What is Grounding or Earthing?

What is Grounding or Earthing?

To connect the metallic (conductive) Parts of an Electric appliance or installations to the earth (ground) is called Earthing or Grounding.

In other words, to connect the metallic parts of electric machinery and devices to the earth plate or earth electrode (which is buried in the moisture earth) through a thick conductor wire (which has very low resistance) for safety purpose is known as Earthing or grounding.

To earth or earthing rather, means to connect the part of electrical apparatus such as metallic covering of metals, earth terminal of socket cables, stay wires that do not carry current to the earth. Earthing can be said as the connection of the neutral point of a power supply system to the earth so as to avoid or minimize danger during discharge of electrical energy.

Need of Earthing or Grounding. Why Earthing is Important?

The primary purpose of earthing is to avoid or minimize the danger of electrocution, fire due to earth leakage of current through undesired path and to ensure that the potential of a current carrying conductor does not rise with respect to the earth than its designed insulation.

When the metallic part of electrical appliances (parts that can conduct or allow passage of electric current) comes in contact with a live wire, maybe due to failure of installations or failure in cable insulation, the metal become charged and static charge accumulates on it. If a person touches such a charged metal, the result is a severe shock.

To avoid such instances, the power supply systems and parts of appliances have to be earthed so as to transfer the charge directly to the earth.

Below are the basic needs of Earthing.

  • To protect human lives as well as provide safety to electrical devices and appliances from leakage current.
  • To keep voltage as constant in the healthy phase (If fault occurs on any one phase).
  • To Protect Electric system and buildings form lighting.
  • To serve as a return conductor in electric traction system and communication.
  • To avoid the risk of fire in electrical installation systems.
General method of Earthing / Proper Grounding Installation (Step by Step)

The usual method of earthing of electric equipments, devices and appliances are as follow:

  1. First of all, dig a 5x5ft (1.5×1.5m) pit about 20-30ft (6-9 meters) in the ground. (Note that, depth and width depends on the nature and structure of the ground)
  2. Bury an appropriate (usually 2’ x 2’ x 1/8” (600x600x300 mm) copper plate in that pit in vertical position.
  3. Tight earth lead through nut bolts from two different places on earth plate.
  4. Use two earth leads with each earth plate (in case of two earth plates) and tight them.
  5. To protect the joints from corrosion, put grease around it.
  6. Collect all the wires in a metallic pipe from the earth electrode(s). Make sure the pipe is 1ft (30cm) above the surface of the ground.
  7. To maintain the moisture condition around the earth plate, put a 1ft (30cm) layer of powdered charcoal (powdered wood coal) and lime mixture around the earth plate of around the earth plate.
  8. Use thimble and nut bolts to connect tightly wires to the bed plates of machines. Each machine should be earthed from two different places. The minimum distance between two earth electrodes should be 10 ft (3m).
  9. Earth continuity conductor which is connected to the body and metallic parts of all installation should be tightly connected to earth lead.
  10. At last (but not least), test the overall earthing system through earth tester. If everything is going about the planning, then fill the pit with soil. The maximum allowable resistance for earthing is 1Ω. If it is more than 1 ohm, then increase the size (not length) of earth lead and earth continuity conductors. Keep the external ends of the pipes open and put the water time to time to maintain the moisture condition around the earth electrode which is important for the better earthing system.

This video has nicely demonstrated …

credits of this video: RimstarOrg

 


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