Ground Grid Design

Version 4.80.
00 October 2008

Advanced Substation Grounding Grid Design

Touch Potential 3D Graph for Substation ABC
Potential (Volt)
960
920
880
840
800
760
720
680
641
601
561
521
481
441
401
361
321
281
242
202
162
122
82
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EDSA MICRO CORPORATION
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San Diego, CA 92127
U.S.A.

Copyright 2008
All Rights Reserved

i
EDSA MICRO CORPORATION

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ii
Advanced Substation Grounding Grid
Table of Contents

1. ADVANCED SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID DESIGN CAPABILITIES, FEATURES AND
FUNCTIONS......................................................................................................................................................1
2. FOREWORD......................................................................................................................................................2
3. INTRODUCTION, SUBSTATION GROUNDING...........................................................................................2
4. SAFETY IN GROUNDING...............................................................................................................................2
5. GROUNDING OF AC SUBSTATIONS............................................................................................................3
6. DESIGN PARAMETERS ..................................................................................................................................3
7. GROUNDING SYSTEM ANALYSIS...............................................................................................................3
8. THEORY AND COMPUTATIONAL PROCEDURES; GENERAL CONCEPT.............................................4
9. GROUND POTENTIAL RISE (GPR), STEP, TOUCH, MESH........................................................................4
10. COMPUTATION OF BODY CURRENT..........................................................................................................5
11. USE OF CRUSHED ROCK LAYER ( r
s
).......................................................................................................5
12. RESISTANCE OF THE HUMAN BODY........................................................................................................6
13. BASIC SHOCK SITUATIONS; RECTANGULAR GRID..............................................................................6
14. RESISTANCE OF THE GROUND BENEATH THE TWO FEET..................................................................7
15. COMPUTATION OF ALLOWABLE STEP AND TOUCH POTENTIALS...................................................7
16. DETERMINATION OF MAXIMUM GRID CURRENT ................................................................................8
17. SOIL MODEL...................................................................................................................................................8
18. SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM CAPABILITIES .....................................................................................11
19. INPUT DATA.................................................................................................................................................11
20. MENUS OF SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID DESIGN PROGRAM....................................................12
21. HOW TO SETUP A STUDY CASE...............................................................................................................15
22. EXAMPLE OF SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID ASSEMBLY HAVING SLANTED RODS .............29
23. TUTORIAL EXAMPLE .................................................................................................................................33
24. A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES.......................................................................................................................53
25. SUPPLIED EXAMPLES WITH THE SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID DESIGN PROGRAM...........56
26. SOIL MODEL IN EDSAs ADVANCED GROUNDING GRID DESIGN PROGRAM...............................57
27. REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................58

iii

List Of Tables

Table 1: Sample Soil Resistivity Measurements Using Wenner Method...................................... 10
Table 2: List of Supplied Examples (Jobfiles) .............................................................................. 56

List Of Figures

Figure 1: Basic Shock Situations..................................................................................................... 6
Figure 2: Example of a Rectangular Grid ...................................................................................... 6
Figure 3: Wenner Soil Resistivity Test Method.......................................................................... 9
Figure 4: Starting Substation Grounding Program from EDSA Technical 2005 Main Menu..... 15
Figure 5: Main Menu of The Substation Grounding Program..................................................... 15
Figure 6: Opening A New Job file ................................................................................................ 16
Figure 7: General Data Dialog of Substation Grounding............................................................ 16
Figure 8: General Substation Data Dialog .................................................................................. 17
Figure 9: Soil Resistivity Model Data Dialog .............................................................................. 18
Figure 10: Defining the Substation Grid Land Size ..................................................................... 19
Figure 11: Regular Ground Grid Data Dialog ............................................................................ 19
Figure 12: Entering Regular Grid Data....................................................................................... 20
Figure 13: Ground Grid Rod Data Dialog................................................................................... 20
Figure 14: Viewing Substation Ground Grid Layout ................................................................... 21
Figure 15: Selection EquiPotential Calculation Option Icon ...................................................... 24
Figure 16: Defining Area for EquiPotential Calculation (setting the start point) ....................... 25
Figure 17: Defining Area for EquiPotential Calculation (setting the end point)......................... 25
Figure 18: Data Dialog for Defining Area for EquiPotential Calculation.................................. 26
Figure 19: Calculated EquiPotential Lines Plot .......................................................................... 26
Figure 20: Copying EquiPotential Plots to the Clipboard........................................................... 27
Figure 21: Printing Text Result Report for EquiPotential Calculation ....................................... 27
Figure 22: Sample Text Report..................................................................................................... 29
Figure 23: Sample Jobfile using Grounding Grid Assembly Having Slanted Rod....................... 29
Figure 24: Icons for Defining Multiple Slanted Rods and/or Single Slanted Rod ....................... 29
Figure 25: Data Dialog for Defining Single Slanted Rod............................................................ 30
Figure 26: Data Dialog for Defining Multiple Slanted Rods....................................................... 31
Figure 27: Multiple Slanted Rods Added...................................................................................... 31
Figure 28: EquiPotential Lines Plot for Sample Jobfile With Slanted Rods................................ 32
Figure 29: Substation Layout of a L-Shaped Grid with Ground Rods, IEEE80-2000................. 33
Figure 30: Opening a New Job File, IEEE80-2000 -- example b-4............................................. 34
Figure 31: General Data Dialog, IEEE80-2000 example-b4 .................................................... 34
Figure 32: General Substation Data Dialog, IEEE80-2000-example-b4 .................................... 35
Figure 33: Soil Resistivity Data Dialog, IEEE80-2000-example-b4............................................ 35
Figure 34: Defining the substation Grid Land Size, IEEE80-2000-example-b4.......................... 36
Figure 35: Entering Ground Grid Data Step 1, IEEE80-2000-example-b4 ............................. 36
Figure 36: Entering Regular Grid Data Screen 1, IEEE80-2000-example-b4......................... 37
Figure 37: Entering Rectangular Grid Screen 2, IEEE80-2000-example-b4............................ 38
Figure 38: Entering Rectangular Ground Grid Data Screen 3, IEEE80-2000-example-b4..... 38

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Figure 39: Entering Rectangular Ground Grid Data Screen 4, IEEE80-2000-example-b4..... 39
Figure 40: Entering Rectangular Ground Grid Data Screen 5, IEEE80-2000-example-b4...... 39
Figure 41: Adding Multiple Ground Rods- Screen 1.................................................................... 40
Figure 48: Adding Multiple Ground Rods-Screen 8..................................................................... 43
Figure 49: Adding Multiple Ground Rods - Screen 9................................................................... 44
Figure 50: Adding Multiple Ground Rods - Screen 10................................................................. 44
Figure 56: Plotting 3-D Potential and Equipotential Couture lines Screen 1 .......................... 47
Figure 57: Plotting 3-D Potential and Equipotential Couture lines Screen 2 .......................... 48
Figure 58: Touch Potential and Equipotential lines .................................................................... 48
Figure 59: Touch Potential and 3D Graph .................................................................................. 49
Figure 60: Allowable Touch and Step Voltages ........................................................................... 49
Figure 61: Calculate Allowable Touch and Step Voltages........................................................... 50
Figure 62: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Icon .............................................................. 50
Figure 63: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Mouse Shape................................................ 51
Figure 64: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Define an Axis.............................................. 51
Figure 65: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Define an Axis Continuation........................ 52
Figure 66: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Step Potential Plot ....................................... 52
Figure 67: Multiple grounding systems........................................................................................ 54
Figure 68: Report for Multiple Grounding................................................................................... 55

