EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

PROJECT NAME : UP-GRADATION OF RURAL ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION

SYSTEM DHAKA, CHITTAGONG & SYLHET DIVISION
PROJECT (UREDS DCSD).
PACKAGE NO. : UREDS-W-03A. LOT NO. : UREDS-W-03A-001
(DESIGN, SUPPLY, INSTALLATION, TESTING AND
COMMISSIONING OF 33KV SWITCHING STATIONS)
CONTRACT NO : BREB/UREDS-W-03A-001/10/2017-2018
EMPLOYER : BANGLADESH RURAL ELECTRIFICATION BOARD (BREB).
SUBSTATION NAME : COX’S BAZAR 33KV SWITCHING STATION.
CONTRACTOR : ENERGYPAC ENGINEERING LTD.
SUBMITTED BY : ENERGYPAC ENGINEERING LTD.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

BILL OF QUANTITY (BOQ) FOR EARTHING LAYOUT:

Description Unit Quantity

Size of Earthing conductor sqmm 150
Length of Earthing conductor on long side mtr 41.5
Length of Earthing conductor on short side mtr 22.9
Total area enclosed by Earthing Grid sqm 486.23
Total length of Earthing conductor mtr 387.7
Total no of Earth boring no’s 17
Length of each Earth boring mtr 20
Total length of Earth boring mtr 340
Depth of main earthing grid mtr 1

NOTES:

1. Earthing design & calculation is based on IEEE std. 80 (IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation
Grounding)
1. Calculation is based on considering the soil resistivity, ρ = 115.68 Ω-m.
2. Each Transformer body should be earthed at least 02 (Two) points.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION
A) DESIGN PARAMETERS:

Description Symbol Value Unit

1. Length of earthing grid on long side. LX 41.5 mtr
2. Width of earthing grid on short side. LY 22.9 mtr
3. Total area enclosed by earthing grid. A 486.23 sq. mtr
4. Soil resistivity as per field data. ρ 115.68 ohm-mtr
5. Surface layer resistivity. ρs 10000 ohm-mtr
6. Symmetrical earth fault current for sizing earthing If 31.5 KA
conductor.
7. Duration of fault current for sizing earthing tc 3 sec
conductor.
8. Thermal co-efficient of resistivity at 20◦C of subsoil αr 0.00381 per ◦C
ground grid conductor material.
9. Resistivity of subsoil ground grid conductor material ρr 1.78 micro ohm-cm
(20 ◦C).
10. Thermal capacity (per unit volume). TCAP 3.42 J/(cm³.◦C)
11. Maximum allowable (fusing) temperature. Tm 1084 ◦C
12. Design ambient temperature. Ta 40 ◦C
13. Diameter of earthing conductor d 13.8 mm
14. Reflection factor between different materials K -0.97713 N/A
resisvities.
15. Surface layer thickness. hs 0.1 mtr
16. Surface layer-derating factor. Cs 0.69325 N/A

17. Duration of shock for determining allowable body ts 3 sec

current.
18. Maximum tolerable step voltage for 70 kg person Estep70 6687.4 volt

19. Maximum tolerable touch voltage for 70 kg person Etouch70 1789.59 volt

20. Depth of subsoil ground grid conductors. h 1 mtr

21. Spacing between parallel conductors. D 2 mtr
22. Maximum distance between any two points on the Dm 43.967 mtr
grid.
23. Total length of earthing conductor. LC 387.7 mtr

24. Length of each earth boring Lr 20 mtr

25. Total no. of earth boring. nr 17 no’s
26. Total length of earth boring. LR 340 mtr
27. Total effective length of grounding system including LT 727.7 mtr
conductor & earth boring.
28. Effective length of LT=LC+LR for mesh voltage LM 1089.7 mtr

29. Effective length of LT=LC+LR for step voltage LS 579.775 mtr

30. Earthing grid resistance Rg 0.1725 Ohm

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

Description Symbol Value Unit

31. Fault current division factor (split factor) Sf 0.3 N/A
32. Symmetrical grid current (without dc offset) Ig 9450 A
33. Decrement factor for determining, Ig Df 1 N/A
34. Maximum grid current IG 9450 A
35. Ground potential rise GPR 3378.64 volt
36. Geometric factor n 7.275 N/A
37. Corrective weighting factor for earth electrodes on the Kii 1 N/A
corner of mesh
38. Corrective weighting factor for depth of burial Kh 1.414213562 N/A
39. Correction factor for grid geometry Ki 1.721 N/A
40. Geometric spacing factor for mesh voltage Km 0.4933 N/A
41. The maximum attainable touch voltage within a mesh EM 851.53284 volt
42. Geometric spacing factor for step voltage Ks 0.4203 N/A
43. The maximum attainable step voltage ES 1363.6196 volt

B) CALCULATION:

I) Calculation of Earthing Grid Conductor Size:

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 40), we get the required minimum conductor size,

By putting values from design parameters table we get,

112.768 sqmm

As per Technical Data Sheet (TDS), the minimum conductor size for the main earth and interconnections
between earth bars and the earth electrode system shall not be less than 150 sqmm.

