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Earthing

Earthing means connecting the dead part (the part which does not carries current under
normal condition) to the earth. For example electrical equipments frames, enclosures,
supports etc. The purpose of earthing is to minimize risk of receiving an electric shock if
touching metal parts when a fault is present.
Earth or Ground is for safety concerns against leakage or residual currents on the
system via least resistance path. While phase and neutral is connected to main
power wiring, earth may be connected to body of equipment or to any system
which in normal condition doesnt carry current but in case of some insulation
failure, is supposed to carry some minor current. This current is not directly
coming from live or phase wire, but is from secondary links which was not in
touch with live system in normal condition. This current is usually much lesser
than main line current or phase current and mostly is in order of mA. But this
leakage current is good enough to kill someone or may risk fire. Such current are
being provided a low resistance path and sent to earth via earth wire.
Because of the difference in application we never mix grounding of neutral and
earth. However both are made grounded (of-course the process may be different).
If both will be mixed then the earth wire which is not supposed to carry any current
in normal condition , may have some charges across and will become hazardous

earth is used for grounding unbalance current. In balance condition no current flow
in earth Where as Earth is a Point to discharge any leakage current to ground.

Ground or earth in a AC power mains electrical wiring system is a conductor that


provides a low-impedance path to the earth to prevent hazardous voltages from
appearing on equipment. (The terms "ground" and "earth" are used synonymously
here. "Ground" is more common in North American English, and "earth" is more
common in British English.) Under normal conditions, a grounding conductor does
not carry current.

The purpose of grounding is the protections of power system equipment and to provide
an
effective return path from the machine to the power source. For example grounding of
neutral
point of a star connected transformer.
It is the process of connecting Electrical equipment or appliances to earth through a
low resistance ( usually 1 ohm ) wire , which protect human beings from getting
shock.we can see the earth wire in our house also.

Note: ground wire is different from the above. Most of us are in misconception that
ground wire is used for Electrical grounding.

Ground wire is the top most conductor in the transmission line which protects the
transmission lines from the lightning strokes.

Solid grounding

the neutral is the common connection of all the circuits in your electrical distribution
panel. It is tied to ground inside the panel. While the ground has a special purpose and
that is for electrical safety and to prevent an electric shock when touching your
electric appliances. If the hot wire accidentally touches the metal body of your
appliance it will just trip the circuit breaker so it cuts off the power for that appliance.

Earthing means connecting the dead part (it means the part which does
not carries current under normal condition) to the earth for example electrical
equipments frames, enclosures, supports etc.

Grounding means connecting the live part (it means the part which
carries current under normal condition) to the earth for example neutral of
power transformer. It is done for the protections of power system equipment
and to provide an effective return path from the machine to the power source.

While neutral requires to be effectively connected to Earth, it is nothing but a


common point of all three phases which is nearly to earth potential.
2)Earthing or Ground is required to protect the equipment & its user from electric
shock.The body of every equipment should be connected to earth either by a strip
or a conductive wire.
The similarity between these two is that both should be well connected deeply into
the earth with salts and chemicals for providing least resistive path for current.
If physically we interchange the two,i.e,earth & neutral, the effect would be
nothing.

A Ground represents an electrical path, normally designed to carry fault current when a
insulation breakdown occurs within electrical equipment

Neutral
Neutral is return path for an AC circuit which is supposed to carry current in normal
condition. This
current may be because of many reasons, primarily because of phase current imbalance
and some
time because 3rd and 5th harmonics also. There may be others reasons too but the
magnitude of this current is in fraction of phase current and in few case it can be
even double of phase current. So Neutral wire is always assumed to be charged
(in active circuit). This neutral wire is given to ground (by grounding) to make the
second terminal of neutral wire at zero potential. Neutral is a circuit conductor that
normally carries current back to the source, and is connected to ground (earth) at
the main electrical panel.
In the electrical trade, the conductor of a 2-wire circuit connected to the supply
neutral point and earth ground is referred to as the "neutral". [1]
In a polyphase (usually three-phase) AC system, the neutral conductor is intended
to have similar voltages to each of the other circuit conductors, but may carry very
little current if the phases are balanced.
The United States' National Electrical Code and Canadian electrical code only
define neutral as the grounded, not the polyphase common connection. In North
American use, the polyphase definition is used in less formal language but not in
official specifications. In the United Kingdom the Institution of Engineering and
Technology defines a neutral conductor as one connected to the supply system
neutral point, which includes both these uses.
All neutral wires of the same earthed (grounded) electrical system should have the
same electrical potential, because they are all connected through the system
ground. Neutral conductors are usually insulated for the same voltage as the line
conductors, with interesting exceptions
Neutral is the reverse current path. neutral provide a complete path.............
Neutral is a path to complete the circuit for Flow of current.

A Neutral represents a reference point within an electrical distribution system.

load current flows through neutral, but in normal operation, no load current will
ever flow through earth.
From generation point earth and neutral has a common point.
One can use the same conductor as neutral and earth but not at the same
connection. Neutral can be grounded but earth itself is a ground path to flow the
abnormal current in the circuit.

Neutral point is basically a reference point it may be at any potential difference. i.e. 5V,
10V, 1000V etc.

NEUTRAL IS ALSO
CONNECTED TO EARTH(GROUND). IN OUR HOME, EVEN IF NEUTRAL IS
CUT, WE COULD USE OUR HOUSEHOLD EQUIPMENTS CONNECTING TO
EARTH.

Circuitry[edit]
Neutral wires are usually connected at a neutral bus within panelboards or
switchboards, and are "bonded" to earth ground at either the electrical service
entrance, or at transformers within the system. For electrical installations
with split-phase (three-wire single-phase service), the neutral point of the system is
at the center-tap on the secondary side of the service transformer. For larger
electrical installations, such as those with polyphase service, the neutral point is
usually at the common connection on the secondary side of delta/wye connected
transformers. Other arrangements of polyphase transformers may result in no
neutral point, and no neutral conductors.

Grounding systems[edit]
Main article: Grounding system
The IEC standard (IEC 60364) codifies methods of installing neutral and ground
conductors in a building, where these earthing systems are designated with letter
symbols. The letter symbols are common in countries using IEC standards, but
North American practices rarely refer to the IEC symbols. The differences are that
the conductors may be separate over their entire run from equipment to earth
ground, or may be combined over all or part of their length. Different systems are
used to minimize the voltage difference between neutral and local earth ground.
Current flowing in a grounding conductor will produce a voltage drop along the
conductor, and grounding systems seek to ensure this voltage does not reach unsafe
levels.
In the TN-S system, separate neutral and protective earth conductors are installed
between the equipment and the source of supply (generator or electric utility
transformer). Normal circuit currents flow only in the neutral, and the protective
earth conductor bonds all equipment cases to earth to intercept any leakage current
due to insulation failure. The neutral conductor is connected to earth at the building
point of supply, but no common path to ground exists for circuit current and the
protective conductor.
In the TN-C system, a common conductor provides both the neutral and protective
grounding. The neutral conductor is connected to earth ground at the point of
supply, and equipment cases are connected to the neutral. The danger exists that a
broken neutral connection will allow all the equipment cases to rise to a dangerous
voltage if any leakage or insulation fault exists in any equipment. This can be
mitigated with special cables but the cost is then higher.
In the TN-C-S system, each piece of electrical equipment has both a protective
ground connection to its case, and a neutral connection. These are all brought back
to some common point in the building system, and a common connection is then
made from that point back to the source of supply and to the earth.
In a TT system, no lengthy common protective ground conductor is used, instead
each article of electrical equipment (or building distribution system) has its own
connection to earth ground.

