NEUTRAL GROUNDING

RESISTORS
DESIGN
DESIGNAND
AND APPLICATION
APPLICATION

ASK THE EXPERTS

NEUTRAL GROUNDING RESISTORS NEUTRAL GROUNDING RESISTOR IN ALTERNATOR
Q. What is the advantage of using ngR to connect Alternator
neutral grounding Resistors are similar to fuses in that they do nothing until something in the system goes wrong. A. You are referring about an ungrounded System, which does not have a direct connection from neutral
Then, like fuses, they protect personnel and equipment from damage. to ground. Because of this, there is no direct return path for a ground fault. The ground fault is then made up of
only system capacitive charging current, which is typically 2-3A for a 600V or less system. due to this low ground
damage comes from two factors, how long the fault lasts and the fault magnitude. ground fault relays trip breakers
fault current, no over-current protection device operates and the ground fault is left on the system (continuous
and limit how long a fault lasts based on current. neutral grounding resistors limit the fault magnitude. operation). The problem is … an intermittent (or arcing) ground fault causes transient over-voltages due to the
To improve coordination between resistors and relays and to avoid loss of protection, many neutral grounding charging of the system capacitance.
Resistors are now being designed with integral combination ground fault and monitoring relays. in distribution
iEEE Std 242-2001 (Buff Book - Recommended Practice for Protection and Coordination of industrial and
systems employing resistance grounding, the relay protects against ground faults and abnormal conditions in the
Commercial Power Systems) section 8.2.5 states “if this ground fault is intermittent or allowed to continue, the
path between system and ground possibly caused by loose or improper connections, corrosion, foreign objects or system could be subjected to possible severe over-voltages to ground, which can be as high as six to eight times
missing or compromised ground wires. phase voltage. Such over-voltages can puncture insulation and result in additional ground faults.
These over-voltages are caused by repetitive charging of the system capacitance or by resonance between the
neutral grounding resistors limit the maximum fault current to a value which will not damage generating,
system capacitance and the inductance of equipment in the system.”
distribution or other associated equipment in the power system, yet allow sufficient flow of fault current to
operate protective relays to clear the fault. iEEE Std 141-1993 (Red Book - Recommended Practice for Electric Power distribution for industrial Plants) section
To ensure sufficient fault current is available to positively actuate the over-current relay and that the fault current 7.2.1 states “Accumulated operating experience indicates that, in general purpose industrial power distribution
systems, the over-voltage incidents associated with ungrounded operation reduce the useful life of insulation so
does not decrease by more than 20% between ambient and the full operating temperature, it is recommended
that electric current and machine failures occur more frequently than they do on grounded power systems.”
that the ngR element material to be specified to have a temperature coefficient not greater than 0.0002 ohms / C.
The element material is critical in ensuring high operating performance of the neutral grounding resistor. The Another Hazardistheinabilitytolocategroundfaults. So, inthe
1950sacoupleofendusersandmanufacturerscollaborated with a common goal of designing a system that has the
element material must be a special grade of electrical alloy with a low temperature coefficient of resistance. This
only advantage of an ungrounded System (continuous operation) and without the disadvantages (severe transient
prevents the resistance value from increasing significantly as the resistor operates through a wide temperature
over-voltages and inability to locate ground faults). THE RESoluTion WAS HigH-RESiSTAnCE gRounding (HRg).
range. it also ensures a stable value of the fault current for proper metering and relaying. HRg Systems allow for continuous operation by inserting a resistor between the neutral and ground, which allows
There are two broad categories of resistance grounding: low resistance grounding and high resistance grounding for a direct return path for ground faults so that they can be easily found. The resistor also provides for discharging
of the system capacitance to avoid severe transient over-voltages, onlY iF the resistor current is higher than system
in both types of grounding, the resistor is connected between the neutral of the transformer secondary and capacitive charging current, which is extremely easy to design and install.
the earth ground and is sized to ensure that the ground fault current limit is greater than the system’s total
capacitance-to-ground charging current. Recently, HRg Systems have been used to eliminate another Hazard, Arc Flash Hazards associated with ground
faults on Solidly-grounded systems. There are other Hazards that must be considered due to the very high ground
There are two broad categories of resistance grounding: low resistance grounding and high resistance grounding fault currents.
low resistance grounding of the neutral limits the fault current to a high level (typically 50 amps or more) in order
iEEE Std 141-1993 (Red Book - Recommended Practice for Electric Power distribution for industrial Plants) section
to operate protective fault clearing relays. These devices are then able to quickly clear the fault, usually within a
7.2.4 states “A safety hazard exists for solidly grounded systems from the severe flash, arc burning, and blast
few seconds.
hazard from any phase-to-ground fault.” By placing a resistor between the neutral and ground, the ground fault
The key reasons for limiting the fault current through resistance grounding are: current is typically reduced to 5A for 600V or less systems.

