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Electrical Earthing System Design & Soil Resistivity Testing

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Ask the Experts Electrical Earthing Blog

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Why XGSLab Software And Not CDEGS And Why Now?

So, the question I poised “Why XGSLab Software And Not CDEGS” And Why Now? Well, that’s a big question and an even bigger decision. In this post, I explain the logic of my decision and the “why” of my decision.

Since 2013, Greymatters prime purpose is to protect life. More personally, my goal is explicitly to save at least one life before I head off to the pearly gates and return into space dust.

Knowing we’re focused on saving lives through the work we do. It makes sense that everything we do supports this goal, i.e. using the top 1% software tools, with top 1% equipment by top 1% engineering talent. So that mistakes are avoided, errors eliminated, and the best chance of surviving electrocution is built-in to all our work.

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Why Ground Testing is Important to Maintain Adequate Grounding And Bonding

Ground testing is typically performed in two stages. The first is conducted during the construction of a building to ensure proper installation of the electrical system. And the second involves routine ground testing to ensure the ‘actual’ arrangements perform as ‘predicted’ at the design stage. Thus, to avoid costly and fatal errors.

What is the Difference between Grounding and Bonding?

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Earth Testing Procedures in Urban Environments

Electrical earth testing can be a real challenge in built-up areas. Not only are there very few soft areas to deploy the test probes, but underground cabling and conductive structures are everywhere. These two factors massively affect the measured readings leading to measured values that bear no relation to the actual electrode tested.  Therefore, what follows is the Earth Testing Procedure Greymatters adopts.

Step 1

Follow the guidance in HSG47. The city or town’s infrastructure produces large amounts of in-ground noise and interference. Mitigation by reading buried service/cable records; observing signs of previous excavations; and use a cable avoidance tool (CAT) can make sense of where the structures are.

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Earthing System Design Procedure A Probabilistic Approach

What are the procedures for creating an HV Earthing System Design? Also, how might these differ from an LV Earth design?

Firstly, although the principles underpinning HV and LV earthing are similar, the approaches are very different.

Probabilistic Approach

The first huge difference is the recognition that HV electrical earthing design is probabilistic in nature. Whereas LV earthing is far less so. 

What do I mean?

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What is an Earthing System – A Definitive Guide to Earthing, Grounding Systems

In Electrical Engineering terms, earth or, grounding system is the point of reference in an electrical circuit from which the voltages are estimated. The earthing system or to our friends over the pond; grounding system also has the function of providing a common return path for electric current through a physical connection to the geology. In an electrical installation, an earthing system or grounding system electrode connects specific parts of that installation with the Earth’s conductive surface for safety and functional purposes.

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