EARTHING MAT DESIGN FOR HV & EHV SUBSTATIONS

1. INTRODUCTION
Earthing is essential wherever electricity is generated, transmitted and distributed
or user, to ensure safety and proper operation of the electrical system. It is well that the
earthing systems are intended to protect equipment and personnel in and around the
substation from the dangerous over voltage. An effective earthing system depends on
various factors like resistivity of surface layer of soil, duration and magnitude of fault
current, maximum safe current that a human body can tolerate and the permissible earth
potential rise that may take place due to fault current. Earthing in a substation effective
means to obtain and maintain low resistance value for providing easy path for flow of
fault currents and unbalance current flow through neutral. Design of proper equipment
for electrical substation grounding is important from the safety consideration of
personnel and equipment.
or the actual design of earth mat for a !" # E!" $ub%stations, a few numbers
of complicated formulae are involved. or arriving at step potential and touch potential to
be well within the safe limit for the given soil condition, area of the substations, fault
current and duration of fault current. An optimum design of earth mat can be arrived at
only by trial and error method repeating the calculation many numbers of times.
2. PURPOSE OF SUB-STATION EARTHING SYSTEM
&he ob'ect of an earthing system in a sub%station is to provide under and around the
sub%station a surface which shall be at a uniform potential and near (ero or absolute
earth potential as possible. &he provision of such a surface of uniform potential under
and around the sub%station ensures that no human being in the sub%station is sub'ect to
shock or in'ury on the occurrence of a short circuit or development of other abnormal
conditions in the equipment installed in the yard. &he primary requirements of a good
earthing system in sub%stations are)
a. It should stabili(e circuit potentials with respect to ground and limit the overall
potential rise.
b. It should protect life and property from over%voltage
c. It should provide low impedance path to fault currents to ensure prompt and
consistent operation of protective devices during ground faults.
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d. It should keep the maximum voltage gradient long the surface inside and around
the sub%station within safe limits during ground faults.
3. EARTHING SYSTEM
*.+ &he earthing system meeting the above requirements comprises an earthing mat
buried hori(ontally at a depth of about half%a metre below the surface of the ground
and ground rods at suitable points. All the non%current carrying parts of the
electrical equipment in sub%station are connected to the earthing mat. ,nder the
normal conditions, the ground rods contribute little towards lowering the ground
resistance. !owever, these are helpful in lowering mesh potential and maintaining
low values of resistance under all weather conditions.
*.- &he earth mat is connected to the following in a sub%station)
a. &he neutral point of each system through its own independent earth.
b. Equipment framework and other non%current carrying parts.
c. All extraneous metallic frameworks not associated with equipment.
d. &he earth point of .ightning Arreasters, /apacitive "oltage &ransformers,
/oupling /apacitors and the lightning down conductors in the sub%station
through their permanent independent earth electrode.
e. $ub%station fence.
*.* &he earthing system installation shall strictly comply with the requirements of latest
edition of Indian Electricity 0ules, relevant Indian $tandards and Applicable /odes of
1ractices.
4. PARAMETERS AFFFECTIVE THE DESIGN OF EARTHING MAT
$everal variable factors are involved in the design of earthing mat conductor.
&herefore, earthing mat for each sub%station has to be designated individually usually.
&he earthing mat has to be designated for the site conditions to have low overall
impedance and a current carrying capacity consistent with the fault current magnitude.
&he parameters listed below influence the design of earthing mat)
a. 2agnitude of fault current
b. Duration of fault
c. $oil resistivity
d. 0esistivity of surface material
e. $hock duration
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f. 2aterial of earthing mat conductor and
g. Earthing mat geometry
5. DESIGN PROCEDURE:
&he following steps are involved in the design of earthing mat)
a. &he sub%station layout plan should be finali(ed before the design of earthing mat
is taken up. rom the proposed layout of the sub%station, determine the area to
be covered by the earthing mat.
b. Determine the soil resistivity at the sub%station site. &he resistivity of the earth
varies within extremely wide limits, between + and +3,333 ohmmeters. &he
resistivity of the soil at many station sites has been found to be non%uniform.
"ariation of the resistivity of the soil when depth is more predominant as
compared to the variation with hori(ontal distances. 4ide variation of resistivity
with depth is due to stratification of earth layers. In some sites, the resistivity
variation may be gradual, where stratification is not abrupt. A highly refined
technique for the determination of resistivity of homogeneous soil is available. &o
design the most economical and technically sound grounding system for large
stations, it is necessary to obtain accurate data on the soil resistivity and on its
variation at the station site. 0esistivity measurements at the site will reveal
whether the soil is homogeneous or non%uniform. In case the soil is found
uniform, conventional methods are applicable for the computation of earth
resistivity. 4hen the soil is found non%uniform, either a gradual variation or a
two%layer model may be adopted for the computation of earth resisivity.
&he resistivity of earth varies over a wide range depending on its moisture
content. It is therefore, advisable to conduct earth resistivity tests during the dry season
in order to get conservative results.
6.MEARUREMENT OF EARTH RESISTIVITY:
6.1Te! "#$%!&#':
In the evaluation of earth resistivity for sub%station and generating stations,
atleast eight test directions shall be chosen from the center of the station to cover the
whole site. &his number shall be increased for very large station sites.
6.2P(&'$&)*e Te!:
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4enner5s four%electrode method is recommended for these types of field
investigations. In this method, four electrodes are driven into the earth along a straight
line at equal intervals. A current is passed through the two outer electrodes and the
earth as shown in igure + and the voltage difference ", observed between the two inner
electrodes. &he current flowing into the earth produces an electric field proportional to
its density and to the resistivity of the soil. &he voltage " measured between the inner
electrodes is therefore proportional to the field. /onsequently, the resistivity will be
proportional to the ratio of the voltage to current i.e. 0. &he following equation holds for)
6$70
p 8 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% ..9 :+;
-$ $
+ < %%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
=$
-
< =6e
-
=$
-
< =e
-