- To reduce burning / melting effects in faulted electrical equipment, iEEE Std 141-1993 (Red Book - Recommended Practice for Electric Power distribution for industrial Plants) section
such as switchgear, transformers, cables and rotating machines 7.2.2 states that “There is no arc flash hazard, as there is with solidly grounded systems, since the fault current is
limited to approximately 5A.” So, by limiting the ground fault to 5A, you have avoided the hazards with Solidly-
grounded systems.
- To reduce mechanical stresses in circuits and apparatus carrying fault currents. in addition, several generator manufacturers require resistance grounding as the generators are not rated for
ground faults as they are often times higher than three-phase faults. iEEE Std 142-1991 (Recommended Practice
- To reduce electric shock hazards to personnel caused by stray ground fault currents in the ground return for grounding of industrial and Commercial Power Systems) states in section 1.8.1 ‘discussion of generator
path. Characteristics’ that “unlike a transformer ... a generator will usually have higher initial ground-fault current than
three-phase fault current if the generator has a solidly grounded neutral. According to nEMA, the generator is
- To reduce arc blast or flash hazard to personnel who may have accidentally caused or who happen to be
required to withstand only the three-phase current level unless it is otherwise specified ...” This is due to very low
in close proximity to the fault current. zero-sequence impedance within the generator causing very high earth fault currents. For generators 600V or
- To secure control of transient over voltage below, this may not be an issue. However, it is usually always an issue as the voltage class increases.
The resistor also significantly reduces any circulating currents, which are typically triplen harmonics leading to
over- heating in the generator windings.
 RESISTANCE NEUTRAL GROUNDING
Q. We will be erecting a new 22.1MW AC generator of 11kv with 1450A. How much earth fault current do we limit
and what rating of ngr shouldwe use? Q. 2MVA, 480V, Y-Y generator set is connected to 2.5MVA, 0.48/25KV, Y-Y step up transformer.
The step up transformer is connected to metal clad switchgear. There are 2 sets of 2MVA
A. The ‘Key’ to resistance grounding is to know the system capacitive charging current. Then you can decide ‘High’ or ‘Low’ generator and step up transformer (same size). 3 feeders are running out from the switchgear
Resistance Grounding (good engineering practice sets 10A as the threshold, over 10A then LRG, 10A or below then HRG). and feeding 3 step down transformers (Each capacity is 2MVA, 25/0.48KV, Y-Y connected).
length of feeder is about 2KM. These transformers are resistor’s neutral grounded and feeding
With that being said, you must determine your system and goal of grounding, i.e. system protection or generator protection.
Are the generators units connected or bus connected? If unit connected (directly connected to either step-up or step-down MCC’s busbar (2000A, 65 KA i.C., 480V). This distribution system is of process unit. So, i would
transformer), then I would recommend 5A as the physical size of the 11kV system is small, so the system capacitive charging like to make resistor’s neutral ground at either step up transformer or generator set for rising
current is < 5A. up the fault level of the whole system. What is the optimum choice of neutral grounding (at
transformer or generator set) and why?
If the generator is connected to a bus with distribution, then you must calculate the system capacitive charging current (see
Tables 4.1 & 4.2 in our Application Guide ‘Ground Fault Protection on Ungrounded and High Resistance Grounded Systems -
http://www.i-gard.com/appguides.htm). A. You can apply the neutral grounding resistor at the generator or at the lV winding of the step up transformer function-
ally it is the same. Most people prefer to apply them at the generator. A continuously rated 55 ohm, 277 v resistor would be
If the calculations are 10A or less, then I would recommend using 1.5X system capacitive charging current. If it is > 10A, then I sufficient and it would allow you to just raise an alarm and continue operation.
would recommend using a Hybrid High/Low Resistance Grounded system. In this case, the generator has (2) parallel ground-
ing paths, one at 5A and one at 100A. For ground faults external to generator, then the ground fault current is 100+5=105A.
For generator internal ground faults, the 100A resistor path is tripped off-line with the generator main circuit breaker. Now
SYSTEM CAPACITIVE CHARGING CURRENT
the ground fault current within the generator winding is only 5A, significantly reducing the damage that occurs while the
machine is coasting to a stop.
Q. What is a capacitive charging current? is it the max generator current that creates the magnetic field for your generator?
GROUNDING RESISTOR SIZING CONSIDERING THE SYSTEM CAPACITIVE
A. no. Capacitive charging current is current created by the system, almost solely from feeders and surge arrestors/
CHARGING CURRENT capacitors. Think of a feeder, which in this case is a cable in a conduit. if you physically look at the installation, the two
(cable and conduit) are parallel to each other as well as at different potentials (cable = phase voltage and conduit = ground
potential). Both are separated by an insulating material. The result is a big capacitor in terms of physical size.
Q. i realize that to have a proper ngR size for a 7.2kV mining project the let-through rated current of ngR should be equal When you energize the system, current flows from the phase conductor to conduit (actually, this isn’t technically true, it
or greater than the system capacitive charging current, and then based on the number of the feeders on the 7.2kV bus. Am actually causes a displacement of charge within the dielectric say the academics, in the real world, it is called current) through
i supposed to add all connected feeder capacitive charging current (3iC0) up and then the sum of them will be the system the dielectric, you just can’t see it or measure it because it is being equally distributed all along the cable.
capacitive charging current? if so, then there should be a kind of limitation in terms of the number of the feeders with the So when you have an ungrounded system and a ground fault occurs, the phase voltages with respect to ground changes on
associated long trailing cable that are going to be connected to the 7.2kV bus. My issue is an existing 7.2kV system with
the 2 unfaulted phases, say from 277V to 480V. What happens to the charge within the feeder capacitance? it rises from 277V
available 25 A ngR that is going to be extended to have more feeders. We have come up with a total system capacitive
charging current around 50A (after summation all prospective connected feeder’s capacitive charging current) then i guess to 480V; we are now CHARging the capacitance.
the ngR has to be changed. is that correct? in this case, we now can measure it because there is a single spot (the ground fault wire). The easiest way to measure a system
capacitive charging current is to unground the system, place a ground fault on the system THRu a fast-acting fuse (~10A or
A. iC0 is the net phase to ground capacitive charging current at line to neutral voltage. The 3 iC0 is caused by the net less) and measure the current in the wire. This is your system capacitive charging current since it returns to the other 2 phases
distributed capacitance at 7.2kV. All the cable lengths have to be accounted for. if the 3 lC0 exceeds 25A then the resistor let- thru the insulating material, or dielectric. Just remember- this is 3*ico, if you want just ico, you must divide by 3.
through current should be increased as you have indicated. Q. I am a design Engineer currently

