Handbook On Earthing & Surge Protection For S&T Installations PDF

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
संकेत एवं दूरसंचार सं थापन हे तु

अ थ ग एवं सज ोटे शन डवाइसेस
पर ह तपुि तका
Handbook on
Earthing &Surge Protection devices
for S&T installations
कैमटे क/एस/ ोज/2017-18/एसपी4/1.0

दस बर 2017
CAMTECH/S/PROJ/2017-18/SP4/1.0
December 2017
Maharajpur, Gwalior (M.P.) - 474005

संकेत एवं दूरसंचार सं थापन हे तु
अ थ ग एवं सज ोटे शन डवाइसेस
पर ह तपुि तका
Handbook on
Earthing &Surge Protection devices
For S&T installations
कैमटे क/एस/ ोज/2017-18/एसपी4/1.0
दस बर 2017
CAMTECH/S/PROJ/2017-18/SP4/1.0
December 2017
ा कथन
रे लवे के संकेत एवं दूरसंचार के सं थापन व भ न व यु त तथा इले ो नक

उपकरण के साथ काय करते ह । कु छ नवीनतम उपकरण म सॉ लड टे ट घटक
होते ह । आकाशीय व यु त तथा सज वारा इन उपकरण को भार त हो सकती
है िजससे अ नि चतकाल न नि यता के कारण यातायात बा धत हो सकता है ।
इन उपकरण क आकाशीय व यु त तथा सज वारा त से सु र त करने के
उपाय तथा इनके आस पास काय करने वाले का मक का व यु त आघात से बचाव
करने क आव यकता होती ह ।
कैमटे क ने इस ह तपु ि तका को संकेत एवं दूरसंचार का मक को व भ न

सं थापन म अ थ ग एवं सज ोटे शन क यव थाओं के बारे म अवगत कराने
हे तु तथा उनक द ता एवं व वसनीयता बढ़ाने हे तु तै यार कया है ।
मु झे व वास है क इस ह तपु ि तका मे द गयी जानकार फ ड टाफ के

ान म वृ करे गी तथा वयं क संर ा एवं उपकरण क त से बचाव करने म
सहायक होगी ।
कैमटे क, वा लयर ट . कु पन
द. 22.12.2017 व र ठ कायकार नदे शक
FOREWORD
Railway Signal and Telecommunication installations work in conjunction with
different electrical or electronic equipments. Some of the modern S&T equipments
have solid state components. Lightning and surges may result in extensive damages
to these equipments thereby causing delay to traffic due to indefinite down time.
Arrangements have to be provided to protect these equipments from such damages
due to lightning and surge as well as prevent electric shock to the personnel who
work in their vicinity.
CAMTECH has prepared this handbook on the subject to impart knowledge to

S&T personnel about Earthing and Surge protection arrangements for various
installations thereby increasing their efficiency and reliability.
I am confident that this handbook apart from updating the knowledge will
help the field staff in ensuring their own safety and protecting equipments from
damage.
CAMTECH Gwalior T.Kuppan

Date: 22.12.2017 Sr. Executive Director
भू मका
रे लवे क संकेत एवं दूरसंचार णाल गा ड़य के संचालन म मह वपू ण भू मका नभाती है

तथा कसी भी सं. एवं दू. सं. सं थापन क काय मता उससे संब उपकरण क द ता पर नभर
करती है । आकाशीय व यु त तथा सज ऐसी घटनाएँ ह जो कसी सं थापन के कायकाल म कभी
भी हो सकती ह । आकाशीय व यु त हा नकारक भाव डाल सकती है तथा इसका आघात
अ वीकाय जो खम उ प न कर सकता है जो संचालन को नि य कर सकता है । इस कार क
जो खम म आग, उपकरण एवं आधा रक संरचना क त, संचार म बाधा तथा जीवन क हा न
इ या द सि म लत ह । अतः य द पया त सु र ा के उपाय नह ं कया जाते ह तो आकाशीय
व यु त के आघात अथवा सज क घटना से स पूण णाल का संचालन खतरे म पड़ सकता है ।
कैमटे क ने इस ह तपु ि तका को संकेत एवं दूरसंचार का मक को अ थ ग एवं सज

ोटे शन क संक पना से अवगत कराने म सहता हे तु तैयार कया गया है । आर.डी.एस.ओ. के
दशा नदश के अनु सार ‘अनु र ण मु त अ थ ग एवं बॉ ं डंग णाल’ पर एक अ याय को इस
ह तपु ि तका म जोड़ा गया है । आई.पी.एस. के वशेष संदभ के साथ सज ोटे शन क वभ न
े णय को आंकड़ तथा रे खा च के साथ तु त कया गया है
हम ी हर ओम कुशवाहा, नदे शक/ स नल/VI/अ.अ.मा.सं.(आर.डी.एस.ओ.), लखनऊ, एवं

भारतीय रे लवे के सभी संकेत एवं दूरसंचार का मक के अ य धक आभार िज होने इस
ह तपु ि तका को बनाने म हमार सहायता क है |
चू ं क तकनीक उ नयन एवं श ण एक मक या है, अतः इस ह तपु ि तका म आप

कुछ जोड़ने या सु धारने क आव यकता महसू स कर सकते ह | य द ऐसा है तो कृ पया अपने
सु झाव हम ईमेल dirsntcamtech@gmail.com पर भेज अथवा इस पते पर लख भेज : भारतीय
रे ल, उ च अनु र ण ो यो गक क , होटल आ द याज़ के सामने, एयरपोट माग, महाराजपु र,
वा लयर (म ) 474005
कैमटे क, वा लयर दनेश कुमार यादव

द.22.12.2017 नदे शक (संकेत एवं दूरसंचार)
PREFACE
Railway Signal and Telecom. system plays a vital role in the movement of
trains and the working of any S&T installation depends upon the efficiency of
associated equipments. Lightning and surge are such phenomenon which are likely
to occur one or the other time during the whole life of an installation. Lightning can
have devastating effects and its strike poses unacceptable risks which can cripple
operations. These risks include fire, loss of equipment and infrastructure,
communications downtime and loss of life. Thus in the event of lightning strike or
occurrence of surge, the operation of whole system is jeopardized if adequate
protection arrangements are not provided.
CAMTECH has prepared this handbook to help S&T personnel understanding

the concept of earthing and surge protection. A chapter on ‘Maintenance-free
earthing and bonding system’ as per RDSO guidelines have been added in the
handbook. Different classes of surge protection with special reference to IPS
installation have also been given with figures and diagrams.
We are sincerely thankful to Shri H.O. Kushswaha,

Director/Signal/VI/RDSO, Lucknow and S&T personnel of Indian Railways who
helped us in preparing this handbook.
Since technological upgradation and learning is a continuous process, you

may feel the need for some addition/modification in this handbook. If so, please give
your comments on email address dirsntcamtech@gmail.com or write to us at Indian
Railways Centre for Advanced Maintenance Technology, In front of Adityaz Hotel,
Airport Road, Maharajpur, Gwalior (M.P.) 474005.
CAMTECH Gwalior D.K.M.Yadav

Date: 22.12.2017 Director (S&T)
वषय सू ची
Contents
अ याय अनु भाग ववरण पृ ठ
Chapter Section Description Pages
ा कथन Foreword iii/iv
भू मका Preface v/vi
वषय सू ची Contents vii
सु धार पच Correction Slip ix
ड लेमर तथा हमारा उ े य Disclaimer & Our objective x
कैमटे क काशन CAMTECH Publications ix
I संकेत एवं दूरसंचार सं थापन का अ थ ग

Earthing of Signal & Telecom. installations
1.1 प रचय Introduction 1
1.2 25 के.वी. 50 ह ज ए.सी. व यु तीकृ त से शन म संकेत एवं 1
दूरसंचार उपकरण क अ थ ग
Earthing of Signalling and Telecommunication equipment in 25
KV 50Hz AC Electrified sections
1.3 सं थापन िज ह अथ करना चा हए Installations to be earthed 2
1.4 वश ट तरोध Specific Resistance 2
1.5 म ी क तरोधकता Soil Resistivity 2
1.6 अथ तरोध Earth resistance 3
1.7 अ थ ग क यव थाओं के कार 3
Types of earthing arrangements
1.8 अथ तरोध क सीमाएं Limits of earth resistance 4
II पर परागत अ थ ग यव था
Conventional earthing arrangement
2.2 सं थापन क या Procedure of installation 7
2.3 नर ण एवं अनु र ण Inspection & Maintenance 9
2.4 सावधा नयाँ Precautions 9
2.5 पर परागत अ थ ग क क मयाँ Drawbacks of conventional 9
earthing
III अनु र ण मु त अ थ ग तथा बॉ ं डंग णाल
Maintenance free earthing & bonding system
3.2 अनु योग Applications 11
3.3 अ थ ग एवं बॉ ं डंग णाल के घटक 11
Components of earthing & bonding system
3.4 आई.पी.एस. णाल क अ थ ग Earthing of IPS system 21
3.5 एकल अथ णाल Single earth system 22
3.6 अ थ ग के काय को कायाि वत करने हे तु सावधा नयाँ 22
Precautions to be followed for execution of earthing work
3.7 स न लंग उपकरण क अ थ ग एवं बॉ ं डंग णाल के संयोजन 23
क ए सोथ मक वैि डंग हे तु सावधा नयाँ