Note: You can view this manual on your CD as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. The file name is:

Advanced Substation Ground Grid Ground_Grid_Design.pdf

You will find the Test/Job files used in this tutorial in the following location:
C:\DesignBase\Samples\GG3D = Advanced Substation Grounding

Test Files: IEEE80-2000-EXAMPLE-B1, IEEE80-2000-EXAMPLE-B2
IEEE80-2000-EXAMPLE-B3, IEEE80-2000-EXAMPLE-B4
IEEE80-2000-EXAMPLE-B2-SLANTED

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
COPYRIGHT 2008

1

1. ADVANCED SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID DESIGN CAPABILITIES, FEATURES AND
FUNCTIONS

IEEE 80 (2000 & 1986), IEEE 665 Modeling, and IEEE 80/IEC 490 for Safety Analysis
English or Metric Units
Ease of use and visual design of grounding system
Fast and Accurate Analysis of complex and large grounding grid assembly
Grid/Rod/Profile Wizards to Set Up Initial System
Rectangular, Square, or Custom Grid Shapes and 3D Plots
Optimize Number of Conductors and/or Rods
Equal or Irregular Conductor Spacing
Parallel or Arbitrary Oriented Run of Conductors
Rods & Conductors of any shape, size and in any 3-D Direction (Vertically driven or Slanted)
Built-In Library of Rods and Grids
Multi Layer Soil Model
Development of the Two Layer Soil Resistivity Model Based on the Wenner Measurement
Techniques Using Advanced Optimization Method
Passive and Return Grids and Pipe Model
User Specified Fault Current
Safety Analysis Including Surface Materials Based on Body and Exposure Time
Parallel Resistance of Tower Footing and Substation Transformer Grounding
Computation of Ground Grid Assembly Resistance, Ground Potential Rise, Step, Touch and Mesh
Voltages
Touch and Surface Potential Analysis
Data Entry for Earth Model, Rods and Grids in Spreadsheet Format
Current Decrement/Division Factor
Move the ground grid assembly upward/downward/left/right with a click of mouse
3-D, Cross Sectional, and Top Graphical Interface Views
Ability to Analyze the Potential Rise for Each Ground System Including Neighboring Passive Grids or
Rods
Calculation of Tolerable Step and Touch Voltages on the Basis of the Person Weighing, fault duration
and soil resistivity
Touch and Potentials within user defined irregular shapes
Identification of the location of the worst touch potential (i.e. maximum touch)
Identification of the location of the worst absolute potential (i.e. maximum absolute potential)
Export absolute/touch/step potentials in 2-D and 3-D to Excel
2-D and 3-D touch, step, & absolute potential graphs
2-D and 3-D touch, step, & absolute potential graphs in an irregular user defined area
Graphical and Color-coded display of Danger Areas
Step and Touch Voltage Profile on user-defined area or along a specified path
User-Defined Thresholds for Danger Area Evaluation
User-Defined Color Coding for Graphical Safety Analysis
Powerful Zoom Feature
Zoom in/out to visualize details or global views
Modeling of ground grid & rod conductors assembly & automatic setup of self & transfer impedance
matrix
Grid Conductor Current Displacement Using Matrix Analysis
Ground Resistance Calculated Using Conductance Matrix
Comprehensive Report for Grid and Rod Configuration

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Comprehensive Report for Surface Potential Analysis Featuring Station Data and Currents Diffused
to Ground by the Grid Elements
Danger Point Evaluation
Report Viewer
Range Checking for Simulation Parameters
Advanced numerical method for efficient and accurate conductance matrix calculations

2. FOREWORD

This discussion assumes that the user is a Professional Engineer familiar with the AC Substation
Ground Grid Design concepts that affect the electrical distribution systems performance during
Ground Fault conditions. Determination of validity of the results, and whether the program is
applicable to a system, is the user's responsibility.

This program is undergoing continuous development, and EDSA is determined to make this
program as comprehensive and easy to use as possible. Additional analyses capabilities will be
made available as they are developed. Any comments, suggestions or errors encountered in
either the results or documentation should be immediately brought to EDSA's attention.

You should read and be familiar with ANSI/IEEE standards and run all the examples in the
manual before building your own job file and run the program.

3. INTRODUCTION, SUBSTATION GROUNDING

As required by NEC, an Electrical System must have effective grounding to ensure safety. This
can be obtained by the operation of the overcurrent device as soon as a ground fault occurs. If
the overcurrent device operates slowly, or not at all, during the occurrence of the ground fault, the
following may happen:

Damage of Equipment,
Ignition, Fire,
Electrocution of Personnel.

Of all these factors, increased consideration must be given to electrocution of personnel and,
therefore, a high degree of grounding protection should be implemented to safeguard human life.

4. SAFETY IN GROUNDING

In principle, the objectives of a Grounding Design are as follows:

To provide means to carry electric current into the earth under normal and fault conditions
without exceeding any operating and equipment limits, or adversely affect continuity of
service.
To make sure that a person in the vicinity of grounded facilities is not exposed to the
danger of critical electric shock.

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The circumstances that make electric shock accidents possible are:

1. Relatively high fault current to ground in relation to the area of ground system, and its high
resistance to remote earth
2. Soil resistivity and distribution of ground current such that high potential gradients may
occur at certain points at the earth surface
3. Presence of an individual at such a point in time, and in such a position, that the human
body is bridging two points of high potential differences
4. Absence of sufficient contact resistance, or other series resistance, which would limit
current through the human body to a safe value under the above circumstances.
5. Duration of fault and body contact, and hence, of the flow of current through a human body
for enough time to cause harm at the given current intensity.

5. GROUNDING OF AC SUBSTATIONS

Computation methods based on the book "IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding"
ANSI/IEEE Standard 80-2000, has been traditionally the primary tool available to substation
engineers for analysis and design of substation grounding systems. The present software uses
the conductance matrix approach and IEEE80-2000 is only used for computation of maximum
allowable touch and step potentials. IEEE80-2000 technique is only applicable to rather simple
ground grid design and it is an approximate method and will be shown in this document that for
rather simple grid assembly, IEEE80-2000 can be in error by as much as 15%.

The primary objective in the design of a substation grounding is to provide safe conditions for
personnel operating in and around the substation. Accidents to personnel result from Grounding
Potential Rise (GPR) of the ground system during fault conditions on the connected power
system. Therefore, the grounding system must be designed to:

1. limit the potential rise of the substation ground mat to an acceptable value for any possible
fault condition;
2. limit the resulting step, touch, and transfer potentials in and around the substation to an
acceptable value.

The surface potentials are approximately proportional to the grid potential rise, and both are
determined by the current flow from the grounding grid to earth.

6. DESIGN PARAMETERS

The parameters that primarily determine the performance of the grounding system are:

Soil resistivities in the vicinity of earth embedded grounding conductors;
Grounding grid area and geometry;
Elements of connected power system including: transformer connections, overhead ground
wires, transmission tower grounding, counterpoise wires, and use of URD cable.

