Flexible methods to ensure safety and protection

Overview

The Ground Grid Systems module for ETAP enables engineers to quickly and accurately design, visualize, analyze and report ground protection projects of any size or complexity. Flexible design methodologies allow for quick auto-designed layouts and highly detailed schemes to optimize designs in modeling, prior to physical construction. As a result of its efficient multi-core parallel calculation algorithm, the analysis of irregular and large-scale renewable applications is extremely fast to produce. Color-coded graphical plots provide immediate analysis through revealing 3D visualizations. Supported Methodologies:

• Uniform Grid
  • IEEE 80/81
  • Rod & conductor optimization
• Finite Element Method
  • Interactively design rods & conductors in 3-D space
  • Handle irregular configurations of any shape
  • Calculation of tolerable touch and step voltage potential values per EN 50522 and IEEE 80 This module also includes soil analysis, for the automatic generation of a two-layer soil model from soil measurement data, based on the Wenner four-pin method.

Features & Capabilities

• Full integration with ETAP short circuit study results and single-line diagram
• Fast analysis of irregular large-scale and renewable ground grid applications
• Two-layer soil configuration, plus surface material
• Automatic generation of two-layer soil model
• Soil resistivity measurement data based on Wenner four-pin method
• Table of potentials at the earth's surface
• External boundary extensions
• Variable weight & temperature options per IEEE 80
• Variable body, gloves, and footwear impedance per EN 50522
• Compare allowable currents against fault currents
• User-definable conductor library
• Ground grid configurations include conductor & rod plots
• Compare potentials to tolerable
• Optimize the design for safety and cost considerations
• Comprehensive reporting, including step, touch, and absolute potentials inside and outside the grid area

Benefits

• Predict performance and mitigate safety issues before construction
• Produce accurate analysis quickly – even for irregular-shaped designs and large scale renewable applications
• Easily adjust methodologies to match your unique requirements
• Optimize layouts for cost savings and plan for future expansion
• Gain valuable insights from color-coded graphical plots

Plotting & Reporting Capabilities

Soil Analysis

• Generate a soil resistivity plot based on Wenner four-pin method
• Export soil analysis results to Microsoft Excel format Ground Grid Potential Plots
• 3-D absolute surface potential plots
• Color-coded 3-D touch potential plots
• Color-coded 3-D step potential plots
• Color-coded contour plots
• Rotation animation of 3-D plots Ground Grid Report
• Choose to generate complete or concise ground grid reports in multiple report formats