Littelfuse Startco Protection Relays

Technical Note - Resistance Grounding

RG-12 : IMPLEMENTING RESISTANCE GROUNDING ON UNGROUNDED SYSTEMS

Resistance grounding protects a system against transient overvoltages caused by arcing ground faults and it
provides adequate fault current for selective ground-fault detection and coordination.
Delta-connected supplies and wye-connected supplies with inaccessible neutrals cannot have neutral grounding
resistors (NGRs) directly connected to them; however, resistance grounding can be achieved on an ungrounded
system by establishing an articial neutral with a zigzag transformer.
A zigzag transformer is a six-winding, three-phase transformer that is wye-connected with a pair of series-
connected, phase-displaced windings symmetrically connected to each phase. It can be used to establish an
articial neutral for a three-phase system by connecting its neutral point to ground through a NGR. During normal
operation the only current that ows in the zigzag transformer is an extremely small magnetizing current. When
one phase is grounded, the NGR and the zigzag transformer provide a path for ground-fault current to ow. See
Figure 1.

Io

Io Io

2I o Io

Io

3Io

Figure 1

Note: Operation with one ground-fault on a resistance-grounded system is possible if the NGR is correctly sized
and if it is allowable by Code for the installation.
Protection, coordination, and annunciation systems depend on the integrity of the NGR. Use a Littelfuse
Startco SE-330 or SE-325 to continuously monitor the NGR. See Figure 2, and Figure 3.
A pulsing NGR system can be used to modulate the ground-fault current to assist in locating a ground
fault.

For more information about ground-fault protection and resistance-grounding, refer to the Littelfuse Startco
papers: Ground-Fault Protection and Ground-Conductor Monitoring for Mine Power Centres and Monitoring
Neutral-Grounding Resistors. Littelfuse Startco can provide application assistance and a custom designed, CSA-
certied, turn-key package.

2011 Littelfuse Startco www.startco.ca Pub. TN-RG12, March 1, 2011

1
 Littelfuse Startco ProtectionLittelfuse
Relays Startco Protection Relays
Technical Note - Resistance Grounding

RG-12 : IMPLEMENTING RESISTANCE GROUNDING ON UNGROUNDED SYSTEMS

600 VAC

X2

X0

UNIT 12
HEALTHY K4 13

X1 NC - 14

X3 1
2
3
-
-
-
L1
L2/N
RESET
PULSE ENABLE 17
15
16

4 - SPG + 24V - 18
5 - SPGA + - 19
ANALOG OUTPUT

EFCT - - 20
0V - 2 1

ATTENTION
DISENGAGE CAPTIVE RETAINING
S C R E W S BE F OR E R E M O V I N G
P L U G- I N T ER M IN A L B L O CK S

22
K1
6 - R SENSING 23
7 - G RESISTOR

24
N 8 - S
GROUND
FAULT
K2
25

R
26
9 - 1 E 27
F RESISTOR
10 - 5 5 A1 C FAULT 28
G
T K3
11- C A 29

GROUNDING
RESISTOR
ER-600VC

Figure 2

2011 Littelfuse Startco www.startco.ca Pub. TN-RG12, March 1, 2011

2
 Littelfuse Startco Protection Relays
Technical Note - Resistance Grounding

RG-12 : IMPLEMENTING RESISTANCE GROUNDING ON UNGROUNDED SYSTEMS

600 VAC

X2

X0

X1
X3
CT
200/5

CT1 CT2 A B L1 L2

N
R
G
GROUNDING
RESISTOR
ER-600VC

SE-325
SW GI + RI R G

Figure 3

2011 Littelfuse Startco www.startco.ca Pub. TN-RG12, March 1, 2011