Assessing Grounding Grid Robustness Through Analysis of Static Fields

Abstract

Assessing the condition of a grounding grid is key to ensuring the safety of a substation and the personnel working in its vicinity. This paper analyzes the static fields of a grounding grid to evaluate its robustness. The proposed method calculates the resistance of a grounding grid by considering the magnetic field generated by the grounding conductor at the earth's surface and the electric field inside the conductor. By comparing the calculated resistance values of the grid conductors with the designed values, the robustness of the grounding grid is evaluated. The error achieved by this method is 2.46%. Unlike existing methods, such as optimization and the gradient method, the proposed method does not require tedious calculations and is immune to noise induction. This is demonstrated through a comparison with one of the latest research studies. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed approach in evaluating the robustness of a grounding grid are discussed. Furthermore, the results are supported by the mathematical reasoning and simulation results.INDEX TERMS Electric field, grounding grid, magnetic flux density, robustness.