Combining neutral with ground[edit]


Stray voltages created in grounding (earthing) conductors by currents flowing in
the supply utility neutral conductors can be troublesome. For example, special
measures may be required in barns used for milking dairy cattle. Very small
voltages, not usually perceptible to humans, may cause low milk yield, or
even mastitis (inflammation of the udder).[3] So-called "tingle voltage filters" may
be required in the electrical distribution system for a milking parlour.
Connecting the neutral to the equipment case provides some protection against
faults, but may produce a dangerous voltage on the case if the neutral connection is
broken.
Combined neutral and ground conductors are commonly used in electricity supply
companies' wiring and occasionally for fixed wiring in buildings and for some
specialist applications where there is little alternative, such as railways and trams.
Since normal circuit currents in the neutral conductor can lead to objectionable or
dangerous differences between local earth potential and the neutral, and to protect
against neutral breakages, special precautions such as frequent rodding down to
earth (multiple ground rod connections), use of cables where the combined neutral
and earth completely surrounds the phase conductor(s), and thicker than
normal equipotential bonding must be considered to ensure the system is safe.
Fixed appliances on three-wire circuits[edit]
In North America, the cases of some kitchen stoves (ranges, ovens), cook
tops, clothes dryers and other specifically listed appliances were grounded through
their neutral wires as a measure to conserve copper from copper
cables during World War II. This practice was removed from the NEC in the 1996
edition, but existing installations (called "old work") may still allow the cases of
such listed appliances to be connected to the neutral conductor for grounding.
This practice arose from the three-wire system used to supply both 120 volt and
240 volt loads. Because these listed appliances often have components that use
either 120, or both 120 and 240 volts, there is often some current on the neutral
wire. This differs from the protective grounding wire, which only carries current
under fault conditions. Using the neutral conductor for grounding the equipment
enclosure was considered safe since the devices were permanently wired to the
supply and so the neutral was unlikely to be broken without also breaking both
supply conductors. Also, the unbalanced current due to lamps and small motors in
the appliances was small compared to the rating of the conductors and therefore
unlikely to cause a large voltage drop in the neutral conductor.
Portable appliances[edit]
In North American and European practice, small portable equipment connected by
a cord set is permitted under certain conditions to have merely two conductors in
the attachment plug. A polarized plug can be used to maintain the identity of the
neutral conductor into the appliance but neutral is never used as a chassis/case
ground. The small cords to lamps, etc., often have one or more molded ridges or
embedded strings to identify the neutral conductor, or may be identified by colour.
Portable appliances never use the neutral conductor for case grounding, and often
feature "double-insulated" construction.
In places where the design of the plug and socket cannot ensure that a system
neutral conductor is connected to particular terminals of the device ("unpolarized"
plugs), portable appliances must be designed on the assumption that either pole of
each circuit may reach full voltage with respect to ground.
Technical equipment[edit]
In North American practice, equipment connected by a cord set must have three
wires, if supplied exclusively by 240 volts, or must have four wires (including
neutral and ground), if supplied by 120/240 volts.
There are special provisions in the NEC for so-called technical equipment, mainly
professional grade audio and video equipment supplied by so-called "balanced"
120 volt circuits. The center tap of a transformer is connected to ground, and the
equipment is supplied by two line wires each 60 volts to ground (and 120 volts
between line conductors). The center tap is not distributed to the equipment and no
neutral conductor is used. These cases generally use a grounding conductor which
is separated from the safety grounding conductor specifically for the purposes of
noise and "hum" reduction.
Another specialized distribution system was formerly specified in patient care
areas of hospitals. An isolated power system was furnished, from a special
isolation transformer, with the intention of minimizing any leakage current that
could pass through equipment directly connected to a patient (for example,
an electrocardiograph for monitoring the heart). The neutral of the circuit was not
connected to ground. The leakage current was due to the distributed capacitance of
the wiring and capacitance of the supply transformer.[4] Such distribution systems
were monitored by permanently installed instruments to give an alarm when high
leakage current was detected.

Shared neutral[edit]
A shared neutral is a connection in which a plurality of circuits use the same
neutral connection. This is also known as a common neutral, and the circuits and
neutral together are sometimes referred to as an Edison circuit.
Three-phase circuits[edit]
In a three-phase circuit, a neutral is shared between all three phases. Commonly the
system neutral is connected to the star point on the feeding transformer. This is the
reason that the secondary side of most three-phase distribution transformers is wye
or star wound. Three-phase transformers and their associated neutrals are usually
found in industrial distribution environments.
A system could be made entirely ungrounded. In this case a fault between one
phase and ground would not cause any significant current. In fact, this is not a
good scheme. Commonly the neutral is grounded (earthed) through a bond
between the neutral bar and the earth bar. It is common on larger systems to
monitor any current flowing through the neutral-to-earth link and use this as the
basis for neutral fault protection.
The connection between neutral and earth allows any phase-to-earth fault to
develop enough current flow to "trip" the circuit overcurrent protection device. In
some jurisdictions, calculations are required to ensure the fault loop impedance is
low enough so that fault current will trip the protection (In Australia, this is
referred to in AS3000:2007 Fault loop impedance calculation). This may limit the
length of a branch circuit.
In the case of two phases sharing one neutral, the worst-case current draw is one
side has zero load and the other has full load, or when both sides have full load.
The latter case results in 1 + 1@120deg = 1@60deg, i.e. the magnitude of the
current in the neutral equals that of the other two wires.
In a three-phase linear circuit with three identical resistive or reactive loads, the
neutral carries no current. The neutral carries current if the loads on each phase are
not identical. In some jurisdictions, the neutral is allowed to be reduced in size if
no unbalanced current flow is expected. If the neutral is smaller than the phase
conductors, it can be overloaded if a large unbalanced load occurs.
The current drawn by non-linear loads, such as fluorescent & HID lighting and
electronic equipment containing switching power supplies, often
contains harmonics. Triplen harmonic currents (odd multiples of the third
harmonic) are additive, resulting in more current in the shared neutral conductor
than in any of the phase conductors. In the absolute worst case, the current in the
shared neutral conductor can be triple that in each phase conductor. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the use of shared neutral conductors when feeding single-
phase loads from a three-phase source; others require that the neutral conductor be
substantially larger than the phase conductors. It is good practice to use four-pole
circuit breakers (as opposed to the standard three-pole) where the fourth pole is the
neutral phase, and is hence protected against overcurrent on the neutral conductor.
Split phase[edit]
Main article: Split-phase electric power
In split-phase wiring, for example, a duplex receptacle in a North American
kitchen, devices may be connected with a cable that has three conductors, in
addition to ground. The three conductors are usually coloured red, black, and
white. The white serves as a common neutral, while the red and black each feed,
separately, the top and bottom hot sides of the receptacle. Typically such
receptacles are supplied from two circuit breakers in which the handles of two
poles are tied together for a common trip. If two large appliances are used at once,
current passes through both and the neutral only carries the difference in current.
The advantage is that only three wires are required to serve these loads, instead of
four. If one kitchen appliance overloads the circuit, the other side of the duplex
receptacle will be shut off as well. This is called a multiwire branch circuit.
Common trip is required when the connected load uses more than one phase
simultaneously. The common trip prevents overloading of the shared neutral if one
device draws more than rated current.