Selected conductor size for earthing grid, Ac = 150 sqmm.

CONDUCTOR SIZE FOR EARTHING GRID = 150 sqmm.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

II) Calculation for Maximum Tolerable Step Voltage & Touch Voltage:

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 21), we get the reflection factor between different material resistivities,

By putting the values from design parameters table we get,

K = -0.97713

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 27), we get the surface layer derating factor,

By putting the values from design parameters table we get,

Cs = 0.69324

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 30), we get the maximum tolerable step voltage (assuming avg. weight
of per person 70 kg)

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

Estep70 = 6687.4 volt.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 33), we get the maximum tolerable touch voltage (assuming avg. weight
of per person 70 kg)

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

Etouch70 = 1789.59 volt.

MAXIMUM TOLERABLE STEP VOLTAGE, Estep70 = 6687.4 VOLT.

MAXIMUM TOLERABLE TOUCH VOLTAGE, Etouch70 = 1789.59 VOLT.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION
III) Calculation of Earth Resistance of Earthing Grid System (Accurate Version/Schwarz
Equation):

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 54), we get the earth resistance of ground conductors,

By putting the values from design parameters table and below calculation we get,

R1 = 2.2260885 Ω.

Here, a’ =

Where, r = radius of the selected conductor = 0.0069 mtr.

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

a’ = 0.118

From IEEE standard 80 (Figure 25 (a) & (b)), we get the constant co-efficient,

K1 = 1.10938865

K2 = 4.8612227

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 55), we get the earth resistance of earth electrodes,

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

R2 = 1.5155053 Ω.

Here, cross sectional radius of an earth electrode, b = 0.0069 mtr.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION
From IEEE standard 80 (equation 56), we get the mutual earth resistance between the grid conductors
and the earth electrodes,

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

Rm = 1.8332165 Ω

Now from IEEE standard 80 (equation 53), we get the earthing grid resistance,

Rg = 0.17 Ω

As per Technical Data Sheet (TDS), the calculated Earthing Grid Resistance, Rg should not be exceed 0.5
Ω.

EARTHING GRID RESISTANCE, Rg = 0.1725117 Ω

Here, Earthing Grid Resistance, Rg < 0.5 Ω, hence the result is acceptable.

IV) Calculation of Maximum Grid Current:

Symmetrical earth fault current, If = 31.5KA (As per given document)

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 65), we get symmetrical grid current (rms),

By putting the values from design parameters table we get,

Ig = 9450 Amps.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 64), we get the maximum grid current,

By putting the values from design parameters table and above calculation we get,

IG = 9450 Amps.

MAXIMUM GRID CURRENT, IG = 9450 Amps.

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

V) Calculation of Ground Potential Rise (GPR):

From IEEE standard 80, we get the ground potential rise (GPR),

By putting the values from above calculation we get,

GPR = 1630.2352 volt.

Etouch70 = 1789.59 volt.

GROUND POTENTIAL RISE (GPR) > MAXIMUM TOLERABLE TOUCH VOLTAGE

Since GPR exceeds Etouch70, therefore further design verification is necessary.

C) DESIGN VERIFICATION

VI) Calculation of Mesh Voltage (Maximum Attainable Touch Voltage within a Mesh):

Peripheral length of the grid, LP =

LP = 128.8 mtr

The geometric factor, na =

na = 6.02

The geometric factor, nb =

nb = 1.208419

The geometric factor, nc = 1 (For rectangular grid)

The geometric factor, nd = 1 (For rectangular grid)

The geometric factor composed of factors, n =

n = 7.275

For grids with earth electrodes along the grid perimeter or corners, corrective weighting factor for earth
electrodes on the corner of mesh,

Kii = 1

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 83), we get the corrective weighting factor for depth of burial,

Kh =

Kh = 1.414213562

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 89), we get the correction factor for grid geometry,

Ki = 1.721

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 81), we get the geometric spacing factor for mesh voltage,

Km = 0.4933175

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 90), we get the effective length of (LC+LR) for mesh voltage,

LM = 1089.7 mtr.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 80), we get the mesh voltage (maximum attainable touch voltage within
a mesh)

Em = 851.53284 volt.

Etouch70 = 1789.59volt.

EM < Etouch70
The maximum attainable touch voltage is less than tolerable touch voltage; hence, the
grid design is correct.

VII) Calculation of Maximum Attainable Step Voltage:

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 94), we get the geometric spacing factor for step voltage,

Ks = 0.4203

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 93), we get the effective length of (LC+LR) for step voltage,

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 EARTHING DESIGN & CALCULATION

LS = 579.775 mtr.

From IEEE standard 80 (equation 92), we get the maximum attainable step voltage,

ES = 1363.6196 volt.

Estep70 = 6687.4 volt.

ES < Estep70
The maximum attainable step voltage is less than tolerable step voltage; hence, the
grid design is correct.

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