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Achieving an Earth

C
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Connection
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(Grounding)

LEC, Inc.

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The Objectives
* To achieve an Electrical Connection to
Earth.

* To provide a Common Reference for

the Facility.

* To satisfy a given Standard or Specification

* Common Goals are 10, 5 and <1 ohm.

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Typical Soil
Resistivities
Soil Type: Soil Resistivity (ohm-meters):
Minimum Mean Maximum

Top Soil, Loam 1 26 50

Fills-Ashes, Brine Waste 6 38 70
Siltly/Clay - Fine Sands 30 55 80
Siltly Sands 100 300 500
Well Graded Gravel 600 800 1,000
Sandstone 20 1,000 2,000
Gravel 590 2,500 4,500

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Soil Resistance
Factors
 Type of Soil
 Moisture Content
 Temperature
 Electrolyte Content
 Compactness
 Granularity

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Soil Resistance vs
Moisture Content
200k
Top Soil
RESISTIVITY IN OHM-CM

160k Clay

120k
Sandy Loam

80k

40k

0 4 8 12 16 20 24
Moisture by Percent

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Soil Resistance vs
Temperature
RESISTIVITY IN OHM-CM

INFLUENCE OR
CHANGE OF STATE

ICE
Water Temperature, C

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Soil Resistance vs
Salt Content
RESISTIVITY IN OHM-CM

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Measuring Soil Resistivity

Soil Resistance Soil Resistivity Testing“Four-
Terminal” method of
Testing Device Megger 12345678910

measuring soil resistivity.

C1 P1 P2 C2

C1 P1 P2 C2

A A A
Where A is less than or equal to 20B.

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The Earth Connection

The Earthing Rod

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The Interfacing Hemisphere

1.1 l

1.1 l

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The Interfacing Hemisphere

(Making the most of your space)

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Resistance of One Ground Rod

  4L 
R1   ln  1
2L  a 
where: R = ground rod resistance, ohms
= soil resistivity, ohm-meters
L = ground rod length, meters
a = ground rod radius, meters

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Grounding Test Data

Provided by I. A. E. I. & Nevada Power Company
Resistance (ohms)
1. Copper plate 452
2. 1/2” x 8’ Copper Clad Horz. Rod 225
3. 3/4” x 10’ Galv. Horz. Rod 123
4. 2’x 2’ Ufer 75
5. 2’x 2’ Ufer with Enhancement Material 70
6. Wood Pole Butt Wrap 64
7. 5/8” x 8’ Copper Clad Vert. Rod 41
8. 12” x 12” Concrete Encased Electrode 35
9. 3/4” x 10’ Galvanized Vert. Rod 33
10. XIT 10’ Vert. 12
11. LEC Chem-Rod 10’ 9*
* Over time CR resistance decreased, others increased

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Resistance vs Spacing

1 0 0 F t. S p a c in g
2 0 F t. S p a c in g
4 0 F t. S p a c in g
1 0 F t. S p a c in g

5 F t. S p a cin g

N um ber of G rou nd Ro ds

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Resistance vs
Rods & Real Estate
500 250,000 ft2

m
Number of Rods

100 1 oh s 50,000 ft2

R< ohm

Area Required
2
R< 25,000 ft2
ms
ms oh
h 10
5o s R<
R< ohm
8
R<
10 5,000 ft2

2,500 ft2

50 100 1,000 5,000

Soil Resistivity (ohm - meters)

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The Chem-Rod
Alternative...

Consistent
Long Term
Results

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Chem-Rod
Horizontal Electrode

2.5” Diameter
25 Pound Charge
Vertical Electrode

Chem-Rod absorbs moisture

from both air and soil.
Conditions 75% to 80% of the IH

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Typical Chem-Rod History

D ry Season Conventional C opper Rod

G ro u n d in g R e s is ta n c e in O h m s

W et Season Resista nce

B ound aries

Chem -Rod Vertical (CR-10)

Chem -Rod Horizontal (CR-10-H)

100 O hm Meter Soil

Tim e in W eeks Tim e in M on ths

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A Comparison of
Grounding Resistance
Grounding Electrode Measured Soil Resistivity
(ohm-meters)
9.0 270 30k
Copper-Clad Rod 7.7 65 >10k

Rod - Conductive Backfill 2.3 44 1.5k

Competitor Air-Breathing Rod 0.5 22 2.0k

Chem-Rod 0.2 <10 <1.0k

Resistance in ohms
(3 meter rods)

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Seasonal Variations
Percent Variation
Grounding Electrode Temperate Arctic
Climates Climates
Conventional Ground Rod: 250 20,000

Conventional Ground Rod 200 approx. 2,000

in Salted Soil:
Competitor Air-Breathing Rods: 200 approx. 2,000

Chem-Rod with GAF 40 1,000 to < 500

without Moisturizing:
Chem-Rod with GAF < 10 N/A
and Moisturizing:

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The Surge Impedance Factor

Impedance @ 1 Mhz (ohms)
30

25

20 4”
15 12”
24”
10

5 10 15 20 25 30
Effective Diameter (in.)

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Beyond Conditioning

1. Replace all of the soil in the

Interfacing Hemisphere.