7. GROUNDING SYSTEM ANALYSIS

The analysis of a grounding system design consists of:

Modeling the grounding system, representing the grounding grid, the connected power
system and the earth conductivity.

4
Providing procedures to determine grid potential rise for specified fault type and location.
Providing procedures for determination of step, touch and transfer potentials.
Developing simplified procedures for grid analysis.

8. THEORY AND COMPUTATIONAL PROCEDURES; GENERAL CONCEPT

Considering the user's point of view, this chapter has been prepared to present information based
on textbooks, technical papers, and experience in the field. Related definitions of grounding
systems are as fellows:

Ground Electrode is

a conductor embedded in the earth and used for collecting ground current from, or dissipating
ground current into, the earth.

Ground Grid is

a system of horizontal ground electrodes that consists of a number of interconnected, bare
conductors buried in the earth, providing a common ground for electrical devices or metallic
structures in a specific location.

Ground Mat is

a solid metallic plate, or a closely spaced bare conductor, that is connected to, and often placed
in, shallow depths above a ground grid or elsewhere at the earth surface. Grounded metal
gratings placed on or above the soil surface, or wire mesh placed directly under the crushed rock,
are common forms of a ground mat.

9. GROUND POTENTIAL RISE (GPR), STEP, TOUCH, MESH

GPR is

the maximum voltage that a station grounding grid may attain relative to a distant grounding point
assuming to be at the potential of remote earth. GPR is proportional to the magnitude of the grid
current, and to the grid resistance.

Step Voltage is

the difference in surface potential experienced by a person bridging a distance of 1 m with his
feet contacting no other grounded object.

Touch Voltage is

the potential difference between the ground potential rise ( GPR ) and the surface potential at the
point where a person is standing, while simultaneously his hands contact a grounded structure.

Mesh Voltage is

the maximum touch voltage to be found within a mesh of a ground grid.

5
Transferred Voltage:

This is a special case of the touch voltage where a voltage is to be transferred into, or out of, a
substation, occurring when a person standing within the station area touches a conductor
grounded at a remote point, or when a person standing at a remote point touches a conductor
connected to the station grounding grid.

10. COMPUTATION OF BODY CURRENT

The non-fibrillating current (I
B
) is related by the shock energy (S
B
) absorbed by the human body:

B
I =
s
t
k
(1)

where
k
=
B
S

B
I = RMS magnitude of the current through the body

s
t = duration of the current exposure in seconds

B
S = special constant related to the electric shock energy tolerated by a certain percent
of a given population

For persons of an approximate weight of 50 kg. ( 110 lb. ), k50 = 0.116, and

For persons of an approximate weight of 70 kg. ( 155 lb. ), k70 = 0.157.

So equation (1) becomes,

B
I =
s
t
116 . 0
for 50 kg (110 lb) body weight (2)

B
I =
s
t
157 . 0
for 70 kg (155 lb) body weight (3)

s
t = time in seconds

For a person of average weight who could withstand current (I) without ventricular fibrillation, the
equation is:

I p
s
t
ma 0 . 116
(4)

11. USE OF CRUSHED ROCK LAYER ( r
s
)

A layer of crushed rock on surface helps in limiting the human body current by adding resistance
to the equivalent body resistance. The values of r
s
vary from 1000-5000 -m.

6

12. RESISTANCE OF THE HUMAN BODY

The human body can be represented by a non-inductive resistance (R
B
) for both DC and AC at
normal power frequency. A value of R
B
= 1000 is selected as a resistance of a human body from
hand to both feet, and also from hand to hand, or from one foot to the other (see ANSI/IEEE Std
80-2000). Hence R
B
= 1000

13. BASIC SHOCK SITUATIONS; RECTANGULAR GRID

Figure 1: Basic Shock Situations

1. Step Voltage 2. Touch Voltage

3. Mesh Voltage 4. Transferred Voltage

Figure 2: Example of a Rectangular Grid

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14. RESISTANCE OF THE GROUND BENEATH THE TWO FEET

The resistances of the ground beneath the two feet in series and parallel are:

R
2FS
= 6.0 C
s
( h
s
, k )
s
( 5 )

R
2FP
= 1.5 C
s
( h
s
, k )
s
( 6 )

where: C
s
= Reduction factor for derating the surface layer resistivity, and C
s
is a function
of ( h
s
, k)

h
s
= Thickness of crushed rock surface layer in meters

k = Reflection factor

k =

-
+
s
s

s
= Crushed rock resistivity in ohm-meter

= Resistivity of the soil in ohm-meter

15. COMPUTATION OF ALLOWABLE STEP AND TOUCH POTENTIALS

The maximum driving voltage of any accidental circuit should not exceed the limits defined below:

For step voltage the limit is

Estep = ( R
B
+ R
2FS
) I
B
( 7 )

Combining equations 7, 4, 5 and either 2 or 3

Estep50 = [ 1000 + 6C
s
( h
s
, k )
s
] 0.116 / t
s
( 8 )

or

Estep70 = [ 1000 + 6C
s
( h
s
, k )
s
] 0.157 / t
s
( 9 )

To ensure safety, the actual step voltage E
S
should be less than the maximum allowable step
voltage Estep.

Similarly, the touch voltage limit is:

Etouch = ( R
B
+ R
2FP
) IB ( 10 )

Combining equations 10, 4, 6 and either 2 or 3

Etouch50 = [ 1000 + 1.5 C
s
( h
s
, k )
s
] 0.116 / t
s
( 11 )

8
or
Etouch70 = [ 1000 + 1.5 C
s
( h
s
, k )
s
] 0.157 / t
s
( 12 )

To ensure safety, the actual touch voltage, mesh voltage, or transferred voltage, should be less
than the maximum allowable touch voltage, Etouch.

Note: Please see ANSI/IEEE Std 80-2000.

16. DETERMINATION OF MAXIMUM GRID CURRENT

The design value of maximum grid current is defined as follows:

I
G
= C
p
D
f
I
g
( 14 )

where:

I
G
= Maximum grid current in Amperes
D
f
= Decrement factor for entire duration of fault in seconds
C
p
= Projection factor for future system growth
I
g
= RMS symmetrical grid current in Amperes
Again,

I
g
= S
f
I
f

where:

I
f
= RMS value of symmetrical ground fault current in Amperes
S
f
= Current division factor relating the magnitude of fault current to that of its
portion flowing between the grounding grid and surrounding earth

Approximately 50 - 60% of the fault current (I
f
= 3 I
0
) flows through the grid to remote earth.

