The topic of grounding, also known as earthing in some countries, and its relation to lightning and surge protection of electrical and electronics systems, sparks significant controversy and debate. Any engineer involved in power supply networks must have a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of grounding system design and its crucial role in ensuring equipment and personnel safety. A proper grasp of these principles is vital to avoid errors in grounding system design that could result in costly failures and prolonged downtime.

Course Objectives:

Upon the successful completion of this course, each participant will be able to:-

Learn the basic principles of grounding of electrical systems
The function of the power system grounding and the various options available
Fundamental principles in the design of grounding systems in substations
How to solve static electricity-related hazards by grounding and bonding

Who Should Attend?

Instrumentation and Control Engineers
Consulting Engineers
Electrical Engineers
Project Engineers
Maintenance Engineers
Power System Protection and Control Engineers
Building Service Designers
Data Systems Planners and Managers
Electrical and Instrumentation Technicians

Course Outlines:

Overview

Basics of grounding
Bonding
Role of grounding in lightning protection
Ground electrodes and factors affecting their efficiency
Grounding issues in outdoor substations
Grounding for static charges
Surge Protection
Importance of grounding in mitigation of noise in sensitive circuits
Importance of Local Codes

Power Supply System Grounding

Types of System grounding
Ungrounded systems
Solidly grounded systems
Impedance grounding using neutral reactor
Resonant grounding using neutral reactor
Impedance grounding through neutral resistance
Classification of supply systems based on grounding
Point of grounding
Other challenges

Protective Grounding

Electric shock, its cause, and effects
Direct and indirect contact
Touch and step potential
Role of protective grounding in minimizing the shock hazards
Equipotential bonding
Protective grounding conductors and installation
Ground fault protection
System classification based on system/protective grounding

Ground Electrode Systems

Soil resistance and factors affecting soil resistivity
Measurement of soil resistivity
The resistance of ground electrode and distribution of resistance in surrounding soil layers
Electrode current capacity
Ground electrode configurations
Parallel electrodes
Parallel electrodes
Ground electrode resistance measurement
Chemical electrodes
Concrete encased electrodes and splicing methods
Corrosion of buried electrodes
Grounding system maintenance

Substation Grounding Design

Grounding practices
Basic design approach
Calculating the ground fault current
The ground potential rise in HV systems
Grounding design in LV and MV substations/installations
Grounding grid design for HV/EHV substations - A step-by-step approach
Introduction to a 2-layer soil model
Transferred potential and ways of avoiding
Points needing special attention in substation grounding design and for GIS equipment
Design of substations containing converter equipment feeding to HVDC transmission systems
Ensuring effective substation grounding - Important aspects

Static Electricity and Protection

What is static electricity and how is it generated?
Examples of static charge build-up and its dangers
The energy of spark due to static electricity
Ways of controlling the static build-up
Risk assessment and preventive measures

Grounding for Lightning Protection of Buildings and Structures

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