A New Way to Look at System Grounding

Abstract

The reports of destructive grounding system fault currents and abortive interference are costly pages in the annals of electro-technology. The complexity of their resolution is compounded because the design intelligence is not readily apparent in the tangle of architectural, structural, and electrical schematic diagrams with which the grounding system is described. Through the development of a unified set of functional diagrams which present a precise graphic image of the total grounding system entity a means has been provided to efficiently establish the exact equipment configuration employed and to display the grounding as an integral aspect of the power and signal functions. The drawings depict in detail the electrical continuity between earth grounds, conductive structures, and electrical returns. The drawing format features an arrangement of data on the drawings to illustrate the logical sequence in the establishment and distribution of the ground reference potential. The objective of the method of presentation is to illustrate grounding as a sequence of subsystems, defined in distinct levels of indenture. Each level of indenture consists of a similar group of drawings in which each major subdivision is individually brought into focus and enlarged to reveal greater detail. The improved capability for analysis and monitoring of the entire grounding system increases the assurance of determining the optimum low impedance design, implementation consistent with design objectives, and resolution of faults related to the grounding.