KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
TEEE4204: SAFETY ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
TASK: PRACTICAL REPORT
NAME REGISTRATION NUMBER
OPITO DENIS 21/U/BET/16843/PE
ANYWAR THOMAS 21/U/BET/16411/PE
IGOMBE ISAAC 21/U/BEL/16507/PD
OPIYO DENISH OKUMU 21/U/BET/16844/PE
TONTINO ANDREW 21/U/BET/16897/PE
ODOCH RICHARD 21/U/BET/16797/PE
ROM ISAAC AYERE 21/U/BET/16864/PE
LABU SULAI 22/U/BET/1580/PE
ALIRU DIVINE 21/U/BET/16391/PE
MUTUME JOHN BRIAN 21/U/BET/16684/PE
AKADAKI JULIUS 22/U/BET/1214/PE
OJIAMBO LAMECH 21/U/BET/16807/PE
NATUHWERA SOLOMON 20/U/BET/7600/PE
KAMUGASHA HONEST 21/U/BET/16543/PE
NYAMOR ONYANGO ANNA 20/U/BET/11854/PE
BAGOBEDDE JUSTINE 20/U/BEL/11819/PD
NAKAHIMA EVALYN 21/U/BEL/16718/PD
WALUPASA SAM 20/U/BET/11856/PE
BALESE SHALIFU 20/U/BEL/7585/PD
MAZINGA MARTIN 22/U/BEL/2349/GV
EGUMA GODFREY 21/U/BEL/16486/PD
MUHUMUZA DEZDERIO 20/U/BEL/7573/PD
NUWARINDA GORDON 21/U/BEL/16779/PD
NABBANJA SUZAN 21/U/BET/16700/PE
LEKU RONALD AKUMA 20/U/BET/11855/PE
MUWALIRA EDWIN 20/U/BEL/11818/PD
SSEKIRO LEVI 22/U/BEL/2027/PD
NANFUMBA VICENT 20/U/BEL/12668/GV
AHEEBWA MOSES 22/U/BET/1203/PE
LUTALE EDRIS 22/U/BET/1598/PE
OKOT BENARD AYOLI 21/U/BEL/16824/PD
ALAKA REBECCA 21/U/BET/16386/PE
KIGOZI MUZAFALU 21/ U/BET/16579/PE
KOMUGISHA LILLIAN 21/U/BEL/16602/PD
Title: Experiment to determine the earth resistance value using a megger tester
Apparatus/components
Earth Megger tester
Pair of Plier
Earth rod (Test rod)
Tape measure
Auxiliary electrodes (Potential electrode and current electrode)
Hammer
Introduction
In today’s rapidly changing world of technological advancements, good grounding is more
important than ever to prevent costly damage and downtime due to service interruptions and
inoperative surge protection caused by poor grounds. Grounding systems offer protection from
natural phenomenon such as lightning by channeling the lightening current to the current,
protecting system components from damage. In electrical power systems with ground returns,
grounds help ensure rapid operation of the protection relays by providing low resistance fault
paths in the events of an unexpected potentials due to faults.
Soil resistivity is the key factor that determines what the resistance of 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.
Theory
The resistance of an earth electrode is determined by the resistivity of the soil and the electrode’s
design and dimensions. The resistance value affects the effectiveness of the grounding system in
dissipating fault currents and maintaining proper equipment grounding.
There are several methods for earth resistance measurement, including the fall-of-potential (3
point method) method, the Wenner method, and the clamp-on method. The most commonly used
method is the fall-of-potential method.
Fall-of-Potential Method: The fall-of-potential method measures the voltage drop across the
grounding electrode caused by a known current injected into the electrode. By measuring the
voltage drop and the injected current, the resistance can be calculated using Ohm’s law.
Procedure
1. We selected an appropriate an appropriate location for earth resistance measurement.
2. We connected the earth megger tester to the current injection probe, the auxiliary
electrode(s), and the grounding electrode under test using suitable connecting cables.
3. The auxiliary electrodes and electrode under test were driven to the ground at specified
distances, according to the specification of the equipment used.ie 3m, 10m and 15m
(electrode under test, potential electrode and current electrode) respectively.
4. The connecting cables from the earth megger tester were clamped to the electrode under
test, potential electrode and current electrode respectively.
5. The earth megger tester was properly powered according to the manufacturer’s
specification and a value in ohms was recorded.
6. The procedure was repeated for different locations while changing the depth of electrode
under test, shifting of the potential electrode and results were obtained.
7. We compared the measured earth resistance with the recommended limits specified in the
relevant standards or guidelines to ensure compliance.
.
A measured current is passed between the electrode “X” to be tested and auxiliary current
electrode “Z” and the potential difference between the electrode “X” and auxiliary electrode “Y”
is measured. The potential probes detect the voltage due to the current injected in the earth by the
current terminals. The test set measures both the current and the voltage and internally calculates
and then displays the resistance.
The goal in precisely measuring the resistance to ground is to place the auxiliary current
electrode Z far enough from the ground electrode under test so that the auxiliary potential
electrode Y will be outside of the effective resistance areas of both the ground electrode and the
auxiliary current electrode.
Observations
Variation of Earth resistance with the depth of the earth electrode
Depth of the Electrode (m) Earth Resistance (Ω)
0.1 170.5
0.2 158.8
0.3 147.1
0.4 135.4
0.5 123.7
A graph showing variation of earth
resistance with depth of electrode
170.5
158.8
147.1
135.4
123.7
resistance(Ω
Series1
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Series1 170.5 158.8 147.1 135.4 123.7
Depth(m)
Earth resistance for different distances of potential electrode
Distance from E to P (m) Earth Resistance(Ω)
10 170.5
8 170.5
6 158.8
4 158.8
2 123.7
A graph showing for different distances of poten-
tial electrodes
170 170.5 170.5
150 158.8 158.8
130 123.7
110
Resistance(Ω)
90
70
50
30
10
2 4 6 8 10
Series1 123.7 158.8 158.8 170.5 170.5
Distance(m)
Series1
Conclusion
The main objective of this lab is to determine the earth resistance of earth. The purpose of
electrical ground testing is to determine the effectiveness of the grounding medium with respect
to true earth.
The values obtained at different locations were far greater than the recommended value of 10Ω.