Precautions to be followed for Exothermic welding of
connections for Earthing & Bonding System for signaling
equipments
3.8 या कर व या न कर Do’s & don’ts 23
IV आकाशीय व यु त एवं सज से सु र ा
Lightning & Surge protection
4.2 संकेत एवं दूरसंचार उपकरण क सु र ा 24
Protection of S&T equipments
4.3 सज ोटे शन उपकरण Surge protection devices 24
4.4 व भ न कार के र ा मक उपाय 28
Different types of protective arrangements
4.5 आकाशीय व यु त से सु र ा के तर Lightning protection levels 29
4.6 आई.पी.एस. सं थापन क आकाशीय व यु त एवं सज से सु र ा 32
Lightning and Surge protection of IPS installation
4.7 नर ण एवं अनु र ण Inspection & maintenance 36
अनु ल नक I अथ तरोध का मापन Measurement of earth resistance 38

Annexure I
अनु ल नक II सं त श दावल Abbreviations 40
Annexure II
अनु ल नक III संदभ References 41
Annexure III
सु धार प चय को जार करना
ISSUE OF CORRECTION SLIPS
इस ह तपुि तका के लए भ व य म जार क जाने वाल सुधार प चय के मांक इस कार से रहगे :
The correction slips to be issued in future for this handbook will be numbered as follows:
केमटे क/एस/ ोज/2017 – 18/एसपी 4 /1.0 # XX द .................
CAMTECH/S/PROJ/2017-18/SP4/1.0# XX date .......
जहां “XX” स बं धत सु धार पच क म सं या है (01 से शु होकर)

Where “XX” is the serial number of the concerned correction slip (starting from 01 onwards).
सु धार पच याँ जार क गयीं
CORRECTION SLIPS ISSUED
सु धार पच क म जार करने संशो धत पृ ठ मांक ट प णयाँ Remarks

सं या क तार ख एवं मद सं या
Sr. No. of Date of Page no. and Item No.

Correction issue modified
Slip
ड लेमर
यह प ट कया जाता है क इस ह तपु ि तका म द गयी जानकार स नल इंजी नय रंग मै यु अल, रे लवे
बोड काशन तथा आर डी एस ओ काशन के कसी भी वतमान आलेख को व था पत नह ं करतीं है |
यह द तावेज वैधा नक नह ं है वरन इसम दए गए नदश केवल माग दशन हे तु ह | य द कसी ब दु पर
वरोधाभास ट गोचर होता है , तब स नल इंजी नय रंग मै यु अल, रे लवे बोड काशन , आर डी एस ओ
मागदशन अथवा जोनल रे लवे के नदश का पालन कर |
DISCLAIMER
It is clarified that the information given in this handbook does not supersede any
existing provisions laid down in the Signal Engineering Manual, Railway Board and
RDSO publications. This document is not statuary and instructions given are for the
purpose of guidance only. If at any point contradiction is observed, then SEM,
Railway Board/RDSO guidelines may be referred or prevalent Zonal Railways
instructions may be followed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
हमारा उ े य
अनु र ण ौ यो गक और काय णाल का उ नयन करना तथा उ पादकता और रे लवे क प रस पि त एवं
जनशि त के न पादन म सु धार करना िजससे अंत वषय म व वसनीयता, उपयो गता और द ता ा त
क जा सके |
OUR OBJECTIVE
To upgrade Maintenance Technologies and Methodologies and achieve
improvement in Productivity and Performance of all Railway assets and manpower
which inter-alia would cover Reliability, Availability and Utilisation.
य द आप इस स दभ म कोई वचार और सु झाव दे ना चाहते ह तो कृ पया हम इस पते पर लख :

संपक सू : नदे शक (संकेत एवं दूरसंचार)
प ाचार का पता : भारतीय रे ल उ च अनु र ण ौ यो गक क ,
महाराजपु र, वा लयर (म. .) पन कोड 474020
टे ल फोन : 0751-2470185
फै स : 0751-2470841
ई-मेल : dirsntcamtech@gmail.com
If you have any suggestion & any specific comments, please write to us:
Contact person : Director (Signal & Telecommunication)
Postal Address : Centre for Advanced Maintenance Technology, Maharajpur,
Gwalior (M.P.) Pin Code – 474 020
Phone : 0751 - 2470185
Fax : 0751 – 2470841
Email : dirsntcamtech@gmail.com
कैमटे क काशन CAMTECH Publications
CAMTECH is continuing its efforts in the documentation and up-gradation of information on maintenance
practices of Signalling & Telecom assets. Over the years a large number of publications on Signalling &
Telecom subjects have been prepared in the form of handbooks, pocket books, pamphlets and video films.
These publications have been uploaded on the internet as well as railnet.
For downloading these publications
On Internet:
Visit www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in
Go to Directorates → CAMTECH → Publications for download → S&T Engineering
On Railnet:
Visit RDSO website at 10.100.2.19
Go to Directorates → CAMTECH → Publications → S&T Engineering
A limited number of publications in hard copy are also available in CAMTECH library which can be got
issued by deputing staff with official letter from controllong officer. The letter should be addressed to
Director (S&T), CAMTECH, Gwalior.
For any further information regarding publications please contact:
Director (S&T) – 0751-2470185 (O)(BSNL)

SSE/Signal - 7024141046 (CUG)
Or
Email at dirsntcamtech@gmail.com
Or
FAX to 0751-2470841 (BSNL)
Or
Write at
Director (S&T)
Indian Railways Centre for Advanced Maintenance Technology,
In front of Hotel Adityaz, Airport Road, Maharajpur,
Gwalior (M.P.) 474005
CAMTECH/S/Proj/2017-18/SP4/1. 0 1
अ याय I
Chapter I
संकेत एवं दूरसंचार सं थापन का अ थ ग
Earthing of Signal & Telecom. Installations
1.1 प रचय Introduction

The earth is made up of materials that are conductive such as mineral bodies
containing metallic contents. Whenever lightning strikes near a building or
structure, or electromagnetic/electrostatic induction is produced due to nearby high voltage
power lines, fault currents are generated.
These currents will travel through the metallic bodies of the nearby structures and
induce dangerous potential (voltages) in cables or exposed metallic bodies of
electrical equipment.
This may give electric shock to the person coming in contact with the metallic bodies
and cause extensive damage to the equipment. If these equipments are connected to
earth by means of a metallic conductor, the fault current will flow to the earth thereby
preventing shock to the user and damage to the equipment. Hence all exposed metal
parts of an electrical installation or electrical appliances must be earthed.
1.2 25 के.वी. 50 ह ज ए.सी. व यु तीकृ त से शन म संकेत एवं दूरसंचार उपकरण क

अथ ग
Earthing of Signalling and Telecommunication equipment in 25 KV
50Hz AC Electrified sections
Signal and Telecommunication equipments are installed in the vicinity of an
industrial frequency high voltage 25 KV 50 Hz AC traction line i.e. catenary. In AC
electrified sections, signalling and Telecommunication circuits are affected by two
phenomena namely:
1 Electro-static induction
2 Electromagnetic induction
The objective of earthing may be one or more of the following:

 To complete earth return signalling circuit. For example in block instruments.
 To protect operating/maintenance personnel from electric shock due to the
apparatus casing or other exposed parts attaining dangerous potential relative
to earth through electromagnetic or electrostatic induction or conductive
coupling with the OHE installation. Example- Battery charger earthing.
 To ensure reliable and safe operation of the equipment by limiting or
eliminating the induced voltages in signal and Block circuits. Example- Block
filter earthing and earthing of metallic cable sheath and armour.
 To protect the equipment against build up of unduly high voltages which can
cause dielectric (Insulation) breakdown mostly due to the physical contact
with live OHE equipment.
 To reduce the risk of cross talk in telecommunication equipment.
Earthing & Surge protection devices for S&T installations December 2017
Chapter I - Earthing of Signal & Telecom. Installations
1.3 सं थापन िज ह अथ करना चा हए Installations to be earthed

The following installations shall be provided with separate earthings:
 The lever frame and other metallic frames of the cabin.

 Metallic sheath and armouring of all underground Main cables at every 1 km
distance.
It is not necessary to earth the sheath and armouring of screened cables or

armouring of unscreened cables when they are used as a tail cables except
where the length of the tail cable exceeds normal prescribed limits.
 At every location box where cables terminate.

