Grounding in permafrost conditions

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serg alaska

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Hi!
I will appreciate any advice or (better) link to the document(s) where neatly described how to arrange good grounding in permafrost conditions.

Thank you!
 
Erico and others sell ground enhancement material. You can do an internet search for "ground enhancement material" and find it. This should give you below a 25 ohm resistance to ground. You just do your normal grounding and put this around the ground rods. Be careful you should wear a respirator. It has silicia as an ingredient.
 
Depends what you mean by "good grounding". I am assuming none of the electrodes as specified by 250.52(A) (1-3) are present therefore you are required to provide an electrode driven into the frozen earth. If rods cannot be driven, a plate electrode or rod buried per (G) & (H) of the section would be adequate. I would not worry about ground resistance or providing "ground enhancement" materials.
 
I don't see how adding "ground enhancement material" will help in permafrost. I think in this case, you can't really get an "earth" connection and you will just have to make sure all of the required bonding is in place.
Don
 
Thank you!
I should receive stable 8-15 Ohms (all the year round).
What about "chemical rods" (like XIT by Lyncole - as stated they supply it to US Army as best decision for grounding at permafrost conditions)?
 
I have a copy of the US Army grounding manual. It has an extensive discussion of permafrost grounding. I'll give you the pub number. One part I recall is it states that C-4 can be used to excavate holes for ground rods.
 
Bryan, I know where some is buried in Sarasota County. :)

Roger
 
JeffD said:
Erico and others sell ground enhancement material. ...
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tom baker said:
US Army grounding manual. It has an extensive discussion of permafrost grounding. ...
Click to expand...

serg alaska said:
What about "chemical rods" (like XIT by Lyncole - as stated they supply it to US Army as best decision for grounding at permafrost conditions...
Click to expand...

Has anybody ever installed any of these types (or similar) in permafrost and actually measured the results?

I've heard of most of them, but have never seen any test results for permafrost installations. No, I wouldn't consider a mfg color glossy brochure as a verifiable test result.

I've seen some that work, that were installed for cathodic protection systems, where there has to be a low earth resistance all year long. These consisted of multiple 300' deep, drilled, preforated cased wells, filled with coke-breese(sp?)

Tom -
I'd be interested in the US Army pub number. I've got one, TM 5-690, but nothing on permafrost.
 
The MIlitary handbook is 419A Grounding, Bonding and Shielding for Electronic Systems. Its about 300 pages
The recommended method for permafrost grounding is to drill (or blast) a hole and backfill with conductive material around a rod, They recommend a conductive salt backfill, such as salt and soil, 5% weight of salt to soil.
 
The recommended method for permafrost grounding is to drill (or blast) a hole and backfill with conductive material around a rod, They recommend a conductive salt backfill, such as salt and soil, 5% weight of salt to soil.
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Unless the hole is deep enough to get below the frozen ground, all you will have is a small area of "earth" that is bonded to your system. You will not be grounded.
Don
 
Tom -

I found MIL-HDBK-419A, two volumes, 800+pages each.

There is about 10 pages in vol 1 on permafrost, I haven't checked vol 2 yet.

My translation of the ten pages is: 1) A rod driven into ice rich silt gets you about 1000 ohms. 2) Drill a hole, drop in the rod, backfil with salt saturated silt - and maybe you get down to 100 ohms.

Not encouraging.
 
Thank you all!

I want to find really _well_ tried decision.
I have read several success stories and several manuals (incl. TM 5-690 & MIL-HDBK-419A).
But there is no confidence in mentioned recommendations.
So I tired to find somebody who has _real_ experience?
Without success yet?
 
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