World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 42 2008

Design of Earthing System for New Substation

Project (Shwe Sar Yan) in Myanmar
Ei Ei Cho, and Marlar Thein Oo

This paper briefly discusses the field tests required to

evaluate soil resistivity. The procedures for measuring the
resistance of the installed earthing system and the continuity of
the grid conductor are described in here. It covers some of the
practical aspects of earthing in more detail. The goal of this
paper is to design earthing grid to safety, to evaluate and to
simulate grid conductor size, vertical electrode size, criteria
permissible potential difference, grid resistance, maximum
grid current, grid potential size and required facts for design
procedure by a computer program. Although there are two
methods namely Trench Method and Conductor Flowing
Method for grid construction, the second are in used in here.

AbstractThis paper presents the design of earthing system for

230 kV substation and simulation for calculation of required
parameters. In substation, earthing system is essential not only to
provide the protection of people working or walking in the vicinity of
earthed facilities and equipments against the danger of electric shock
but also to maintain the proper function of the electrical system. By
using proper conductor and electrode side, earthing system may be
able to lightning effects. This paper is to provide information
pertinent to safe earthing practices in AC substation design and to
establish the safe limits of potential differences under normal and
fault conditions.
Standard equations are used in the design of earthing system to get
desired parameters such as touch and step voltage criteria for safety,
earth resistance, grid resistance, maximum grid current, minimum
conductor size and electrode size, maximum fault current level and
resistivity of soil. By selection the proper horizontal conductor size,
vertical electrode size and soil resistivity, the best choice of the
project for safety is performed. This paper mentions the calculation
of the desired parameters which are simulated by MATLAB program.
Some simulated results are evaluated. The goal of this paper is to be a
safe earthing system for substations.

II. EARTHING SYSTEM FOR SUBSTATION

An effective substation earthing system typically consists of
earth rods, connecting cables from the buried earthing grid to
metallic parts of structures and equipment, connections to
earthed system neutrals, and the earth surface insulating
covering material. Current flowing into the earthing grid from
lightning arrester operation, impulse or switching surge
flashover of insulators, and line to ground fault current from
the bus or connected transmission lines all cause potential
differences between earthed points in the substation. Without a
properly designed earthing system, large potential differences
can exist between different points within the substation itself.
Under normal circumstances, it is the current constitutes the
main threat to personal.
An effective earthing system has the following objectives:
1) Ensure such a degree of human safety that a person
working or walking in the vicinity of earthed facilities
is not expressed to the danger of a critical electric
shock. The touch and step voltage produced in a fault
condition have to be at safe values. A safe value is
one that will not produce enough current within a
body to cause ventricular fibrillation.
2) Provide means to carry and dissipate electric currents
into earth under normal and fault conditions without
exceeding any operation and equipment limits or
adversely affecting continuity of services.
3) Provide earthing for lightning impulses and the surges
occurring from the switching of substation equipment,
which reduces damage to equipment and cables.
4) Provide a low resistance for the protective relays to
see and clear ground faults, which improves

KeywordsSafe earthing system, AC substation, MATLAB

program.

I. INTRODUCTION

HIS paper is concerned with earthing practices and design

for outdoor AC substation include distribution,
transmission substations for power frequency in the range of
50 Hz. The intent of this paper is to provide information
pertinent to safe earthing practices in AC substation design.
DC substation and the effect of lightning surges are not
covered by this paper. With paper caution, the method
described in here is also applicable to indoor portion of such
substation. And the design procedure is presented in here.
The specific purpose of this paper is:
1) To review substation earthing practices with
references to safety
2) As a basic for design, to establish the safe limits of
step, touch, mesh voltage etc, potential difference
under fault conditions between points that can bee
contacted by human body
3) To provide a procedure for the design of practical
earthing system.
Authors are with Mandalay Technological University, Myanmar (e-mails:
eieicho2006@ gmail.com, marlartheinoo@gmail.com).

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 42 2008

protective equipment performance, particularly at

minimum fault.

tc r r 10 4
TCAP
Acmils = 1973.52 I

(T T a)

ln1 + m
(K 0 + Ta )

(6)

Where
I
Amm2
Tm
Ta

= rms value in kA
= conductor sectional size in mm2
= maximum allowable temperature in C
= ambient temperature for material constants in
C
0
= thermal coefficient of resistivity at 0C
r
= thermal coefficient of resistivity at reference
temperature Tr
r
= the resistivity of the ground conductor at
reference temperature Tr in u/cm3
K0 = 1/0 or 1/0 - Tr
= time of current flow in sec
tc
TCAP = thermal capacity factor

For grounding resistance, the following formula is used

Fig. 1 Earthing grid design

Rg

For step voltage criteria the limit is

Estep 50 = ( 1000 + 6C s(hs ,k)s )

Estep 70 = ( 1000 + 6C s(hs ,k)s )

0.116
ts

(1)

0.157
ts

(2)

For calculation of grid current, equation (8) is used

Ig = Sf x 3I0
Ig = maximum grid current
3I0 = symmetrical fault current in substation for
conductor sizing in A
Sf = current diversity factor

The touch voltage limit is

0.116
ts

(7)

Where
= soil resistivity
Lt = total length of grid conductor
A = total area enclosed by earth grid
h = depth of earth grid conductor

Where
Cs = 1 for no protective surface layer
s = the resistivity of the surface material in -m
ts = duration of shock circuit in sec

Etouch50 = ( 1000 + 1.5Cs(hs ,k)s )

1
1
1

1 +

=
+
L
20 A
20
t

+
h
1

(3)

(8)

Equation (9) is expressed for grid potential rise (GPR)

Etouch 70 = ( 1000 + 1.5Cs(hs ,k)s )

