Alternative Materials in the Design of Grounding Electrodes for Transformation Centers in Building

Resumen

In the design of grounding systems for transformation centers located in buildings for different uses (industrial, residential, etc.), electrodes made up basically of copper are usually used. This material has a great advantage from the electrical point of view as it is a magnificent conductor, but it has other major drawbacks such as its high cost and the continuous problems of vandalism or theft. These situations can cause incorrect operation of the grounding system with the consequent risk to the safety of people. In the present work, using software developed by the authors, the possibility of replacing copper with other alternative materials is studied. Although they may have a nonnegligible internal resistance, this characteristic may not have a significant impact on the electrical parameters of the grounding system as will be shown by studying some typical configurations of grounding electrodes, commonly used in transformation centers installed in buildings.