what would happen if in a three conductor system(single phase) we interchange neutral and earth?
Neutral is provided to complete electrical circuits in the case of single phase
requirements. Earth is being provided for safety and to permit flow of fault currents in
the case of earth faults. If earth is not provided, current based earth fault protections
will not work. During normal operation, neutral conductor is the part of main
electrical circuit whereas earth conductor remains isolated.

As the neutral point of an electrical supply system is often connected to


earth ground, ground and neutral are closely related. Under certain conditions,
a conductor used to connect to a system neutral is also used for grounding (earthing)
of equipment and structures. Current carried on a grounding conductor can result in
objectionable or dangerous voltages appearing on equipment enclosures, so the
installation of grounding conductors and neutral conductors is carefully defined in
electrical regulations. Where a neutral conductor is used also to connect equipment
enclosures to earth, care must be taken that the neutral conductor never rises to a high
voltage with respect to local ground.

3. Grounding
3.1 Introduction

Grounding means connecting the live part (it means the part which carries current under
normal condition) to the earth. For example neutral of power transformer. Grounding
provides a path to the fault current, So that we can minimize the damage. In an isolated
grounding system (
without grounding ) whenever a fault occurs in the power system then the fault current
will be severe.

Types of grounding
1.solid grounding ( direct connection to ground)

2.resistance grounding ( connection through a resistance )

3.reactance grounding ( connection through an inductor called as Peterson coil )

The purpose of grounding is

1. To Provide the path for the fault current.and also limits the fault current.
2. To place the earth relay.
3. To protect the system.

The neutral wire is used in the circuit of the appliance. It is the loop back to the panel
that allows the hot wire to do its work. Completing the circle.
The ground is there to prevent you from being shocked by a faulty appliance by
tripping the breaker.
Ultimately they both go to ground, but the true ground wire and not the neutral is there
to shunt the amps so you don't have to through your body.
Earth is a basin of infinite positive charge and infinite negative charge.. and hence
it is neutral

Ground: the most misunderstood and misused word in the engineer's lexicon.

In the beginning (as far as radio and electronics is concerned) there was the electric
telegraph.

The basic circuit consisted of three parts connected in series; a battery, an


electromagnet (the "sounder") and a switch (the key".) The key would be at one
end of the circuit, the electromagnet at the other.

The key controlled the current through the line and therefore through the
electromagnet.
The system at first used two wires but it was quickly realised that one of them
could be replaced by using the Earth as one conductor.

And then Marconi said, Let there be radio.

An essential part of radio is an antenna and an essential part of early antennas was
a connection to the Earth.

You will have noticed (wont you?) that both times I mentioned Earth I also used
the definite article. Yes; the planet on which we live.

The ubiquitous, misunderstood and frequently misused ground had not yet made
its potentially lethal way into our technical jargon.

It wont go amiss to say here that, in an electrical/radio/electronics sense, Earth


means not just a conductive connection to the planet but a very low resistance
connection, and in the case of a.c. a very low impedance connection at all
frequencies being considered whether they be 50 or 60Hz or microwaves.

Older radio receivers needed a connection to Earth to improve antenna efficiency


and later, when they became mains operated, in the interests of safety too.

Eventually someone, somewhere, possibly because they thought it was clever,


possibly because of grammatical sloppiness, introduced the word ground. (Since
its use is confined mainly to the U.S.A. I must make the reasonable assumption
that it was there.)

Which was most unfortunate. It is much less evocative than the original, genuine,
accept-no-other, Earth.

My use of the upper case E should by now have served the purpose of drawing
attention to something of paramount importance, so I shall now drop it in
deference to convention.

Use of the word earth, or the less satisfactory ground, was, as long as radios and
other items were mains powered, quite unambiguous. The chassis of most, if not
all, older radios were connected to earth. Furthermore it was and still is common
practice for one side (or pole) of the receivers power supply to be connected to its
chassis and therefore to earth.

It was quite usual in the service environment to speak of measuring a voltage


within a radio between such and such a point and earth, or ground. Both words
being synonymous.

With the advent of portable battery operated radios (and the development of ferrite
rod antennas) the earth connection, at least on those receivers, disappeared. The
old habit of referring to the receivers chassis as earth or ground didnt.

As a not too successful palliative, the expressions earth ground and chassis
ground were introduced. And there ended synonymity.

(Think earth earth and chassis earth.)

What a ridiculous situation. If you need to say "earth ground" or "chassis ground"
- and you DO need to in order to convey what you really mean, then why not drop
the silly and confusing "ground" and simply say "earth" or "chassis" and, if
necessary, say whether or not the chassis is, or should be, earthed.

So common is the use of the word "ground" - it tumbles out of peoples mouths like
a ritual - without stating what is meant, that I suspect that it is either taught or
simply copied from other people who are imprecise with their terminology. In the
former case the teachers need their heads banging together.

We even have people talking about the 'positive of a battery and its "ground".
Stupid, unthinking, and totally wrong and misleading.

Even more unfortunate is the fact that most people who use ground dont bother
to state which ground they mean, if, indeed, they understand the difference
anyway (and I'm quite sure that many of them don't). Its just part of the jargon
which people use unthinkingly.

And that really is potentially fatal.

Unthinkingly. Yes, very much so. I well remember in one of Racals technical
handbooks, one pertaining to an airborne radio, that a certain pin on one of its
connectors was the earth pin. Earth? In an aircraft? Just how sloppy/stupid can
people be?

Now, have a look at these.

