Grounding and Discharging of Circuits

When working with HV systems, it is very important to know about earthing down. As per the Power
System Safety Rules, the application of earthing is controlled on high voltage conductors.

For portable earthing, the following principles and requirements are followed:

• The earthing equipment must be carried below shoulder level.

• The leads and clamps must be kept away from the high voltage conductor.
• The clamps must be applied to either stirrup or horizontal conductor, wherever it is possible.
• The clamps must be positioned in such a way that the tension on the earth lead is at minimum.
• The earthing equipment must be assembled and examined on the ground.
• The earthing equipment like shot gun sticks must be extended or prepared on the ground.
• De-energizing of high voltage conductors must be proved.
• No part of earthing system must be allowed to intrude on safe distances. The earthing leads
must be kept away from the body wherever it is practically possible.
• The rating of the earthing equipment must be checked whether the fault level is appropriate to
the applicable locations.
• In order to prevent the equipment from intruding or contacting with nearby live high voltage
conductors, it is necessary to remove the earthing equipment from the high voltage conductors.
• It is necessary to make sure that the earthing equipment is in working condition. If any defect is
found in the portable earthing equipment, it should be either disposed or repaired.

Conclusion: Before working on any HV systems, it is very much necessary to ensure that the system is
dead, isolated and earthed. The working place must be secured. Issue of permit to work or sanction-for-
test must be carried out. The access to the working place or nearby places must be limited. Only trained
and competent personnel must be allowed to test the isolation.

Earth the equipment suitably to discharge electrically such conductor or apparatus, and any adjacent
conductor or apparatus if there is danger therefrom. Every person who is working on an electric supply-
line or apparatus or both shall be provided with tools and devices, such as, gloves, rubber shoes, safety
belts, ladders, earthing devices, helmets, line testers, hand lines and the like for protecting him from
mechanical or electrical injury. Such tools and devices shall always be maintained in sound and efficient
working conditions. Earthing devices are the most important life-saving ones in safe working on
electrical equipment.

Earthing Devices: Grounding Stick and Earth connection clamp are the two important earthing devices.

Grounding Stick: A high-voltage circuit must be de-energized and grounded with a grounding stick
before touching it or before leaving it unattended and exposed. Until the circuit is ready to be re-
energized, the grounding stick must be left on the high-voltage terminal. Grounding sticks must be
readily available in the vicinity of the high-voltage areas. It is strongly recommended that in case of two-
person operation, automatic grounding arrangements or systems that engage audible warning tones to
remind the persons to ground the high-voltage equipment. This feature is also mandatory in case of one-
person or unattended operation. Using grounding stick is strongly encouraged for operations with bare
conductors at moderate voltages. This is recommended specifically for the setups containing energy-
storage devices.

Earth connection clamp: One of the significant concepts in HV systems is earthing down. It is very
important to make sure that the electrical energy stored in the equipment after isolation is discharged to
earth. On a high voltage cabling, higher levels of insulation resistance results in huge amount of operator
stored energy (w) and insulation capacitance (c). The need for higher values of insulation capacitance (c)
and more stored energy (w) arises due to the higher levels of insulation resistance on high voltage
cabling. The electrical formula is energy

stored . Even after disconnection, some of

this energy is stored in HV equipment. For instance, a residual capacitive charge will be present on a
6.6KV switch board for some hours or days after disconnection. This stored energy can be discharged
only by keeping the equipment connected to earth for longer times with the use of the Earth connection
clamp discussed below.

A high-voltage circuit must be de-energized and grounded with a grounding stick before touching it or
before leaving it unattended and exposed. Then the circuit shall be earthed using Earth connection
clamp shown below:

Until the circuit is ready to be re-energized, the Earth connection clamp must be left on the high-voltage
terminal. Grounding sticks must be readily available in the vicinity of the high-voltage areas. It is strongly
recommended that in case of two-person operation, automatic grounding arrangements or systems that
engage audible warning tones to remind the persons to ground the high-voltage equipment. This feature
is also mandatory in case of one-person or unattended operation. Using grounding stick is strongly
encouraged for operations with bare conductors at moderate voltages. This is recommended specifically
for the setups containing energy-storage devices.

Earthing down makes sure that the isolated equipment are non hazardous. A high voltage switch board
can be earthed down using two methods, circuit earthing and busbar earthing.

Circuit Earthing: After racking out the circuit breaker, a connection is made between the incoming or
outgoing feeder cable from earth and three conductors using a heavy earth connection. A special key is
used to perform this task at the circuit breaker. Then, this key is kept inside a key safe. Till the circuit
earth is removed, it is not possible to rack in the circuit breaker.

Busbar Earthing: It is necessary to isolate busbars from all electrical sources like generator cables,
transformers, bus-tie breakers etc., before starting the work on them. They are earthed down with the
help of portable leads after they are connected together. The portable leads provide a visible proof of the
earthing arrangements.

Earthing of Busbar spouts of multi-panel switchboards: The recommendations given below are to be
strictly followed in sequence while the work is to be carried out on busbar spouts:

a. The details of necessary safety precautions and switching operations on a safety programme should
be recorded by the Authorised Person (HV) and he should also produce isolation and earthing diagram.

b. The busbar spouts section under testing must be cut off from all points of supply that can make the
spouts live.

c. Isolating arrangements must be locked to prevent them from being operated and the shutters of live
spouts must be locked. There should be a display of caution signs at the isolating points.

d. Where applicable, danger signs should be posted on or near the electrical equipment at the limits of
the zone where the work is carried out.

e. Using an approved voltage indicator, busbars should be checked to ensure that they are dead. The
indicator should also be tested immediately before and after use. Checking the busbars with the voltage
indicator should be done on the panel that is to be applied with the circuit main earths. This test should
also be carried on the panel on which the work is carried out.

f. The panel on the isolated section of the busbar should be connected to circuit main earths. Circuit
main earths should also be applied at the area where the test is carried out by the method
recommended by the switchgear manufacturers. The practice of inserting hands or any tool into the
contact spouts for the purpose of applying circuit main earth is unacceptable.

g. All the phases at the point of work should be connected to the main earth connection.