grounding the neutral, what happens?

[pegggu]

in a 120V streetlighting system (1 hot, 1 neutral), if the neutral was bonded to a grounding lug at each pole, what purpose does this serve and what would happen in the case of a fault?

in a 240V streetlighting system (2 hots, 1 ground). if a neutral was also installed from the source throughout the circuit, would it serve any purpose? if this neutral was also bonded to the grounding lug at each pole and there was a ground fault, what would happen in this case, would the neutral become energized and become a return path to the source?


thanks in advance!!

 

[tom baker]

The neutral is a current carrying conductor.
The nec does not allow regrounding of the neutral past the service point.
Are you asking because you are considering this unsafe practice or because someone is proposing allowing this?

 

[charlie b]

In neither case would it serve a purpose. In both cases you would energize the light pole itself. That would not necessarily present an immediate safety hazard, as the voltage level obtained by connecting the neutral to the pole's metal structure would be small. However, with that as the starting point, there are conditions that could take place later on that could present a serious risk of shock.