4here
p 8 0esistivity of soil in ohm%metre
$ 8 Distance between two successive electrodes in metres
0 8 0atio of voltage to current or electrode resistance in ohms
E 8 Depth of burial of electrode in meters
If the depth of burial of the electrodes in the ground is negligible compared to the
spacing between the electrodes, then
p 8 -7$0 .9. :-;
6.3Te! P(#$e+,(e:
At the selected test site, in the chosen direction, four electrodes are driven into
the earth along a straight line at equal intervals, $. the depth of the electrode in the
ground shall be of the order of +3 to +> cm. &he megger is placed on a steady and
approximately level base, the link between terminals 1+ and /+ opened and the four
electrodes connected to the instrument terminals as shown in igure +. An appropriate
range on the instrument is thus selected to obtain clear readings avoiding the two ends
of the scale as far as possible. &he readings are taken while turning the crank at about
+*> rev ? min. 0esistivity is calculated by substituting the value of 0 thus obtained in the
Equation :-;. In case where depth of burial is more than +?-3
th
of spacing, Equation :+;
should be used instead of :-;.
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-.De!e(.&'e !/e M%0&.,. G(#,'+ F%,*! C,((e'!:
ault current at the sub%station is determined from the system studies. A
correction factor is applied to the fault current thus determined to take care of the future
growth of the system. "alue of this correction factor is usually of the order of +.- to +.>.
!owever, in practice 63@A for 633 k" system and *+.>@A for --3?+*- k" systems are
generally adopted for design purpose.
-.1 D,(%!&#' #1 F%,*!:
or the design of earth mat, the practices regarding assumption of duration of
fault differ from country to country. &hus in the ,$$0, the duration of fault is assumed
as 3.- second. In the ,$A, it is assumed as 6.3 seconds, which is equal to the duration
on which the short time rating of the switchgear is based. In India, the short time rating
of most of the equipment is based on +.3%second duration of fault. &herefore, +.3
second may be adopted as the duration of fault in the calculations to determine the si(e
of conductor for earthing mat. or the purpose of determining the safe step and mesh
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potentials duration of 3.> second may be adopted. !owever, it may be ensured on the
basis of the protective gear and protective schemes provided in each case that fault is
cleared in the period not exceeding of 3.> seconds. 4here the fault clearing time
exceeds 3.> seconds, this duration may be taken equal to fault cleaning time.
2.De!e(.&'e !/e &3e #1 $#'+,$!#( 1#( e%(!/ .%!:
$i(e of conductor based on thermal stability) &he si(e of conductor for earthing
mat based on thermal stability is determined with help of approximate formula as per
IEEE A3%+BAC given below)
or welded 'oints A8+-.*3 DIsq.mm, for bolted 'oints A 8 +>.+* DI sq.mmm.
4here A 8 area of conductor
I 8 rms value of fault current in @A.
Assuming duration of fault current as +.3 sec.
4.Me$/%'&$%* R,55e+'e #1 C#'+,$!#(:
rom the consideration of mechanical ruggedness, and easy installation. &he
maximum width to thickness ratio of steel flats for ground mat conductor should be E.>
such that thickness of the flat is not less than * mm. Fround mat conductor comprising
steel rod having a diameter not less than > mm. &he standard si(es of conductor as per
I$) +E*3 G +BAB are as follows)
a.
+3 x C mm
-
b.
*3 x C mm
-