 Block circuits working on earth return through the respective block filters.
A separate earthing shall be provided for each block instrument.
 The surge arrestors provided in block filters and telecomm equipments in
switching stations.
 The protection screen of signals falling within 2 meters from the live parts of
the OHE.
 Lifting barrier.
 All telecommunication equipment.
The telecommunication equipment may be connected to the same earth as the lever
frames.
 Where a number of cables are run together, it is advantageous to earth each

cable separately.
 The protective earth of Telecom system shall not be connected to the earth of
mains power supply system.
 A minimum distance of 10 Meters is desirable.
The resistance of the earth in all above cases shall not exceed 10 ohms.
1.4 व श ट तरोध Specific Resistance

 The resistivity or the specific resistance is defined as the resistance between
opposite faces of a conductor of unit length and unit cross sectional area.
 The value of resistivity is given in “Ohm- metre”.
 It is indicated by the symbol ‘ρ’ (rho) which is a constant and depends on the
length ’l’ and area ’a’ of the conductor.
1.5 म ी क तरोधकता Soil Resistivity

The soil resistivity depends on
 Moisture content in the soil

 Chemical composition of soil and
 Concentration of salts dissolved in the moisture.
These factors vary locally and seasonally.
 The resistance of the conductor (electrode) buried in the ground depends on the
“Resistivity of the soil” or “Soil resistivity”.
 The resistance of the electrode R = ρ l/a where ρ = soil resistivity.
 Therefore to get low earth resistance R the Resistvity of the soil ρ must be low.
1.6 अथ तरोध Earth Resistance
Total earthing resistance is the sum of
1 The resistance of earth lead wires

2 Contact resistance between the surface of the earth electrode and the soil.
3 The resistance of the body of the soil surrounding the earth electrode.
Among the three, the resistance of the earth is primarily determined by 3 i.e. the
nature of the soil.
1.7 अ थ ग क यव थाओं के कार Types of earthing arrangements
There are two types of earthing arrangements normally provided for S&T
installations of Indian Railways:
1.7.1Conventional Earthing
 In this type of arrangement, the earthing is achieved with the help of Earth
electrode (normally GI pipe) buried in the ground (earth pit).
 The earth electrode is surrounded by filling material (Common salt and Charcoal)
and it is connected to the equipment with the help of GI or copper wire to extend
earth to the equipment.
 This type of earting is normally provided for apparatus cases, signalling cables,
block instruments, conventional power supply equipments etc.
1.7.2 Effective or Maintenance-free earthing
 This type of earthing is provided with earth electrode of a highly conductive,

corrosion-resistant material with low soil resistivity earth enhancement compound
around it.
 This arrangement eliminates the drawbacks of conventional earthing such as
corrosion of electrode and high and fluctuating earth resistance.
 Maintenance free earthing is provided for signalling and telecomm. equipments with
solid state components requiring low earth resistance of the order of 1 Ohm such as
Integrated Power Supply, Digital Axle Counter, Data Logger, Electronic
Interlocking etc.
Conventional and Maintenance-free earthing are dealt in the following sections.
1.8 अथ तरोध क सीमाएं Limits of Earth Resistance

Maximum values of earth resistances specified for earthing of Signalling and
Telecommunication equipments are as under:
Sr. Description Max. Earth

No. resistance
1. Telegraph and Block Instrument using earth 10 Ω
return circuit
2. Earths for surge arrestors/ lightening dischargers 10 Ω
3. Earthing of Signalling equipment 10 Ω
4. Earthing of signalling cable screen in AC 10 Ω
electrified areas
5. Earthing of Telephone Exchange 5Ω
6. Earthing of aluminum sheathed telecom cable in 1Ω
AC electrified area.
7. Earthing of equipment in VF repeater stations and 5Ω
cable huts.
8. Axle counter cable screened in AC electrified 1Ω
area
9. Electronic Interlocking installation 1Ω
10. Integrated Power Supply System & its individual 2Ω
modules
11. Digital Axle Counter EJB and its apparatus case 1Ω
connected to same earth
All cable armours connected to same earth.
12. Reset box of Digital Axle Counter connected to 1Ω
earth (indoor) near SM’s Room.

5
CAMTECH/S/Proj/2017-18/SP4/1. 0
अ याय II
Chapter II
पर परागत अ थ ग यव था
Conventional Earthing Arrangement
The conventional earthing arrangement is mainly provided for earthing of Mechanical

& Electrical Block Signalling equipments like lever frames in cabins, cable terminal
boxes connecting the ends of the cables, metallic sheathing and armouring of cables,
lightning and spark arrestors, signal location boxes, signal screens, battery chargers
and block instruments.
The earthing arrangement in this system consists of the following:
 Soil.
 Earth lead wire.
 Earth electrode.
 Connecting wire to extend earth to equipment.
Termination Box
Earthing Lead
Connecting wires
Earth Electrode
Earth Pit
Battery charger
Fig 2.1
Fig. 2.1: Conventional earthing arrangement for power equipment (Battery Charger)
2.1.1 Soil
The site for earthing should be chosen in the following order:
1. Wet marshy ground and grounds containing refuse such as ashes, cinders.
2. Clay soil or loam mixed with small quantity of sand.
3. Clay mixed with varying properties of sand, gravel and stone.
Chapter II – Conventional Earthing arrangement
6
2.1.2 Treatment of Soil
 The soil is to be prepared to obtain optimum resistvity.

 To reduce the resistivity of soil, some highly conductive substance is required to
be dissolved in the moisture normally contained in the soil.
 The most commonly used substances are sodium chloride (common salt), calcium
chloride, sodium carbonate, copper sulphate, salt and soft coke and salt and
charcoal in suitable proportions.
2.1.3 Earth electrode
It may be a metal plate, pipe or other conductor or an array of conductors electrically

connected to the general mass of earth.
Type Size
Length in Mtrs Dia /Cross section
G.I. Pipe 2.5 to 3.5 above 38 mm (internal)
G.I. Angle 2.5 to 3.5 50 mm x 50 mm x 5mm
Copper Rod 2.5 to 3.5 16 mm
GI pipe shall consist of spike at one end and a lug at the other for connecting the earth
lead wire.
Fig.2.2: Earth electrode (GI pipe)
2.1.4 Lightning conductor or earth lead wire
It is the metallic wire which connects the earth electrode to the equipment/
Installation. Size and metal of the conductor is given below:
Material Size
G.I. Wire 8 mm Dia
G.I Strip 20mm x 3 mm
Copper wire 29 Sq.mm ( 19 strand wire of 1.4 mm dia)
ACSR wire 6 / 1 / 2.11 mm
7
2.2 सं थापन क या Procedure of installation

 The hole can be made by manual trenching or by using “Earth auger”.
 The top of the electrode shall be 30 cm above the ground.
 The GI pipe is embedded vertically and the rod/angle electrodes are driven
vertically in the ground.
 When rocky soil is encountered at a depth of less than 2.0 metres or the length of
electrode, the electrode may be buried inclined to the vertical, the inclination
being limited to 30º from the vertical.
 After inserting the electrode, the hole shall be filled with earth properly and water
should be spread to ensure good contact between electrode and filling.
 In the soils of high resistivity, can be treated with salt and charcoal in appropriate
proportion.
 Earth pit of 600 mm dia and 2.5 mtrs depth shall be formed by excavation and the
electrode shall be placed at the center.
 The pit shall be filled alternately with layers of common salt and charcoal each
layer of about 2.5 cm thick up to a depth of about 200 cm from the ground level.
 The pit shall be filled with several times with water, and then covered with
excavated earth and water shall be poured to ensure good electrical contact.
8
Fig. 2.3: Conventional earthing arrangement {RDSO drawing no. TCA 565(ADV)}
9
2.3 नर ण एवं अनु र ण Inspection and maintenance

 Check earth and its connections periodically at interval of not more than one month,
to ensure that all connections are in tact and soldered joints are in proper condition.
 Measure the earth resistance once in a year. Enter the value, date of last test and
location of earth should be entered in a register.
 Earth resistance, date of last testing should also be printed suitably on the wall of
near by structure or post on a conveniently placed sign board.
 Water to be added every day to the earth electrode in summer and once in two days
in other seasons.
 If earth resistance is more than the nominal value either renew the old earth or
provide a new earth.
2.4 सावधा नयाँ Precautions
 Earth electrodes shall not be buried in a position likely to cause an obstruction or

where it is likely to be damaged.
 Protect the earth lead wire from mechanical damage.
 Apply anti-corrosive paint/ bitumen compound on the portion of wire buried in

ground.
 The lead in wire of different earth must be electrically insulated from each other,
from metallic structures etc.
 There should not be any possibility of simultaneous human contact with metallic
bodies connected to different earthing.
 Whenever it is not possible to provide suitable spacing or partition between

various metallic bodies, they must be connected to a common earthing.
2.5 पर परागत अ थ ग क क मयाँ Drawbacks of Conventional Earthing
 The salt poured in pit causes severe corrosion of G.I.pipe and makes the earthing
ineffective.
 The earth resistance value depends on “Soil resistivity” which depends on strata so
the effect of earthing is dependent on property of soil.
 The earth resistance value is very high, fluctuating & increases heavily with time.


