The difference between Earthing and Grounding

 The difference between Earthing and Grounding:

🔹 Earthing (Preventive Landing)

• Purpose: Protect Man

• Non-current metal parts are delivered to the ground

• A current does not pass in the normal situation

• A current only passes when there is an outage

• Prevents electric shock and reduces touch and step effort

🔹 Grounding

• Goal: protect system and equipment

• A current bearing connector (neutral) is delivered to the ground

• A current may pass while on normal

• Controls effort and behavior of breakdowns

• Reduces electric arch and transient efforts

A quick recap:

Earthing is Protecting the People

Grounding protects systems and equipment

First up: How to implement Earthing (Protective Earthing – PE)

Goal: Protect people

🔧 Simplified implementation steps:

1️⃣ Identify the parts required to be grounded

• Body / Enclosure

• Metal structures

• Electrical Panels

• stairs, barriers, cable trays

2️⃣ Metal parts delivery

• Using a Grounding Conductor (PE Conductor)

• Standard color : Green / Yellow

Touchdown point delivery 3️⃣

• Landing Rod (Earth Rod)

• Earth Grid at stations

• Earth Pit

4️⃣ Achieving proper ground resistance

• Usually :

• • 5 umm (general building)

• ( 1 ohm (stations and adapters)

• وم 0.5 ohm (Substations – Oil & Gas)

5️⃣ grounding tests

 • Earth Resistance Test (Fall of Potential)

 • Continuity Test

📌 IMPORTANT:

A current is not allowed to pass through the Earthing cable during normal operation.

Secondly: Method of implementing Grounding (System / Neutral Grounding)

Goal: system stability and equipment protection

🔧 Simplified implementation steps:

1️⃣ Spot the Order

 • Neutral Transformer

• Star Point in the alternator or adapter

Grounding method choices 2️⃣

Depending on effort and nature of the facility:

 • Solid

 • Resistance

 • Reactance

 • Ungrounded

3️⃣ Neutrals delivered to the ground

• Direct (Solid)

• or via:

 • Neutral Grounding Resistor (NGR)

 • Neutral Grounding Reactor

4️⃣ Tie in to the grounding system

 • نفس Earth Grid / Earth Pit

• With a clear functional division between:

 • PE

 • Neutral

5️⃣ system test

 • Ground Fault Current

 • Relay Sensitivity

• Touch Voltage (In The Stations)

📌 IMPORTANT:

At Grounding a current may pass while normal is on.

⚠️ Critical HSE point (a common mistake)

❌ Connecting Neutral with Body stomach

✔️ Neutral → Grounding

✔️ Body → Earthing

(Separation between them is mandatory after the point of source)

Reference codes and criteria

🔹 Earthing:

 • IEC 60364

• BS 7430

• IEEE 80 (Substations)

 • OSHA 1910.304 / 305

🔹 Grounding:

 • IEC 60364-5-54

 • IEEE 142 (Green Book)

 • IEEE 32 / IEEE 80

 • NFPA 70 (NEC)

🔹 Oil & Gas:

 • ADNOC HSE-OS-ST-06

 • ADNOC HSE-OS-ST-17

• API RP 14F / 14E

Executive summary (excellent for scrutiny)

Earthing: Attaching Exposed Metal Particles To Prevent Collision

Grounding: Connecting the system's point to the ground to control effort and malfunction behavior