0.157
ts

(4)

GPR = IgRg

(9)

Formula for calculation of mesh and step voltage are

The minimum conductor size formula is mentioned below-

Amm

tc r r 10 4
TCAP
=I

(T T a)

ln1 + m
(K 0 + Ta )

Em =
(5)
Es =

Where

431

K m K im I g
Lg + 1.15Lr N r
K i K is I g
Lg + 1.15Lr N r

(10)

(11)

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 42 2008

TABLE II
OUTPUT RESULT FOR GRID CONSTRUCTION DESIGN

Em = mesh voltage at the center of corner mesh

Es = step voltage between point
Km = spacing factor for mesh voltage
Ks

= spacing factor of step voltage

Ki

= correct factor for grid geometry

Symbol
Ac
d
Ig
Rg
GPR
Km

Equation for Km is described below

1 D 2 (D + 2h)2 h K ii
8

+
+

ln
ln
2 16hd
8 Dd
4d Kh ( 2nm 1 )

Kim
Ks
Kis
Etouch
Estep
Em

(12)
Spacing factor for step voltage equation is presented as this

Es

Kis =

1 1
1
1

+
+ ( 1 0.5ns 2 )

2h D + h D

Lt

(13)

= soil resistivity
a = distance between earth spikes

TABLE I
CONSTANT VALUES FOR DESIGN CALCULATION

Ts
K0
r
r
TCAP

h
h0
s
d
Lr

ambient temperature
maximum allowable
temperature
fault duration time
temperature of
thermal coefficient of
resistivity at 0C
thermal coefficient of
resistivity at reference
temperature
resistivity of each
conductor reference
temperature
thermal capacity factor
depth of burial grid
conductor

35C
1084 C

reference depth of grid

surface layer resistivity
diameter of grid
conductor
length of one earth rod

3.752
651.55V
2135.2
201.177V
103.546V
5972m
250

STEP 3 Design of ground mesh

Na = Number of conductor in X-axis = 18 Nos
Nb = Number of conductor in Y-axis = 19 Nos
Lg = Mesh conductor length
= 5132 m
Nr = Quantity of ground rod
= 280 rods
D = Ground rod spacing
=8m
h
= Depth of burial grid conductor = 0.6 m
Lt = Total length of conductor
= 5972 m
STEP 4 Substation grid resistance (Rg)
Rg = 0.843

R = earth resistance measured with the Metraterr2

Ta
Tm

3.838
0.342

STEP 2 Touch and step voltage criterior

Etouch (70) 65.55 V
Estep (70) 2135.2 V

Where

Values

1.957kA
0.838
1650V
0.653

STEP 1 Conduction design

Minimum cross section area (Ac) = 95 mm2
(14)

Quantity

103 mm2
16mm

III. CALCULATION

For soil resistivity evaluation, below equation is used

Symbol

Earth conductor size

Earth electrode
diameter
Max: grid current
Ground resistance
Grid potential rise
Spacing factor for
mesh voltage
Correct factor for Em
Spacing factor for
step voltage
Correct factor for Es
Touch voltage
criterior
Step voltage criterior
Calculation mesh
voltage
Calculation of step
voltage
Total grid current
Soil resistivity

values

These data described above table are obtained by using

MATLAB program.

Where
D = spacing between adjacent grid conductor
H = depth of burial grid conductor
D = diameter of grid conductor

= 2aR

Quantity

1 sec
245 C

0.00378

STEP 5 Grid current (Ig)

Ig = 1.957 kA
STEP 6 Grid potential rise (GPR)
GPR = Ig x Rg
GPR > Etouch
STEP 7 Mesh and step voltage
Kim for Em
Kis for Es
Km
Ks

4.397 u/cm
3.8466 J/cm3/C
0.6 m
1m
3000 -m
16 mm
3m

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 42 2008

STEP 8 Check touch voltage and step voltage

OK
Em < Etouch
Es < Estep
OK

Fig. 1 Grounding Resistance with Different Values of Soil Resistivity

Fig. 2 Grid Potential Rise with Different Values of Soil Resistivity

Block Diagram of Design Procedure

These results are obtained by MATLAB program. These
figures prove that this earth grid design is safe for 230 kV
substation in the range of soil resistivities 100-350 m.
Fig. 3 Grid Conductor Size with Different Values of Fault Current
(For Copper conductor)

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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 42 2008

REFERENCES
[1]

[2]
[3]
[4]

Fig. 4 Calculated Mesh Voltages with Different Values of Soil

Resistivity

Fig. 5 Calculated Step Voltages with Different Values of Soil

Resistivity

IV. CONCLUSION
This paper has focus on design of earthing system for
230kV AC substation but not DC substation. The results for
earthing system design are obtained by MATLAB program.
For earthing conductor and vertical earth electrode, copper
clad steel and aluminium clad steel are used. The step by step
approach to designing a substation earthing system is
presented . The exact fault current level is not described but
fault current is assumed 10 times of normal current. The
various kinds of conductor sizes for earth equipment are
mentioned in this paper. Construction of earthing grid drawing
is expressed in here.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author is grateful to her Excellency U Thaung,
Minister, Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr. Zaw Min
Aung, Rector of Mandalay Technological University, Dr. Myo
Myint Aung, Head of Electrical Power Engineering
Department, Dr. Salai Tluang Za Thang, Mandalay
Technological University, U Zaw Ye Myint, Project Manager
from Shwe Sar Yan Substation.

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Gagg. G. F, Earth Resistances, New York, 1964.
Tharpar. B and Gross. E. T. B, Ground Grid of High Voltage Stations.
1963.
Tiri G. Sverak and Donald N. Laird, IEEE Guide for Safety in AC
Substation Grounding, 1986.