ELECTRICAL GROUNDING

AND EARTHING SYSTEMS

Presented By:
T.Sidharth Sankar Achary
Regd No-1021106019
7th sem.
Electrical Engg.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUND AND
NEUTRAL.
TYPES OF EARTHING SYSTEMS.
TYPES OF GROUNDING.
USES.
CONCEPT OF VIRTUAL GROUND.
MULTIPOINT GROUND.
CONCLUSION.
REFERENCES.

INTRODUCTION

In electricity supply systems, an earthing system

defines the electrical potential of the conductors
relative to that of the Earth's conductive surface.
The choice of earthing system has implications for the
safety and electromagnetic compatibility of the power
supply.
A protective earth (PE) connection ensures that all
exposed conductive surfaces are at the same electrical
potential as the surface of the Earth, to avoid the risk of
electrical shock if a person touches a device in which an
insulation fault has occurred. It also ensures that in the
case of an insulation fault, a high fault current flows,
which will trigger an over current protection device
(fuse, MCB) that disconnects the power supply.
A functional earth connection serves a purpose other
than providing protection against electrical shock.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
GROUND AND NEUTRAL.

Ground or earth in a mains (AC power) electrical wiring system is

a conductor that exists primarily to help protect against faults and
which in normal operation does not carry current.

Neutral is a circuit conductor that may carry current in normal

operation, and which is usually connected to earth. In house
wiring, it is the center tap connection of the secondary winding of
the power company's transformer.

In a polyphase or three-wire AC system, the neutral conductor is

intended to have similar voltages to each of the other circuit
conductors, and similar phase spacing. By this definition, a circuit
must have at least three wires for one to serve as a neutral.
In the electrical trade, the conductor of a 2-wire circuit that is
connected to the supply neutral point and earth ground is also
referred to as the "neutral". This is formally described in the US
and Canadian electrical codes as the "identified" circuit
conductor.

TYPES OF EARTHING
SYSTEMS
International standard IEC 60364 distinguishes three
families of earthing arrangements, using the two-letter
codes TN, TT, and IT.
The first letter indicates the connection between earth
and the power-supply equipment (generator or
transformer):
T : direct connection of a point with earth (French:
terre);
I : no point is connected with earth (isolation), except
perhaps via a high impedance.
The second letter indicates the connection between earth
and the electrical device being supplied:
T : direct connection with earth, independent of any
other earth connection in the supply system;
N : connection to earth via the supply network.

TN NETWORK

TN-S NETWORK

TN-C NETWORK

TN-C-S NETWORK

TT NETWORK

IT NETWORK

TYPES OF GROUNDING

In radio frequency communications

In AC power wiring installations
Circuit ground versus earth.
In lightning protection

In radio frequency
communications

An electrical connection to earth for as a reference

potential for radio frequency antenna signals.
High frequency signals can flow to earth through
capacitance, capacitance to ground is an important
factor in effectiveness of signal grounds.
An ideal signal ground maintains zero voltage
regardless of how much electrical current flows into
ground or out of ground.
The resistance at the signal frequency of the electrodeto-earth connection determines its quality, and that
quality is improved by increasing the surface area of the
electrode in contact with the earth, increasing the depth
to which it is driven, using several connected ground
rods, increasing the moisture of the soil, improving the
conductive mineral content of the soil, and increasing
the land area covered by the ground system.

In AC power wiring
installations

In a mains (AC power) wiring installation, the ground is a

wire with an electrical connection to earth, that provides
an alternative path to the ground for heavy currents that
might otherwise flow through a victim of electric shock.
These may be located locally, be far away in the suppliers
network or in many cases both.
This grounding wire is usually but not always connected
to the neutral wire at some point.
The ground wire is also usually bonded to pipe work to
keep it at the same potential as the electrical ground
during a fault.
Water supply pipes often used to be used as ground
electrodes but this was banned in some countries when
plastic pipe such as PVC became popular.
This type of ground applies to radio antennas and to
lightning protection systems.

Circuit ground versus

earth

In an electrical circuit operating at signal voltages

(usually less than 50 V or so), a common return path that
is the zero voltage reference level for the equipment or
system.
Voltage is a differential quantity, which appears between
two points having some electrical potentials. In order to
deal only with a voltage (an electrical potential) of a
single point, the second point has to be connected to a
reference point (ground) having usually zero voltage.
This signal ground may or may not actually be
connected to a power ground.
A system where the system ground is not actually
connected to earth is often referred to as a floating
ground.

In lightning protection

A ground conductor on a lightning protection

system is used to dissipate the strike into the
earth.

USES

A power ground serves to provide a return path for fault

currents and therefore allow the fuse or breaker to
disconnect the circuit.
Filters also connect to the power ground, but this is mainly
to stop the power ground carrying noise into the systems
which the filters protect, rather than as a direct use of the
power ground.
In Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) electrical distribution
systems, costs are saved by using just a single high voltage
conductor for the power grid. This system is mostly used
in rural areas where large earth currents will not otherwise
cause hazards.
Signal grounds serve as return paths for signals and power
at low voltages (less than about 50 V) within equipment,
and on the signal interconnections between equipment.

GENERAL GROUNDING

GENERATOR EARTHING

VIRTUAL GROUND
CONCEPT

If two opposite power sources are connected each

other by a conductive medium so that their opposite
output quantities are superposed (summed), zero or
reference level result referred to as virtual ground
appears somewhere along the medium.
In this "conflict" point, the efforts of the "fighting"
sources are "neutralized". The process is associated
with continuous energy wasting from both the sources
as a result of a continuous energy flow through the
medium.
Shortly, virtual ground phenomenon is summing of
opposite equal quantities associated with continuous
energy wasting; virtual ground represents the result
of summing two opposite equal quantities.

MULTI POINT GROUND

A Multipoint Ground is an alternate type of

electrical installation that attempts to solve the
Ground Loop and Mains hum problem by creating
many alternate paths for electrical energy to find
its way back to ground.
The distinguishing characteristic of a multipoint
ground is the use of many interconnected
grounding conductors into a loose grid
configuration.
There will be many paths between any two points
in a multipoint grounding system, rather than the
single path found in a star topology ground.

CONCLUSION
Grounding and Earthing systems form the
first line of defense in every type of
electrical systems. The system may be a
generator/transformer/housing
installation/generating station/etc. So it is
strictly advised to know the basic concepts
of grounding as far as electrical engg. is
concerned.

THANK YOU