Friday, April 19, 2019

Detailed Information On Ground Testing

By Andrew Hamilton


Individuals often feel relaxed and safe when living in buildings with effective earthing systems. Such systems are vital in ensuring that the occupants and electronics are protected from electrical surges. This is achieved by providing a safe path for the huge currents emanating from lightning and over-voltage. Thus, the lightning earthing systems require regular ground testing. This aims at ensuring that the earth resistance is low and checks the functionality of the systems.

Traditionally, technicians used antique test apparatus and probes. The probes were primarily used to introduce current into the ground between the test electrodes and the control probe used. This was shadowed by the actual measuring of current. Only the drop or rise in voltage was recorded for the soil embedded by the apparatus. After taking the readings, the technician would use Ohm principles to compute the earth resistance proximate to the grounding system.

With the development of new instrumentation, the test procedure was standardized by the use of two modern approaches. They were introduced by making slight modifications so as to deal with special situations that needed fine-tuning. It also aimed at improving the productivity and functionality of earthing systems. However, both methods deploy similar instrumentation which has undergone a steady improvement to enhance safety, convenience, accuracy, and ease of operations.

The first approach is the fall-of-potential method. It requires complete isolation from the power utility. It also includes the removal of any neutral or ground connections that extends outside the grounding system. This procedure suits to be the most suitable test for extremely large earthing systems. It also scores awesomely for small electrodes. It is, however, labor-intensive and time-consuming approach.

In addition, the other approach is the stake-less method. It is the only approach that can be carried out when the system is connected to a power utility. It thus obliges the technician to connect the test apparatus with a reliable power source. The test is most effective in small electrode regions because it gives the results of frequencies in kilohertz units. It is however not effective in testing long conducting regions.

In order to generate viable data schedule for a ground test, the technicians should make use of the right procedure and effective apparatus should be employed. This increases the accuracy of findings as well as making the test to be subtler and swift. Other factors should be maintained accordingly to enhance the results. Some factors such as heavy rainfall reduce the resistance of soils than it would be under normal situations.

Moreover, with technological advancement, a refined procedure has been invented to produce more convincing and accurate results. They are computerized and thus, do not necessarily need further analysis and calculations. In addition, they do not also need one to de-energize or isolate any conductor from the grounding system being tested.

Therefore, the test procedures have maintained a persistent progression in stages with the ultimate goal of improving test accuracy. This has also been triggered by an improvement in instrumentation used. The testing is helpful in that it improves how the lightning earthing systems will function in conveying the discharged spark current to the ground.




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