Lecture Fourteen :
Equipment Earthing
The grounding connections provided to substation equipment and structures fall
under two categories, namely:
System Grounds:
is normally for neutral grounding.
Based on PTS of the project as it can be through grounding rod (Solidly ground) and can be through
NGR (Neutral ground resistor)
Safety Grounds:
is for equipment grounding.
• For grounding of the electrical apparatus installed inside substation buildings two
separate exposed copper conductors / strips of size per Table 10-3, each connected to
the grounding grid at two (2) different points shall be laid.
• The grounding grid shall be laid inside the substation buildings and it shall be
connected to the main grid outside the buildings, at minimum two points as shown in
“Figure 10-3, detail 8”.
Power Transformers:
i. Power transformer tanks shall be safety grounded at two points diagonally opposite to
each other.
ii. Neutral of Power transformer shall be grounded as per transformer Specification 53-TMSS-
01, Rev-02.
iii. Neutral grounding shall be connected to the grounding grid directly (Usually For HV Side).
iv. Independently mounted radiator bank and LPOF / XLPE cable termination boxes shall be
separately grounded at two diagonally opposite locations.
v. Power transformers, if it is specified for neutral grounding through resistor, the transformer
neutral shall be connected through insulated cable to Resistor’s terminal bushing while the
other end of the resistor is connected to grounding grid.
Oil Immersed Reactor:
i. Reactor tanks shall be safety grounded at two points diagonally opposite to
each other.
ii. A separate system ground shall be provided for the neutral of the reactor.
Neutral Grounding Resistor:
i. Enclosure of NER shall be safety grounded at two points diagonally opposite to each other by “copper
conductor of size 240mm2”.
Shunt Capacitors:
i. Capacitor bank neutral(s) shall be grounded according to IEEE C37.99, where neutral grounding is required.
ii. Shunt capacitors are considered safety grounded when mounted on a metal structure that is connected to the
grounding grid at two diagonally opposite legs of the rack.
iii. Grounding pad be suitable to connect stranded bare conductor of size up to “2x240mm2”.
Surge Arresters:
i. Where surge counter and / leakage current indicating meters are installed, a “5kV insulated cable” shall be used
between arrester ground terminal and surge counter.
ii. The surge monitor's ground terminal shall be connected to the ground grid via “two (2) 240 mm² stranded copper
conductors”.
iii. The system ground conductor shall be as short as possible, free of sharp bends and shall not be installed in
metallic conduit.
iv. In addition, ground rods shall be driven adjacent to the arrester connection to the grounding grid to provide
the lowest ground grid resistance at this point.
Station Auxiliary Transformer:
i. Station auxiliary transformer shall be safety grounded at two locations diagonally opposite
1X240mm2 insulated cable.
ii. One system ground shall be directly connected to the neutral windings that are to be solidly
grounded.
Ring Main Unit (RMU)
The RMU inside the substation, if applicable, shall have two safety ground connections.
Metal Clad Switchgear, Control & Protection panels and AC-DC main & sub DBs:
Metal Clad switchgear shall have two safety grounds connected to the switchgear grounding bus.
Grounding of Lighting Equipment:
Grounding of the lighting fixtures, lamp holders, lamps, receptacles and metal poles supporting lighting
fixtures shall be per Article 250 and 410 of NEC (NFPA 70).
HVAC:
• All air conditioning ducts inside the control building(s) shall be grounded at both ends and cross
bonded at all joints and across the non-metallic duct connecting Air Handling Unit (AHU).
• Grounding of control panels and other equipment associated with HVAC shall be per respective
specifications.
Metallic Conduits:
All metallic conduits shall be connected to the grounding grid at each manhole or at terminating points by
using a conductor size of “50mm²”.
Lightning Masts:
Metal lightning masts shall have one safety ground.
Cable Tray System:
Cable tray system shall be grounded with bare copper conductor of “50mm² size” at both ends and
shall be bonded across gaps including expansion gaps.
Cables:
Metallic cable sheaths shall be effectively grounded by connecting a flexible braid to the sheath to eliminate
dangerous induced voltages to ground.
1. Control Cables:
Metallic sheath of control cables shall be grounded at both ends to the grounding grid via. Ground busbar
in the cubicle through 95mm2 insulated copper cable.
2. Power Cables:
a) Sheath of Power cables rated 69kV to 380kV shall be grounded per TES-P-104.08.
b) Grounding of sheath of single core cables rated for 34.5kV and 13.8kV shall be based on TES-P-104.08.
c) Sheath of three core cables rated for 13.8 kV shall be grounded at both ends.
d) If ring type CTs are installed on power cables, the grounding of sheath shall be done such that the sheath
current to ground will not influence CT secondary current.
Fences / Gates:
• The perimeter ground conductor and the fence shall be bonded electrically at corner posts, gate posts and
every alternate line post.
• The gates shall be bonded to the gate posts with a flexible copper cable or braid. See the Figure.
• The barbed wire on the top of the SSD (Safety and Security Directive) type fence/ boundary wall, if applicable,
shall be bonded to the grounding grid at every 21meter intervals.
End