What, and why, would you call "ground" in any of these 7 pictures?
There is equal confusion between the diagrammatic representations of earth and
chassis. The former being grouped horizontal lines whose lengths diminish from
top to bottom. The latter is one horizontal line with short diagonal lines hanging
from beneath it. Check out the very earliest circuit diagrams of radios.

Look at most semiconductor manufacturers data sheets or application notes. They


are littered with earth symbols.

Some circuit-drawing programs also insist on appending earth symbols to a power


supplys common line.

Which brings me to another point.

Whenever I draw a circuit diagram or whenever I speak about a circuit I avoid as


far as is possible the word ground.

I will sometimes, but not always, use the chassis symbol in a diagram. In many
cases it is simply not necessary.

I usually label the circuit/power supply common connection as 0V. If the


application is a road vehicle I will label it chassis.
In a written or verbal description I say 0V or chassis.

Some people dont understand this, so ingrained is their habit of using ground or
earth. But I stick to my guns. I would rather someone ask than indulge them in
their common and imprecise jargon.

One of the problems is that people are taught by other people who know no
difference (or better) and it is not until much later that they might encounter
someone who deliberately or otherwise challenges their cherished beliefs.

I can not and will not accept fatuous arguments supporting something because "lots
of people have done it like this for a long time." All that does is preserve and
propogate myths and misunderstandings.
Old habits, particularly bad ones, die hard. It is nigh on impossible to get someone
to even contemplate that they just might be wrong.

R.m.s. power anyone?

ground: a potential wrt which every other potential in the circuit is measured. that
potential need not to be 0.
earthing: to connect a point of the circuit to ground literally to ensure zero
potential in it.
neutral: potential zero. basically equal to earth potential. Ground is basically
reference point in any circuit. Like a battery's cathode is called as ground as all the
voltages are measured wrt this point. Any of the point in a circuit can be taken as a
reference...
When this ground is connected to earth then it is known as earthing..
Hope you get the point....
Ground is a source for unwanted currents and also as a return path for
main current some times. While earthing is done not for return path but only
for protection of delicate equipments.

Neutral and ground are the same in house wiring. But they're treated differently in other
places.
In electronic circuits, ground (GND) is usually defined as the point of zero potential. It
become the
reference point for other voltages on your circuit board, which may be either positive or
negative
relative to GND.

On a bench supply, you'll often see +, -, and Ground/Earth labels. When you set a voltage
on your bench
supply, that's a difference between the + and - terminals.

what is the difference between earth and neutral?

Earthing Neutral
It is used to protect human body from In case of 1 phase AC system, neutral
leakage current due to short circuit in acts as a
equipments, mal function or crack in return path to flowing current in any
insulation. electrical circuit.

It is up to the 1 Phase Generator. But in


3 phase AC
system, neutral is not compulsory if the
system is in
stable operation (In stable operation the
return path is
same as the third phase when first and
second are above the zero volt in the
positive cycle).
It is a source to protect from high It is a source to complete the flow in
voltage surges electrical circuit
Earth wire is the path of resultant Neutral is the return path of current
current/ Fault current.
The earth wire on the other hand neutral in a balanced system always
provides a fault path for contains zero current hence it is at zero
fault current to flow to earth, thus volts, it is the centre point of a 3
activating any phase star system, and as such is a phase
protective devices. In a Tn-c-s sytem, wire for any
the earth and single phase system run off it, and it is
neutral are combined, this offering a usually
much lower earth path maintained at zero volts. Its function is
in that system because of parallel paths. to collect
current flowing from a higer potential to
a lower potential.
Earth conductor act as electron bank i.e neutral there is a limit that depends on
we can give and take any number of the system
electron

Earth is for the Safety or Protection of Neutral is a return way current to


human complete the circuit
It should never carry current except It carries current equal to that carried by
when something has failed the live wire.
Ground is the green wire
earth is used for the safety of the human
where as neutral is used for the protection of
body from fault equipments.
conditions.

Do you know how to measure the earth resistance? if so


explain it
Actually the Earth resistance is measured using "earth
resistance meter". In previous answers some said that using
megger, but megger is used only for high resistance
measurement i.e., in Megaohms but when considereing upon
earth resistance it should not exceed 1ohm so earth
resistance meter is required.

In this meter there will be four terminals(E, P1, P2, P3)


in which E and P1 will be shorted and connected to the grid
or electrode and P2 and P3 are reference electrodes which
will be kept on the earth surface on two different
locations for taking the reference resistances of the earth.
The meter shows the resistance of the earth. But it is
neccessary that it should be below 1ohm.

Earth Resistance is measured by the device'EARTH MAGGER'.

1.To measure earth resistance we use Earth Resistance


Meter/Megger.
2.In this Megger there are three terminals
Line,Nuetral&Earth.
3.Line & Nuetral are connected to two terminals and EARTH
Terminal to earth pit to be measured for resistance.

Actually the Earth resistance is measured using "earth


resistance meter". In previous answers some said that using
megger, but megger is used only for high resistance
measurement i.e., in Megaohms but when considereing upon
earth resistance it should not exceed 1ohm so earth
resistance meter is required.

In this meter there will be four terminals(E, P1, P2, P3)


in which E and P1 will be shorted and connected to the grid
or electrode and P2 and P3 are reference electrodes which
will be kept on the earth surface on two different
locations for taking the reference resistances of the earth.

The meter shows the resistance of the earth. But it is


neccessary that it should be below 1ohm.
using two methods:
1.fall of potential method
2.earth tester(device)

factors affecting earth resistance are


1. Shape & material of the earth electrode.
2. Depth of the electrode at which they r burried in soil.
3. Specific resistance of the soil surrounding the electrode

(Specific resistance of the soil varies depending on


moisture content in the soil..... varies from 80*10^3ohm-m
to 80*10^6ohm-m)
Actually the Earth resistance is measured using "earth
resistance meter". In previous answers some said that using
megger, but megger is used only for high resistance
measurement i.e., in Megaohms but when considereing upon
earth resistance it should not exceed 1ohm so earth
resistance meter is required.

In this meter there will be four terminals(E, P1, P2, P3)


in which E and P1 will be shorted and connected to the grid
or electrode and P2 and P3 are reference electrodes which
will be kept on the earth surface on two different
locations for taking the reference resistances of the earth.

The meter shows the resistance of the earth. But it is


neccessary that it should be below 1ohm

earth resistance can measure by earth testor/earth resistor.

In this meter there will be four terminals(E, P1, P2, P3)


in which E and P1 will be shorted and connected to the grid
or electrode and P2 and P3 are reference electrodes which
will be kept on the earth surface on two different
locations for taking the reference resistances of the earth.

The meter shows the resistance of the earth. But it is


neccessary that it should be below 1ohm

the most easy to calculate the specified earth


resistance,is by using earth testor.
a earth testore is a electric generator which generate the
electric voltage as per constant speed of that rotor
(generator).
if any low resistance load will apply across that voltage
so an electric current will also generate.
by this current,and voltage,we can calculate the value of
applied load resistance.
so lets assume----------
the voltage value generated by earth testor

is = V volts,
and current value is = I amp

so according ohms law

the applied load value will(earth resistance) = R

the current being supplied from the AC power lines.