17. SOIL MODEL

Within the substation, the grid resistance and the voltage gradients are directly dependent on the
soil resistivity influenced by such factors as moisture content and temperature. Also, the soil
resistivity may vary depending on weather conditions. The present program models a two-layer soil
resistivity model and uses an optimization technique to fit a perfectly horizontal layered soil structure
to a set of soil resistivity measurements that are carried out using the Wenner method. The
principal of Wenner method is shown in the figure below:

9

Figure 3: Wenner Soil Resistivity Test Method

The Wenner method is one of the widely used methods for measuring soil resistivity. In this
method, four test rods are inserted a short distance into the soil in a straight line with equal spacing
between the probes. A test current is applied to the outer probes and the resulting potential
difference between the inner probes, is measured. The potential difference divided by the test
current give an apparent resistance in ohms. The apparent soil resistivity is obtained from the
measured resistance. For test configurations where the test probe depth is small compared with the
probe spacing so that the test probes appear approximately as point sources, the apparent
resistivity is given by the following equation:

= 2aR

Where is the soil resistivity, a is the probe spacing and R is the measured resistance. R is an
apparent resistivity for that particular test probe spacing. In most instances a series of
measurements will be taken using different probe spacing. When the apparent resistivity is plotted
against the probe spacing, it is often found to vary considerably as the spacing is changed. This is
due to non-uniformity of the soil. In reality, the structure of soil may be very complex with vertical
and/or horizontal layers and/or pockets of soil having differing resistivities.

10
SAMPLE SOIL RESISTIVITY MEASUREMENTS DATA

The following table shows a sample of soil resistivity measurements using Wenner method:

Table 1: Sample Soil Resistivity Measurements Using Wenner Method
Probe spacing (a) Resistance (R)
Resistivity ()
1.0 67.000 423.4
2.0 25.600 322.2
4.0 10.270 258.2
6.0 4.380 165.1
8.0 2.870 144.3
12.0 1.629 122.8
16.0 1.225 123.2
20.0 0.990 124.4
24.0 0.831 125.3
30.0 0.700 131.9
36.0 0.584 132.1

Based on the method described in Appendix B of IEEE Guide 81 - 1983, upper layer resistivity
estimated value is 420.0 and lower layer resistivity is 120.0 ohm-m. The estimated depth of upper
layer is 4.0 meters. The results of EDSAs Substation Grounding Grid Design program are:

Upper layer resistivity: 417.74 -m
Lower layer resistivity: 123.12 -m
Upper layer thickness: 2.14 m

Probe
spacing (m)
Measured
Resistivity( -m)
Computed
Resistivity( -m)
Deviance
(%)
Comments
1.0 423.4 404.3 -4.5
2.0 322.2 349.7 8.5 Suspicious measurement
4.0 258.2 230.9 -10.6 Suspicious measurement
6.0 165.1 170.8 3.5
8.0 144.3 146.2 1.3
12.0 122.8 131.1 6.7 Suspicious measurement
16.0 123.2 127.1 3.2
20.0 124.4 125.5 0.9
24.0 125.3 124.8 -0.4

RMS Deviance 4.715%
Standard Deviation 3.242%

In the above, if the Deviance between measured and computed value is greater than
1.5*(Standard Deviation), then, the program assumes that the measurement can be considered
suspicious.

11

18. SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAM CAPABILITIES

This program is capable of analyzing a grounding grid system consisting of:

Rectangular, square or arbitrary shaped grid;
Parallel or arbitrary oriented run of conductors;
Equal, irregular conductor spacing;
Multi layers of earth types (soil and crushed rock or other material as the top layer);
Calculation of tolerable step voltage and touch voltage on the basis of the person weighing
50 or 70 kg (110 or 155 lbs)
Ground resistance is calculated using conductance matrix. Contrarily to the Sverak's or
Schwarz's approximate methods, this method is exact and accurate
English or Metric units
Development of the Two Layer Soil Resistivity Model based on the Wenner Measurement
Techniques using Advanced Optimization Method.
Computation of Ground grid assembly resistance, ground potential rise (GPR), Step,
Touch, and Mesh Voltages
2-D and 3-D plots of surface potential
Plots of touch and step voltages along a user defined path
Identifies the maximum potentials within a user-defined area
Ground grid and rod properties are remembered, and the last entered value remains until
it is changed by the user
Touch, step and absolute voltage values can be exported to Excel
Non-rectangular areas can be evaluated with EquiPotential lines

19. INPUT DATA

A list of general data entries is follows:

Input Variable Metric units English units Remarks

Grid length Meters Feet
Grid width Meters Feet
Conductor spacing Meters Feet
Conductor diameter Meters Feet
Ground Fault Current Amperes Amperes Symmetrical
Fault duration Seconds Seconds 0.5 or less

Resistivity:
Soil ohm-meters ohm-meters
Crushed rock ohm-meters ohm-meters

Depth of burial:
Grounding grid Meters Feet
Crushed rock Meters Feet

Ground rod data:
Diameter of rod Millimeters Inches
Length of rod Meters Feet

12
20. MENUS OF SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID DESIGN PROGRAM

In this section we will briefly described the menus of the program.

File option of the main menu provides the following functionalities (see figure below):

1) New to create a new study case
2) Open to open an existing case study
3) Save to save all of the data so far in the active case study
4) Save As to save all of the data so far in the active case study to a different file than the
last opened case study
5) Print Report to view and print the text result of grounding resistance, GPR, grounding
conductors and rods
6) List of the last four recently accessed study cases
7) Exit quitting the program

Edit option supports the following shown below:

1) Edit Master File takes the user to the general substation data dialog

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View option supports the following items as shown below:

1) General Information, here information on the substation name, system of units and
other general data can be viewed and modified
2) Soil Model Data the soil resistivity can either be provided or be computed from a set of
measurements using Wenner technique
3) Ground Grid the substation grounding grid assembly layout can be viewed using this
option
4) EquiPotential Lines the surface potential computed within an area can be viewed
5) 3-D Potential Graph the surface potential computed within an area can be viewed in 3-D
6) Potential Along an Axis, the computed absolute potential, touch or step along a path
(axis) can be viewed
7) Toolbar and Status Bar are used to make these tools visible or hide

Analysis can be used to either calculate:

1) Allowable touch and step voltages given the surface material, body weight, and fault
duration.
2) Calculate or recalculate ground grid resistance, GPR.
3) Identify Max Touch Voltage, is used to find where in a given area the potential is
maximum and what the corresponding value of the potential is

14
Graph option supports the following shown below:

1) Print Graph the active graph/plot shown on the screen can be sent directly to a printer
2) Copy Graph to Clipboard is used to copy the active graph to the Clipboard for later
insertion in other applications such as Word.
3) Save Graph as jpeg is used to save the active graph to a file
4) Refresh is used to update the plots/graphs
5) Export Graph is used to export the numerical values of the calculated potentials to a
comma separated format (csv) used by Excel

15
21. HOW TO SETUP A STUDY CASE

In the following, we will show all steps required to setup a new case study. To start Substation
Grounding Grid Design program select 3-D Substation Grounding icon as shown below:

Figure 4: Starting Substation Grounding Program from EDSA Technical 2005 Main Menu

Next, the main menu of the substation grounding grid program will appear:

Figure 5: Main Menu of The Substation Grounding Program

16
To build a New case study, select File->New or just select the New icon as shown in Figure 6.
Information related to System, Grid, Soil resistivity (model), and conductors are required in order to
build a case. Select File->New and enter a file name for the newly created job file, lets call it
ieee80-2000-example-b1 as shown below:

Figure 6: Opening A New Job file
Next, provide the general data as shown below. In this dialog, the user can specify the preferred system
of units (metric or US):

Figure 7: General Data Dialog of Substation Grounding

17
The ground fault current is specified next. Note that the program requires substation Parallel
Impedance. This impedance will be paralleled with the computed ground grid assembly resistance. This
is an alternative method of accounting for fault distribution factor defined in the IEEE 80-2000 standard.
This parallel impedance is normally represents any grounding resistance in the substation such as
transmission line tower footing resistance, substation transformer grounding resistance, etc. For the
worst-case condition, enter a high value for the parallel impedance. The Parallel impedance may
represent substation transformer grounding resistance, transmission line tower footing resistance and or
any other resistance that can be considered to be in parallel to the grounding grid assembly resistance.