अ याय III
Chapter III
अनु र ण मु त अ थ ग तथा बॉ ं डंग णाल
Maintenance-Free Earthing and Bonding System

This type of earthing and bonding system is adopted for S&T equipments with solid
state components which are more susceptible to damage due to surges, transients and
over-voltages being encountered in the system due to lightning, sub-station switching
etc. these equipments include Electronic Interlocking, Integrated Power Supply
equipment, Digital Axle Counter, Data Logger etc. This system conforms to RDSO
Specification no. RDSO/SPN/197 version 1.0 for Code of practice for Earthing &
Bonding system for signalling equipments (With effect from: 04.07.2016).
 This type of earthing arrangement requires no maintenance hence it is called as

“Maintenance –free earthing”.
 This is also called as “Effective Earthing”.
 Effective earthing electrode eliminates problems of conventional earthing:
1 By providing highly corrosion resistant Earthing Electrode.

2 By eliminating the corrosion causing elements in the salt.
3 By providing uniform non corrosive, low soil resistivity material around the
electrode.
3.1.1 Importance of Earthing

The installation and maintenance of an effective low resistance earthing system is
essential due to the following -
(a) Efficiently dissipate heavy fault currents and electrical surges, both in
magnitude and duration, to protect equipment being damaged so as to minimize
down time, service interruption and replacement cost.
(b) Provide a stable reference for electrical and RF circuits at the installation to
minimize noise during normal operation.
(c) Protection of personnel who work within the area from dangerous electric shock
caused due to “step potential” or “touch potential”.
3.1.2 Characteristics of good Earthing system

a. Excellent electrical conductivity
i) Low resistance and electrical impedance.
ii) Conductors of sufficient dimensions capable of withstanding high fault
currents with no evidence of fusing or mechanical deterioration.
iii) Lower earth resistance ensures that energy is dissipated into the ground in the
safest possible manner.
iv) Lower the earth circuit impedance, the more likely that high frequency
lightning impulses will flow through the ground electrode path, in preference
to any other path.
b. High corrosion resistance

Chapter III – Maintenance-free Earthing & Bonding System
The choice of the material for grounding conductors, electrodes and connections
is vital as most of the grounding system will be buried in the earth mass for many
years. Copper is by far the most common material used. In addition to its
inherent high conductivity, copper is usually cathodic with respect to other
metals in association with grounding sites, which means that it is less likely to
corrode in most environments.
c. Mechanically robust and reliable.
3.1.3 Location for Earthing

a. Low lying areas close to the building or equipment are good for locating Earth
Electrodes.
b. The location can be close to any existing water bodies or water points but not
naturally well-drained.
c. Dry sand, lime stone, granite and any stony ground should be avoided.
d. Earthing electrode should not be installed on high bank or made-up soil.
3.1.4 Acceptable Earth Resistance value

The acceptable Earth Resistance at earth MEEB busbar shall not be more than 1 ohm.
For achieving this value more than one earth pits can be installed if necessary
depending upon the soil resistivity.
3.2 अनु योग Applications

1. House-hold earthing.
2. Transmission & distribution systems.
3. Substation & Power Generators Transformer earths.
4. Telecommunication Towers & Microwave Antennas.
5. Lightning protection earths in difficult conditions for home as well as industries.
6. Manufacturing Facilities & Refineries.
7. Computers & Data processing Centers.
8. Railway Signalling equipments/installations consisting of solid state components.
3.3 अ थ ग एवं बॉ ं डंग णाल के घटक

Components of Earthing & Bonding system
Following are the components of earthing and bonding system:
 Earth Electrode
 Earth enhancement material
 Earth pit
 Equi-potential earth-busbar
 Connecting cable
 Tape/strip and associated accessories
3.3.1 Earth Electrode

a) The earth electrode shall be made of high tensile low carbon steel circular rods,
molecularly bonded with copper on outer surface to meet the requirements of
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 467-2007 or latest as well as IEC 62561. Such
copper bonded steel cored rod is preferred due to its overall combination of
strength, corrosion resistance, low resistance path to earth and cost effectiveness.
b) The earth electrode shall be UL listed and of minimum 17.0mm diameter and
minimum 3 Meter long.
c) In rocky area, a set of 3 electrodes of 1 Meter each of 17.0mm dia in grid form
shall be installed in grid form.
d) The minimum copper bonding thickness shall be of 250 microns of 99.9%
electrolyte grade copper.
e) Marking: UL marking as per UL 467 scheme, Manufacturer’s name or trade
name, length, diameter, catalogue number must be punched on every earth
electrode.
f) Earth electrode can be visually inspected, checked for dimensions and thickness
of copper coating using micron gauge. The supplier shall arrange for such
inspection at the time of supply, if so desired.
Driving Stud
Coupler
Earth Rod
Coupler
Earth Rod (C)
(a)
(b)
Fig. 3.1 (a) Copper bonded steel earth electrode (b) Electrode with coupler
(c) Enlarged view of coupler
3.3.2 Earth enhancement material

Earth enhancement material is a superior conductive material that improves earthing
effectiveness, especially in areas of poor conductivity (rocky ground, areas of moisture
variation, sandy soils etc.). It improves conductivity of the earth electrode and ground
contact area. It shall be tested and confirm to the requirements of IEC 62561-7 having
following characteristics:-
a) Shall be carbon based with min 95% of fixed carbon content premixed with
corrosion resistant cement to have set properties. Cement shall not mix separately
& shall not have Bentonite.
b) Shall have high conductivity, improves earth’s absorbing power and humidity
retention capability.
c) Shall be non-corrosive in nature having low water solubility but highly
hygroscopic.
d) Shall have resistivity of less than 0.2 ohms -meter.
e) Shall be suitable for installation in dry form or in a slurry form.
f) Shall not depend on the continuous presence of water to maintain its conductivity.
g) Shall be permanent & maintenance free and in its “set form”, maintains constant
earth resistance with time.
h) Shall be thermally stable between -10° C to +60° C ambient temperatures.
i) Shall not dissolve, decompose or leach out with time.
j) Shall not require periodic charging treatment nor replacement and maintenance.
k) Shall be suitable for soils of different resistivity.
l) Shall not pollute the soil or local water table and meets environmental friendly
requirements for landfill, shall not be explosive &shall not cause burns, irritation
to eye, skin etc. In this regard “Safety Data Sheets” shall be submitted by the
manufacturers.
m) Marking: The Earth enhancement material shall be supplied in sealed, moisture
proof bags. These bags shall be marked with Manufacturer’s name or trade name,
quantity etc.
(a) Before setting (b) After setting

Fig. 3.2:Earth enhancement material
3.3.3 Backfill material

 The excavated soil is suitable as a backfill but should be sieved (screened) to
remove large stones and place around the electrode taking care to ensure that it is
wet and compact.
 Material like sand, salt, coke breeze, cinders and ash shall not be used because of its
acidic and corrosive nature.
3.3.4 Earth pit
Construction of unit earth pit

(Ref: Fig.3.3 Typical installation drawing no. SDO/RDSO/E&B/001)
 A hole of 100 mm to 125 mm dia is to be augured/dug manually or with the help of
‘Earth auger’ to a depth of about 3.0 metres.
 Place the earth electrode into this hole.
 Gently drive on the top of the rod to penetrate it into the soil so that minimum 150
mm of the electrode shall be inserted in the natural soil.
 Now fill the Earth enhancement material (min. approx.30-35 kg) into the
augured/dug hole in slurry form and allow it to set. After setting, the diameter of
composite structure (earth electrode + earth enhancement material) shall be of
minimum 100 mm dia covering entire length of the hole.
 Cover the remaining portion of the hole by backfill soil, which is taken out during
auguring/digging.
 A copper strip of 200 mm X 25 mm X 6mm shall be exothermically welded to main
earth electrode for taking the connection to the main equi-potential earth bus bar in
the equipment room and to other earth pits, if any.
 The main earth pit shall be located as near to the main equi-potential earth busbar in
the equipment room as possible.
Fig. 3.3: Installation of maintenance-free earth for S&T installations

(Ref: Typical installation drawing no. SDO/RDSO/E&B/001 dated 19.09.2008)
3.3.5 Construction of loop Earth by providing multiple earth pits

At certain locations, it may not be possible to achieve earth resistance of < 1 Ohm with
one earth electrode/pit due to higher soil resistivity. In such cases, provision of loop
earth consisting of more than one earth pit shall be done. The number of pits required
shall be decided based on the resistance achieved for the earth pits already installed.
The procedure mentioned above for one earth pit shall be repeated for other earth pits.
The distance between two successive earth electrodes shall be min. 3 mtrs. and max.
upto twice the length of the earth electrode i.e. 6 mtrs. approx.
These earth pits shall then be inter-linked using 25X2 mm. copper tape to form a loop
using exothermic welding technique.
The interconnecting tape shall be buried at depth not less than 500 mm below the
ground level. This interconnecting tape shall also be covered with approximately 30 Kg
of earth enhancing compound for each 3 meters length.
Fig. 3.4: Interlinking of earth pits using copper tape
3.3.6 Inspection Chamber

