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(2)
1077 . 1
2
1 1 =
+ =
a
f
f
A
f
T
t
e
t
T
D (3)
The maximum grid current I
G
is thus calculated from equation
(4),
kA D x I I
f g G
125 . 3 = = (4)
D. SESCAD DESIGN DATA
The earth grid was designed using SESCAD and executed in
the MALT module of CDEGS to obtain the safety parameters
such as the touch and step voltages, fibrillation current for
fault duration of 0.3s, grid resistance and EPR. The dimension
of the earth grid was taken as 150x150m comprising of 51
parallel horizontal rows and 51 parallel vertical columns
spaced at 3m apart in both directions. Earth rods of 1.5m
length also spaced 3m apart were installed around the entire
periphery of the grid. The burial depth of the earth grid was
varied from 0.5m to 1.5m to investigate the impact of burial
depth on safety criteria. The grid conductors and the earth rods
were both made of hard dawn copper of radius .0067056m and
.009525m, respectively. The earth grid was energized by a
current magnitude of 3.125kA for duration of 0.3s.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Figures 1, 2, and 3 show the side view of the earth grid at
h=0.5m, h=1m and h=1.5m, respectively, while Figure 4
shows the top view. Note that, the dotted blue spots on the
periphery of the earth grid in Figure 4 indicate the earth rods.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the scalar potential distribution on
the grid surface, and touch and step voltage, respectively for
burial depth of 0.5m.
Variation of the burial depth of earth grid from 0.5m to
1.5m did not indicate any difference in the touch and step
voltages for the same value of surface layer material
resistivity. However, it was observed that there is a little
difference in earth grid resistance as the burial depth was
varied from 0.5m to 1.5m in steps of 0.5m. When the earth
grid was buried at a depth of 0.5m, the earth grid resistance
was computed by MALT as 6.596 but the value reduced to
6.5530 at a depth of 1m and further reduced to 6.1865 at a
-20 20 60 100 140 180
X AXIS (METERS)
160
120
80
40
0
-40
Z
A
X
I
S
(
M
E
T
E
R
S
)
SOIL SURFACE
Side View of Conductors
Fig. 1 Side view of earth grid conductors, h=0.5m
4
depth of 1.5m. This represents a reduction of 0.6% grid
resistance between 0.5m to 1m depth, 5.8% between 1m to
1.5m depth and 6.5% reduction between 0.5m to 1.5m depths.
The EPR with respect to the three burial depths, 0.5m, 1m
and 1.5m were 20.613kV, 20.478kV and 19.333kV,
respectively. It would also be observed that, there is slight
difference in EPR due to its dependence solely on earth grid
resistance as the energizing current was maintained constant at
3.125kA. The depth of burial of earth grid had no influence on
the EPR while the step and touch voltages were similar for a
-40 10 60 110 160
X AXIS (METERS)
-40
10
60
110
160
Y
A
X
I
S
(
M
E
T
E
R
S
)
Touch Voltage Distribution [ID:MT_Site 3PE1.F05]
LEGEND
Maximum Value : 4814.891
Minimum Value : 118.477
4814.89
4345.25
3875.61
3405.97
2936.32
2466.68
1997.04
1527.40
1057.76
588.12
Figure 6 Touch voltage distribution on the earth grid
-40 10 60 110 160
X AXIS (METERS)
-40
10
60
110
160
Y
A
X
I
S
(
M
E
T
E
R
S
)
Scalar Potential Distribution[ID:MT_Site 3PE1.F05]
SPOTLEVELS x 1.E+3
Maximum Value : 20.495
Minimum Value : 15.798
20.49
20.02
19.56
19.09
18.62
18.15
17.68
17.21
16.74
16.27
Fig. 5 Scalar potential distribution on the earth grid
-20 20 60 100 140 180
X AXIS (METERS)
-20
20
60
100
140
180
Y
A
X
I
S
(
M
E
T
E
R
S
)
Fig. 4 Top view of earth grid conductors
-20 20 60 100 140 180
X AXIS (METERS)
160
120
80
40
0
-40
Z
A
X
I
S
(
M
E
T
E
R
S
)
SOIL SURFACE
Fig. 3 Side view of earth grid conductors, h=1.5m
-20 20 60 100 140 180
X AXIS (METERS)
160
120
80
40
0
-40
Z
A
X
I
S
(
M
E
T
E
R
S
)
SOIL SURFACE
Fig. 2 Side view of earth grid conductors h=1m
5
particular surface layer material resistivity, i.e. at 0.5, 1 and
1.5m burial depths considering a surface layer material
resistivity of 3000-m, the touch and step voltages were
observed to be similar.