c.
>3 x C mm
-

d.
>3 x A mm
-
e.
E> x +- mm
-

f.
-3 x C mm
-

g.
63 x C mm
-

h.
C3 x C mm
-

i.
C> x A mm
-

4.1C#((#&#':
Hn average steel corrodes about six times as fast as copper when placed in soil. &he
extent of corrosion depends upon the properties of soil. 2any times, soil has conflicting
properties, some of which indicate that the soil is corrosive and other indicates the
opposites. Despite this, a very fair degree of correlation has been found between
electrical resistivity of soil and corrosion.
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16.De!e(.&'e !/e M%0&.,. G(&+ C,((e'!:
&he design value of the maximum grid current :IF; is given by the following equation)
IF 8 /1DIg
4here Ig 8 2aximum grid current in Amperes
D 8 Decrement factor for the entire duration of fault
&ypical values of D are given in the following table.
F%,*! D,(%!&#' 7S8 De$(e.e'! F%$!#( DF
3.33A +.C>
3.+ +.->
3.-> +.+3
3.> or more +.3
/1 ) /orrective pro'ection factor for the relative increase of fault currents during the
station life span. or (ero future growth of the system, /1 8 +.
Ig) $f:*Io;
4here
*Io) rms. "alue of the symmetrical ground fault current in Ampere
$f ) /urrent division factor relating to the magnitude of fault current to that of its
portion flowing between the earthing mat and surrounding earth.
S1 & +e)e'+e'! #' !/e 1#**#9&'5 )%(%.e!e(:
a. .ocation of fault
b. 2agnitude of station earthing mat resistance
c. Iuried pipes and cables in the vicinity of or directly connected, or both, to the
station earthing system.
d. Hverhead ground wires or neutral conductors.
In the absence of full details regarding exact system configuration of which the
substation form a part, at the design stage, it will be fairly accurate to adopt a value of
3.> for $f to determine the fault current that flows through the grid to remote earth.
16.1 Re&!&:&!; #1 S,(1%$e "%;e( 7

