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Beirut Arab University

School of Engineering

Power System Protection

Doctor Abdallah Al Ghali

Rami Zibawi: 201801172

Slemain Rawwas: 201803090

Tuesday, March 15,2020

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Literature review.........................................................................................................................................5
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....13

References.................................................................................................................................................14
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Table of Figures:

Figure 1: Step potential…………………………………………………………………..5

Figure 2: Step and touch voltage…………………………………………………………6

Figure 3: touch voltage…………………………………………………………………..7

Figure 4: Maximum permissible touch voltage…………………………………………..8

Figure 5: Reducing resistivity…………………………………………………………….9

Figure 6: Placing ground conductors…………………………………………………….10

Figure 7: Pavement……………………………………………………………………..11
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Introduction

In electrical engineering, Ground Potential Rise happens when big amount of current

flows to earth. The difference in potential with respect to the distant point on Earth is the

highest at the peak where the current enters ground, and decreases with the distance from

the main source. This study is important in the design of electrical substations because it

can have hazardous and dangerous consequences or risk on the life of people in contact.

This change in potential may be high such that this person in contact maybe injured due

to this difference in the potential through feet, or between the ground and objects. This

risk does not just occur to human being, but it can also be dangerous to equipment

outside the substation. Due to the non-zero resistance of Earth, the current that happens

and flows produces this potential difference, and thus causes dangerous results that will

be discussed throughout this report.

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Literature Review

Step Voltage
One of the hazardous effects of ground potential rise is Step voltage. When an object get

energized a difference in potential happens which can cause the person standing to get

effected by it. It is in other words the difference in potential between two points at

different distances from the electrode, which caused a risk to the person standing near the

grounding point. So when a fault occurs at a tower or substation, the current will enter

Earth and because of the varying resistivity of soil a potential will occur.

If this difference of voltage occurs between the legs of the personnel, electricity will flow

and thus cause risk. This varying soil resistivity can play a big role in how much the
Figure 1:step potential
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difference in potential can be dangerous the site. As it is commonly known, when the

resistivity of soil increases, the potential will eventually increase. The high resistivity in

the top layer of the ground and the low resistivity in the bottom layer play a big role in

this potential difference. The low resistivity layer will bring current to the top layer

through the electrode which will result in high voltages near this electrode in the ground.

On the other side, if the top layer has low resistivity and the bottom layer is resistive a big

problem will happen and this can be often called the worst scenario, which will cause the

current to stay on the conductive top layer for much greater distances away from this

electrode. To help reduce this effect, the fault clearing time factor plays a big role in this

place, since the more time it takes the electric service company to clear the fault, the

more likely it is for a given level of current to cause the human heart to fibrillate.

Furthermore, we can also use automated re-closers which will cause the power to shut off

if a fault occurs and can be turned back on later on. In brief, it is well known that the

Fibrillation Current for Step Potentials must be far greater than Touch Potentials, as

current will not pass through any vital organs in the previous case. But in other cases the

shocked person in the step case can fall on the ground to make the scenario worse.

Figure 2: step and touch voltage

Touch potential
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It is the touch voltage between the energized object and the feet of a person in contact

with the object. It is also equal to the difference in potential between the object and a

distant point. The touch potential or touch voltage could be somehow near the full

voltage across the grounded object if that object is grounded at a point isolated from the

place where the person is in contact with it. In brief, when a fault occurs in a substation or

tower, the current will enter earth after it passes through the metallic object. The person

touching this object will be subjected to dangerous difference in voltage eventually. For

instance, if a person touches a high-voltage tower leg when a fault occurs, the current will

pass to the hands of this person and thus cause danger in the vital organs in the human

body.

Figure 3: Touch voltage

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• When a transmission line for example is cut and falls to the ground, it might hit a

car, a tree or even a crane which causes the current to pass from the object to the

person in contact to the ground. The further away from the tower the other

reference point is located, the greater the difference in potential.

• As a conclusion: Touch potential is applied between a person’s hands and feet.

• Touch Potential is of particular concern as current flow from the hand across the

heart and down the legs, this can cause cardiac arrest.

• Every person has a different resistance depending on their body shape but

experiments have been done to show the maximum current that the human body

can withstand across the heart before damage / cardiac arrest occurs, this can be

as low as 30mA for some people.

Figure 4: Maximum permissible touch voltage

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Solutions
In order to reduce the hazardous effects there are various solutions put into study, and

few of them are:

1- Reducing resistance to ground

Reducing the resistance helps the ground potential rise to decrease.

For example: , if the fault current for a high-voltage tower is 5,000 amps and the

resistance to ground of the grounding system is 10-ohms, the Ground Potential

Rise will be 50,000 volts. If we reduce the resistance to ground of the grounding

system down to 5-ohms and the fault current increases to 7,000 amps as a result,

then the Ground Potential Rise will become 35,000 volts.

Figure 5: reducing resistivity

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2- Proper placement of ground conductors

Install a ground loop around all metallic objects.

Vary the depth and/or distance that ground loops are buried from the structure in

order to provide the necessary protection.

The loop minimizes the voltage between the object and the earth surface where a

person might be standing while touching the object.

Figure 6: placing ground conductors

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3- Reducing Step and Touch Potential Hazards

• 1-Wearing Electric Hazard Shoes.

• Electric hazard shoes have millions of ohms of resistance in the soles and are an

excellent tool for personnel safety.

• When these boots are wet and dirty, current may bypass the soles of the boots.

• 2-Often a layer of crushed rock is added to a tower or substation to provide a

layer of insulation between personnel and the earth.

• This layer reduces the amount of current that can flow through a given person

and into the earth.

• Insulating people feet from the ground, for example a thickness of 5 cm of

asphalt. However this thickness is difficult to check in practice and the effect of a

top layer of rain water is not clear.

• A new product : a mat named “EPR” that is provided like a portable carpet 3.2

mm thick, size 1.0 m x 1.5 m based on 3

layers :

• Top : non conductive rubber

• Medium : Stainless steel

• Bottom : conductive rubber

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Figure 7: Pavement

Calculations

In principle, the potential of the earth grid V can be calculated using Ohm's Law if the

fault current (If) and resistance of the grid (Z) are known.

V= I*Z

At points outside the earth grid, the potential rise decreases. The simplest case of

the potential at a distance is the analysis of a driven rod electrode in homogeneous

earth. The voltage profile is given by the following equation.

Vr = resistivity*Current/2*pie*distance from center.

Standards and Regulations

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have designated EPR as

a "known hazard" and have issued regulations governing the elimination of this hazard in

the work place.

Protection and isolation equipment is made to national and international standards

described by IEEE, National Electrical Codes (UL/CSA), FCC, and Telcordia.

IEEE Std. 80-2000 is a standard that addresses the calculation and mitigation of step and

touch voltages to acceptable levels around electrical substations.

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Conclusion

The primary purpose of a Ground Potential Rise Study is to determine the level of hazard

related with a given high-voltage location for personnel and/or equipment. When the

degree of hazard is identified, the appropriate protections must be made to make the site

safe. To do this, the engineer must identify what the minimum grounding system for each

location will be. The engineer must also take into consideration all local and national

rules, including usefulness company and other requirements.

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References

stocking, David. “What Is Electrical Grounding? - E&S Grounding Solutions.” E&S

Grounding, McGraw-Hills NEC 2014 Grounding and Earthing Handbook, 2014,

www.esgroundingsolutions.com/about-electrical-grounding/.

Ian. “What Is Step and Touch Potential? And How Can You Reduce It's Risk.”
GreyMatters, 16 Aug. 2019, greymattersglobal.com/step-and-touch-potential/.