Table 4 Safety analysis for earth grid without surface layer material resistivity
Fault clearing time (s) 0.3
Touch voltage (V)
Step voltage (V)
Fibrillation current (A)
779.0
2538.8
0.212
Table 4 lists the safety parameters for the earth grid
without surface layer material. It indicates that the touch and
step voltages for a fault duration of 0.3s are 799V and
2538.8V, respectively. Note that, the fault duration of 0.3s is
the assumed fault clearing time. Table 5 lists the safety
parameters for the earth grid using a crushed gravel of
resistivity 3000-m as surface layer material to increase the
surface contact resistance. The touch and step voltages for a
fault duration of 0.3s are 1115.4V and 3884.4V, respectively.
Table 6 lists the safety parameters for the earth grid using
crushed gravel of resistivity 5000-m as surface layer
material. Results indicate that the touch and step voltages for a
fault duration of 0.3s are 1593.9V and 5798.5V, respectively.
Comparing the values of touch and step voltages computed at
fault duration of 0.3s from Tables 4, 5 and 6, indicate that the
touch and step voltages are much lower for the case without a
surface layer material, perhaps because the surface layer had a
much lower resistivity than in the other two cases having a
surface layer material resistivity of 3000-m and 5000-m,
respectively. When surface layer material of resistivity
3000-m was applied on the earth grid surface, the touch and
step voltage magnitudes became higher. The touch and step
voltages further increased as the resistivity of the surface layer
material was increased to 5000-m. Although the touch and
step voltages are higher when the surface layer material was
applied on the grid, the magnitude of current would be
drastically reduced due to increase in contact resistivity at the
grid surface.
Table 5 Safety analysis for earth grid with surface layer material s=3000-m
Fault clearing time (s) 0.3
Touch voltage (V)
Step voltage (V)
Fibrillation current (A)
1115.4
3884.4
0.212
Table 6 Safety analysis for earth grid with surface layer material s=5000-m
Fault clearing time (s) 0.3
Touch voltage (V)
Step voltage (V)
Fibrillation current (A)
1593.9
5798.5
0.212
IV. CONCLUSION
The design of a distribution substation earthing grid in high
resistivity soil was presented. It was revealed that it is difficult
to meet the safety criteria of touch and step voltages in a high
resistivity soil. It was also found that large land area is
required to achieve a lower grid resistance value which is not
possible in urban areas where barren land is not available.
Furthermore, it was discovered that the use of long earth rods
which would have further reduced the resistance was not
possible because the bottom layer resistivity is much higher
than the top layer. Encasement of the earth grid in bentonite is
recommended for reduction of the soil resistivity and hence
resistance although it would be costly due to the size of the
grid.
V. REFERENCES
[1] K. D. Pham, Design A Safe Grounding System for Rural Electric Power
Distribution Substations, Paper Presented at the 34th Annual
Conference on Rural Electric Power, Orlando, FL, 29 Apr-1 May 1990.
[2] S. Raju and P. Upadhyay, Design of Optimal Grounding Mats for High
Voltage Substation, International Conference on Advances in Power
Conversion and Energy Technologies (APCET), Mylavaram, Andhra
Pradesh, 2-4 Aug. 2012.