Alternatively, a bridge may be
used for measurement. Most often, the ground resistance is
measured with selfcontained
instruments such as the Megger ground resistance Tester.
The resistivity of earth may vary over extremely wide
limits, depending on the
composition of the soil and the moisture content.
Representative values are:
General average 100 ohm-meters
Swampy ground 10-100 ohm-meters
Sea water 0.01-1 ohm-meters
Dry earth 1000 ohm-meters
Pure slate 107 ohm-meters
Sandstone 108ohm-meters
Fig. 2 Equivalent radius A of groups of ground rods of
radius "a"
I current
V voltmeter
Ground under test Reference ground Auxiliary ground
Fig. 3 Fundamental method of ground resistance measurement
TYPE 3235 Earth TESTER
Adequate earthing systems for telecommunications,
electronic and electrical
equipment, power lines and lightning arresters of steel
towers and high buildings are
of extreme importance. Good earthing systems safeguard
personnel and equipment
during fault conditions. They are also frequently necessary
in minimising electrical
noise and for normal, reliable operation of electrical and
electronic equipment. The
resistance of any earthing system should be periodically
checked to ensure that it is
within limits.
The Type 3235 Earth Tester can be used to check almost any
earthing system. It
incorporates a test for earth voltage. AC voltage up to 30V
may be measured. High
SSS
SSSS
A=SQRT(a S ) S
A= cube root of(aS2) A= fourth root of(sqrt(2)aS2)
S
earth resistivity is measured by earh megger . there so
many methods of earth resistivity measurements like1)
wenner 4 pin method, 2) schlumberger method, 3) driven rod
or 3pin method. all those test results varies on different
parameters of the site. to minimise tose effects the tests
has to be performed in an arrey called"line traverse
servay". the detail of those above methos i.e. the distace
of rod depth of rod and their variation is to be discussed
in detail. however the result given by the "earth megger"
i.e. the resistance of earth is to be converted into earth
resistivity by the following formula.
Wenner method:-
r(resistivity) = 2(PI)A R : A =Probe spacing, R
resistance reading in the E/megger
Schlumberger:-
r=(PI) L.L.R/2.l L=centre limb to outer probe,
l=centre limb to inner probe,
Driven rod:-
r=2(PI)lR/Ln(8l/d) l=rod length in earth, d=dia of rod.
contact me at sgmanofpower@yahoo.com if you have got
further details or questions.

The Fluke 1625 earth ground tester is able to measure earth ground loop resistances for
multi grounded systems using only current clamps. With this test method, two clamps
are placed around the earth ground rod or the connecting cable and each are connected
to the tester. A known voltage is induced by one clamp, and the current is measured
using the second clamp. The tester automatically determines the ground loop
resistance at this ground rod.
Ideally a ground should be of zero ohms resistance.
There is not one standard ground resistance threshold that is recognized by all
agencies.

However, the NFPA and IEEE have recommended a ground resistance value of 5.0
ohms or less.

The NEC has stated to Make sure that system impedance to ground is less than 25
ohms specified in NEC 250.56. In facilities with sensitive equipment it should be 5.0
ohms or less.

The Telecommunications industry has often used 5.0 ohms or less as their value for
grounding and bonding.

The goal in ground resistance is to achieve the lowest ground resistance value possible
that makes sense economically and physically.

Earth resistance should be mesured only by using earth


tester the potential spike must be placed minimum 10mtr
away from mesuring earth pit & auxulary spike must be
placed minimum 10mtr from potential spike.That means the
distance between 2 spikes +the distance between earth pit &
potential spike should not less than 20mtr.

You must use a car battery and a volt meter.Take the


battery out of your car and attach a cable to the positive
and negative terminals.Try and start your car,if it doesn't
start that means you have correctly removed the
battery.Stick one end of the positive cable in the
ground,the deeper the better,dig a hole with a shovel if
you have to.Stick the negative cable in the ground at
exactly 38.6390 inches away from the positive cable,this
measurement is extremely important.Now,wait 3 hours and
measure the voltage in the ground between the two cables.A
voltage of 7.75 volts dc or higher indicates proper ground
resistance of .00672 ohms.A lower voltage reading indicates
that the ground resistance is too high.Saturate the area
with water and wait overnight.Take your readings again the
next day and see if they have changed.This is a very
accurate method and it has worked for me every time.

Ohmmeter measurements are normally made with just a two-


point measurement method.
However, when measuring very low values of ohms, in the
milli- or micro-ohm range, the two-point method is
not satisfactory because test lead resistance becomes a
significant factor.
A similar problem occurs when making ground mat resistance
tests, because long lead lengths of up to 1000
feet, are used. Here also, the lead resistance, due to long
lead length, will affect the measurement results.
The four-point resistance measurement method eliminates
lead resistance. Instruments based on the four-point
measurement work on the following principle:
Two current leads, C1 and C2, comprise a two-wire
current source that circulates current through the
resistance
under test.
Two potential leads, P1 and P2, provide a two-wire
voltage measurement circuit that measures the voltage
drop across the resistance under test.
The instrument computes the value of resistance from the
measured values of current and voltage

Normally no meaning for earth resistance, we use a


measurement of resistance in a definite location to
calculate the Earth Resistivity which can be used for the
calculation of Grounding/ Earthing mesh resistance.

Measurement can be done in one of the following:

1- Normal Volt/ Ampere method: Inject current and measure


voltage , then you will got the resistance.

OR

2- Wenner method using 4 electrodes: You should use the


equipment especially used for this purpose, and you should
follow the instruction attached with the equipment.

OR

3- Using Schlumberger method applying 4 electrodes: same


equipment used in 2 but different calculation applied.

earth resistance is onely measure by earth tester of low


value less then 10 ohm.a good earth has 1 to 2 ohms
resistance. any doute pls contact 09438603040 Er.Ajay Rout
CUTM BBSR

Actually the Earth resistance is measured using "earth


resistance meter". In previous answers some said that using
megger, but megger is used only for high resistance
measurement i.e., in Megaohms but when considereing upon
earth resistance it should not exceed 1ohm so earth
resistance meter is required.

In this meter there will be four terminals(E, P1, P2, P3)


in which E and P1 will be shorted and connected to the grid
or electrode and P2 and P3 are reference electrodes which
will be kept on the earth surface on two different
locations for taking the reference resistances of the earth.