The inspection chamber should be as per IEC 62561-5 or latest.
 The inspection chamber is a concrete box of 300mmX300mmX300 mm (inside
dimension) of RCC with 50 mm thick and fine finish.
 A concrete lid, painted black, approx. 50 mm. thick with pulling hooks, shall be
provided to cover the earth pit.
 The marking space should be present on RCC cover
 Care shall be taken regarding level of the floor surrounding the earth so that the
connector is not too deep in the masonry or projecting out of it.
 On back side of the cover, date of the testing and average resistance value shall be
written with yellow paint on black background.
Fig. 3.5: Inspection chamber
3.3.7 Equi-potential Earth Busbar and its connection to equipments & Surge
protection devices in the Equipment room
(Reference: typical bonding connections drawing no.SDO/RDSO/E&B/002)
 Each equipment room i.e. IPS/Battery Charger room and EI/Relay room is provided
with one equi-potential earth bus bar. Such bus bars are termed as Sub equi-potential
busbars (SEEB).
 The equi-potential earth busbsar provided in the IPS/Battery Charger room and
directly connected to Class ‘B’ SPDs and the main earth pit is termed as Main equi-
potential earth busbar (MEEB).
 The EEBs have pre-drilled holes of suitable size for termination of bonding
conductors.
 The EEBs shall be insulated from the building walls by providing low voltage
insulator spacers of height 60 mm between EEB and the wall.
 The insulators used shall have suitable insulating and fire resistant properties for this
application
 For ease of inspection and maintenance, EEBs shall be installed at the height of 0.5
mm from the room floor surface.
 Tinned Copper lugs with spring washers are used for all terminations on EEBs.
3.3.8 Bonding Connections
 To minimize the effect of circulating earth loops and to provide equi-potential bonding,
“star type” bonding connection is required.
Fig.3.6: Star type bonding connection

 Each of the SEEBs installed in the rooms shall be directly connected to MEEB using
bonding conductors. Also, equipment/racks in the room shall be directly connected to its
SEEB.
 The bonding conductors shall be bonded to their respective lugs by exothermic welding.
 All connections i.e. routing of bonding conductors from equipments to SEEB and from
SEEBs to MEEB shall be as short and as direct as possible with minimum bends and
separated from other wiring. However, connection from SPD to MEEB shall be as short
as possible and preferably without any bend.
3.3.9 Materials and dimensions
Materials and dimensions of bonding components for connection of individual equipments

with equipotential bus bar and earth electrode shall be as given below:
Component/Bonding Material Size

Main equi-potential earth Copper 300X25X6 mm (min.)
busbar (MEEB)
Sub equi-potential earth busbar Copper 150X25X6 mm (min.)
(SEEB)
Individual equipments to SEEB Multi-strand single core 10 Sq.mm.
using tinned copper lugs with PVC insulated copper
stainless steel nut and bolts cable as per IS:694
SEEB to MEEB using tinned Multi-strand single core 16 Sq.mm.
copper lugs with stainless steel PVC insulated copper
nut and bolts. cable as per IS:694
Surge protection devices Multi-strand single core 16 Sq.mm.
(SPDs) to MEEB using tinned PVC insulated copper
copper lugs with stainless steel cable as per IS:694
nut and bolts.
MEEB to main earth electrode Multi-strand single core 35 Sq.mm.
PVC insulated copper
cable as per IS:694
(Duplicated)
Main earth pit to other earth pit Copper tape 25X2 mm. or 8 mm. dia.
in case of loop earth. OR solid copper round
conductor
Fig. 3.7: Typical bonding and earthing connections for signalling equipments
(Ref: Typical installation drawing no. SDO/RDSO/E&B/002 dated 19.09.2008)
Fig. 3.8: Typical bonding and earthing connections for MICROLOK II Electronic
Interlocking system
(Ref: Railway Board letter no.2010/SigSGF/EI/(Ansaldo) dated 22.06.2011 regarding
Directives of system improvement of Electronic Interlocking- MICROLOK II)
3.4 आई.पी.एस. णाल क अ थ ग Earthing of IPS system
The IPS systems and its individual modules have earth terminals and these should be
properly earthed to the IPS cabinet.
Zonal Railways shall provide earthing arrangement as per IS:S 3043. The earth
resistance shall not be more than 2 ohm. Earth provided shall preferably be
maintenance free using earth resistance improvement material.
No earth shall be connected to the system. The system earth shall be connected to Class
B protection module and Class B module only shall be connected to earth. (Class B
protection is dealt in Section IV – Lightning & Surge Protection)
Fig. 3.9(a): System directly connected to earth - Incorrect

(b): System connected to earth through Class B module – Correct
Care must be taken so that the distance between earth pit connection and IPS is always
higher than that of the distance between earth pit connection and Class B module.
Separate routing and combining of all earths at one point is correct as shown in the Fig.
3.10 below.
Fig. 3.10: Separate routing and combining of all earths at one point
3.5 एकल अथ णाल Single earth system

 The Telecom installations shall use single earth system in which the different earth
connections from equipments, towers, D.C. power supply, metallic structures etc. shall
be interconnected to each other through low resistance earthing conductors.
 This method is recommended to keep all the points to be earthed at approximately
same potential level.
3.6 अ थ ग के काय को कायाि वत करने हे तु सावधा नयाँ

Precautions to be followed for execution of earthing work
(1) All the material supplied for the earthing work should be inspected by RDSO.
(2) Site location for earthing-
i) Low line areas close to the building are good for locating earth electrode.
ii) Dry sand, lime stone, granite and any stony ground should be avoided.
iii) Earth electrode should not be installed on high bank or made-up soil.
(3) The copper coating on earth electrode should not be cracked due to damage
during storage /transport and should be free of corrosion.
(4) The packing bags of earth enhancement compound should be in sealed condition.
(5) For the earth pit, a hole of 100mm-125mm dia should be augured to a depth of
approx. 3m and the earth electrode is placed in the hole with about 150mm of
bottom part inserted in the natural soil.
(6) Earth enhancement material (minimum 30-35Kg) shall be filled into the augured
hole in a slurry form such that it spreads evenly around the electrode covering
entire length of the hole.
(7) In order to achieve earth resistance of less than or equal to 1 ohm, multiple earth
pits should be provided depending upon soil resistivity if required.
(8) The distance between two earth electrodes shall be minimum 3m and maximum
upto 6m (approx.).
(9) The 25 x 2copper strip or 8mm round solid copper interconnecting the earth
electrode shall be buried at a depth not less than 500mm below ground level and
this copper strip should also be covered with earth enhancement compound.
(10) Proper size of cable should be used for connection of equipments to equi-potential
busbar, SPDs to equi-potential busbar, equi-potential busbar to earth electrode as
indicated in the specification.
(11) The length of cable connection between SPDs and equi-potential busbar and
between equipment and equi-potential busbar should be as short and as direct as
possible and preferably without/ minimum bends.
(12) Authorized representative of the RDSO approved OEM should supervise each
installation and certify that the installation is complying the requirements of the
specification.
3.7 स न लंग उपकरण क अ थ ग एवं बॉ ं डंग णाल के संयोजन क ए सोथ मक

वैि डंग हेतु सावधा नयाँ
Precautions to be followed for Exothermic welding of connections for
Earthing& Bonding System for signaling equipments
a. Clean the surfaces of the various components i.e. earth electrode, cable, copper bus
bar, copper tape and mould etc. with the help of card cloth brush before performing
exothermic welding to ensure that surface is free from oil & dust.
b. Pre heat the welding surfaces of various components to ensure that the surface is
free from moisture.
c. Mould used should be correct for the component size and application. Do not use
worn out or broken moulds which could result in leakage of molten weld metal.
d. Ensure that handle clamp is attached to the mould and properly adjusted.
e. Ensure that all the components to be jointed properly fit into the mould and the
mould is in level position.
f. Place the correct size of steel disc into the mould crucible and make sure the disc
sits well at the base of the weld metal cavity.
g. Pour recommended size of weld metal powder into the mould crucible.
h. Check for leaks, make sure that weld metal do not enter into the weld cavity.
i. Ignite the weld powder at the lid opening. Use only firm’s recommended igniter.
Make sure that no inflammable items are around the mould.
j. Once welding is completed, wait for two minutes before opening mould to allow
metal to cool.
k. Gently scrap off the un- wanted slag from the crucible with a mould scraper.
l. Clean the crucible and the weld cavity with a mould cleaning brush.
m. Welding should be carried out only by the well trained staff of the supplier.
3.8 या कर व या न कर Do’s & Don’ts

 Pour sufficient water so that mixture is in paste / mud form.
 Allow the pit to absorb the water and become compact.
 Test the earth pit before connecting to the electrical circuit.
 Avoid excess watering.
 Do not hammer the earth electrode.
 The surroundings of the earth electrode should be kept moist by periodically pouring
water through the pipe in order to keep the resistance below specified value.
 Coke treated electrodes shall not be situated within 6 meters of other metal structure.
 The protective earth of Telecom system shall not be connected to the earth of mains
power supply system. A minimum distance of 10 Meters is desirable.