Figure 8: General Substation Data Dialog

To compute the maximum allowable touch and step voltages the user should also supply Body weight,
fault duration, treated surface (e.g. crushed rock) resistivity and thickness.

Next, the soil model and its parameters are required. There are three different ways of providing the soil
model data. First based on the available soil data, user should choose one of the following choices:

Homogenous Soil model
Two Layer Soil model
Soil model is not known but soil resistivity measurements are available

These choices are shown in the following figure. If the soil model is to be considered homogenous, then,
the user just has to supply the value of soil resistivity. If the soil model is a two layers model, then, the
user should supply upper layer thickness and resistivity as well as lower layer resistivity. In case the user
selects Compute from Measurements, then, the user should supply resistivity measurements as a
function of probe spacing (at least three measurement points should be given).

18
In case a Return Ground Grid Assembly is defined, the return fault current should also be defined (can
normally be equal or smaller than the ground fault current). Any grid/rod specified to be passive, then,
they can be either at the same voltage or having different voltages.

Conductors of a Passive Grid assembly can be either at the same voltage or having different voltages.

For the case at hand, we have a homogenous soil model even though we have selected Two Layer
Model. That is why we have entered both upper and lower resistivity to be 400 ohm-m as specified in the
IEEE80-2000 standard.

Figure 9: Soil Resistivity Model Data Dialog

Now that all of the general substation data is completed we will specify the size of land covering the
substation. This data is not used in the computation and it is only required for better visualization of the
substation grid. Next, we need to provide data of grounding grid and rod assembly if any. Press Go to
Next Window to proceed.

19
As shown below, define total substation land size (100 x 100 m in this example).

Figure 10: Defining the Substation Grid Land Size
As shown below, the program prompts the user for regular grid data (we will see later how irregular grids
can be modeled). For the case at hand, we have a regular grid of 70 x 70 m.

Figure 11: Regular Ground Grid Data Dialog

The origin coordinates (X0 and Y0) are only a reference point. We will enter 70 for both Length and Width
of the grid. The number of vertical and horizontal grid conductors is 11 for both. Burial depth for the grid
conductor is also the same as default value of 0.5 m (this burial depth is commonly used). The conductor
diameter is 10 mm. To select a conductor size from the library, press Lib button shown in following
figure:

20

Figure 12: Entering Regular Grid Data

The user should also specify if the entered grid data should be considered as part of Main, Return, or
Passive assembly. Next, the program prompts the user for grounding Rods as shown below. However,
since there are no rods to be considered for this grounding grid system we will select the cancel button.

Figure 13: Ground Grid Rod Data Dialog

21
Finally all of the data entry for this example is complete and program will show the substation grid layout
as seen below:

If any of the previous data needs to be changed, then icons shown to left of the grid can be selected.
Note that in the figure below Ground Grid icon is highlighted. If for example, we need to change soil
data, we just need to select the Soil Model Data icon.

Figure 14: Viewing Substation Ground Grid Layout

Note that several important quantities are listed in the lower part of the screen shown in the above figure.
These are, Ground Potetial Rise (GPR), ground grid assembly resistance (RG), Allowable touch and step
potentials (Et and Es), depth upper layer soil model (H), resistivities of the upper and lower layer soil
(Rho1 and Rho2).

Before we start the grounding grid computations, the icons shown just above the ground grid layout will
be described.

The below shown icon is used to define/redefine the substation grid land size.

22
The ground grid assembly can be moved up, down, left, and right using the icon shown below:

Once the user selects this option, the following dialog will appear:

The distance of the ground grid move can be specified along with its direction (up, down, left, or right).

The below shown icon is used to define a rectangular grid data.

The below shown icon is used to define grounding rods. This can be used to add multiple rods within a
defined grid and/or along a path.

To add a group of slanted rods use the icon shown below:

23
The below shown icon is used to add a grounding grid segment. This is mainly used to build irregular
shaped grid.

The below shown icon is used to add a grounding rod. This is mainly used to build irregular placed
grounding rods.

Also, it is possible to add rods that are slanted. The icon shown below can be used to add slanted
rods:

The below shown icon is used to calculate voltage profile along an axis (path). It is also possible to
compute touch and step voltages along an axis with this option.

The below shown icon is used to calculate voltage profile within a defined area. With this option user can
visualize the equi-potential lines in two or three-dimensional graphs. It is also possible to compute touch
voltages within an area with this option.

The below shown icon is used to calculate voltage profile within an irregular defined area. With this option
user can visualize the equi-potential lines in two or three-dimensional graphs. It is also possible to
compute touch voltages within an area with this option.

24

Zoom facilities. The following functions are implemented:

Zoom in an area

Return to the original view (zoom out)

Zoom in/Scale up the view (magnify)

Zoom out/Scale down the view

Return to select mode (leaving zoom facilities)

Now we will see how the above icons are used to compute different potentials. We will first press the 3D
Potential and Equi-Potential Contour Lines. As shown in the figure below, the mouse will turn into a
rectangular shape . Using the mouse, left mouse click to the location where the area of equi-potential
should start as shown below.

Figure 15: Selection EquiPotential Calculation Option Icon

25

Figure 16: Defining Area for EquiPotential Calculation (setting the start point)

Figure 17: Defining Area for EquiPotential Calculation (setting the end point)

26

As can be seen in the above figures, the area where equipotential should be computed are selected with
only two left mouse clicks. Once, the above selection is completed, the program prompt the user with the
coordinates of the selected area as shown below.

The user has another chance to modify the coordinates if necessary. Additional data required are the
resolution of computation within the specified area. Number of points of 40 along each x and y axis is the
maximum and found to be more than sufficient to obtain clear and concise picture of the equipotential
lines. Finally the equipotential lines can be either absolute or touch voltages.

Figure 18: Data Dialog for Defining Area for EquiPotential Calculation

Figure 19: Calculated EquiPotential Lines Plot

The above figure shows the computed touch voltage within the defined area.

27
Graphs can be copied to Clipboard for later inclusion in other documents or can be saved in the form of
jpeg to file for later retrieval.

Figure 20: Copying EquiPotential Plots to the Clipboard

The text report of calculated ground resistivity and GPR can be viewed or saved to file by selecting Print
Report from the File option as shown in the figure below:

Figure 21: Printing Text Result Report for EquiPotential Calculation

Sample text report is shown below. As shown below, the total grounding grid resistance is 2.67 ohms.
The value computed by IEEE 80-2000 method is 2.78 ohms as report on page 133. However, IEEE80-

28
2000 shows that using an accurate computer program, the computed resistance will be 2.67 (see page
134 of IEEE 80-2000) that agree 100% with the result of EDSAs Substation Grounding Grid Design
program.