[3] Y. Yang, M. Peng, H. Hong, and Y. Yuan, Optimal Design of Grounding
Grids Based on Genetic Algorithm, 3
rd
International Conference on
Genetic and Evolutionary Computing (WGEC), Guilin, 14-17 October
2009.
[4] R. Weeransundara, Grounding Considerations for Large kVA Pad Mount
Transformers, IEEE Rural Electric Power Conference (REPC),
Chattanooga, TN, 10-13 April 2011.
[5] K. A. Vyas and J. G. Jamnani, Optimal Design and Development of
Software for Design of Substation Grounding System, Nirma University
International Conference on Engineering (NUiCONE), Ahmedabad,
Gujarat, 8-10 December 2011.
[6] G. S. Raju and P. Upadhyay, Design of Optimal Grounding Mats for
High Voltage Substation, International Conference on Advances in
Power Conversion and Energy Technologies (APCET), Mylavaran,
Andhra Pradesh, 2-4 August 2012.
[7] N. D. Tleis, Power System Modelling and Fault Analysis: Theory and
Practice, 1st Ed. Oxford, Elsevier, 2008.
[8] IEEE Std. 80-2000 Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding, 2000.
[9] Ackerman, A., Sen, P. K., and Oertli, C., Designing Safe and Reliable
Grounding in AC Substations with Poor Soil Resistivity, IEEE
Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. 49, No. 4, July/August, 2013.
[10] IEEE Std. 142-2007, Recommended Practice for Grounding of Industrial
and Commercial Power Systems, 2007.
VI. BIOGRAPHIES
Sani D. Buba obtained National Diploma in Electrical and
Electronic Engineering from the Federal Polytechnic Mubi
in 1991. He proceeded to University of Maiduguri, Borno
State, Nigeria, where he was awarded B. Eng. (Hons)
Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2002. He
worked as a Tutor in the Department of Electrical and
-40 10 60 110 160
X AXIS (METERS)
-40
10
60
110
160
Y
A
X
I
S
(
M
E
T
E
R
S
)
Gradient Step Voltage Magn. (V/M)
Gradient Step Voltage Distribution [ID:MT_Site 3PE1.F05]
LEGEND
Maximum Value : 768.900
Minimum Value : 0.00
768.90
692.01
615.12
538.23
461.34
384.45
307.56
230.67
153.78
76.89
Figure 7 Step voltage distribution on the earth grid
6
Electronic Engineering, Federal Polytechnic Mubi from November, 2002 until
November, 2009. He enrolled for MSc Programme in the Department of
Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and
obtained a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Power Engineering in
August 2012. Mr. Buba is currently a PhD student in the department of
Electrical & Electronic Engineering at UPM. He is a Graduate Student
Member of IEEE-PES, PELS and CIS. His research interests include, earthing
systems, Solar PV systems, Lightning Protection Systems and Power Systems
Analysis.
Wan F. Wan Ahmad (S02, M05) was born
in Kelantan, Malaysia, on Sep. 6, 1978. She graduated
from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia in 2000
with Bachelor in Electrical, Electronic and Systems
Engineering with honours, and majoring in Electrical
Power and Control Engineering. She received her PhD
in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
from University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K. in
2007, majoring in Lightning Protection System and Electromagnetic
Compatibility for Electrical Power Engineering. She is currently with the
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,
Universiti Putra Malaysia which she joined since 2000. She has tremendous
experiences in teaching Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronics)
with Honours students. At the moment she is Deputy Director (Research and
Collaboration) at Centre of Excellence on Lightning Protection (CELP),
Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. Through her
career, she has won 3 Research awards and 4 non-research awards. Her
research interests include electrical power engineering, grounding system,
lightning protection system, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC),
Transmission Line Modelling (TLM), Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field
(RF EM), Single Long Horizontal Ground Conductor and thin wire. Dr Wan
Ahmad is member of IEEE APS, IEEE EMCS, AND IEEE MTTS, IEEE MS,
IEEE SA AND MSSS.