अ याय IV
Chapter IV
आकाशीय व युत एवं सज से सुर ा
Lightning and Surge Protection

Lightning occurs throughout the world, but some areas receive far more lightning than
others.
A single direct strike can result in physical damage to the structure which may result fire, loss
of product, damage to infrastructure, communications downtime and loss of life. Lightning
also poses unacceptable risks for electronics and communication systems.
A surge is a very short burst of voltage, which if not suppressed, can cause equipment failure
or lockup. The duration of surge is less than 1/1000 of a second.
Surges are induced in nearby AC power lines due to cloud to cloud and cloud to ground
strikes.
Surges are also generated due to self-inductance whenever power is switched on or off during
a non-zero crossing point of the sine wave.
4.2 संकेत एवं दूरसंचार उपकरण क सु र ा Protection of S&T equipments

Nowadays almost all equipments used in S&T department include the electronic devices
which operate on low voltages. The low voltage equipments e g. UPS, Battery Charger,
Inverter, control systems, etc are provided with surge components like MOVRs avalanche
diodes, gas discharge tubes etc. inside the equipments. The internally used surge protection
components prove to be inadequate towards the surge protection solution. Hence to protect
these devices from transient over voltages produced due to lightning, switching of inductive
loads, ignition and interruption of electronic arcs etc., suitable surge protection arrangement
is required to be done at different levels. Before going for different types of surge protection
arrangements, let us first understand Surge Protection Devices and their characteristics.
4.3 सज ोटे शन उपकरण Surge protection devices (SPDs)

Surge Protection Devices can protect the electronic equipment from the potentially
destructive effects of high-voltage transients.The Surge Protection Devices have following
features:
1. Rapid operation,
2. Accurate voltage control and
3. Automatic resetting once the over-voltage has ceased.
4.3.1 Function of SPD

Surge protection devices should ideally operate instantaneously to divert a surge current to
ground with no residual common-mode voltage presented at the equipment terminals.
Once the surge current has subsided, the SPD should automatically restore normal operation
and reset to a state ready to receive the next surge.
Chapter IV – Lightning & Surge protection
4.3.2 Types of SPDs

There are a number of Surge Protection Devices of which the most commonly used are:
 Air or Carbon Sparks Gaps
 Gas discharge tubes (GDTs),
 Voltage-clamping diodes or Zener Diodes
 Metal-oxide varistors (MOVs)
 Fuses
 Ciruit breakars
Air or Carbon Spark Gaps

Air spark gaps are generally connected between line and earth in locations where a high
voltage transient can flash over to earth.
The protection level is a function of gap distance but it is affected by environmental
factors such as air humidity.
They are inexpensive but for modern SPDs these components are not practical and are
therefore not used.
Gas discharge tubes

 Typically, low voltage protection devices have electrode spacing of 1mm or so in an
argon/hydrogen mixture sealed within a ceramic envelope at about 0.1 bar.
 Gas discharge tubes (GDTs) seek to overcome some of the disadvantages of air or
carbon spark gaps by hermetic sealing, thereby eliminating environmental effects.
 Gas filling enables spark discharge conditions to be quite rigorously controlled since
the breakdown voltage of such a device is related to gas pressure and electrode
separation for a particular set of materials.
Fig. 4.1: 2 element gas discharge tube connection

Fig. 4.2: 3 element gas discharge tube connection
Zener Diodes
 Semiconductor devices such as zener diodes are fast in operation and are available in a
wide range of voltages that provide accurate and repeatable voltage clamping.
 Standard zener diodes can not usually handle surge currents however modified surge
suppression diodes are available with capabilities of up to several KV for pulses of less
than 1 milli-second.
 Surge diodes with the capacity of several KW can be rather large and expensive, so
indiscriminate use is not common.
Fuses
 Fuses can be used to great effect in protecting equipment from over currents. However, as
they rely upon thin sections of wire melting, they take a significant time to operate and
the current passing through while this occurs can still be sufficient to damage sensitive
electronic parts.
 This has a major disadvantage of being usable only once, leaving lines disconnected until
the blown fuses are replaced.
Circuit breakers
Circuit breakers are normally designed for power systems and though energy handling
capability can be increased to whatever level is considered necessary, speed of response is of
the order of 10 milli-seconds.
A comparative table is given below for above protection devices
Component Speed of Level of Energy Stability

response protection handling
capability
GD tube Fast (Micro-secs) Fair High Fair
Air gap Fast Poor High Poor

Surge relay Slow (Milli-secs) Good High Good
Carbon gap Fast Poor High Poor
Zener diode Very Fast Very good Low Very good
Circuit breakers Slow Fair High Fair
Fuses Very slow Good High Fair
Metal oxide Very Fast Fair High Poor
varistors
As can be seen from the table no single device can offer all the best requirements of the
lightning protections. It is generally necessary to use more than one type of the above
components in a protective network to obtain the best possible combination of desirable
characteristics.
4.3.3 SPD parameters

Following parameters are taken into consideration for the performance of SPDs:
Nominal voltage (Un)

It corresponds to the nominal voltage of the system to be protected. The nominal voltage is
indicated in case of surge protective devices for IT installations for type designation
purposes. For AC voltages it is indicated as RMS value.
Max. Continuous Voltage (Uc)

It is the Root Mean Square (RMS) value of maximum voltage which may be applied to the
correspondingly marked terminals of the surge protective device during operation. It is the
maximum voltage on the SPD in the defined non-conductive state which ensures that this
state is regained after response and discharge.
Nominal Load Current (Nominal Current) (IL)

It is the highest permissible operating current which may be permanently conducted via the
correspondingly marked terminals.
Nominal Discharge Current (In)

It is the peak value of an impulse current, waveform 8/20 micro-sec (µs), which the surge
protective device rated for, according to a certain test programme.
Max. Discharge Current (Imax)

It is the max. peak value of the impulse current 8/20 micro-sec (µs), which can be safely
discharged by the device.
Lightning Impulse Current (Iimp)

It is the standardized impulse current curve, with a waveform 10/350 micro-sec (µs). Its
parameters (peak value, charge, specific power) simulate the loads of natural lightning
currents and combined lightning current and surge protectors must be capable of discharging
such lightning impulse currents several times without consequential damage to the
equipment.
Voltage Protection Level (Up)

The voltage protection level of a surge protective device is the max. instantaneous value of
the voltage on the terminals of a surge protective devices.
N-PE Surge Arrestors

These are surge protective devices exclusively designed for installation between the N and PE
conductor.
Operating Temperature Range

This indicates the range where the devices can be used. In case of devices without self-
heating, it is equal to the ambient temperature range. The temperature rise at devices with
self-heating, must not exceed the max. value indicated.
Response time tA
Response times generally characterize the response performance of the individual protection
elements used in surge protective devices.
Swell
A momentary voltage increase of the power line voltage, lasting up to several seconds.
Transient
An abnormal over voltage of micro-second duration. Also called a surge or spike.
4.4 व भ न कार के र ा मक उपाय

Different types of protective arrangements
Protection arrangement shall be made for underground cable conductors, by providing gas
discharge (GD) tubes and MOVR, at the following places:
 Protection at subscriber premises.

