Sri Lanka Institute of Information
Technology
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering
EC323: Electrical Installation
Laboratory 01: Measurement of Earth
Resistance and Resistivity
Name : Pathirana R.P.T.C.R
Index No : EN14551208
Group No: 01
Due Date : 11th March 2016
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this experiment is to determine the earth resistance of an earth electrode and to determine the
resistivity of the earth.
INTRODUCTION
Poor grounding system is very dangerous and increases the risk of equipment failure as well as human
being. That is why grounding system is very important for safety purposes. The poor grounding system exposes the
risk of hazard such as electrical shock that will cause fire at particular places.
It is well known that the resistance of an earth electrode is heavily influenced by the resistivity of the soil in
which it is driven and as such, soil resistivity measurements are an important parameter when designing earthing
installations. A knowledge of the soil resistivity at the intended site, and how this varies with parameters such as
moisture content, temperature and depth, provides a valuable insight into how the desired earth resistance value can
be achieved and maintained over the life of the installation with the minimum cost and effort.
One of the main objectives of earthing electrical systems is to establish a common reference
potential for the power supply system, building structure, plant steelwork, electrical conduits, cable ladders & trays
and the instrumentation system. To achieve this objective, a suitable low resistance connection to earth is desirable.
However, this is often difficult to achieve and depends on a number of factors such as Soil resistivity, Size and type
of electrode used, Depth to which the electrode is buried, Moisture and chemical content of the soil.
Effects of soil Resistivity on Ground Electrode Resistance Soil resistivity is the key factor that
determines what the resistance of a grounding electrode will be, and to what depth it must be driven to obtain low
ground resistance. The resistivity of the soil varies widely throughout the world and changes seasonally. Soil
resistivity is determined largely by its content of electrolytes, which consist of moisture, minerals and dissolved
salts. A dry soil has high resistivity if it contains no soluble salts.
Wenner Array
The Wenner array is the least efficient from an operational perspective. It requires the longest cable layout,
largest electrode spreads and for large spacings one person per electrode is necessary to complete the survey in a
reasonable time. Also, because all four electrodes are moved after each reading the Wenner Array is most susceptible
to lateral variation effects. However the Wenner array is the most efficient in terms of the ratio of received voltage
per unit of transmitted current. Where unfavorable conditions such as very dry or frozen soil exist, considerable time
may be spent trying to improve the contact resistance between the electrode and the soil.
Figure 1 - circuit diagram
Procedure
1.
Connect the circuit as shown in figure and derive the earth electrode E in to the ground to a depth of 0.2m.
2.
Fixe the spike C at a distance 20m from it and the potential spike P at a distance of 10m.
3.
Record the resistance measurement for different depths of insertion of the earth electrode.
4.
If the three measurements agree with each other within a few percent of their average, then the average of
the three measurements may be used as the electrode resistance.
5.
If the three measurements disagree by more than a few percent from their average, then additional
measurement procedures are required.
Observation
Depth of
electrode l(m)
Earth
resistance ()
0.2
620
0.4
380
0.6
320
0.8
280
1.0
300
1.2
280
1.4
280
Earth resistance ()
graph 1
5.2. Measurement of earth resistance
1. Connect the circuit as shown in the figure.
2. Fixed the spike C at a distance of 20m from earth electrode.
3. Derive the potential electrode P in to the ground to the distance of 0.5m to 13m from the
E with steps of 0.5m.
4. Measure the earth resistance for different distance from the earth electrode.
Dista
nce
l(m)
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
8
Earth
resist
ance
()
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
360
360
4
8.5
9
9.5
10
10.5
11
11.5
12
12.5
13
13.5
14
14.5
360
360
360
360
360
360
360
360
360
360
380
380
380
Earth resistance ()
graph 2
Xmax = 20m
61.7
d = 100
d =
d =
61.7
100
xmax
20
12.34
3.2.2. For an overlapping area
Dista
nce
l(m)
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Eearth
resistan
ce()
240
260
280
280
280
300
300
320
340
400
Graph 3
Xmax = 5m
61.7
d = 100
d =
d =
61.7
100
xmax
5
3.085
DISCUSSION
One of the main objectives of earthing electrical systems is to establish a common reference potential for the
power supply system, building structure, plant steelwork, electrical conduits, cable ladders & trays and the
instrumentation system. To achieve this objective, a suitable low resistance connection to earth is desirable.
Soil resistivity is a measure of how much the soil resists the flow of electricity. It is a critical factor in design of
systems that rely on passing current through the Earth's surface. An understanding of the soil resistivity and how
it varies with depth in the soil is necessary to design the grounding system in an electrical substation, or for
lightning conductors.
d=
61.7
100
xmax
Using this equation we can determine distance of the earth resistance for the smooth curve The distance at
which this effect occurs is referred to as the effective resistance area and is directly dependent on the depth of
the grounding electrode In this experiment the depth is high the earth resistance goes low.
Measurement of earth resistance for a large area and for an overlapping area is the second part of this laboratory.
Measurement of earth resistance of for a large area is changed because of the E and P electrodes.
The electrodes in small distance the resistivity is low because of the overlapping the area. According to the
results after 2m the resistivity were constant. After that point graph was constant. For high distance the
resistivity constant.
In the overlapping area the restively changed rapidly. According to the graph the resistivity suddenly goes high
and suddenly goes low.
Resistivity measurements have a threefold purpose. First, such data are used to make sub-surface geophysical
surveys as an aid in identifying ore locations, depth to bedrock and other geological phenomena. Second,
resistivity has a direct impact on the degree of corrosion in underground pipelines. A decrease in resistivity
relates to an increase in corrosion activity and therefore dictates the protective treatment to be used. Third,
resistivity directly affects the design of a grounding system, and it is to that task that this discussion is directed.
CONCLUTION
The objective of this laboratory was to understand to determine the earth resistance of an earth electrode and to
determine the resistivity of the earth. It was found out that the for a large area and for an overlapping area. The
lower the ground resistance, the safer and for positive protection of personnel
and equipment, it is worth the effort to aim for less than one ohm. It is generally
impractical to reach such a low resistance along a distribution system or a
transmission line or in small substations
Reference
1. http://www.ieice.org/proceedings/EMC09/pdf/21R2-4.pdf
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_resistivity
3. http://www.aemc.com/techinfo/appnotes/Ground_Resistance_Testers/AppGround-SoilResistivity.pdf
