The Equipment Grounding System as an Effective Bonding Topology for Telecommunications Environments

Abstract

Bseing provided an adequate telecommunications bonding infrastructure is one of the primary concerns for telecommunications cabling designers and installers for new and existing installations. Although not considered a safety ground where ground-fault current is concerned, the telecommunications bonding infrastructure has importance where the components are intended to equalize potentials in the event of lightning, electrostatic discharge, electromagnetic interference, and other transient events that may be imposed on it, or within telecommunications spaces. Very recently, several telecommunications design groups with varying responsibilities for data center, military encryption, and commercial facilities have explored feasible options in providing an equipotential plane for their telecommunications bonding infrastructure, especially in locations where exposed metal frame of the building is not available; the most prominent of these options being the use of the ac equipment grounding conductor system due to the abundance of metallic surface area utilized for the ac premises wiring system. This article is intended to present field-testing data and draw technical conclusions from the same so as to verify whether the equipment grounding system is viable as an alternative bonding infrastructure plane that can achieve the same effect as the standard practices in place today.