“Stray Voltages and Public-Exposed Lighting

Installations”

Massimo Mitolo, Ph.D.

IEEE Senior Member
 Outdoor lighting installations

Lighting fixtures along with their supply

circuits, including:
transformers, breakers, reclosers,
switches, manholes, and whatever is
functional to the installation performance.

All publicly exposed!

 Stray Voltages
“Stray”: Element or occurrence not desired in
theory, but unavoidable in a practical realization.

Term coined in the 1970s: Stray Voltages In Dairies

“Elevated metal object-to-ground or neutral-to-ground

voltages”

Current, and not Voltage, is the proper criterion of

shock intensity

3
 Stray Currents

 Permanent current
 other than momentary fault current
 circulating over the earth

 objectionable and undesirable

Concerns for pedestrians and their

animals!
4
 TT earthing system per IEC

T T
T= direct connection of
T= direct electrical connection of
one point of the
exposed-conductive-parts to
power system to
ground, independently of the
ground.
grounding of any point of the
power system
Utility Customer

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 TT earthing system
To 480V, 3 Phase Utility Transformer

The intensity of the ground fault current is limited

by the series resistance RL and RN of the grounds.
RCD is crucial!
 Drawbacks with the RCDs
Nuisance trips
e.g. transient (10 μs) overvoltages during
thunderstorms
RCD trips the breaker in 10-40 ms: it
operates when the impulse has already
expired.

RCD with intentional tripping delay is

allowed, better if with high immunity to
disturbances.
 RCD with automatic reclosure
capability?

Not required, so far, by IEC standards

because of the risk of repetitive shock to
persons due to a persistent fault.

Professional Engineers must decide on an

individual case basis!
 TT Equivalent fault circuit
Person’s body resistance: 788Ω
@125V, 700 Ω @220 V, etc.

VOLTAGE DIVIDER!

Person’s resistance to ground in the

absence of floor: 2ρ.
Person assumed shoeless as per:
IEC 60479-1; 1994-09, 3rd Ed.,
“Effects of current on human beings
and livestock - Part 1: General
aspects”.

Persons in contact with the energized pole, and standing in

its proximity, are in an area at a potential other than zero.
This circumstance limits the source touch voltage VST!
Independently grounded poles in TT Systems

What if the
neutral
conductor is
faulted?

the RCD is desensitized!

Independently grounded poles in TT Systems

No, thank you!

 TN-C-S Earthing System

T N -C -S
T= direct connection of
one point to ground.
S= protective function provided
by a conductor separate
from the grounded
N= direct electrical connection of conductor
the ECPs to the grounded
point of the power system.

C= neutral and protective

functions combined in a single
conductor

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 No-Fault Condition

Stray current as a result of unbalanced loads:

13
Permanent!
 Fault Condition

The fault current’s return path to the power-supply winding

 TN-C-S Earthing systems
B
Z eq
V B  V ph  B B
Z eq  Z ph

V ph
IF   Ia
Z Loop

 Ia is the current causing the automatic operation of the

overcurrent protective device within the safe time ta
Vph (V) Disconnecting time ta (s)
120 0.8
230 0.4 DOSE!
277 0.4
400 0.2
>400 0.1
Extraneous-conductive-part (EXCP)
Conductive part:

 not forming part of the electrical system

 liable to introduce a “zero” potential

(local/remote earth potential) or

 an arbitrary potential
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Whole potential between the faulted pole and the fence

Should we bond? EXCP

EXCP

Bonding Jumper between pole and fence (only if Extraneous-

Conductive-Part)

Drawback: Ground Potential Rises are tranferred!

 Class II equipment
Double insulated (or reinforced insulated)
equipment:
incorporates a supplementary insulation, in
addition to the basic one.
The two insulations are physically separated
(and tested)
they cannot be subject to the same
deteriorating factors (e.g. temperature,
contaminants, etc.) to the same degree.
 Class II equipment
It is an equivalent protection against indirect
contacts if applied to the entire outdoor
installation (i.e. light fixtures, conductors, splices,
and terminal strip).

According to IEC, class II equipment is not

permitted to be grounded.

 According to NEC, double insulated equipment is

not required to be grounded.
 Measuring stray voltages
Persons are sensitive to
currents, and not to voltages.
Stray voltages, thus, cannot
point out, per se, dangerous
situations.

The human body resistance RB

is variable with the touch
voltage.

It is important to assess the

capability of the stray voltage
to impress a dangerous current
and not the magnitude of the
voltage itself.

Touch-voltage must be measured with reference to a

standard human body resistance value: 1 kΩ as per IEC
 Is the faulted pole found?
Poles’ enclosures are connected together.

The presence of stray voltage at the pole

under investigation does not necessarily
mean a fault on it!

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 Conclusions
Analysis of the fault-loops is crucial to understand the causes of
stray voltages.

 TT and TN-C-S distribution systems have fault loops of different

natures, the first one comprising the actual earth.

Both distribution systems require an effective partnership between

the protective device and the grounding system, in order to protect
persons by automatic disconnection of supply.

Class II installations are an efficient solution to protect persons

from electrocution and preserve the continuity of the service,
especially in areas at high pedestrian and/or vehicular circulation.
 “Stray Voltages and Publicly Exposed Lighting
Installations”
References
1. M. Mitolo, “On Outdoor Lighting Installations Grounding Systems”, IEEE-
IAS “Industry Application Society 41st Annual Meeting”, Tampa, Fl, October
2006.
2. IEC 60364-1; 2002-06, 2nd Edition, “Electrical installations of
buildings”.
3. M. Mitolo, “Protective bonding conductors: an IEC point of view”, I&CPS
Technical Conference 2005, Saratoga Springs, NY, Proceedings.
4. IEC 60479-1; 1994-09, 3rd Edition, “Effects of current on human
beings and livestock - Part 1: General aspects”.
5. IEC 60364-7-717; 1996-04, 1st Edition, “Electrical installations of
buildings”, part 7. “Requirements for special installations or locations -
Section 714: External lighting installations”.
6. NFPA 70, National Electrical Code 2005, National Fire Protection
Association, Quincy, Massachusetts.
7. IEEE Std. 142-1991, “IEEE Recommended Practice for Grounding of
Industrial and Commercial Power Systems”.
8. British Standard BS 7671; 2001, 16th Edition “IEE Wiring Regulations”.
9. “Stray Voltages, Concerns, Analysis and Mitigation”, NEETRAC Project,
Number 00-092, September 2001. 23