Q. I am a design Engineer currently involved in designing a ngR for 33KV/6.6KV transformer (delta/star) configuration. The VOLTAGE LIMIT APPLICATION OF HRG
capacity is 4/50MVA. We had already installed 2 similar types of transformers of 35MVA capacity-ngR details are 76ohm with
50A for 10seconds. We are having around 25HT motor and 5 distribution transformer, so what value would i need to select in
order to limit any ground fault to a safe value? Q. How high of a voltage can we use with High Resistance grounding?
A. i do not know the feeder distances or if there are any surge capacitors/arrestors. general rule of thumb is 1.5A/ MVA. So, A. Mostly depends on the application. Rule of thumb is that HRg can be and is used on MoST systems 5kV and less, and used
with a 40/50MVA, the capacitive charging current is approx. 1.5A x 50 = 75A. This means that the 50A ngR will not dissipate on SoME 15kV systems. The reason is system capacitive charging current. As system voltage rises, so does capacitive current.
the capacitive charging current resulting in transient over-voltages. unless the length of the feeders is short And there are no The resistor current MuST be higher than the capacitive current. good engineering practice limits the HRg current to 10A and
surge capacitors/arrestors, i would consider using a larger ngR, say 100A or 150A. standards limits it 25A. Anything above that, it is known as low-Resistance grounding.
ADVANTAGE OF NEUTRAL EARTHED RESISTOR TO SOLIDLY EARTHED CALCULATING THE MASS RESISTANCE
NEUTRAL Q. I had caluculated the resistance of NGR 10ohm for 10 sec for 400A current for 6.6kV
system. Now I need to caluculate the mass of resistance required considering Stainless steel
Q. Advantage of Neutral earthed resistor to solidly earthed neutral when plant has high voltage motors (3300 V). Which
ANSI 304 Grade? How do I calculate that?
would be the best earthing method and why?

A. Solidly-Grounding systems have Safety Hazards that must be considered due to the very high ground fault currents. A. Each company calculates this differently and this is usually proprietary information.One
thing to consider using 304 material is that the resistivity increases due to heat rising. This
IEEE Std 141-1993 (Red Book - Recommended Practice for Electric Power Distribution for Industrial Plants) section 7.2.4 states means that the ground fault current will start out at 400A and then drop to 250A after 10
“A safety hazard exists for solidly grounded systems from the severe flash, arc burning, and blast hazard from any phase-to-
ground fault.” By placing a resistor between the neutral and ground, the ground fault current is typically reduced to 5A for
3300V systems. RESISTANCE AND REACTANCE GROUNDING
IEEE Std 141-1993 (Red Book - Recommended Practice for ElectricQAPowerDistributionforIndustrialPlants)
Section7.2.2statesthat, “There is no arc flash hazard, as there is with solidly grounded systems, since the fault current is limited Q. When should resistance and reactance grounding be used? And when should it not?
to approximately 5A.” By limiting the ground fault to 5A, you avoid the hazards with Solidly-Grounded systems.