The meter shows the resistance of the earth. But it is


neccessary that it should be below 1ohm

it should be less than 1 ohm.

yes this is done using resistivity meter(terrameter) with


fou electrode,

Earth resistance is measured by using earth Resistance


meter. it is using for four probe method.Two electrodes
for potentials and the other two for currents. There are
two methods, viz. Schlumberger method and Wenner method in
which two types of electrode assembly. There are special
formulae to calculate the resistance from the apparent
resistivity we get from the instrument. There are special
software to interpret the data.for curren

earth resistance is measured my earth megger instrument. it


has three terminals
1) earth
2) line
3) ground
in this ground is for meter protection and earth is meant for
point of starting of measurement , line is meant for point
until which the earth resistance to be measured
this works on principle that emf generated by the generator
is forms a close loop when the points between earth and line
conducts that is meter will indicate zero incase of the
failure of earth resistance

Earth resistance is calculeted or measure by only Earth


Resistance Meter and that meter is prepared for specialy
earth resistance checking.Earth resistance must be less
than 1 Ohm if resistance increses Earth-Nutral voltage is
increses so maintain the earth nutral voltage resistance is
required less than one Ohm.

Earth resistance is mwasured by using earth resistivity


meter. It is by using four probe method. Two electrodes
for potentials and the other two for currents. There are
two methods, viz. Schlumberger method and Wenner method in
which two types of electrode assembly. There are special
formulae to calculate the resistance from the apparent
resistivity we get from the instrument. There are special
software to interpret the data.

there are four terminals p1,c1,p2,c2 outof this earthing


electrode connected to p2 and p1 &p2 get shorted There are
three electrods which are 60 to 70 feet equal distant from
eachother along withearthing electrode whose earthresistant
tobecalculate .then set 10 oham range & connect all
electrodes as mentions above by 1.0sq mm wire & rotate the
handle with constant speed & note the
reading
earth resistance is measured by multimeter keeping the
string to dc voltage and measuring the readings by
shortning neutral and earth

How do you maintain the earthing resistance?


Earthing Resistance can be maintained by adding
water,charcoal & salt per month,Not only by adding those
three, Its rusted bolt& Nuts must be renewed by new one for
every three month,this maintenance should be varied depand
upon the climatic conditions, such as in rainy season.Earth
pit must be fenced with cement.

1. by adding water, coal., salt on monthly basis

2. by checking earth resistance of earth pits yearly

by pouring the water inside the earth pits...

by checking values of earthing resistance within six months


intervals for each individual pit...

earthing resistance should be maintain below 2 ohms.its


safe for machiens.

by pouring water ,charkol and salt is used but it is old


method.use pouring of Bentonite powder by using water.
Also to reduce earth resistance by parralel resistance to
earth mesh.it cen achived upto 2ohm.

earthing resistance is maintained below 2 ohms.we should


add salt and water where we r grounding the equipment.

Better to use stainless steel bolts nuts and washers since


GI ones tend to deteriorate and get corroded after a long
time and it becomes difficult to open the bonding,
connection for taking measurements.
Simple method is pour lot of salt and water around the
earth electrode and surely you will get a very good value
of earth resistance instantly.

differance b|w ground, neutral&earth

Ground and earth are same.the current flow in earth/ground


when fault occurs.

Neutral is used as a return path. current flow only when


closed path is there.
current flow in neutral under normal conditions.

Neutral provides return/ balancing path for the phase


currents and completes the circuit. Neutral can also be
Earthed at source end as per system requirement.
Earth refers to system at mother earth potential, essential
for human sefety.
Ground refers to virtual earth system in Electronic
circuitries in appliances as also Aircrafts/ Automobiles,
etc.

In a simple way,

1)Neutral is used as the reverse path for the phase currents to complete the circuit in
A.C. systems.

2)Earthing is for Self protection.

3)Grounding is for System protection.

Ground and earth are both same. This means connected to


ground ie always remain zero potential. Neutral means tle
lower potential of the supply source with respect to
another potential of the same supply source.

Grounding/Earthing (both the same) is done for human safety


and Neutral is done for device protection
CONNECTING NON-ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS (SUCH AS BODY
EARTHINGS)TO GROUND IS CALLED EARTHING & CONNECTING
ELECTRICAL BODIES (SUCH AS NEUTRAL EARTHING AND WHICH ARE
DIRECTLY GIVEN 2 EQUIPMENTS)IS CALLED GROUNDING.......

Neutral is used to close the ckt. with phase voltage and earthing is used to collect leakage
voltage from the body and release it to the ground for human safety.

earthing is provided for short circuit current.


ground is provided for surge currents .

neutral is provided for return path (i.e for closed path).

ground and earth both are common itwii useforsurge


protection and neutral for return path of the circuit

EARTH IS USED FOR PROVIDING THE PATH OF LEACKAGE CURRENT .


NEUTRAL IS USED FOR PROVIDING THE PATH OF REVERSE CURRENT
GEROUND IS USED FOR THREE PHASE BALANCING SYSTEM.

GROUND MEANS when small ckt. (control ckt.) are required to


be connected to common is called ground.
EARTH mean high voltage (power ckt.) are connected to common
(neutral) is called earth.

In a ordinary plug can we hold the earth in hane and


connect the circuit to supply?will we get a shock?
Though your question is not clear to me completely but I am
trying to clarify it .when earth pin of plug is connected
to electrical earth point you won't get shock because your
body & earth pin comes into parallel line and your body
resistance is much more than instrument body as well as
earth point . Short circuited current will flow through the
earth point because it is a low resistive path compare to
your body .But if the plug earth is not connected to
electrical earth point then it is open ckt . In this
condition if you touch the plug earth point and it is
already short circuited then almost full current will pass
through your body . You will definately get shock .
We wont get shock coz the connection which is given as
Ground is Actually Earthend, and we know that earth has lots
n lots of electrons. So, as current chooses Low resistance
path it wont go through our body which has High resistance
compared to the wire used for Earthing.

u vl get shock bcoz current travells through ur body to


ground.

Ground is there for safety, and.

Neutral is the point at which all the three phases current meets and the algebraic sum of
current becomes zero in case of balanced load condition. Neutral is usually grounded
with some resistance in series in case of equipment protections like generator and
transformer protections. While earthing is the "dead zero point" in electrical
system. I.e zero potential point or reference potential.

Neutral and Ground are attached to the same point inside the breaker box.
This is because metal devices attached to a grounded outlet have their chassis attached to
the Ground terminal, and if any current flowed through Ground in normal operation,
the ground wire could have some voltage on it.

If there were a short of the Hot or some intermediate point to the metal chassis on a
device, with the chassis grounded, the fault current flows to Ground rather than
bringing the metal chassis up to some dangerous voltage.

GFCI also called GFI outlets and breakers look for any imbalance in the Hot and
Neutral current. So if you miswired an outlet so Ground and Neutral were reversed,
the GFCI would keep kicking the outlet off.

At one location, the breaker box where power enters the building, the neutral is connected
to the earth.

