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We all understand earthing system testing is important! Learn about the purpose and benefits of testing and the common tests you need to understand.
High Voltage users and operators are accountable for the reliability and safe operation of their assets, making commissioning and maintenance testing of paramount importance. While the electrical industry has a good understanding of the testing and maintenance requirements for HV equipment, earthing system testing can be a minefield of confusion. High Voltage asset users often engage external staff to ‘test’ their earthing systems and entrust in them their obligations. In this article we want to empower your staff and offer them detailed information on how the testing works, how to decipher the results, and perhaps encourage them to perform in-house testing in future.
This article will provide a brief overview of the main earthing test methods and what an earthing ‘test’ involves. The main types of investigations that can be conducted include:
The issue with testing is that users need to understand the data that is collected. What is the objective of this test? How can we use this data to make appropriate decisions about safety compliance and earthing maintenance?
At the conclusion of this article, readers will have a better understanding of which test to use in each situation and will be better equipped to prevent poor test information and subsequent decision making. Staff will feel confident to define and specify their requirements, and to assess the suitability, reliability and value in testing performed internally or by service providers.
Simple and effective visual inspection is underrated and extremely beneficial in assessing condition and changes to the earthing system. It involves checks for the presence (anti-theft), redundancy, suitability and observable condition of earthing conductors, appropriate connections, surface layer material adequacy, and connected equipment adequacy. Visual Inspection is typically recommended at intervals of between 1 and 3 years and only requires minimal experience.
Integrity testing, which involves testing of electrical resistive (d.c.) continuity is one of the best indicators of the physical condition of the earthing system. It is used to measure whether items that should be connected to the earthing system are effectively bonded, and can quickly identify such problems as corroded connections, loose bolts, broken conductors, inadvertent connections, or unintentional separations.
