Key Insights on Grid Grounding Study

A Coordinated Electric System Interconnection Review—the utility’s deep-dive on technical and cost impacts of your project.

The grounding study aims to limit the accidents related to electric shock. The situations that can otherwise lead to the shock accidents include:

High fault current reaching the ground
Large soil resistivity
Connecting two points of large potential difference
Lack of adequate contact resistance

This is where grounding studies come to the rescue. They can be designed to keep touch voltages and steps within safe limits. Moreover, through a ground study, you can design time savings as well as material cost savings. This can be done by determining the conductor’s minimum size, and the number of ground rods needed o keep the potential value under the IEEE limit.

Here are the following steps that are taken during the grounding study:

Soil Resistivity
Grounding system resistance is essential to ensure that the current devices are operating at satisfactory levels. This is because the rise of a grounding system in a ground fault condition is directly proportional to the grounding system’s resistance. Therefore, it is vital to predicting the grounding systems’ resistance.
Voltage Gradient Effect
The ground resistance is affected by the voltage gradient if it is higher than 103 Volts/cm. In such a situation, the arcs begin at the electrode surface and then progress into the ground. This increases the electrode size that the soil is able to withstand.
Determine Maximum Ground Fault Current
For this location and the type of ground, faults are expected to generate the greatest current flow between the surrounding earth and the grounding grid, producing the rise in grid potential concerning remote earth.

Nonetheless, the typical applications of this study are at:

Substations
Switchyards
Generation sites
Communication sites
Industrial facilities

For more information about grounding study analysis or assistance, contact us today. Let our experts help.

In 1995, Sandip (Sonny) R. Patel earned his Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois, specializing in Electrical Engineering . But degrees don’t build legacies—action does. For three decades, he’s been shaping the future of engineering, not just as a licensed Professional Engineer across multiple states (Florida, California, New York, West Virginia, and Minnesota), but as a doer. A builder. A leader. Not just an engineer. A Licensed Electrical Contractor in Florida with an Unlimited EC license. Not just an executive. The founder and CEO of KEENTEL LLC—where expertise meets execution. Three decades. Multiple states. Endless impact.