. But it is usual practice


that there is always leakage current flowing in any
electrical ckt. thus Neutal is provided to carry this
current and take it to the Ground like Eearthing....
Thank you....
normally speaking, earth and neutral is having the common
point at generating stations.
But neutral is treated as the "return" path of the supply.
But when we are transferring supply to a long distance , it
needs 4 conductors, 3 for phase and the last one for
neuatral(return).So it is getting expensive ,
so normally we are earthed at the generating stations and
only taking 3 condutors till it reach the i/p of the
Distribution transformer(i/p is delta) and from the
secondary(star) we are starting neutral(altogether 4 wires).
And this neutral is earthed there.

The earth is also used for protection.

it s a frequently asking interview question..


earth is defined as the protective circuit .
and neutral s defined as the current returning circuit.
in home,
ground wires are connected to all electrical equipments
metal body. if there s any fault in equipment , it may
cause current on its body. earth wire connected to metal
body carries this fault current to earth and decreasing the
effect of shock. for this , the earthing should be perfect.

AC is sine wave, ie voltages become zero in each cycles.


this zero voltage is referred as neutral. in 3 phase
transmission system, the voltage disbalance between lines
may leads to flow some current through neutral. due to this
reason neutral s earthed in all substations.. thank u..

Neutral: Return path of current flow in order to make a


closed circuit.

The Earth Cab act as a netural But a netural Cannot act as


an earth

Earth is a surging point.


Neutral is a returan bath of circuit.
Earth is surging point of equipments,and prodection of
human body from short ckt of the equipments.
Neutral is return bath of equipments( prodection of
equipments)

neutral is a reference point and a return path for any


"live" circuit. Earth is an energy ZERO point.

When ALL phase has balanced load, neutral should be ZERO


volt in respect to earth. Becareful the word "balanced",
which means, when there is an unbalanced phased (due to load
or otherwise), the neutral will no longer be ZERO volt in
respect to earth. When there is more than ZERO volt between
neutral and earth, then there will be current flow through
these 2 points (leakage).

Even for most of the time, neutral and earth has ZERO volt
between them; they should never be connected together or be
used interchangeably.
Is This Answer Correct ? 39 Yes 4 No

Answer / Manoj Kumar Tiwari


earth is always act as zero potential ,but neutral may be
or may not b at zero potential
Is This Answer Correct ? 42 Yes 13 No

Answer / W. Vijay
Neutral:- It is return path conductor.
Earthing:-It is the connection of the conductor to the
general mass of the earth.

Neutral:- It provides return path to current to complete the


circuit.
Earthing:- It provides the path to short circuit/ fault current.

Neutral:- Advantage: for system reliability and voltage


stability.
Earthing:- Advantage: for the protection of human being and
equipment
Is This Answer Correct ? 33 Yes 4 No
Answer / Mohanraj .C
first of all we should clear in the terms of earth and
neutral. earth is always zero potential and neutral is the
reference point of a.c system.i.e neutral is also in the
zero potential but not always.
two types of earthing is available
1. neutral earthing
2.equipment earthing

neutral earthing is used for equipment safety and equipment


earthing is used for human safety.(body of the equipment is
connected to earth.so during fault time, the fault current
flows through this)

so earthing is only for safety purpose.


but neutral is a returning path to an alternating current.

Mr. T has a wrong weighing pan. One arm is lengthier than other. 1 kilogram on left
balances 8 melons on right, 1 kilogram on right balances 2 melons on left. If all
melons are equal in weight, what is the weight of a single melon.

Sol:
Let additional weight on left arm be x.
Weight of melon be m
x + 1 = 8 x m - - - - - - (1)
x + 2 x m = 1 - - - - - - (2)
Solving 1 & 2 we get.
Weight of a single Melon = 200 gm.

Earthing: As we all know it is used to protect human bodys


from leakage current from short circuit in equipments or
mal function or crack in insulation.

Neutral: In case of 1 phase AC system, neutral acts as a


return path to flowing current in any electrical circuit.
It is up to the 1 Phase Generator. But in 3 phase AC
system, neutral is not compalsory if the system is in
stable operation (In stable operation the return path is
same as the third phase when first and second are above the
zero volt in the positive cycle). But it is usual practice
that there is always leakage current flowing in any
electrical ckt. thus Neutal is provided to carry this
current and take it to the Ground like Eearthing....
Thank you....

Purposes of Earthing

1) is to drain away unwanted currents.


2) to provide a reference voltage for circuits.
3) to lead lightning away from delicate equipment.

Difference between Grounding and Earthing

There is no major difference between earthing and Grounding, both means Connecting
an electrical circuit or device to the Earth. Even though there is a micro difference
between grounding and earthing:

Grounding Earthing
Definition Grounding Earthing
means means
connecting the connecting t
live part (it he dead part
means the part (it means the
which carries part
current under which does
normal not
condition) to carries curre
the earth for nt under
example normal
neutral of condition) to
power theearth for e
transformer. xample
electrical
equipments
frames,
enclosures,
supports etc .
Difference in Terminology Grounding is Earthing is
the commonly used in
word used for European,
earthing in the Commonwea
North lth countries
American and Britain
standards like standards
IEEE,NEC, like IS and
ANSI. IEC etc.
Purpose Grounding The purpose
refers the of earthing is
current to minimize
carrying part the risk of
of the system receiving an
such as neutral electric
(of the shock
transformer or if touching
generator). metal parts
when a fault
is present.
Generally gr
een wire is
used for this
as a
nomenclatur
e.
Balancing the Load Vs Safety Ground is a Earthing is
source for done not for
unwanted returnpath
currents and but only for
also as a return protection of
path for main delicate equi
current pments. It is
sometimes. analternate l
ow
resistance
path for
current.
When we take While
out the neutral earthing is
for a used
three phase un between the
balanced equipment
connection and earth pit
and send so as to
it to ground, it avoid
is called electrical
grounding. shock and
Grounding is equipment d
done to amage.
balance
unbalanced
load.
Equipment Protection Vs Human Safety Because of Earthing is
lightening, line to ensure
surges or safety or
unintentional Protection of
contact with electrical
other high equipment
voltage lines, and Human
dangerously by
high voltages discharging
can develop in the electrical
the electrical energy to the
distribution earth.
system wires. Earthing is a
Grounding preventive
provides a measure.
safe, alternate
path around
the electrical
system of
your house
thus minimizin
g damage from
such
occurrences. It
is just a return
path.
Example Grounding of Earthing of
neutral point electrical
of a star equipments
connected frames,
transformer. enclosures,
supports etc.

What is earthing (Grounding) in terms of electrical?


In electrical engineering, the term ground or earth has several meanings depending on
the specific application areas. Ground is the reference point in an electrical circuit
from which other voltages are measured, a common return path for electric current
(earth return or ground return), or a direct physical connection to the Earth.

