What is Power System Earthing?
In power systems, earthing, which is also known as grounding, refers to the connection of an electrical circuit to the earth (ground). It is used mainly used as a safety feature, which helps to prevent people from accidentally coming into contact with dangerous voltages of the electrical systems in case the insulation designed to prevent the flow of electrical current outside the circuit fails. Due to the important role that is played by earthing, electrical engineers and other professionals involved with the management of power systems are supposed to undergo power system earthing training to ensure that they can be able to effectively earth electrical systems (https://www.reference.com/home-garden/earthing-electrical-terms) .
Edif’s Power System Earthing Training Course
The Power System Earthing Course is a two-day training program that is offered by the Edif Group (http://www.edifgroup.com/), a leading provider of safety solutions for various industries, including the energy sector. The course (http://www.edifgroup.com/training/course/power-system-earthing) is designed to provide candidates with basic knowledge on the earthing of power systems. The course is designed for electrical engineers, electricians, and other people working closely with power systems. In addition to providing a foundation for further training, the course also helps to ensure that the candidates are up to date with the latest earthing trends. It therefore covers modern practices in power system earthing, new earthing design ideas, new earthing equipment and tools, and new measuring techniques that can help engineers when earthing or creating earthing designs.
Course Content
The Power System Earthing training course provided by Edif Group is a foundation course, but it covers a lot of content. The following are some of the areas covered in the 2-day training: (www.edifgroup.com/documents/training/power_systems_2016.pdf)
Introduction into Power System Earthing
The introduction into the power system earthing is the first module of the course, and it is designed to provide the candidates with the basic knowledge about the course. It covers:
1. The importance of earthing
2. Reasons for using earthing systems
3. Earthing equipment used in the power transmission and distribution systems
4. Earthing faults that can occur due to poor earthing, and the damages they can cause
5. The impact of earthing on safety procedures
Power System Earthing Statutory Requirements and Standards
This module includes various laws and standards that affect the earthing of power systems. It covers:
1. A summary of all legislations and regulations that are applicable to the earthing of power systems
2. An overview of various industry standards in relation to earthing. This includes both the local and international safety regulation standards
3. New standards in the industry, and how to change earthing practices to conform to them
4. Earthing options that are available when looking for solutions to reduce power substation resistance
5. Thermal ratings for conductors used in earthing, and various methods of calculating the ratings
6. Standards for calculating earth resistance
Soil Resistivity
Since earthing involves the grounding of electrical circuits to the ground, the electrical resistance of the soil is an important area that should be understood by all professionals involved with earthing of power systems. This module of the course covers various areas of soil resistivity, which includes:
1. Various types of soils and their resistivity
2. Methods of measuring soil resistivity
3. How to use geo-technical data acquired in earthing of power systems
4. Case studies of various soil types and structures
Earthing System Components
This module covers the various components of earthing systems, and how they affect the earthing. It includes:
1. Power lines and cables, and the impact they have on the substation earth value
2. How to calculate the resistance of earthed towers
3. How to account for the effect power cables have on earthing
4. How to estimate the earth fault current distribution of power lines and cables
Earth Resistance Measurement
This module covers the various methods, equipment, and standards that are used in the measurement of earth resistance . Areas covered include:
1. Techniques that are used in the measurement of earth resistance
2. Equipment used in measuring earth resistance and the limitations of each
3. How to interpret earth resistance data
4. Problems encountered when measuring earth resistance data and how to overcome them
5. How to measure the earth resistance of individual electrical components
6. How to measure surface potentials
7. Visual inspection techniques that can be used when measuring earth resistance
Earthing System Design
Areas covered in this module include:
1. Basic earthing design principles
2. Considerations that should be made when designing earthing systems
3. Case studies of various earthing designs
4. Installation of earthing systems and material that can be used
5. Modern techniques that can be used when developing earthing designs for power systems
6. How to incorporate various structures into earthing systems
7. Power equipment that requires special earthing designs
Practical Sessions
The practical sessions involve the putting to test all the knowledge that has been covered in the course. It covers:
1. Measuring of soil resistivity and earth resistance
2. Comparing different equipment used in measuring earth resistance and soil resistivity
3. Analysing of measuring results
Benefits of Power System Earthing Training
Power system earthing training and certification is important when dealing with power systems. The following are some of the benefits of the training offered (http://electrical-engineering-portal.com/earthing-in-electrical-network):
1. Protection of human life
Power system earthing training provides professionals with important knowledge on how to install proper earthing systems, thus reducing the risk of electrical accidents that can lead to fatal injuries.
2. Protection of equipment and structures
Electrical faults that occur due to earthing problems can also cause considerable damage to power equipment and structures such as buildings. Therefore, earthing training helps to protect equipment and structures by reducing the risk of electrical fault occurrence.
3. Reducing the financial consequences of poor earthing to companies
Nowadays, companies that deal with power systems are at a higher risk of being sued by third parties when electrical accidents occur, especially if they result in injuries, death, or damage of property. Power system earthing training provides professionals working for these companies with relevant knowledge required to prevent the occurrence of electrical faults, thus reducing the financial risks that come from such accidents.
Jobs that you can Apply for After Completing the Training
After completing the Power System Earthing Training by Edif, candidates can be able to apply for jobs in various industries where power earthing solutions are required (http://www.edifgroup.com/services/engineering-and-consultancy/power-engineering/earthing). Some of the jobs that candidates can apply for include:
1. Electrical engineering
2. Power systems engineer
3. Power systems analysts
4. Power systems design engineer
5. Power system operations technician
6. Electrician (for installation, servicing, and maintenance of domestic electrical systems and appliances)
7. Power systems inspector