Every energized structure must have a grounding system, whether it is a ship, an aircraft, a house, or a power plant. The grounding system is essential for ensuring the safety of both people and equipment. From this perspective, the question arises: what grounding approach should be used in power plants, where voltages can be up to a thousand times higher than in residential installations?
In this work, a grounding system for a pumped-storage hydropower plant was designed, with the reservoir located at a distance from the switchyard. From a grounding standpoint, pumped-storage plant is particularly interesting - not only because of the high operating voltages, but also due to its galvanic coupling with the reservoir, which raises concerns about transferred potentials.
The purpose of this thesis is to examine and describe the issue of transferred potential and to present an approach for designing a grounding system for power facilities. The work first addresses the theoretical background necessary for efficient design, based on relevant guidelines, technical standards and scientific literature. This theoretical foundation is then applied in practice using the XGSLab software to develop an initial grounding system model, which is subsequently refined through iterative improvements.
The final model represents the actual installation and complies with the SIST EN 50522 standard. However, more important than the final design itself is the systematic approach to overcoming the challenges encountered throughout the process. These aspects are documented through the description of the model’s development, the underlying considerations, and the proposed solutions.
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