 Metallic sheath or armour of the cable shall be earthed and the sheath should be
connected to the body of the metal box.
 At transmission/ switching end the metallic sheath shall be earthed and protective devices
shall be provided for each pair.
 At transmission point between overhead lines and underground cables are protected with
GD tubes and MOVR if the distance exceeds 500 meters from the cable termination box.
4.4.1 Protection arrangements across A.C mains supply to telecom installations
 Low voltage lightning dischargers of normal rating 650V shall be provided across the 230
V mains power supply as shown in the figure.
 In the case of high tension supply (11 KV or above) are terminated near telecom
installation and suitable pole mounted high voltage arrester shall be provided.
Normal
working
voltage,
650 V
230 V To power
AC distribution
Mains Board
Fig. 4.3: Protection arrangements across A.C mains supply to telecom installations
4.5 आकाशीय व यु त से सु र ा के तर Lightning protection levels
4.5.1 Protection against the lightning on the structure housing the equipment
This type of protection is classified under Class ‘A’ protection.
Class ‘A’ protection
 This is provided with an external lightning conductor on top of the building connected
through a down conductor to ground (EARTH). This is known as class ‘A’ protection.
Fig. 4.4 : Sketch showing Class ‘A’ protection

 By this arrangement 50% of lightning energy is connected to ground. Depending on the

area, size of the structure to be protected and the type of protection varies.
Fig. 4.5 : A typical lightning conductor
Power line protection

The power line of electronic signalling equipment shall have Class B & C type 2-stage
protection. Stage 3 protection is also required for protection of power/signaling/data lines.
Class ‘B’ and class ‘C’ type protection devices shall preferably be pluggable type to facilitate
easy replacement.
4.5.2 Stage 1 (Power Line Protection at Distribution level)

Class ’B’ protection
 The first stage of protection provided before the equipment at mains distribution panel is
called class ’B’ type.
 This type of protection shall be provided against Lightning Electromagnetic Pulse
(LEMP) and other high surges at the power distribution panel.
 The modules shall have an indication function to indicate the life and failure mode to
facilitate the replacement of failed SPDs
 The device is a Spark gap type and operate on arc chopping principle and designed to
handle lightning current pulses of 10/350 µs.
Fig. 4.6: A Class ‘B’ Surge arrestor
4.5.3 Stage 2 (Power Line Protection at Equipment level)

Class-‘C’ Protection
This type of protection is provided against low voltage surges at the equipment input level
connected between line and neutral.
The device is a single compact varistor (MOV) which have following additional features:
 Indication (shows red) when device failed.
 Thermal disconnection of device when it starts having heavy leakage current due to
ageing / handling several surges.
 Potential free contact for remote monitoring.
A number of MOVs shall in no case be provided in parallel.
Fig. 4.7: A Class ‘C’ Surge arrestor
4.5.4 Stage 3 (Protection for Power/Signalling/data lines)

All external Power/Signalling/data lines (AC/DC) shall be protected by using preferably
pluggable stage 3 surge protection devices which consists of a combination of
varistors/suppressor diodes and GD tube with voltage and current limiting facilities.
4.5.5 Protection of Power line
Class ‘D’ protection

The device for power line protection shall be of Class D type.
This has an indication function to indicate the prospective life and failure mode to facilitate
the replacement of failed SPDs.
The device is thermal disconnecting type and equipped with potential free contact for
remote monitoring.
It consists of a combination of MOVs and GD tube. This should have all the features as
mentioned above for Class ’C’ device.
All external data/signaling (AC/DC) lines connected to electronic equipment should be
protected by this arrangement.
One exception where Class “D” device should not be provided is the cable conductors
carrying signal lighting feed as leakage in MOVs due to ageing will have adverse effect on
working of Lamp Proving Relays (ECRs).
Fig. 4.8: A Class ‘D’ Surge arrestor
4.5.6 Signalling/Data line protection

These devices shall preferably have an indication function to indicate the prospective life and
failure mode to facilitate the replacement of failed SPDs.
If the device has any component which comes in series with data/signaling lines, the module
shall have “make before break” feature so that taking out of pluggable module does not
disconnect the line.
If power supply/data/signalling lines (AC/DC) are carried through overhead wires or cables
above ground to any nearby building or any location outside the equipment room, additional
protection of Stage 2 (Class C) type shall be used at such locations for power supply lines and
Stage 3 protection for signal/data lines.
4.6 आई.पी.एस. सं थापन क आकाशीय व यु त एवं सज से सु र ा

Lightning and Surge protection of IPS installation
(Ref.: RDSO/SPN/165/2012, ver.3.0 for SMPS based Integrated Power Supply)
 IPS system is provided with Class B and Class C type two stage protection.
 Co-ordinated type B & C arrestor shall be provided in a separate enclosure in IPS room
adjacent to each other. This enclosure should be wall-mounting type.
 Class B protection devices (LPD) protect the IPS against lightning. This is separate
module of wall mounting type, which is to provided at the power-input point in the IPS
room. These devices are of encapsulated type and have self-arc quenching facility.
 Class C protection devices (SPD) are also provided in the LPD Module of wall mounting
type. Potential free contacts are provided for failure monitoring of the devices.
 Potential free contacts are provided for health monitoring of SPD and the same can be
wired to ASM room or any other place required for monitoring the healthiness of SPDs.
 Length of all cable connection from input supply and earth busbar to SPDs shall be
minimum possible. This shall be ensured at installation time. The connections shall be as
per drawing no.4.9.
 Stage 1 and stage 2 (Class B & C) protection should be from the same
manufacturer/supplier. IPS manufacturer shall provide Stage 1 & stage 2 protection along
with IPS. Stage 3 protection shall be provided by Railways.
 The cross sectional area of the conductor for first stage protection shall not be less than 16
sq mm and for second stage shall not be less than 10 sq mm.
Fig.4.9: Surge protection for IPS installation
4.6.1 Stage 1 Protection (at the entry point of input 230V AC supply in the power/
equipment room)
(a) The Stage 1 protection shall consist of coordinated Class I/ B & II/ C type SPDs at the entry
point of input 230V AC supply in Power /Equipment room in TT configuration in a
separate wall mountable box. The Class I/B SPD shall be provided between Line to
Neutral & Neutral to Earth. They shall be spark gap type voltage switching device and
tested as per IEC 61643 with the following characteristics and features:
Sr. Parameter Value/Limit

No. Line & Neutral Neutral & Earth
1. Nominal voltage (U0) 230 V 230 V
2. Maximum continuous operating voltage >255 V >255 V
(Uc)
3. Lightning impulse current between >25 kA >50 kA
10/350ms (Imp)
4. Response time (Tr) < 100 n sec. < 100 n sec
5. Voltage protection level (Up) < 2.5 kV < 2.5 kV
6. Short circuit withstand and follow up > 3 kA > 100 kA
current extinguishing capacity without
back-up fuse (Isc & Ifi)
7. Temporary Over Voltage (UT) 334V min. for 1200V min.
05 secs. for 200ms
8. Operating temperature / RH -25ºC to +80°C/ -25ºC to +80°C/
95% 95%
9. Mounted on DIN rail DIN rail
10. Indication Mandatory Optional
11. Pluggability Optional Optional
12. Potential free contact for remote Optional Optional
monitoring
13. Encapsulation Encapsulated Encapsulated
14. Degree of protection IP20 IP20
15. Housing Fire retardant Fire retardant
as per UL 94 as per UL 94
(b) The Class I/ B SPD will be followed by Class II/ C SPD adjacent to it and connected
between Line & Neutral. The device shall be a single compact varistor of proper rating and
in no case a number of varistors shall be provided in parallel. It shall be voltage clamping
device, thermal disconnecting type and shall be tested as per IEC 61643 with the following
characteristics and features:
Sr. Parameter Limits (Between Line &

No. Neutral)
1. Nominal voltage (U0) 230 V
2. Maximum continuous operating voltage (Uc) > 300 V
3. Nominal discharge current 8/20 µs (In) > 10 kA
4. Maximum discharge current 8/20 µs (Imax) > 40 kA
5. Response time (Tr) < 25 n sec.
6. Voltage protection level (Up) < 1.5 kV
7. Operating temperature / RH -25ºC to +80°C/ 95%
8. Mounted on DIN rail
9. Indication Mandatory
10. Pluggability Mandatory
11. Potential free contact for remote monitoring Mandatory
12. Degree of protection IP20
13. Housing Fire retardant as per UL 94
(c) Class I/B and class II/C SPDs of Stage I shall be so coordinated that the voltage protection
level of the coordinated devices is < 1.5 KV. As such, these devices shall be from the same
manufacturer and necessary test certificate in this regard shall be submitted by the
manufacturer/ supplier.
4.6.2 Stage 2 protection (at the output side inside the distribution panel)
The Stage 2 protection shall consist of Class II/ C type SPDs for ≥24V-110V AC/DC
supplies at the output side inside the rack of IPS. These shall be provided for External
circuits i.e. Relay external circuit, Axle counter circuit, point machine circuit and at Inverter
output. The Class II/C type SPD shall be a single compact varistor of proper rating and in
no case a number of varistors shall be provided in parallel. It shall be voltage clamping
device and thermal disconnecting type. They shall be tested as per IEC 61643 with the
following characteristics and features:
Sr. Parameter Limits (between L1 & L2, L1 & E, L2 & E)

No. Line & Neutral Neutral & Earth
1. Nominal voltage (U0) 60 V-110V AC/DC 24V-60V AC/DC
2. Maximum continuous operating >150 V (AC) >75 V (AC)
voltage (Uc) > 200V (DC) > 100V (DC)
3. Nominal discharge >10 KA >10 KA
current 8/20 µs (In)
4. Maximum discharge >40 KA >40 KA
current 8/20 µs (Imax)
5. Response time (Tr) < 25 n sec. < 25 n sec.
6. Voltage protection level (Up) < 1.0 KV < 0.5 KV
7. Operating temperature/RH -25ºC to +80°C/ 95% -25ºC to +80°C/ 95%
8. Mounted on DIN rail DIN rail
9. Indication Mandatory Mandatory
10. Pluggability Mandatory Mandatory
11. Potential free contact for remote Mandatory Mandatory
monitoring
12. Degree of protection IP20 IP20
13. Housing Fire retardant Fire retardant
as per UL 94 as per UL 94
Length of all cable connection from SPDs to earth equi-potential busbar shall be kept less
than 0.5mtrs. For this, a sub earth equi-potential busbar shall be installed at approx. 20cm
from the SPD box. The details of connection of SPDs for Stage 1, & 2 of a typical
installation with IPS is given in Fig.4.10
4.6.3 Earthing
The IPS systems and its individual modules shall have earth terminals and shall be properly
earthed to the IPS cabinets.
Zonal Railways shall provide earthing arrangement in conformity to Code of practice for
earthing and Bonding RDSO/SPN/197/2008 as per details in Fig.


