Soil Resistivity

• Meaning of Soil resistivity.

• Factors affecting.
• How to measure the resistance of the soil.
• Reduce grounding resistance and Soil chemical treatment.

1) Meaning of Soil resistivity.

• Soil resistivity is a measure of how much the soil resists the flow of electricity.
• It is a fundamental property used in grounding system design to understand how
effectively a given type of soil can conduct or impede electrical currents.
• Soil resistivity is a key factor in determining the performance of grounding systems,
lightning protection systems, and other electrical installations.
•Soil resistivity is typically measured in ohm-meters (Ω·m) or ohm-centimeters
(Ω·cm).
2) Factors affecting soil resistivity.

The value of soil resistivity depends on various factors, including:

1. Soil type:
Soil resistivity varies widely depending on soil type, from as low as 1 Ohm-meters
to almost 10,000 Ohm-meters.
2. Moisture:
Moist soil tends to have lower resistivity than dry soil because water facilitates the
flow of electrical current.
3. Composition:
The type and concentration of minerals, moisture content, and other materials
present in the soil influence its resistivity
4. Temperature.
3) Soil Resistivity Measurement

 Ground Resistance Testing Principle:

The purpose of resistivity measurements is to quantify the effectiveness of the

earth where a grounding system will be installed.
The capability of different earth materials to conduct current can be quantified by
the value ƿ e (resistivity in Ω·m).
Resistivity measurements should be made prior to installing a grounding system,
the values measured will have an effect on the design of the grounding system.

 Wenner Four-Pin

Four probes are driven into the earth along a straight line, at equal distances 'a'
apart, driven to a depth. The voltage between the two inner (potential, V)
electrodes is then measured and divided by the current between the two outer
(current, 1) electrodes to give a value of resistance R.
Approximate equation

From the indicated resistance value R, the soil resistivity is calculated according to
the equation:

ƿ a= 2 π . a. R

Pa: mean value of soil resistivity (Ω.m)

R: measured resistance (Ω)
a: probe distance (m)
 Recommended values of earth resistance

 Resistance of driven rods:

• The Ground Resistance (R) of a single rod, of diameter (d) and driven
length (L) driven vertically into the soil of resistivity (p), can be
calculated as follows:

p
R = 2 πL ¿

where: -
Ρ: Soil Resistivity in Ω.m
L: Buried Length of the electrode in m
d: Diameter of the electrode in m

Examples
(a) 20mm rod of 3m length and Soil resistivity 50 Ω.m R=16.1 Ω
 (b) 25mm rod of 2m length and Soil resistivity 30 Ω.m R=13.0 Ω
 Rod Electrodes in Parallel
• If the desired ground resistance cannot be achieved with one ground
electrode, the overall resistance can be reduced by connecting a number of
electrodes in parallel.
• Rods in parallel should be spaced
at least twice their length to utilize
the full benefit of the additional rods.

The combined resistance of rod electrodes in parallel can be obtained from the following
equation:
R
R = n (1 + λs)

In which
P
S= 2 πRa

Where:
R = single rod resistance in isolation, Ω
a = rod spacing, m
p=Soil resistivity, Ω.m
λ= multiplying factor
n = number of electrodes
Fall of Potential or 3-point Measurement
-This technique is basic in ground measurements,
but it is implemented at the level of small ground
systems such as one electrode or several
electrodes.

-The current electrode (2) is placed at a distance

of 30 to 50 meters from the grounding electrode,
and the voltage electrode (P2) is placed in the
middle of the distance between the grounding
electrode and the current electrode.
- It should be noted that the electrodes are on
a straight line and that the wires do not touch one another.
Measuring the Resistance of Ground Electrode (62% method)
4) Reduce grounding resistance.

• Increase the diameter of the grounding electrode.

• Increasing the length.

Reaching depths of 10-12 meters or more sometimes

leads to reaching layers in the ground with good
conductivity. This type of grounding
works in sandy places.
Doubling the length of the grounding electrode
results in a decrease in the ground resistance by 40%.
• increase in the number of electrodes.
• Soil chemical treatment.

The soil surrounding the earthing rod is treated chemically if we cannot reduce the
resistance in the previous methods,
and the treatment is done in one of the ways next :-

1. Make a hole near to the grounding rod, at a distance not exceeding 10 cm from it and
fill it with salts of magnesium sulfate, copper sulfate, or sodium chloride up to a level of
30 cm from the surface of the earth.
-The quantity that is preferred to be placed is in the range of 18 to 40 kilograms of
copper sulfate due to its cheapness and the quality of its electrical connection. The
effect of this quantity continues for two years, then it is repeated again.
- Adding water to help the chemical substances leak out into the soil, but after that, rain
water is sufficient to carry out this process.
- It is difficult to implement this method if there is not enough space near the grounding
rod.
2. Using materials like:
• Bentonite
• Gem

materials like cement with a resistance of less than 3 Ω orders. Its main feature is the
absorption of water up to 5 times its size, which helps in effectively reducing the ground
resistance in addition to the soil resistance.

properties:
(1) They have a high ability to absorb water, where when mixed with an amount of
water, the bentonite will absorb approximately 5 times its weight in water, and its
volume will increase by 30 times its original size, and thus the contact area
between the grounding electrode and the surrounding soil will increase, which
helps to Reduce ground resistance.
(2) They are a stable material whose properties do not change over time.
(3) Bentonite is one of the economically effective materials.
(4) They don’t make Corrosion or rust the grounding rod, but works to protect it.
(5) IT is not preferable to use bentonite in dry areas.
Chemical Rod
Chemical rods are electrodes with holes along their length, filled with mineral salts.
They may be used in rocky soils, freezing climates, dry deserts, or tropical rain forests.
Extra Low resistance
Disadvantages of chemical rods:
-Chemicals concentrated around electrodes will cause corrosion required.
-Scheduled replacement may be.
-May contaminate the water table.