Fig. 1: A typical earthing electrode (left of gray conduit) at a home in Australia. Note
the green and yellow marked earth wire.Electrical circuits may be connected to
ground (earth) for several reasons. In power circuits, a connection to ground is done
for safety purposes to protect people from the effects of faulty insulation on
electrically powered equipment. A connection to ground helps limit the voltage built
up between power circuits and the earth, protecting circuit insulation from damage
due to excessive voltage. Connections to ground may be used to limit the build-up of
static electricity when handling flammable products or when repairing electronic
devices. In some types of telegraph and power transmission circuits, the earth itself
can be used as one conductor of the circuit, saving the cost of installing a separate run
of wire as a return conductor. For measurement purposes, the Earth serves as a
(reasonably) constant potential reference against which other potentials can be
measured. An electrical ground system should have an appropriate current-carrying
capability in order to serve as an adequate zero-voltage reference level. In electronic
circuit theory, a 'ground' is usually idealized as an infinite source or sink for charge,
which can absorb an unlimited amount of current without changing its potential.

The use of the term ground (or earth) is so common in electrical and electronics
applications that circuits vehicles such as ships, aircraft, and spacecraft may be spoken
of as having a "ground" connection without any actual connection to the Earth.
In electrical engineering, earthing or grounding means literally to make an electrical
connection between the ground and a metal part. In practice this is usually done by
connecting to the ground pin of an electrical socket, which is itself connected to
ground. In permanent installations it can also be done by wiring to a piece of
grounded metal, most often a water pipe.
The main reason for doing this is safety. If a live wire touches a metal part such as the
casing of a washing machine, it will become "live" or "hot". If you were to touch it
you would get an electric shock. By grounding the metal part, if a live wire touches it
the current will flow through the metal part to the ground. This will usually cause a
fuse to blow or a circuit breaker to trip, thereby isolating the supply and protecting the
user.
Despite what a previous answerer said, the ground is not part of the circuit of the
electrical supply to your house. A separate conductor, the neutral, serves that purpose.
Current only flows into the ground during a fault condition like the one I described
above.

In electronics, the term ground is often used to mean a part of the circuit which has
zero volts on it, and may be used as a return path for electric currents in the circuit
and/or a screen against electromagnetic interference. For instance, an electronic
engineer may say that a part of the circuit is "at 5 volts above ground".

Earthing is done for making the extra charge or current to flow in the ground(earth), after
earthing any point the potential(voltage) at that point became zero. The whole of the
world may be considered as a vast conductor which is at reference (zero) potential. In
the UK we refer to this as 'earth' whilst in the USA it is called 'ground'. People are
usually more or less in contact with earth, so if other parts which are open to touch
become charged at a different voltage from earth a shock hazard exists. The process of
earthing is to connect all these parts which could become charged to the general mass
of earth, to provide a path for fault currents and to hold the parts as close as possible
to earth potential. In simple theory this will prevent a potential difference between
earth and earthed parts, as well as permitting the flow of fault current which will cause
the operation of the protective systems.
The standard method of tying the electrical supply system to earth is to make a direct
connection between the two. This is usually carried out at the supply transformer,
where the neutral conductor (often the star point of a three-phase supply) is connected
to earth using an earth electrode or the metal sheath and armouring of a buried cable.
Lightning conductor systems must be bonded to the installation earth with a conductor
no larger in cross-sectional area than that of the earthing conductor.
The advantages of earthing
The practice of earthing is widespread, but not all countries in the world use it.
There is certainly a high cost involved, so there must be some advantages. In fact
there are two. They are:
1. The whole electrical system is tied to the potential of the general mass of earth and
cannot 'float' at another potential. For example, we can be fairly certain that the
neutral of our supply is at, or near, zero volts (earth potential) and that the phase
conductors of our standard supply differ from earth by 240 volts.
2. By connecting earth to metalwork not intended to carry current (an extraneous
conductive part or a an exposed conductive part) by using a protective conductor, a
path is provided for fault current which can be detected and, if necessary, broken.
The disadvantages of earthing
The two important disadvantages are:
1. Cost: the provision of a complete system of protective conductors, earth electrodes,
etc. is very expensive.
2. Possible safety hazard: It has been argued that complete isolation from earth will
prevent shock due to indirect contact because there is no path for the shock current to
return to the circuit if the supply earth connection is not made This approach,
however, ignores the presence of earth leakage resistance (due to imperfect insulation)
and phase-to-earth capacitance (the insulation behaves as a dielectric). In many
situations the combined impedance due to insulation resistance and earth capacitive
reactance is low enough to allow a significant shock current
Danger in an unearthed system
a) apparent safety: no obvious path for shock current
b) actual danger: shock current via stray resistance and capacitance

A lightning bolt strikes the ground (and is grounded or earthed). A power station's electric
generator is connected to distribution lines that feed your house (through
transformers). Both the generator and your house wiring must be grounded to
complete the circuit. The generator pulls electrons from the ground and pushes them
to your house (almost like a water pump pumps water) and after passing through your
light bulb, etc. the electrons are pushed into the ground under your house and flow
back toward the generator. No individual electrons make the complete trip and for AC
power the electrons flow back and forth (push pull push pull, etc.). The chassis of a
radio, etc. is connected to ground through the un-energized wire in the power cord (as
opposed to the live wire). Various items within the radio circuit are connected to the
chassis to provide a ground (path for electron flow). Ships at sea may use a floating
ground system where ground wires are used to complete circuits back to generators to
avoid electron flow though the steel hull that may induce corrosion. Airplanes also
would use ground wires rather than use the skin of the craft.

In electrical engineering, earthing or grounding means literally to make an electrical


connection between the ground and a metal part. In practice this is usually done by
connecting to the ground pin of an electrical socket, which is itself connected to
ground. In permanent installations it can also be done by wiring to a piece of
grounded metal, most often a water pipe.
The main reason for doing this is safety. If a live wire touches a metal part such as the
casing of a washing machine, it will become "live" or "hot". If you were to touch it
you would get an electric shock. By grounding the metal part, if a live wire touches it
the current will flow through the metal part to the ground. This will usually cause a
fuse to blow or a circuit breaker to trip, thereby isolating the supply and protecting the
user.
Despite what a previous answerer said, the ground is not part of the circuit of the
electrical supply to your house. A separate conductor, the neutral, serves that purpose.
Current only flows into the ground during a fault condition like the one I described
above.

In electronics, the term ground is often used to mean a part of the circuit which has
zero volts on it, and may be used as a return path for electric currents in the circuit
and/or a screen against electromagnetic interference. For instance, an electronic
engineer may say that a part of the circuit is "at 5 volts above ground".

Is Electrical earthing done for cars and aeroplanes?


Generally, any electrical design includes a "reference ground" or "ground plane". This is nothing but
the point, or
surface, that is the "zero volts" reference. In stationary structures, "ground" is an "earth ground" by
design. In portable
devices (including cars and aircraft) "ground" is a reference point.

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