Search

Premium Membership ♕

Save 50% on all EEP Academy courses with Enterprise Membership Plan and study specialized LV/MV/HV technical articles & guides.

Home / Download Center / Electrical MS Excel Spreadsheets (Calculations of cables, voltage drop etc.) / Earthing system design tool for low voltage installations

Effective design of earthing systems

This simple software tool with auto-mathematical functions was developed using Microsoft Excel. This template provides a technically acceptable computer simulation and yet a low-cost solution to the complex issue of effective design of earthing systems according to the standards BS-7430, IEEE-120 Green Book, and IEC-60364.

Tool for design of earthing system in low voltage installations
Tool for design of earthing system in low voltage installations

Preliminary layout design is to be conducted after deciding the type of earthing electrode. The resistance of earthing must confirm to the minimum requirement. Further investigation of step and touch voltages is to be made to guarantee that they do not exceed the allowable limits.

Nevertheless, if any of the three parameters still do not comply with standard regulations depending on the site soil conditions, alternative means of effective earthing methods must be considered in reducing the total earthing resistance and also the ground surface potential whenever design modification is necessary.


User Guide for the Design Template

This section is prepared to guide the user of the developed template in designing a new earthing system for a through a step-by-step approach as given below:

Step №1

Open the .xlsx file of the template using Microsoft Excel.


Step №2

Select one of the worksheets as described in the tabs below:

Screenshot of Template Worksheets Selection
Figure 1 – Screenshot of Template Worksheets Selection

The user can select one of the 8 worksheets by clicking on its tab:

  1. Procedure Flow Chart: This worksheet includes a proposed step-by-step approach for the design of earthing systems.
  2. BS-7430 Resistance: This worksheet incorporates the calculation of earthing resistance for different types of earthing based on BS-7430.
  3. BS-7430 Conductor Selection: This worksheet consists of various parameters selection procedure of materials and sizing of earthing electrodes based on BS-7430.
  4. IEEE Green Book:This worksheet includes all formulae used for computing the earthing resistance as proposed by IEEE Green Book.
  5. IEC 60364: This worksheet consists of sizing and selection of material of earthing conductors as recommended by IEC 60364.
  6. Common Methods: This worksheet incorporates the most common earthing methods applicable in Malaysia for electrode sizing and configuration based on selected target resistance and various values of soil resistivity as recommended by the consulting company.
  7. Other Methods: This worksheet collects relevant proposed formula proposed in published papers for calculating earthing resistance.
  8. Illustrations: This worksheet includes different figures and diagrams for the various configuration and earthing types.

Step №3 – Calculations of Earthing Resistance

The user can calculate the earthing resistance using the template by selecting the preferred method or standard described as follows:

  1. BS 7430 Resistance Calculation
  2. Common Method
  3. IEEE Green Book
  4. Other Methods
Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Resistance & Type of Earthing
Figure 2 – Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Resistance & Type of Earthing

Where:

  1. The user needs to click on the downward arrow of the drop-down to select one type of earthing by clicking on the text as highlighted in blue

Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Parameters of Resistance
Figure 3 – Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Parameters of Resistance

Where:

  1. The user needs to enter valid values in the highlighted orange cells for the corresponding parameters described on the left for each parameter. These cells can be manipulated or modified by the user.
  2. The user can obtain the result from the grey cell for the earthing resistance for the earthing system chosen previously.

Screenshot of Template, IEEE Green Book Resistance
Figure 4 – Screenshot of Template, IEEE Green Book Resistance

Where:

  1. The user needs to select the type of earthing from the drop-down list.
  2. The user then needs to enter valid values of the respective input parameters in the cells of orange background.
  3. The result of calculated resistance to earth can be obtained from the grey cell.
  4. Remarks to inform the user of important design step are shown.

Screenshot of Template, Common Methods
Figure 5 – Screenshot of Template, Common Methods

Where:

  1. The user needs to select one type of the most common earthing practices from the drop-down list.
  2. The user then needs to select the target resistance to be achieved in the design, the soil resistivity and diameter of the rod from the drop-down list of each component.
  3. The output simulated result will be shown in the grey cells.

Screenshot of Template, Other Earthing Methods
Figure 6 – Screenshot of Template, Other Earthing Methods

Where:

  1. The user needs to select the type of earthing methods from the drop-down list.
  2. The user then needs to enter valid input value in the highlighted orange for each parameter.
  3. The result can be obtained from the grey cells as shown below.
For earthing conductor material and sizes selection, the user needs to select either BS-7430 Conductor Selection or IEC-60364. If the user needs to view basic illustrations of earthing electrodes configurations and arrangements, click on illustrations.

The results obtained in the template could also be printed from the Excel spreadsheet by clicking on File table followed by Print.


Step №4

Selection of Material & Size of Earthing Conductors

Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Conductor Selection
Figure 7 – Screenshot of Template, BS-7430 Conductor Selection

Where:

  1. Subsections in red font inform user about the conductor type
  2. The user then needs to select from the drop-down lists in each highlighted cell for each parameter as described in its adjacent cell.
  3. The decision of the conductor size, type and material will be shown in grey cells.
Screenshot of Template, IEC 60364
Figure 8 – Screenshot of Template, IEC 60364

Where:

  1. User needs to select the types from drop-down lists
  2. Results of minimum cross-sectional area of conductor will be shown

Template in MS Excel [.xlsx]

A systematic and easy-to-follow approach for the design activities of earthing systems for low-voltage installations was proposed. A comprehensive, economically viable, and technically acceptable template was developed using Microsoft Excel which can be useful for industry engineers when designing earthing systems that comply with national and international standards applied in Malaysia.

The use of this template was constantly verified throughout the development to execute accurate and precise results of design parameters in a time-saving manner.

Software:Earthing system design tool for low voltage installations
Version:
Developer:Mr. Yousef Al-Shawesh (contact linkedin.com/in/yousef7)
Size:675.2 KB (.xlsx)
Price:Free
Paper (PDF):Right here
Download (xlsx):Right here | Video Courses | Membership | Download Updates
Tool for design of earthing system in low voltage installations
Tool for design of earthing system in low voltage installations

Premium Membership

Get access to premium HV/MV/LV technical articles, advanced electrical engineering guides, papers, and much more! It will help you to shape up your technical skills in your everyday life as an electrical engineer.
50% Discount 💥 - Save 50% on all 90+ video courses with Enterprise Membership plan.

More Information

20 Comments


  1. Rajnikant
    Sep 18, 2023

    this is very helpful


  2. Fazal Subhan
    Jun 02, 2023

    Very useful tool for grounding systems design, electrical effects and safety and power quality as well. Thank you for sharing it.


  3. khaled
    Sep 07, 2021

    thanks for your efforts


  4. Tuomas Lindstedt
    Apr 19, 2021

    amazed to finally found the software I was looking for, thank you sooo much!!

Leave a Comment

Tell us what you're thinking. We care about your opinion! Please keep in mind that comments are moderated and rel="nofollow" is in use. So, please do not use a spammy keyword or a domain as your name, or it will be deleted. Let's have a professional and meaningful conversation instead. Thanks for dropping by!

2  +  four  =  

Learn How to Design Power Systems

Learn to design LV/MV/HV power systems through professional video courses. Lifetime access. Enjoy learning!

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe to our Weekly Digest newsletter and receive free updates on new technical articles, video courses and guides (PDF).
EEP Academy Courses - A hand crafted cutting-edge electrical engineering knowledge