ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with design and installation of a facility ground system that is a key element in the day-to-day reliability of the plant. The ground system consists of two key elements: the earth-to-grounding electrode interface outside the facility, and the AC power and signal-wiring systems inside the facility. Horizontal grounding electrodes provide essentially the same resistivity as an equivalent-length vertical electrode, given uniform soil conditions. Equipment grounds are connected to a main ground point, which is then tied to the facility ground system. The facility grounding system includes all electrically interconnected grounding subsystems such as: Isolated ground receptacles, which are a version of single-point grounding, are permitted by the National Electrical Code. All earth electrodes are bonded together via the grounding conductor system. Equipment grounding is handled by separate conductors tied to the bulkhead panel. An effective ground system is installed to achieve a good earth-to-grounding-electrode interface is only half the battle for a facility designer.
