Earthing and Protection
Earthing and Protection
PROTECTION
What is Grounding or Earthing?
■ The process of connecting the metallic bodies of all the electrical apparatus and
equipments to the earth by a wire having negligible resistance for safety purposes.
■ If there is a fault in an electrical installation, a person could get an electric shock by
touching a live metal part, because electricity uses the body as a path to the earth.
Earthing provides an alternate path for a fault current to flow to earth.
15kW
Ir 78.125 A
240V 0.8
Fusing factor:
The ratio of the minimum fusing current to the rating current of the load
Since according to regulation
D22, the protection is by
cartridge having a fuse factor
110 A
FF 1.41 not exceed 1.5, then the
maximum current in the fault
78.125 A is 2.4 x 78.125 = 187.5 A
■ Heat exist due to the power loss. It is calculated by loss of power due to the current
flow through metal box.
■ P = 𝐼2 𝑅
= (220)2 𝑥 1.35 𝑂ℎ𝑚
= 65.34 kW
Exercise 2
A single phase, 240 V, 20 kW 50 Hz motor circuit operating at
0.85 power factor lagging is protected by a cartridge fuse
having blowing current of 100 A. A fault occurs in the circuit
causes a current of 200 A to flow through the earth continuity
path. As a result of poor contact due to a lock nut and bush
connecting a steel conduit to metal box, the resistance of this
conduit connection alone is 1.35 Ω.
1. Inspect whether the fuse will rupture or not.
2. Examine the amount of heat produced at the metal box.
Regulation D22 (Basic Earthing Requirements)