EDSA Advanced Gr ound Mat Pr ogr amv4. 80. 00
============================================================
Pr oj ect No. : 123
Pr oj ect Name: ABC Dat e :
Ti t l e : ABC Ti me :
Dr awi ng No. : 123 Company : EDSA
Revi si on No. : 1 Engi neer : AN
J obf i l e Name: i eee80- 2000- exampl e- b1

Thi s exampl e i s based on t he I EEE80- 2000 St andar d
" I EEE Gui de f or Saf et y i n AC Subst at i on Gr oundi ng"
PP. 129- 134, Exampl e B. 1

Syst emI nf or mat i on
============================================================

Subst at i on Name = TEST
Uni t Syst em = Met r i c
Faul t Cur r ent = 1908. 00 ( Amp)
Par al l el I mpedance = 10000. 00 ( ohm)
Faul t Cur r ent Di vi si on Fact or , Sf = 1. 00
Body Wei ght = 70. 00 ( Kg)
Faul t Dur at i on = 0. 50 ( second)
Sur f ace Mat er i al Descr i pt i on = Cr ushed Rock
Thi ckness of Sur f ace Mat er i al = 0. 10 ( m)
Resi st i vi t y of Sur f ace Mat er i al = 2500. 00 ( ohm- m)
Upper Layer Mat er i al Descr i pt i on=
Upper Layer Thi ckness = 100. 00 ( m)
Resi st i vi t y of t he Upper Layer = 400. 00 ( ohm- m)
Lower Layer Mat er i al Descr i pt i on=
Resi st i vi t y of t he Lower Layer = 400. 00 ( ohm- m)
Al l owabl e Touch Vol t age = 840. 548 ( Vol t )
Al l owabl e St ep Vol t age = 2696. 097 ( Vol t )

Mai n Gr ound Gr i d

Axi s # X1 Y1 Z1 X2 Y2 Z2 Lengt h Di amet er Cur r ent

0001 0. 0 0. 0 0. 5 0. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 165. 32
0002 7. 0 0. 0 0. 5 7. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 95. 53
0003 14. 0 0. 0 0. 5 14. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 72. 10
0004 21. 0 0. 0 0. 5 21. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 61. 04
0005 28. 0 0. 0 0. 5 28. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 55. 77
0006 35. 0 0. 0 0. 5 35. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 54. 19
0007 42. 0 0. 0 0. 5 42. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 55. 77
0008 49. 0 0. 0 0. 5 49. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 61. 04
0009 56. 0 0. 0 0. 5 56. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 72. 10
0010 63. 0 0. 0 0. 5 63. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 95. 53
0011 70. 0 0. 0 0. 5 70. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 165. 32
0012 0. 0 0. 0 0. 5 70. 0 0. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 165. 32
0013 0. 0 7. 0 0. 5 70. 0 7. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 95. 53
0014 0. 0 14. 0 0. 5 70. 0 14. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 72. 10
0015 0. 0 21. 0 0. 5 70. 0 21. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 61. 04
0016 0. 0 28. 0 0. 5 70. 0 28. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 55. 77
0017 0. 0 35. 0 0. 5 70. 0 35. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 54. 19
0018 0. 0 42. 0 0. 5 70. 0 42. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 55. 77
0019 0. 0 49. 0 0. 5 70. 0 49. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 61. 04
0020 0. 0 56. 0 0. 5 70. 0 56. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 72. 10
0021 0. 0 63. 0 0. 5 70. 0 63. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 95. 53

29
0022 0. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 0 70. 0 0. 5 70. 00 0. 0100 165. 32

Tot al Conduct or Lengt h = 1540. 0 met er

Gr ound Pot ent i al Ri se = 5086. 3 Vol t s
Gr oundi ng Gr i d & Rod Resi st ance = 2. 6665 Ohms
Tot al I mpedance of I nst al l at i on = 2. 6658 Ohms

Figure 22: Sample Text Report

22. EXAMPLE OF SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID ASSEMBLY HAVING SLANTED RODS

In this section we will briefly describe how to model grids having slanted rods. This will be shown with
help of an example jobfile named ieee80-2000-example-b2-SLANTED. This example is identical to the
jobfile ieee80-2000-example-b2 with the exception that we will use a slanted rod in upper right corner as
shown in the following figure:

Figure 23: Sample Jobfile using Grounding Grid Assembly Having Slanted Rod
Two icons can be selected to define either multiple slanted rods and/or single slanted rod as shown in the
fifth and the eighth icons below.

Figure 24: Icons for Defining Multiple Slanted Rods and/or Single Slanted Rod

30
Data dialog for entering either single slanted rod and/or multiple slanted rods are shown in Figure 25 and
Figure 26 respectively. It can be seen that a slanted rod data consists of simply providing X, Y and Z
coordinates of the rod extremes (beginning and ending coordinates). Defining multiple slanted rods
requires specification of the rods area, similar to the vertically driven rods, with the addition of data for
extremes of a sample slanted rod in the area as shown in Figure 26.

Figure 25: Data Dialog for Defining Single Slanted Rod

31

Figure 26: Data Dialog for Defining Multiple Slanted Rods

Figure 27: Multiple Slanted Rods Added

32

Figure 28: EquiPotential Lines Plot for Sample Jobfile With Slanted Rods

The previous figure shows the computed touch voltage within the defined area. It can be seen that due to
installation of the slanted rod, the area in the upper right corner experiences lower touch potential than
other corners of the ground grid assembly.

33

23. TUTORIAL EXAMPLE

In this section we will show how to build a case and exercise all of the functionalities supported by the
substation grounding grid design program. For this purpose, we will use the example shown on Page 139
of the IEEE 80-2000 standards.

The substation to be analyzed is a L-shaped grid shown below:

Figure 29: Substation Layout of a L-Shaped Grid with Ground Rods, IEEE80-2000

34
Start the substation ground grid design program as described in the previous section. Select New and
give a file name to the project, lets use ieee80-2000-example-b4.

Figure 30: Opening a New Job File, IEEE80-2000 -- example b-4

Next, lets provide general substation data for this example. Here we have selected Metric system of
units as shown below:

Figure 31: General Data Dialog, IEEE80-2000 example-b4

35
The fault current given in the IEEE standard is 1908 amps (after considering current division factor). The
surface material is 4 in crushed rock with resistivity of 2500 ohm-m.

Figure 32: General Substation Data Dialog, IEEE80-2000-example-b4
Based on the IEEE standard, the soil is homogenous with resistivity of 400 ohm-m.

Figure 33: Soil Resistivity Data Dialog, IEEE80-2000-example-b4

36

Next, we specify a land size of 75 x 108 that is sufficient for better visibility of the L-shape grid.

Figure 34: Defining the substation Grid Land Size, IEEE80-2000-example-b4
The substation grounding grid will be built in two steps. First we will build lower part of the L-shaped using
Regular Grid Data. The size of the first part of the grid is provided below.

Figure 35: Entering Ground Grid Data Step 1, IEEE80-2000-example-b4

37

Next, the program will prompt for data entry for grounding rods. At this time, we will select Cancel since
the ground grid is not yet completed. We will come back to adding rods later.