8:
/rushed rock is used as a surface layer in substations for the following reasons)
a. It provides high resistivity surface layer
b. It serves as impediment to the movement of reptiles and thereby helps in
minimi(ing the ha(ards, which can be used by them.
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c. It prevents the formation of pools of oil in the event of leakage of oil from oil
insulated and oil cooled electrical equipment.
d. It discourages the growth of weeds
e. It helps retention of moisture in the underlying soil and thus helps in maintaining
the resistivity of sub%soil at lower value.
f. It discourages running of persons in the substations and saves them from the risk
of being sub'ected to possible high step potentials.
In tropical countries like India, where the population of reptiles is large, it is
advantageous to surround the electrical equipment and the structures supporting
conductors by a surface layer of about +3cm of crushed rock up to a distance of about
two meters in all directions. $uch surface layer around the metallic equipment and
structures, besides minimi(ing the ha(ards caused by reptiles, provides a high resistivity
layer below the feet of human beings approaching the equipment ? structures and
enables them to withstand higher touch potentials. If step potential without crushed rock
is well within safe limits, it is not necessary to spread crushed rock over the complete
substation area. !owever, if it exceeds the safe limits crushed rock of +> to -3mm si(e
may be spread to cover the earth in the entire substation area.
If the type of rock to be used is known the lower value of resistivity for that type of rock
may be adopted in the design. Htherwise, in conformity with the design practices
followed by most of the electric utilities, an average resistivity value of *,333 Hhm%metre
may be adopted for the purpose of earthing mat design.
11.De!e(.&'e !/e !#*e(%<*e !#,$/ %'+ !e) )#!e'!&%*
&he values of these potentials depend on the body weights, thickness and
resistivity of surface layer and duration of shock current.
A preliminary earth mat arrangement is developed on the basis of an assumed
spacing between two parallel conductors. In this arrangement a continuous conductor
should be assumed as surrounding the substation and the conductor within it should be
located at reasonably uniform spacing parallel to each other along the rows of the
structures, equipments etc. rom the arrangement so arrived at the number of parallel
and cross conductors and the total length of conductor constituting the earth mat are
determined for use in the further design calculations.
&he values of the expected maximum mesh and step potentials are calculated
with the help of the following formulae.
Etouch 8 :+333 <+.> /g :hg@;g; 3.++C?ts
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Estep 8 :+333 <C/g :hg@;g; 3.++C?ts
4here,
/g 8+ for crushed rock resistivity equal to that of soil resistivity. If crushed rock
resistivity does not equal to soil, reference may be made in figure.- for obtaining the
value of /g
@ 8 %g? <g
g 8 0esistivity of surface layer in ohm G metre
8 0esistivity of soil in ohm G metre
ts 8 Duration of shock current flow in seconds
hg 8 $urface layer thickness in metre
/g 8 reduction factor for derating the normal value of surface layer resistivity determined
as follows. /g 8+ for crushed stone resistivity equal to soil resistivity
h 8 depth of earth mat conductor in metres
d 8 diameter of earth mat conductor in metres
Em 8 @m @i Ig ? . "olts
@i 8 /orrective factor which accounts for the increase in current density in the grid
extremities
8 3.C>C < 3.+E- n
Ig 8 2aximum grid current in Amperes.
@m 8 +?- JIn KD
-
?+Chd < :d<-h;
-
?ADd % h?6dL <@ii ? @h G In A? :-n%+;M
@ii 8 + for grids with earthing rods along the perimeter or for rods in that mat corners as
well as along the perimeter and throughout the grid area.
@h 8 + < h?hg
8 $oil resistivity in ohm G metre
hg 8 + metre :reference depth of earth mat;
d 8 $pacing between parallel conductors in metres
n 8 nAnI for calculating Em
nA 8 &he number of parallel conductors in transverse direction
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nI 8 &he number of parallel conductors in longitudinal direction
. 8 .c < .t for earth mat without earth rods or with only a few rods located within the mat
but away from the perimeter
8 .c<+.+>. for earth mat with ground rods predominantly along the perimeter
.c 8 &otal earth mat conductor length in metre
.r 8 &otal earthing rod length in metre
$tep potential Estep 8 @s @i .g?. "olts
4here @i 8 3.C>C < 3.+E-n
and @ 8 +? J+?-h < +?D<h < +?D :+%3.>
n%-
;M
., h and D being the same as defined earlier and n being larger of nA and nI for
calculating Es.&he value of expected mesh voltage and step voltage should be
determined for the following conditions in the order indicated below)
a. 4ithout ground rods
b. 4ith uniformly distributed ground rods
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c. 4ith ground rods only in the perimeter
If the computed value of mesh voltage is less than the tolerable touch voltage,
the design of earth mat is completed. !owever, if the computed mesh voltage is
exceeding the tolerable touch voltage the design will require inclusion of ground rods or
revision. $imilarly, the computed step voltage should also be less than the tolerable step
voltage. If either the step or touch voltage is found to exceed the tolerable voltages, the
earth mat design will have to be revised by including additional earthing rods, earth mat
depth reducing spacing etc. Additional earthing rod shoud be provided at the base of
lightning arresters and transformer neutrals.
or ground mat depths less than 3.-> metres) &he value of the sub station
grounding resistance in uniform soil can be estimated by means of the following formula.
0g 8 ?6 ?A <?.
4here 0g 8 station ground resistance in ohms
8 Average earth resistivity in ohm metre
A 8 area under earth mat in square metres
. 8 the total length of buried conductors in metres
or ground mat depth between 3.-> and -.> metres) &he station ground resistance for
ground mat with ground rods is determined with the $chwar( formula given below)
0g 8 K+?. <+?-3A J+< +?+<h-3?AML
12.C#'$*,&#'
rom this paper, it could be seen that for the proper and an optimum design of
earth mat for an !"?E!" substation can be arrived at only by trial and error method
repeating the calculation many numbers of times. Iut manual calculation is a time
consuming process, wherein software iterates the calculation by changing parameter like
spacing between earth conductors, number of earth electrodes. In order to arrive at the
optimum design of earth mat so that for a given substation, the attainable level of step
potential, touch potential and earth resistance is well within the tolerable value for the
given soil condition, area of the substations, fault current and duration of fault current.
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