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Ground and neutral
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Ground and neutral
In electrical engineering, ground (or earth) and neutral are circuit conductors used in alternating current (AC) electrical systems. The neutral conductor carries alternating current (in tandem with one or more phase line conductors) during normal operation of the circuit. By contrast, a ground conductor is not intended to carry current for normal operation, but instead connects exposed conductive parts (such as equipment enclosures or conduits enclosing wiring) to Earth (the ground), and only carries significant current in the event of a circuit fault that would otherwise energize exposed conductive parts and present a shock hazard. In such case the intention is for the fault current to be large enough to trigger a circuit protective device that will either de-energize the circuit, or provide a warning. To limit the effects of leakage current from higher-voltage systems, the neutral conductor is often connected to earth ground at the point of supply.
Significant voltage unintentionally appearing on exposed conductive parts of an electrical installation can present danger, so the installation of ground and neutral conductors is carefully regulated in electrical safety standards. Under certain strict conditions the same conductor may be used for providing both ground and neutral functions together.
A ground or earth conductor, or CPC (circuit protective conductor), in an AC power system is a conductor that provides a low-impedance path to the Earth to prevent hazardous voltages from appearing on equipment (high voltage spikes).[citation needed] The terms ground and earth are used synonymously in this section; ground is more common in North American English, and earth or the more technical term CPC is more common in British English. Under normal conditions, a ground conductor does not carry current. Ground conductors are essential for automatically cutting power in the event of ground faults.
International Electrotechnical Commission standard IEC 60364 codifies methods of installing neutral and ground conductors in a building. These earthing systems arrangements are designated with letter symbols.
In North American and European practice, suitably designed mains-powered portable equipment is permitted to have merely two conductors in their attachment plug (line and neutral), foregoing use of the available earth connection. Such appliances are known in the UK as Class-II or double-insulated.
A neutral conductor, in combination with one or more phase line conductors, normally completes a circuit between the source and load. In a polyphase (usually three-phase) AC system however, the neutral conductor may carry very little current if the phases are balanced and in some cases may thus not be provided.
Neutral wires are typically "bonded" to Earth (ground) at either the electrical service entrance, or at transformers within the system. An exception to this is found in the IT earthing arrangement. For electrical installations with split-phase (three-wire single-phase) service, the neutral point of the system is at the center-tap on the secondary side of the service transformer. For larger electrical installations, such as those with polyphase service, the neutral point is usually at the common connection on the secondary side of delta/wye connected transformers. Other arrangements of polyphase transformers may result in no neutral point, and no neutral conductors.
Stray voltages created in grounding (earthing) conductors by currents flowing in the supply utility neutral conductors can be troublesome. For example, special measures may be required in barns used for milking dairy cattle. Very small voltages, not usually perceptible to humans, may cause low milk yield, or even mastitis (inflammation of the udder). So-called "tingle voltage filters" may be required in the electrical distribution system for a milking parlour.
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Ground and neutral
In electrical engineering, ground (or earth) and neutral are circuit conductors used in alternating current (AC) electrical systems. The neutral conductor carries alternating current (in tandem with one or more phase line conductors) during normal operation of the circuit. By contrast, a ground conductor is not intended to carry current for normal operation, but instead connects exposed conductive parts (such as equipment enclosures or conduits enclosing wiring) to Earth (the ground), and only carries significant current in the event of a circuit fault that would otherwise energize exposed conductive parts and present a shock hazard. In such case the intention is for the fault current to be large enough to trigger a circuit protective device that will either de-energize the circuit, or provide a warning. To limit the effects of leakage current from higher-voltage systems, the neutral conductor is often connected to earth ground at the point of supply.
Significant voltage unintentionally appearing on exposed conductive parts of an electrical installation can present danger, so the installation of ground and neutral conductors is carefully regulated in electrical safety standards. Under certain strict conditions the same conductor may be used for providing both ground and neutral functions together.
A ground or earth conductor, or CPC (circuit protective conductor), in an AC power system is a conductor that provides a low-impedance path to the Earth to prevent hazardous voltages from appearing on equipment (high voltage spikes).[citation needed] The terms ground and earth are used synonymously in this section; ground is more common in North American English, and earth or the more technical term CPC is more common in British English. Under normal conditions, a ground conductor does not carry current. Ground conductors are essential for automatically cutting power in the event of ground faults.
International Electrotechnical Commission standard IEC 60364 codifies methods of installing neutral and ground conductors in a building. These earthing systems arrangements are designated with letter symbols.
In North American and European practice, suitably designed mains-powered portable equipment is permitted to have merely two conductors in their attachment plug (line and neutral), foregoing use of the available earth connection. Such appliances are known in the UK as Class-II or double-insulated.
A neutral conductor, in combination with one or more phase line conductors, normally completes a circuit between the source and load. In a polyphase (usually three-phase) AC system however, the neutral conductor may carry very little current if the phases are balanced and in some cases may thus not be provided.
Neutral wires are typically "bonded" to Earth (ground) at either the electrical service entrance, or at transformers within the system. An exception to this is found in the IT earthing arrangement. For electrical installations with split-phase (three-wire single-phase) service, the neutral point of the system is at the center-tap on the secondary side of the service transformer. For larger electrical installations, such as those with polyphase service, the neutral point is usually at the common connection on the secondary side of delta/wye connected transformers. Other arrangements of polyphase transformers may result in no neutral point, and no neutral conductors.
Stray voltages created in grounding (earthing) conductors by currents flowing in the supply utility neutral conductors can be troublesome. For example, special measures may be required in barns used for milking dairy cattle. Very small voltages, not usually perceptible to humans, may cause low milk yield, or even mastitis (inflammation of the udder). So-called "tingle voltage filters" may be required in the electrical distribution system for a milking parlour.
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