Figure 36: Entering Regular Grid Data Screen 1, IEEE80-2000-example-b4

From the icons shown below the menu bar, we select Rectangular Grid Data (see figure below):

38

Figure 37: Entering Rectangular Grid Screen 2, IEEE80-2000-example-b4

Now we will build the upper part of the L-shaped grid. Please note by using the data entered in the dialog
shown below, one grid conductor will be superimposed on a segment previously entered. This is a
segment running from (0,35) to (70,35). This is not allowed, the program does support grid segments/rods
that are partly/completely superimposed. Fortunately, the user interface detects this condition and ignores
the latest superimposed segment.

Figure 38: Entering Rectangular Ground Grid Data Screen 3, IEEE80-2000-example-b4

The message shown below is a result of having a segment superimposed an already existing segment.

39

As seen in the figure below, the L-shaped ground grid was assembled in two easy steps. Therefore, it is
easy to build irregular shaped grid using several Rectangular Grid Data.


40
Next, we will add the ground rods. Select Add Multiple Ground Rods icon as shown below. This works
very similar to the Rectangular Grid Data but instead rods will be places at the corners of the grid
defined, lets see how.

Figure 41: Adding Multiple Ground Rods- Screen 1
Again, we will place the ground rods in several steps. There are many ways to achieve this. We proceed
as follows. First lets place the rods in the lower right corners (please see Figure 29 or IEEE 80-2000
page 140 for reference). Note that the rod length is 7.5 meters given in the standard.


41
The result of adding rods based on the above data is shown below:

Next, we will show how a single rod can be added. Select Add Single Ground Rod icon as shown below:


Once this icon is selected the mouse will turn into a rod shaped (see figure below) having a cross. Place
the cross on the desired location where the rod should be added and release the mouse button.

42


The program will read the location of the mouse automatically and rod data dialog will appear (see figure
below). If the rod coordinates are not exactly pickup by the program, the user has another chance to
make modification to the rod coordinates. In our case, the program pick up exact location as desired.
However, we need to modify rod Z coordinate and length.


43
As shown below, we were able to add one rod at a specified location. Next lets add rods to top and
bottom rows. Again, we select Add Multiple Ground Rods and rods data dialog for adding these rods is
shown below:


As seen in the figure below, with one easy step the six rods were added to the top and bottom rows.

Figure 48: Adding Multiple Ground Rods-Screen 8

44
The rods in the middle of the L-shaped grid, are also added in a similar fashion as seen in the rods data
dialog shown in the figure below:

Figure 49: Adding Multiple Ground Rods - Screen 9
The eight rods, in the middle, are added as specified and are shown below:


45
Now we will see how Add Multiple Ground Rods can be used to place rods along an axis (path). Note
that to add two rods in the lower left side of the grid, we have provided the following data. It is important to
note that we have entered Length to be zero since the rods needs to be added along y-axis only (to
place rods along an axis which is parallel to x-axis, then, the Width should be zero)


The two added rods are shown in the figure below.


46
There is only one more rod left to be added. This rod should be placed just below the upper right corner.
Again, lets select Add Single Ground Rod and click right mouse button at the rod location (see figure
below):


The program picks up the coordinates of the rod correctly as shown below. Note that the Z coordinate of
the rod and its length should be modified as shown below.


47
The last rod is now added as seen in the figure below:

Now, we have completed building of the ground grid assembly (grid conductors and rods).

The ground surface potentials can be calculated by selecting the 3-D Potential and EquiPotential
Contour Lines icon as shown below:

Figure 56: Plotting 3-D Potential and Equipotential Couture lines Screen 1
The user can specify the area of surface potential computation by dragging the mouse to the desired
section. Once the mouse button is released the program will prompt the user to confirm/modify the area
coordinates or other data as shown in the following figure:

48

Figure 57: Plotting 3-D Potential and Equipotential Couture lines Screen 2

The computed equipotential lines are shown below. Note that we selected that equipotential to be
computed for touch voltage and not absolute voltages.

Figure 58: Touch Potential and Equipotential lines

49
To obtain a 3-D view just select click left mouse button on the 3-D Potential Graph icon as shown below:

Figure 59: Touch Potential and 3D Graph

At this point before we see how potentials along an axis can be computed, lets see how maximum
allowable touch and step voltages can be computed. Select Analysis->Allowable Touch and Step
Voltages as shown below (from the menu bar items):

Figure 60: Allowable Touch and Step Voltages

50
Based on the general information provided earlier (body weight, fault duration, surface resistivity, upper
layer resistivity) the program can compute allowable touch and step voltages. Press Calculate button
and these quantities will be calculated and displayed. The maximum allowable touch in our case is 840
and maximum allowable step is 2696 volts. The reported values by IEEE 80-2000 are 838 and 2686 that
are in excellent agreement (see page 132 of IEEE standard).

Figure 61: Calculate Allowable Touch and Step Voltages
Now that we have computed the maximum allowable touch and step voltages, the computation of voltage
profile along an axis can be directly compared with these values. To compute this profile, select Potential
along an Axis icon as shown below:

Figure 62: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Icon

51

Once this icon is selected, the mouse will turn into a pointer (pen like) object as seen in the below figure.

Figure 63: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Mouse Shape
Click mouse button at beginning of the axis and drag the mouse to the end of the desired axis and then
release the mouse button.

Figure 64: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Define an Axis

The program will show the coordinates of the axis as read by the mouse movement. These coordinates
are shown in the data dialog below. Notice two important items in this dialog. First, we need to select if

52
potential should be absolute, touch or step. If step potential along the specified axis to be computed, then,
it is necessary to enter Spacing. Normally this spacing for step voltage calculation is 1.0 meter.

Figure 65: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Define an Axis Continuation

The computed step voltage profile along the specified axis is shown below. Notice that maximum
allowable touch and step voltages are also shown in this figure for easy identification of violations (where
voltage exceed the allowable value).

Figure 66: Potential Along the Axis Calculation Step Potential Plot

53

24. A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES

WHAT IS THE GROUNDING GRID PARALLEL IMPEDANCE

The grounding grid parallel impedance can be used to represent a number of scenarios. Most common
application of it is to represent the substation transformer grounding. The transformer grounding
resistance in this case should be considered to be parallel to the ground grid assembly resistance. The
total resistance is therefore,

trans g
trans g
tot
R R
R R
R
+
=
*

Where
g
R is the ground grid assembly resistance and
trans
R is the substation transformer grounding
resistance. In this case, the ground potential rise is:

GRP=R
tot
*I
g

Where I
g
is the ground fault current.

Other situation for consideration of the parallel impedance is to represent transmission line tower footing
resistance.

HOW TO MODEL GROUNDING GRID WITH HORIZONTALLY CHANGING SOIL MODEL

The present program, like almost all other software, assumes that the soil model (two layer model) is the
same horizontally. Accurate modeling of soil models that are changing horizontally requires utilization of
the finite element techniques. Using EDSAs grounding program, one can approximate this complex case
by assuming several grounding grids assemblies that are placed in different horizontal soil models. First,
the grounding grid assembly resistance for one of the horizontal soil model grid is computed. Then, the
next grounding grid assembly will be analyzed while specifying the Parallel Impedance for this assembly
to be grid assembly resistance for the first grid model. Alternative method is to consider the soil model not
to change horizontally and compute the resistance for the worst possible soil model.