Professor Mohd Zainal Abidin Ab Kadir graduated
with B.Eng. Degree in Electrical and Electronic
Engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2001,
and obtained his PhD from the University of
Manchester, United Kingdom in 2006 in High Voltage
Engineering. Currently, he is the Head of Department
of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of
Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). He is
also the Director of Scientific Committee at the Centre for Electromagnetic
and Lightning Protection Research (CELP), UPM and a Member of
International Board of Advisors for the National Lightning Safety Institute
(NLSI), USA. Professor Zainal is a Professional Engineer (PEng) and a
Chartered Engineer (CEng) from Board of Engineers, Malaysia and
Engineering Council, UK, respectively. He is currently the Chair of IEEE-
PES Malaysia Chapter, Working Group Member of IEEE-PES Lightning
Performance on Overhead Lines, Senior Member of IEEE (PES, EMC,
Insulation and Dielectric Societies) and IAENG. To date, he has authored and
co-authored over 160 technical papers comprising of high impact journals and
conference proceedings. He is also an Editorial Board Member for several
international journals and Reviewer for many international journals and
conference. His research interests include high voltage engineering, insulation
coordination, lightning protection, EMC/EMI, keraunamedicine, renewable
energy and power system transients.
Chandima Gomes was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka 0n 12th
September 1966. He obtained his B.Sc. from University of
Colombo, Sri Lanka, and PhD from Universities of
Colombo/Uppsala, Sweden in 1999. He is a member of
several professional bodies such as CEng (UK), CPhys
(UK), MInstP (UK), MIET (UK), and MIP (SL). Currently,
he is a Professor of Electrical Engineering in the department of Electrical &
Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia and
also the Head, Centre for Electromagnetic and Lightning Protection Research
(CELP). In addition to his academic career, he is the Technical Director of
ProMan Ship Builders Ltd., China, Chief Technical Advisor and Senior
Consultant of Steelman Electro Mechanical Company LLC, Dubai, Chief
Technical Advisor and Senior Consultant of Indus Resources Ltd., Pakistan,
Senior Consultant of Capital Consultants Pvt Ltd., Pakistan, Director
International Affairs of LP Consultants International Pvt Ltd., India, Director/
Technical Operations of SATRIC-M, Malaysia and Senior Consultant of
LLAMPEC International Pvt Ltd., Sri Lanka during the last few years. Prof.
Gomes has conducted over 80 training programs on lightning and transient
protection technologies to the engineers in Saudi Arabia, Sweden, India, Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia and
Colombia. Prof. Gomes has published over 80 research papers and several
books on lightning protection. His research interests include, Lightning &
Transient Protection of LV, MV, HV & Signal Systems, Grounding Systems
& Backfill Materials EMI/EMC of Civil and Defense Systems and Electrical
Safety.
Jasronita Jasni (M01) graduated with a B Eng. Degree
in Electrical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia, Malaysia in 1998 and received her Master
Degree in Electrical Engineering from the same
University in 2001. She obtained her PhD Degree from
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia in May 2010.
Currently she is a Senior lecturer in the Department of
Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of
Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Dr. Jasni is a member of IEEE. Her
research interests include power system analysis for static and dynamics, load
flow analysis, embedded generation and renewable energy.
Miszaina Osman received a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
Degree in 1999 and a PhD in Electrical Engineering in 2004
both from University of Southampton, United Kingdom. She is
a member of many international professional bodies such as
C.Eng. (UK), IET and IEEE. Currently, Dr. Miszaina is a
Deputy Dean and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Electrical Power
Engineering, College of Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN),
Malaysia. She is also a member under the Centre of Power System
Simulation (CPSS) in UNITEN. Her research interest includes power system
grounding, power system transients and engineering education.