tneigroup.com

A specialist energy consultancy

Earthing and lightning protection services

Earthing and lightning protection services

tneigroup.com

Earthing and lightning protection services

Thanks to our team’s extensive international experience across various industries, TNEI can provide specialised and general earthing and lightning protection services for projects from initial conception through to project delivery. All of our services comply with the relevant statutory regulations and requirements and can be adapted to both new build and existing infrastructure.

Our services are sustainability driven, with the objective to provide optimised solutions, balancing between satisfying engineering design objectives and implementation costs. As each site is different, we offer tailored service packages to assist our clients in efficiently delivering their projects.

In collaboration with our wider team of specialist power systems consultants, TNEI can provide coordinated and comprehensive electrical engineering solutions to meet the requirements of your particular project.

Our range of earthing and lightning protection services includes (but is not limited to):• Earthing system designs• Earthing system design verification studies• Detailed fault current distribution calculations• Rise of earth potential assessments• Impressed voltage studies• Third-party transfer voltage studies• Soil resistivity measurements• Electrode resistance measurements• Touch and step voltage measurements• Earthing continuity surveys• Lightning shielding system designs• Lightning shielding system design verification studies• Lightning protection risk assessments• Due diligence reviews• Failure analysis and remedial works design.

In collaboration with our wider team of specialist power systems consultants, TNEI can provide coordinated and comprehensive electrical engineering solutions to meet the requirements of your particular project.

TNEI is an independent specialist energy consultancy providing technical, strategic, environmental and consenting advice to organisations operating within the conventional and renewable energy sectors.

Case studies

Service: Earthing system design, soil resistivity measurements, third- party transfer voltage studiesClient: Morrison’s Engineering

TNEI was commissioned to undertake the earthing system design study and soil resistivity measurements for the 72MW Shotwick Solar Park which spans 250 acres and the 132kV substation extension compound. The solar park is connected via a private wire connection to the 132kV substation extension compound of the UK’s largest paper mill. The PV farm is the largest solar park in the UK and the largest private wire PV farm in Europe.

As part of this assignment, our engineers visited the site to meet with the client and to survey the existing 132kV substation equipment to consolidate their understanding of the actual system to ensure that an optimised design was produced. Soil resistivity measurements were scheduled conveniently, leading to no disruption of the project’s construction schedule. The design was also undertaken in parallel with on site construction work, with our engineers maintaining regular communication with the client’s engineers to facilitate the seamless implementation of the design along the way.

Service: Earthing system design, soil resistivity measurements, electrode resistance measurements, earthing continuity surveys, lightning protection designClient: Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre (CERC), Vinci Environment

TNEI was initially approached to undertake the earthing system design for the 30MW energy from waste plant in Cornwall, UK. The site comprises a 132/33kV substation which is directly connected to the Indian Queens 400/132kV grid substation.

TNEI became involved shortly after construction commenced and remained closely involved up until the commissioning of the site over a period spanning 2013 to 2016. Over the course of the project, we extended our scope of work at the client’s request to ensure the successful project delivery. This included re-taking soil resistivity measurements for mitigating against the risks identified by the original set of measurements which were provided to TNEI; post-installation electrode resistance measurements; earthing continuity surveys and lightning protection design. In addition to these services, our engineers provided continuous installation support to the client’s engineers to ensure that the design was implemented in accordance with the relevant requirements as well as liaison with the network operators throughout the approval process.

Service: Earthing system design, rise of earth potential assessments, detailed fault current distribution calculations, lightning protection risk assessment, lightning shielding system designClient: H&MV Engineering

TNEI was commissioned to undertake the earthing system design study of the extension compound to the existing Garvagh Substation. The substation is located in Ireland and is connected to the Eirgrid 110kV transmission network.

The substation was constructed along a slope, requiring significant cut-and-fill to establish the substation’s foundation. Despite this particular construction detail, along with the prevailing unfavourable geological conditions, our engineers successfully designed a bespoke earth grid design. As part of these studies, TNEI carried out extensive rise of earth potential assessments and detailed fault current distribution calculations in order to quantify the potential impact of the designed earth grid on the wider existing and proposed electrical network. The extents of the assessed electrical network included multiple wind farms and transmission substations.

Our scope of work extended to recruit our lightning protection expertise in the form of preparing a lightning protection risk assessment and designing a lightning shielding system for the substation.

Service: Earthing system design, soil resistivity measurementsClient: Dunmaglass Wind Farm and 132/33kV Substation, SSE Renewables

TNEI was commissioned to carry out the earthing system design and soil resistivity measurements for the 94MW wind farm, comprising 33 wind turbines, together with its 132/33kV wind farm substation, based in the Scottish Highlands. The soil resistivity measurements were carried out over several consecutive days by TNEI’s team.

Key contacts

Rajiv RamrattanSenior Consultant

Rajiv is an Electrical Engineer with international experience, working within various industries. Amongst his technical expertise are construction project management, high-voltage and commissioning testing and power systems design studies.

Rajiv is heavily involved in the earthing and lightning protection field at TNEI. He has managed numerous specialised design and earthing measurement assignments across renewable and conventional energy, electrical power utilities, manufacturing and transportation projects, such as large-scale wind and solar farms, energy from waste plants, short-term operating reserves (STOR) sites, distilleries and high-voltage electrical utility substations. Rajiv has also been engaged in investigative tasks in the form of failure analysis and remedial work designs.

Email: rajiv.ramrattan@tneigroup.comTel: +44(0)161 233 5952

Etienne du PreezSenior Consultant Etienne has 8 years’ experience in power system studies, including load flow analysis, fault study analysis, power loss calculations, power transfer capability studies and grid code compliance studies (reactive power capability, LVRT/HVRT studies, harmonics) for wind farms in South Africa.

Etienne has substation and wind farm collector detailed design experience, including substation earthmat and lightning protection designs. Etienne has performed CDEGS earthmat simulations for 132/33 kV wind farm step-up substations, including the wind farm collector networks to ensure that the ground potential rise (GPR), step and touch voltages were within safe design limits in accordance with IEEE80:2000 and local Eskom standards. Etienne has designed utility substation earthmats for challenging soil resistivity conditions (>2000 Ω.m). He has also performed owner’s engineer roles and reviewed contractors’ earthmat and lightning protection designs for interconnection projects in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

Email: etienne.dupreez@tneigroup.comTel: +27(0)21 974 6203

Get in touchWe are a specialist, independent company. That’s why we can offer a flexible, personal service and help our clients quickly and efficiently, without all the big corporate distractions.

But most of all, we love to solve problems.

For more information about our earthing services, please contact one of our experts on the methods above.

Contact

We are a specialist, independent company. That’s why we can offer a flexible, personal service and help our clients quickly and efficiently, without all the big corporate distractions.

But most of all, we love to solve problems.

For more information about who we are and what we do, please contact: info@tneigroup.com

No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, without prior permission in writing from TNEI. All facts, figures, product and service information is correct at the time of print. All rights reserved. © TNEI Services Ltd 2017. Version: B1

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