HOW TO MODEL SYSTEMS WITH MULTIPLE GROUNDS

These are situations where two or more ground grids that are not bonded together. Each grid is
electrically connected to other only through conductive soil. Some examples are:

Grounding Grid and buried parts of substation fences poles that are not bonded
Grounding Grid in the vicinity of the buried pipes not bonded together

A simple example is shown below (see reference 12, pages 176-178).

54

Figure 67: Multiple grounding systems

In the above example, the conductor shown on right is modeled as Passive and the conductor shown to the
left is the Main. The jobfile for this case is gbook5.2. The results obtained with EDSA grounding program
as compared to the reference 12 are shown in the following table:

EDSA Reference 12 %
Deviance
GPR (Main) 2116 2197 3.6
GPR(Passive) 173.8 187.65 7.3
Total Resistance 28.29 29.29 3.4

55
The text result for the above jobfile is also shown below.

EDSA Advanced Gr ound Mat Pr ogr amv4. 80. 00
============================================================

Pr oj ect No. :
Pr oj ect Name: Dat e :
Ti t l e : Ti me :
Dr awi ng No. : Company :
Revi si on No. : Engi neer :
J obf i l e Name: gbook5. 2

Syst emI nf or mat i on
============================================================

Subst at i on Name =
Uni t Syst em = Met r i c
Faul t Cur r ent = 75. 00 ( Amp)
Par al l el I mpedance = 10000. 00 ( ohm)
Faul t Cur r ent Di vi si on Fact or , Sf = 1. 00
Body Wei ght = 70. 00 ( Kg)
Faul t Dur at i on = 0. 50 ( second)
Sur f ace Mat er i al Descr i pt i on = Cr ushed Rock
Thi ckness of Sur f ace Mat er i al = 0. 10 ( m)
Resi st i vi t y of Sur f ace Mat er i al = 3000. 00 ( ohm- m)
Mat er i al Descr i pt i on =
Mat er i al Resi st i vi t y = 200. 00 ( ohm- m)
Al l owabl e Touch Vol t age = 931. 767 ( Vol t )
Al l owabl e St ep Vol t age = 3060. 973 ( Vol t )

Mai n Gr ound Gr i d


0001 1. 0 10. 0 0. 8 2. 0 10. 0 0. 8 1. 00 0. 0110 8. 98
0002 2. 0 10. 0 0. 8 9. 0 10. 0 0. 8 7. 00 0. 0110 49. 39
0003 9. 0 10. 0 0. 8 11. 0 10. 0 0. 8 2. 00 0. 0110 16. 41


Passi ve Gr i d i s assumed t o be at t he same vol t age


0004 16. 0 10. 0 0. 8 18. 0 10. 0 0. 8 2. 00 0. 0110 - 0. 66
0005 18. 0 10. 0 0. 8 25. 0 10. 0 0. 8 7. 00 0. 0110 0. 38
0006 25. 0 10. 0 0. 8 26. 0 10. 0 0. 8 1. 00 0. 0110 0. 28


Gr ound Pot ent i al Ri se = 2116. 0 Vol t s
Gr oundi ng Gr i d & Rod Resi st ance = 28. 2937 Ohms
Tot al I mpedance of I nst al l at i on = 28. 2138 Ohms
Passi ve Gr i d Pot ent i al = 173. 80 Vol t s

Figure 68: Report for Multiple Grounding

56

25. SUPPLIED EXAMPLES WITH THE SUBSTATION GROUNDING GRID DESIGN PROGRAM

The substation grounding grid design program package contains five examples. These example are as
follows:

Table 2: List of Supplied Examples (Jobfiles)
Example Appearing on
IEEE80-2000 Pages
Grid Resistance
(EDSA)
Grid Resistance
(IEEE80-2000)
Grid Resistance
(EPRI quoted in
IEEE80-2000)
ieee80-2000-
example-b1
129-134 2.67 2.78 2.67
ieee80-2000-
example-b2
135-137 2.52 2.75 2.52
ieee80-2000-
example-b3
137-139 2.29 2.62 2.28
ieee80-2000-
example-b4
139-142 2.34 2.74 2.34

The above grounding grid assembly resistances obtained from the EDSA program which case agrees
100% with the EPRI program quoted in the IEEE80-2000. However, as expected, the results of IEEE80-
2000 can be as much as 20 % in deviance.

57
Layer 1 (normally crushed rock), height ~ 6, Resistivity=
s

Layer 2: Resistivity=
1,
Height=h

Layer 3: Resistivity=
2
, Height=
26. SOIL MODEL IN EDSAs ADVANCED GROUNDING GRID DESIGN PROGRAM

EDSA grounding program supports up to three-layer soil structure. The three-layer model is shown below:

In the above three-layer structure, normally the upper layer is a thin layer of crushed rock. A layer
of crushed rock on surface helps in limiting the human body current by adding resistance to the
equivalent body resistance. The value of
s
varies from 1000-5000 -m. Therefore, the surface
layer influence the maximum touch and step potential that an average adult can tolerate.

Now the actual soil model starts just below the surface layer (layer 1) described above. If the soil
is uniform, then,
1 =
2
and the height of layer 2 (h) has no influence on the result, therefore it can
be set to any value (normally 100 m).

If the soil is not uniform, then, it normally can be represented by so called two-layer soil model.
When the measured apparent resistivity (for example in the Wenner method) is plotted against
the probe spacing, it is often found to vary considerably as the spacing is changed. This is due to
non-uniformity of the soil. In reality, the structure of soil may be very complex with vertical and/or
horizontal layers and/or pockets of soil having differing resistivities. The EDSA advanced
grounding program finds the best two-layer soil resistivity model by utilizing an optimization
technique to fit a perfectly horizontal layered soil structure to a set of soil resistivity
measurements that are carried out.

It is therefore important to note that in EDSA grounding program a soil can have up to three layer
structure and when soil resistivity measurements are provided, the program obtains the best
possible two-layer soil model that minimizes the differences between computed and measured
resistivity values.

58

27. REFERENCES

1) "Practical Grounding", Copperweld Steel Co. Data Folder 1972.
2) "Calculation of Resistance to Ground", by H.B. Dwight, AIEE Transaction Electrical
Engineering, Vol. 55, pp. 1319-28, December 1936.
3) "Grounding Electric Circuits Effectively", by J.R. Eaton, General Electric Review, June, July,
August 1941.
4) "Connection to the Earth", IEEE STD 142, pp. 87-89.
5) IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding, ANSI/IEEE Std 80-2000.
6) "A Modern Approach to Grounding Systems", ITT Blackburn Data Folder 7303.
7) "Grounding Principles and Practice", by Claude Jensen, pp. 68-74, 1945.
8) "Grounding Principles and Practice", by R. Rudenberg, Electrical Engineering Vol. 64, pp.
1-13, Jan. 1945.
9) "Grounding System Design", by J.A. Weaver Co.
10) IEEE Guide for Measuring Earth Resistivity, Ground Impedance and Earth Surface
Potentials of a Ground System, IEEE Std. 81-1983.
11) P.A. Davis, Development and Application of Resistivity Sounding Inversion for Several
Field Arrays, Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of
Minnesota, August, 1979.
12) A. P. Sakis Meliopoulos, Power System Grounding and Transients, Marcel Dekker, Inc.
1988.

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26. SOIL MODEL IN EDSAs ADVANCED GROUNDING GRID DESIGN PROGRAM

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