ith isolated earthing* a fault in a co+puter re1uires fault current to pass thru the resistance of )oth the isolated ( po"er syste+ ground in series/ ,n this case the current "ould )e insufficient to operate the protecti'e de'ice/

Isolated Earthing
4 ! -B -o+puter 3odules

565V/45 V 5 7h+ ,2 ,2 8 45 /6 8 45! 5 7h+

Earth 2ault ,solated Earthing

Earthing 3ethods
)) Single Point Earthing Connection 4 To prevent stra /circulating currents from affecting the computer signals ( operations% it is necessar to 0eep the computer ground s stem separate from the equipment ground components ( connect together at onl one point" 4 ,ecommended method% as it eliminates pro!lems of earlier t+o methods"

Single Point Earthing

, < / = 6
Computer 3odules

Isolation Transformer Equipment Earthing Conductor

,ECO33E=*E* PO5E, *IST,I/1TIO= > CO3P1TE, S<STE3

FROM MAIN 415V SOURCE

240V COMPUTER SYSTEM POWER PANEL

Computer Isolation Transformer

Single Point Earthing

Onl Limitation"""
9ue to length of the grounding conductor fro+ the co+puter units to the grounding point* there is possi)ility of co+puter conductors )eing su):ected to high-fre1uency resonance "ith R2 signals/

Single Point Earthing

In addition requires"""
. Since equipment earthing emplo ing long earthing conductors e2hi!it higher impedances at higher frequencies . Therefore% requirement of equipotential earth plane to ensure minimal voltage variances e2ist among the connected signal circuit ( interconnected equipment

Equipotential Plane Includes?

. Conductive grid em!edded in or attached to a concrete floor . 3etallic screen or sheet metal under floor tile . Ceiling grid a!ove sensitive equipment

Earthing 3ethods
.) Single Point Earthing Connection plus Connection +ith 6rid in the @loor 4 @or each group of computer equipment% provide a grid net+or0 in the raised floor% +ith tie +ires from each computer unit to the grid ( one from the grid to the room grounding point" 4 ,ecommended method% as it also eliminates pro!lems of interference from radio frequencies"

Single Point Earthing

, < / = 6
Computer 3odules

6rid =et+or0 in ,aised @loor Structure

SR# - Resonance reduction

*istri!uted Processing S stem Po+er 5iring ( *ata Ca!le 5iring

1se of Isolation Transformers =eed"""

. @or esta!lishing the po+er ground reference close to the point of use" This greatl reduces common mode noise thru ground loops etc" . :!ilit to transform or change the input to output voltage level (/or to compensate for high or lo+ site voltage"

C:SE AISTO,IES
#)PC e2periencing frequent loc0 ups ( une2plained failures &)Erratic computer operation +ithin a large office !uilding e2periencing several lightning storms ))Intermittent data memor errors ( data transmission errors !et+een remote terminals ( a central computer s stem"

Pro!lem #
. &o pro)le+ "as found in the utility supply; earthing "as also found to )e okay/ . %he po"er outlet ser'ing the co+puter "as e<a+ined for polarity* re'ealing the phase ( the neutral conductors "ere re'ersed at the receptacle/ . 7nce the conductors "ere correctly connected* the P- ran "/o pro)le+s/

Pro!lem &
. %he earthing conductors of all the co+puters in the )uilding "ere connected to isolated earthing electrode syste+ (consisted of = rods dri'en into the earth a"ay fro+ )uilding)/ . %he co+puter +anufacturer "as persuaded to per+it earthing of the co+puter syste+ to the )uilding earthing syste+* "hich had concrete encased earthing electrodes/ ,++ediately the erratic operations ceased/

Pro!lem )
. ,n the installation of a +ultistory office )uilding* se'eral floors of +odular "orkstations "ere po"ered fro+ a co++on* > phase step do"n transfor+er "ith a shared neutral/ 3ainfra+e ter+inals in these "orkstations e<perienced inter+ittent data +e+ory errors ( data trans+ission errors* ( occasionally hard"are failures/ . ,t "as found that considera)le (( 'aria)le) neutral current e<isted/ R3S 'alues of & to earth didn?t e<ceed >/@V* )ut the peak 'oltage ranged up to 6 V/

Pro!lem )
. Each floor of the )uilding "as isolated into 4 sections 'ia shielded isolation transfor+ers/ ,ndi'idual & conductors "ere installed for all "orkstation )ranch circuits/ . Re-esta)lish+ent of the &-E )ond at the ne" isolation transfor+ers* co+)ined "ith the reduced neutral current in the dedicated neutrals* reduced &-E 'oltage to less than 4V/ %he pro)le+ "as sol'ed/