ADVANTAGES OF RESISTANCE NEUTRAL

GROUNDING SYSTEM
Fault current can be limited to desired value.
As the fault current is limited, it prevents open sparking of
cable joints, equipment connections etc in the faulty feeder.
It controls transient over voltages.
It prevents any kind of damage to the equipment.
Reduces electric shock hazards to personnel by stray ground
fault currents in the ground return path.
Reduce mechanical stresses in circuits and apparatus carrying
fault currents.
Touch potential in the grounded/faulty machinery reduces.
Step potential is also reduced.
A reduction in voltage dip during ground faults, provided
simultaneously ground faults on different phases are not
encountered.
Reduces the interference on communication circuit.
Reduces the probability of fire disaster.
Decreases insulation aging effect.

PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN FOR RESISTANCE

GROUNDING OF NEUTRAL

Care should be taken to ensure that the resistance

grounding is not open circuited because it will lead to
isolated neutral.
 Neutral resistance monitoring relay is employed to
monitor the status of resistance continuously and in the
event of open circuit of resistance it trips the primary
circuit breaker of the transformer thus isolating supply to
the transformer.

The resistance is so chosen that the fault current

restricted for the system for a particular voltage level is
more than the capacitance current between the line to
ground and line to line.

If the fault current is less than the capacitive current, the

system may behave like an isolated neutral.

For that the maximum system capacitance charging

current must be known before the high resistance
grounding system panel resistor can be set for the correct
ground current during a fault.

If we restrict the earth fault current to a very low value

then it may happen that the earth leakage relay may fail
to sense the earth fault current.

ADVANTAGES OF ISOLATED NEUTRAL

Low value of current flow for line to ground
fault 5 amperes or less.
No flash hazards to personnel for accidental
line to ground fault.
 Continued operation on the occurrence of
first line to ground fault.
Probability of line to ground arcing fault
escalating to line line or three phase fault is
very small.

UNGROUNDED POWER SYSTEM

DISADVANTAGES

Difficult to locate line to ground fault.

The ungrounded system does not control transient over
voltages
Cost of system maintenance is higher due to labour of
locating ground faults.
A second ground fault on another phase will result in a
phase-phase short circuit.

PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN FOR AN

UNGROUNDED NEUTRAL SYSTEM
Where system is not grounded, ground detectors are required.
The ground-detection requirement provides the ability to
monitor ungrounded systems to detect a first phase-to-
ground fault on the system.
The first phase-to-ground fault will not cause overcurrent
device operation, so continued service is achieved.
However, personnel responsible for monitoring the system
 must react to the annunciation, investigate the first phase-
to-ground condition and remove it.
All enclosures containing equipment and conductors for
an ungrounded system must be field-marked, Caution:
Ungrounded System Operating ____ Volts, at the
source or at the first system-disconnecting means.

ADVANTAGES OF SOLIDLY GROUNDED NEUTRAL

SYSTEM

It controls transient over voltage from neutral to ground.

It not difficult to locate the fault.
It can be used to supply line-neutral loads.

DISADVANTAGES OF SOLIDLY GROUNDED

NEUTRAL SYSTEM

It causes severe flash hazard.

Main breaker required.
Loss of production.
It causes severe equipment damage.
Leads to high values of fault current.
Single-phase fault escalation into 3 phase fault is more likely.
It creates problems on the primary system.
Maximum capacitance (C) F/km 0.261 0.293 0.325 0.371 0.419
0.458 0.497 0.531 0.575 0.605 0.631
Maximum charging current A/km 0.31 0.35 0.39 0.44 0.5 0.55
0.59 0.64 0.69 0.72 0.76