ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

of NGR resistance cannot pick up a failure that occurs later, and sometimes the person making the resistance measurement forgets to reconnect the resistor after the measurement. Sometimes ground-fault relays are tested by intentionally grounding a phase. If the NGR is open, then the ground fault relay will not operate, and the investigation into the reason should reveal the open NGR. Testing the ground-fault relays by primary current injection, on the other hand, will not reveal an open NGR, because the ground-fault relays will respond to the injected current and appear to operate properly. This would then falsely confirm that ground-fault protection was working. NGR monitoring. There are several ways to monitor NGRs, some better than others. A potential transformer and a time-delay voltage relay connected across the NGR will monitor neutral voltage, but it will not operate until a ground fault occurs, regardless of the condition of the NGR. This is not continuous NGR monitoring. Another approach is to use voltage measurement and current measurement combined with logic circuit to the NGR (FIG. 3). If both voltage and current are present, there is a ground fault on the system, and since there is current flowing through the NGR, it cannot be open. If there is voltage but no current in the NGR, it must be open. Like the previous example, this is not continuous NGR monitoring because it works only during a ground fault. Continuous monitoring is the way to go. A far better solution is an automatic monitoring device. A continuous NGR monitor detects an open NGR as soon as the failure occurs. It works whenever control power is applied, whether or not the system is energized and with or without a ground fault. It also reduces the opportunity for human error during inspection and maintenance. At a petroleum facility, engineers performed quarterly insulation tests on resistance grounded generators. To perform the test, the engineers had to float the generator, disconnecting the neutral-grounding resistor from ground. How could engineers be sure that each generator was re-grounded after each test was completed? The solution in this case was to install NGR monitors that would report the condition of the ground to plant control software. Not only would engineers know

for certain that generators had been re-grounded, but that fact would be documented in the control system. A good way to implement NGR monitoring is to combine an overvoltage measurement, an overcurrent measurement and a resistance measurement (FIG. 4). In physical form (FIG. 5), it combines measured NGR current, transformer or generator neutral voltage and NGR resistance to continuously determine the health of the NGR. The resistance measurement is the sum of the resistance from the sensing resistor, to the neutral point, through the NGR to ground, and through ground back to the monitor. Connecting the sensing resistor to a separate lug on the neutral bus assures that the NGR connection to the neutral point is part of the monitored loop. When there is no ground fault on the system, a measurement of NGR resistance is enough to confirm NGR continuity. The monitor determines the presence of a ground fault through the voltage and current measurements. Voltage on the neutral and current in the NGR indicates a ground fault. When a ground fault is present, a resistance measurement is not sufficient to confirm NGR continuity because of the possibility of measuring continuity through the fault, as mentioned earlier. Because a resistance measurement alone is not sufficient to confirm NGR continuity, the monitor constantly evaluates resistance, current and voltage measurements. When neutral voltage is elevated and current is flowing through the NGR, the NGR must be continuous. When the neutral voltage is elevated but no current flows through the NGR, the NGR must be open. The ability to detect an open NGR in the presence of a ground fault is particularly important in alarm-only systems where ground faults can remain on the system for long periods. When a ground fault occurs in a resistance-grounded system, voltage appears on the system neutral. In the case of a bolted fault, the transformer or generator neutral rises to line-to-neutral voltage. An NGR monitor that is directly connected to the system neutral brings a conductor with line-to-neutral voltage during a ground fault into a low-voltage control cubicle. This is not acceptable in many applications. The sensing

Overcurrent Overvoltage

Overvoltage

Overcurrent

FIG. 3. One way to monitor the status of an NGR is to apply an overvoltage measurement, an overcurrent measurement and a logic circuit to it.
E-110 ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION 2012 HydrocarbonProcessing.com

FIG. 4. A better solution is the combination of an overvoltage measurement, an overcurrent measurement and a resistance measurement.