A new model for a safety analysis in a system of earthing systems interconnected through bare‐buried conductors

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a mathematical model for studying the effects of the interconnection through bare‐buried conductors (BBC) of the secondary substations' earthing system of an urban area.Design/methodology/approachThe developed methodology is based on three main points: the solution of the transmission lines' equations for the formulation of a lumped parameters model of a BBC considering the conductive effect; the division of the distribution network into simpler sub‐systems; and the calculation of all the voltages and currents of the medium voltage (MV) network and of the earthing systems using a multiport approach.FindingsThe methodology has been applied to various situations giving precious information on the behaviour of the earthing systems interconnected by means of BBC in presence of conductive effect. The results of the simulation allow to quantify the reduction of the dangerous voltages appearing during an earth fault, in presence of interconnection between the secondary substations' earthing systems, realized by means of BBC.Research limitations/implicationsSome factors can influence the precision of the methodology. Indeed, for a correct simulation of the system it is necessary to know several electrical and geometrical parameters, among all the resistivity of the soil that, often, is known with a large degree of uncertainty.Practical implicationsUtilities are quite interested in this topic. The study of interconnected earthing systems in MV networks with the purpose of identifying safe extended areas named global earthing systems (GES) has important management and economic consequences.Originality/valueThe paper presents an original lumped parameters model of the BBC, able to simulate these elements with a high accuracy, also in presence of the conductive effect, and that can be easily included in the more general model of a distribution line, in order to perform the analytical study of the GES in MV networks. The model proposed allows one to overcome the limits of the application to the MV networks of similar models present in the literature for the study of the same topic in the high‐voltage networks.