Methods of Earthing

Questions and Answers on Electrical Earthing

What is earthing?
Earthing means connecting any non-current carrying conductor part of an electrical system
with general mass of earth in such a manner that there is an immediate discharge of
electrical energy to the earth in the event of electrical potential developed at that part of
the system. For example, metallic frame work of electrical appliances, metallic covering of
electrical cables, the earth terminal of three pin socket outlets, stay wires and also neutral
point of single phase and three phase supply systems must be properly earthed. Earthing is
done to ensure that no current carrying part of the system rises to be potential beyond its
normal value, no non-current carrying conducting part of a system rises to a potential
beyond earth potential that is zero. Proper earthing also helps to avoid electrical shock to
the human beings also to avoid the chance of fire hazard due to leakage current through
unwanted path.
Why earthing is required in an electrical installation?
Properly designed, constructed and installed electrical equipments and appliances should
not have any of the non-current carrying conducting parts which is in contact with any
current carrying part. But accidentally may be due to failure of insulation between current
carrying and non-current carrying conducting parts of the equipment/appliance, if any of
the non-current carrying conducting parts comes in contact with any of the current carrying
parts of the equipment/appliance, there will be a static electrical charge developed in the
non-current carrying conducting part. Now if any human being touches that non-current
carrying conducting part of the equipment or appliance, the accumulated static charge will
get a path to the earth through his body and hence it is discharged immediately, as a result
he gets an electrical shock. But if the non-current carrying conducting parts that are
metallic frameworks parts of the equipment or appliance properly earthed, then at the
occurrence of touching between any current carrying part or live part to the non-current
carrying part of the equipment/appliance, the live part of the equipment/appliance gets low
impedance path to the earth through the properly earthed metallic frameworks and hence
there will be a huge current drawn from source, passing to the earth through this path. As a
result the circuit breaker or MCB, or fuses associated with this equipment/appliance will
immediately break to discontinue the supply to the equipment/appliance. Thus proper
earthing of non-current carrying metallic parts of electrical equipments and appliances
provides safety of operation.
What should be the distance of earth from a building?
An article electrode should not be situated within a distance of 1.5 m from the building
whose installation system is being earthed.
What should be the size of earth continuity conductor?
The conductor by which a metallic framework of an electrical equipment/appliance is
connected to the earth is referred as earth continuity conductor. The cross-section of earth
continuity conductor should not be either less than 2.9 mm 2 or half of the installation
conductor size.

What should be the earth resistance of an electrical installation?

Earth resistance is defined as the resistance between actual earth and the earthed body of
the installation. This is nothing but the resistance of the path connecting the body of the
installation to the actual earth. This resistance should be low enough to carry sufficient
current to the earth to ensure proper operation of protective relays or blowing of fuses
associated to the installation. The earth path consists not only the earth continuity
conductor but also it includes soil in between the end of the earth continuity conductor
inside the ground and actual earth. As the resistivity of soil depends upon its moisture
content, it varies time to time throughout the year. As a result earth resistance of an
installation is not constant throughout the year, it varies with weather conditions. Earth
resistance of an installation is minimum in rainy season whereas it is maximum in dry
season. Although this resistance varies time to time, but there are some standards of
maximum allowable earth resistance.
1. Maximum allowable earth resistance of a large power station is 0.5 ohm
2. Maximum allowable earth resistance of major power station is 1.0 ohm
3. Maximum allowable earth resistance of small substations is 2.0 ohm
4. Maximum allowable earth resistance for all other cases is 5 ohm.
This should be noted that, the resistance between any point on the earthed body and the
earth pit should be less than 1 ohm.
Methods of Earthing
The important methods of earthing are the plate earthing and the pipe earthing. The earth
resistance for copper wire is 1 ohm and that of G I wire less than 3 ohms. The earth
resistance should be kept as low as possible so that the neutral of any electrical system,
which is earthed, is maintained almost at the earth potential. The typical value of the earth
resistance at powerhouse is 0. 5 ohm and that at substation is 1 ohm.
1. Plate earthing
2. Pipe earthing

Plate Earthing
In this method a copper plate of 60cm x 60cm x 3.18cm or a GI plate of the size 60cm x
60cm x 6.35cm is used for earthing. The plate is placed vertically down inside the ground at
a depth of 3m and is embedded in alternate layers of coal and salt for a thickness of 15 cm.
In addition, water is poured for keeping the earth electrode resistance value well below a
maximum of 5 ohms. The earth wire is securely bolted to the earth plate. A cement
masonry chamber is built with a cast iron cover for easy regular maintenance.

Pipe Earthing
Earth electrode made of a GI (galvanized) iron pipe of 38mm in diameter and length of 2m
(depending on the current) with 12mm holes on the surface is placed upright at a depth of
4.75m in a permanently wet ground. To keep the value of the earth resistance at the
desired level, the area (15 cms) surrounding the GI pipe is filled with a mixture of salt and
coal.. The efficiency of the earthing system is improved by pouring water through the
funnel periodically. The GI earth wires of sufficient cross- sectional area are run through a
12.7mm diameter pipe (at 60cms below) from the 19mm diameter pipe and secured tightly
at the top as shown in the following figure

When compared to the plate earth system the pipe earth system can carry larger leakage
currents as a much larger surface area is in contact with the soil for a given electrode size.
The system also enables easy maintenance as the earth wire connection is housed at the
ground level.