We are trying to improve Tower Footing Resistance and Lightning Performance and We will use some methods for achieving that.
Lightning reflection and refreaction does play important role in using different material. For example conductor and cable point is so importand for reflection and refraction. İs it important for earthing? When lightnin stroke to the tower, which is best for us to get lower voltage on top tower.
We have done some model and transient analysis but When we use copper and steel, we didnt see any differences between them. Copper has little Permeability(nü) than steel and we dont see any effect in transient analysis.
What do you think about it?
Which one do we use for improving Tower Footing Resistance and lightning performance, copper or steel conductor and rod?
Thank you.
Best Regards
From my experience with grounding design, when it comes to the subject of tower grounding, the choice of materials is more related to reducing costs and mitigating soil undesirable effects than to electrical performance itself.
Soil resistivity and stratification play a major role on grounding performance and affect TFR more significantly. Therefore, the key to an optimal design is to find the appropriate soil layers such that not only a minimum resistance is achieved, but touch and step voltages at the soil surface are kept within safe limits.
With this in mind, steel is widely employed in tower grounding because it is cheaper than copper and less prone to theft (which may be a HUGE problem in certain countries), and often yields satisfactory performance if the grid is well designed.
Copper, on the other hand, is more resistant to soil corrosion than steel, thus being recommended in soils with low resistivities and pH (more corrosive environments).
In conclusion, in my opinion, the choice between steel or copper for tower grounding design is more related to resistance to soil corrosion than to electrical performance.
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