2. Replace the most critical soil

in the Interfacing Hemisphere.

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Augmentation with
Backfill
Grounding Rod

r1
r2

Critical The Conditioned

The Cylinder Backfill Volume
Interfacing
Hemisphere

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Backfill Options

Backfill Top Soil ~ 10 ohm-meters

Conductive Concrete 30-90 ohm-meters
Bentonite 2.5 ohm-meters
Carbon-Based Materials 0.1-.5 ohm-meters
Clay-Based Materials 0.5-.8 ohm-meters

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GAF:
The Optimum Backfill

Grounding Augmentation Fill - GAF

Offers: low resistivity < 0.5 ohm - meters

low expansion coefficient
reduces variability to moisture &
temperature

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A Chem-Rod Installation
Access Well
Access Well Cover

GAF
Grounding Fill
Connection Volume

Critical Cylinder
Chem-Rod

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 A Chem-Rod Installation
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With Expansion Disk System

Expansion
Disk
GAF
Fill
Volume

Chem-Rod Critical Cylinder

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 LEC’s Automated
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Moisturizing System

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Grounding with GAF

A 2 cm X 3 m Copper Rod
in 500 ohm-meter soil 161 ohms

In a 12” cylinder filled with GAF:

aged Chem-Rod 27 ohms

In a 24” cylinder filled with GAF:

aged Chem-Rod 21 ohms

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The Complete
Earth Interface
Chem-Rod
Critical
Cylinder

Earth Interfacing
Interface Hemisphere

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Measuring Grounding Resistance

Ground Resistance Testing

D1 > 2.2L
- Single Ground Rod Test D2

62% D2 P2 Voltage
Test Probe C2 Current
Measured Resistance

Test Probe

Sphere of Influence of
Electrode Under Test
True Resistance

D2

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Cost Comparison -
Low Soil Resistivities
125 ohm-meter Soil - Target Resistance = 2 ohms

2 cm X 3 m Chem-Rod
Grounding Rod CR-10 (3 meter)
# of Ground Rods Required 50 6

Material Cost $ 3,583. $ 2,383.

Estimated Labor Cost $ 1,041. $ 125.

Total Cost $ 4,625. $ 2,508.

Total Required Area 1,710 131

(square meters)

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Cost Comparison -
High Soil Resistivities
500 ohm-meter Soil - Target Resistance = 2 ohms
2 cm X 3 m Chem-Rod
Grounding Rod CR-10 (3 meter)
# of Ground Rods 246 20
Required
Material Cost $ 11,808. $ 9,640.

Estimated Labor Cost $ 6,150. $ 1500.

Total Cost $ 17,958. $ 11,140.

Total Required Area 8,687 706

(square meters)

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Treated Rods in
Permafrost

US Corps of Engineers, Point Barrow, Alaska, USA

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Maintenance-Free
NEW
Chem-Rods
•The Best Performing
Maintenance-Free Rod
•Super long Lasting With 50%
More Mineral Charge Than The
Competition
•2 5/8” Diameter = 25% More Earth
Contact Than The Competition
•Less Cost Than The Competition
Vertical or
Horizontal

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Tin-Rod TM

Specially engineered for grounding systems having

cathodic protection (CP) requirements
The Most Effective
Grounding Electrode

The CP Kit:
• 1 Tin-Rod 2.5” x 6’ solid
copper , tin plated
• 2, 50 lb. bags of GAF
• 1 Well Access cover

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Why Use Chem-Rods

and GAF
Provides:
- Low DC Resistance
- Low Surge Impedance

Lowers:
- Ground Potential Rise
(Substations , T&D Lines)
- Ground Fault Transient Voltage
- Peak Lightning Voltage
- Personnel Risks

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Summary
When Conventional Techniques Fail:
- Apply Chem-Rods
- Use GAF with Chem-Rods
- Provide Moisture Augmentation
When cost is a criteria:
Use Chem-Rod & GAF
“Installed cost is less even though cost per Chem-Rods is more.”
When Resistance Stability is Required:
Use Chem-Rod & GAF
When in Permafrost & Freezing Soil:
Use Chem-Rod & GAF

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Evaluation Study Data

NEGRP TEST RESULTS
(National Electrical Grounding Research Project, Managed by NFPA)

Readings from December 1998

Average electrode resistance in ohms

No. of Soil Conventional CR-10 CR-10H

Electrodes Resistivity Ground Rod in 10" hole in 9" trench
Site Location Being Tested ohm-cm 5/8"x8' with GAF with GAF
Las Vegas, NV 18 8,579 85.0 19.0 NA
Northbrook, IL 15 2,647 7.3 2.9 4.3
Dallas, TX 15 2,739 4.7 2.3 2.0
Poughkeepsie, NY 15 22,407 137.3 24.8 33.8
Staunton, VA 15 11,701 33.9 15.4 18.6

Bolded number indicates lowest reading of all electrodes being tested.

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Check
our
web site!

www.grounding.com
Evaluate, installed costs, via the internet for
• Standard Ground Rods
• Chem-Rods

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“Engineering Solutions to
Lightning, Grounding and

C
Surge Problems Worldwide

E
L
Since 1971”

http:// www.grounding.com
Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc.

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