IEEE Std 142-1991 (Green Book) section 1.4.3 states “The reasons for limiting the current by resistance grounding may be one
A. Just a quick note about Resonance grounding: Resistance grounding is preferred in the uS mostly due to economics and
or more of the following: complexity. Resistance grounding is a passive device that performs independent of system topology and frequency, whereas
Resonance grounding must adapt to system capacitance.
1) To reduce burning and melting effects in faulted electric equipment, such as switchgear, transformers, cables, and rotating
machines. Resonance grounding uses an inductor to create an impedance to match the system capacitance impedance. in doing so, both
components cancel and the resultant is a small resistive ground fault current.
2) To reduce mechanical stresses in circuits and apparatus carrying fault currents.
disadvantages of Resonance grounding: 1) Typically the inductance is slightly larger to avoid a true resonancy condition (if not,
3) To reduce electric-shock hazards to personnel caused by stray ground-fault currents in the ground return path. an over-voltage condition will occur) 2) System capacitance continually changes as feeders are brought on- and off-line (so
monitoring system must be installed and inductor must be variable) 3) Cost for monitoring and inductor variability are high 4)
4) To reduce the arc blast or flash hazard to personnel who may have accidentally caused or who happen to be in close Physical size of inductor is significantly larger than Resistor.
proximity to the ground fault.
Resistance grounding offers a fixed ground fault current independent of system topology. However, the fixed current MuST be
5) To reduce the momentary line-voltage dip occasioned by the clearing of a ground fault. larger than the system capacitive charging current. So, a value of 100-400A is usually selected.

6) To secure control of transient over-voltages while avoiding the shutdown of a faulty circuit on the occurrence of the first Q. For selecting the value of resistance, system capacitive charging current is less than resistracted current during single line
ground fault (high resistance grounding). to ground fault for resistance ground systems, otherwise system may experience transient over-voltages. is there any easiest
way of estimating the value of system capacitive charging current? if yes, please suggest me the process? otherwise, how can i
IDMT PROTECTION IN LOW RESISTANCE GROUNDING SYSTEM estimate the same current?

A. There are three ways to estimate the charging current (all of which are shown in our Application guide “ground Fault Pro-
Q. What could be the normal earth fault current in case of 6.6kV system having NGR restricting the maximum earth fault tection on ungrounded and High Resistance grounded Systems” on our website http://www.i-gard.com/appguides.htm):
current to 250Amp? Would it be as low as 30% i.e. 75 Amp? In such case, it would not be possible to detect the earth fault by
IDMT earth fault relay connected in residual connection with the phase CTs (for transformer of rating 20 MVA) as minimum 1) You can quite easily measure it. When a protected phase to ground fault is applied on an ungrounded 3 wire system
relay setting would be 10% (approx. 200Amp). which has balanced voltages to ground on the three phases, then the current in the fault is the net charging current. if the
system is resistance grounded then the current through the resistor will need to be subtracted vectorially, as it is 90 deg out of
What is the alternative in such case? Is if preferable to increase the earth fault current value by reducing the resistance or phase with the capacitive current.
should I go for a separate neutral CT of lesser ratio instead of the residual connection? 2) You can estimate the distributed cable capacitance by the cable characteristics and add to it all other known capaci-
tances to ground from other equipment. Then calculate the charging current in each phase, ico, and then 3xico will be the net
A. Yes, it is possible to be that low. The biggest problem with residual connected CTs or standard issued CTs on circuit break- charging current flow.
ers is the minimum detection. In some cases it can be as high as 20%, at least in your situation, it is only 10%. However, this is 3) Apply rule of thumb. in general on low voltage systems up to 600 V, the charging current is predictable to be less than
still a problem as 10% = 200A on a 250A NGR is an 80% pickup. Most times, the earth fault will quickly rise to full NGR value on 1A per 1000kVA of installed source capacity. For example, if the supply transformer is 3000kVA then the expected charging
6.6kV systems, but not always. I would recommend using a zero-sequence CT for faulted feeder detection or a neutral CT for current will be less than 3A . Add to this any exceptional capacitances to earth, which may be present in devices such as surge
ground fault alarm or both. suppression etc.
Resistance grounding offers a fixed ground fault current independent of system topology. However, the fixed current MuST be
You may also consider a System Ground Monitor, such as our GFR-RM relay. This relay is in parallel with the neutral conductor, larger than the system capacitive charging current. So, a value of 100-400A is usually selected.
NGR, and ground conductor. If an open or short circuit exists due to corrosion or loose connection, it will alarm indicating a
grounding problem.