4.7 नर ण एवं अनु र ण Inspection and maintenance

In lightning arrestors of Class B, aging phenomena may occur in rare cases, adversely
affecting the protective function of the devices, because of frequent overloading/lightning. It
is therefore advisable to check the arrestors every two to four years, and after direct lightning
strikes.
Surge arrestors of Class C contain varistors having an indicator, which shows whether the
device is faulty. The indicators of these should be checked, especially after a period of
thunderstorms. If the indicator changes from green to red, the device must be replaced, since
it no longer gives protection. 


अनु ल नक I
ANNEXURE I
अथ तरोध का मापन
Measurement of Earth resistance
The earth resistance shall be measured at the Main Equi-potential Earth Busbar (MEEB)
with all the earth pits interconnected using Fall of Potential method. The typical
connection diagram used for measurement of earth resistance is as per figure no.
SDO/RDSO/E&B/003.
The basic procedure of fall of potential method using four terminal equipments is as
under:-
a. Connect the C1 & P1 on the test set to the earth electrode as per figure no.
SDO/RDSO/E&B/ 003.
b. Drive a probe into the earth 30 to 60metre from the centre of the electrode and connect
to terminal C2. This probe should be driven to a depth of 15 to 30cms.
c. Drive another probe into the earth midway between the electrodes and probe C2 and
connect to terminal P2. This probe should be driven to a depth of 6 to 12 inches.
d. Measure the resistance.
e. Move the potential probe 3metre farther away from the electrode and make the second
measurement.
f. Move the potential probe 3metre closure to the electrode and make the third
measurement.
g. All the three measurements shall be within a few percent of their average. The average
of the three measurements may be used as the electrode/earth resistance .

Earthing & Surge protection devices for S&T installations December2017

Annexure I – Measurement of Earth resistance



Earthing & Surge protection devices for S&T installations December2017

Annexure I – Measurement of Earth resistance
अनु ल नक II
ANNEXURE II
सं त श दावल Abbreviations
AC Alternating Current
ACSR Alluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced
DC Direct Current
EEB Equi-potential Earth Bus-bar
EI Electronic Interlocking
EJB Electronic Junction Box
GDT Gas Discharge Tube
GI Galvanized Iron
Hz Hertz
IPS Integrated Power Supply
KV Kilo Volt
KW Kilo Watt
L Line
LEMP Lightning Electromagnetic Pulse
LPD Lightning Protection Device
MEEB Main Equi-potential Earth Bus-bar
MOV Metal Oxide Varistor
N Neutral
OHE Over Head Equipment
PE Protection Earth
RDSO Research Designs and Standards Organisation
RMS Route Mean Square
SEEB Sub Equi-potential Earth Bus-bar
S&T Signal and Telecommunication
SM Station Master
SPD Surge Protection Device
UPS Un-interrupted Power Supply
VF Voice Frequency




Annexure II – Abbreviations December 2017

CAMTECH/S/Proj/2017-18/HB /1. 0 41
अनुल नक III
ANNEXURE III
संदभ
REFERENCES
 RDSO specification No. RDSO/SPN/197 – Code of practice for Earthing and

Bonding of Signalling equipments. (w.e.f. 04.07.2016)
 RDSO specification No. RDSO/SPN/165/2012, Version 3.0 – for SMPS based

Integrated Power Supply.

Earthing & Surge protection for S&T installation December 2017

Annexure III – References
गु णव ता नी त
रे ल म या ी और माल यातायात क बढ़ती मांग को पू रा करने के लए
गु णव ता बंध णाल म अनु संधान, डजाइन और मानक म उ कृ टता तथा
सतत सु धार के मा यम से सां व धक और नयामक अपे ाओं को पू रा करते
हु ए सु र त, आधु नक और कफायती रे ल ौ यो गक का वकास करना I
Quality Policy
To develop safe, modern and cost effective Railway technology
complying with Statutory and Regulatory requirements, through
excellence in Research, Designs & Standards and Continual
improvements in Quality Management System to cater to growing
demand of passenger and freight traffic on the Railways.
INDIAN RAILWAYS
Centre for Advanced Maintenance Technology
Maharajpur, Gwalior (M.P.) Pin Code – 474 005

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

संकेत एवं दूरसंचार सं थापन हे तु

कैमटे क/एस/ ोज/2017-18/एसपी4/1.0

Maharajpur, Gwalior (M.P.) - 474005

रे लवे के संकेत एवं दूरसंचार के सं थापन व भ न व यु त तथा इले ो नक

कैमटे क ने इस ह तपु ि तका को संकेत एवं दूरसंचार का मक को व भ न

मु झे व वास है क इस ह तपु ि तका मे द गयी जानकार फ ड टाफ के

CAMTECH has prepared this handbook on the subject to impart knowledge to

CAMTECH Gwalior T.Kuppan

रे लवे क संकेत एवं दूरसंचार णाल गा ड़य के संचालन म मह वपू ण भू मका नभाती है

कैमटे क ने इस ह तपु ि तका को संकेत एवं दूरसंचार का मक को अ थ ग एवं सज

हम ी हर ओम कुशवाहा, नदे शक/ स नल/VI/अ.अ.मा.सं.(आर.डी.एस.ओ.), लखनऊ, एवं

चू ं क तकनीक उ नयन एवं श ण एक मक या है, अतः इस ह तपु ि तका म आप

कैमटे क, वा लयर दनेश कुमार यादव

CAMTECH has prepared this handbook to help S&T personnel understanding

We are sincerely thankful to Shri H.O. Kushswaha,

Since technological upgradation and learning is a continuous process, you

CAMTECH Gwalior D.K.M.Yadav

भू मका Preface v/vi

वषय सू ची Contents vii

सु धार पच Correction Slip ix

ड लेमर तथा हमारा उ े य Disclaimer & Our objective x

कैमटे क काशन CAMTECH Publications ix

I संकेत एवं दूरसंचार सं थापन का अ थ ग

क ए सोथ मक वैि डंग हे तु सावधा नयाँ

अनु ल नक I अथ तरोध का मापन Measurement of earth resistance 38

ISSUE OF CORRECTION SLIPS

इस ह तपुि तका के लए भ व य म जार क जाने वाल सुधार प चय के मांक इस कार से रहगे :

केमटे क/एस/ ोज/2017 – 18/एसपी 4 /1.0 # XX द .................

CAMTECH/S/PROJ/2017-18/SP4/1.0# XX date .......

जहां “XX” स बं धत सु धार पच क म सं या है (01 से शु होकर)

सु धार पच याँ जार क गयीं

CORRECTION SLIPS ISSUED

सु धार पच क म जार करने संशो धत पृ ठ मांक ट प णयाँ Remarks

Sr. No. of Date of Page no. and Item No.

य द आप इस स दभ म कोई वचार और सु झाव दे ना चाहते ह तो कृ पया हम इस पते पर लख :

For downloading these publications

For any further information regarding publications please contact:

Director (S&T) – 0751-2470185 (O)(BSNL)

FAX to 0751-2470841 (BSNL)

1.1 प रचय Introduction

1.2 25 के.वी. 50 ह ज ए.सी. व यु तीकृ त से शन म संकेत एवं दूरसंचार उपकरण क

The objective of earthing may be one or more of the following:

1.3 सं थापन िज ह अथ करना चा हए Installations to be earthed

 The lever frame and other metallic frames of the cabin.

It is not necessary to earth the sheath and armouring of screened cables or

 At every location box where cables terminate.

 Where a number of cables are run together, it is advantageous to earth each

1.4 व श ट तरोध Specific Resistance

1.5 म ी क तरोधकता Soil Resistivity

 Moisture content in the soil

These factors vary locally and seasonally.

1.6 अथ तरोध Earth Resistance

Total earthing resistance is the sum of

1 The resistance of earth lead wires

1.7 अ थ ग क यव थाओं के कार Types of earthing arrangements

1.7.2 Effective or Maintenance-free earthing

 This type of earthing is provided with earth electrode of a highly conductive,

Conventional and Maintenance-free earthing are dealt in the following sections.

1.8 अथ तरोध क सीमाएं Limits of Earth Resistance

Sr. Description Max. Earth

2.1 प रचय Introduction

The conventional earthing arrangement is mainly provided for earthing of Mechanical