UNIT-3 A

Energy is the capacity or the ability to work vigorously. Energy plays a vital role in routine
life and hence is required in every sector or industry that might range under household,
communication, transportation, defence, and others. The energy sources are subdivided
into conventional energy sources and non- conventional ones.
Thus, conventional energy sources are provided by nature but are present only in restricted
quantities. Although, the non-conventional sources are present in unlimited amounts and
provided by nature.
Conventional sources of energy
Convection energy sources are naturally present and have been in use for years. The use of
conventional sources is done for heating, lighting, cooking, running machinery, and
provision of electricity. The examples for which include firewood, fossil fuels, and others. In
addition, firewood has been extensively used for cooking purposes in remote regions of
India.
The fossil fuels are plants, and animal remains, which have been buried from millions of
years ago within the earth. These remains are decomposed and formed primary energy
sources like coal, petroleum, natural gas, etc.
The reserves for such energy sources are in limited quantities and soon will be depleted
with a growth rate of population. Since they are naturally occurring and take a
considerable time, they cannot be renewed manually or by applying scientific methods. It is
essential for judicious use of non-renewable or conventional energy sources.
Advantages for conventional energy sources are
• Easily Available
• Efficient and good electricity conversion
• Low exploration costs
Disadvantages for conventional sources of energy are also listed below
• Time-consuming collection process
• Pollutes the atmosphere
• Destroys natural ecosystems
• Displaces local communities
• Initial set-up could be costly
Non- Conventional energy of sources
Non- Conventional energy sources are the best alternatives to conventional sources while
also non- polluting. In 1973, the oil crisis encouraged a focus on non – conventional
sources, which has increased in recent times due to high environmental pollution.
Non-conventional sources could be obtained from sun, wind, hot springs, and others that
support heat and power generation. They are non-polluting and present in abundance
within the earth’s atmosphere.
Solar Energy- The light from the sun is used to generate electricity by trapping the solar
cells within the panels. Solar energy is present in abundance although it can be only
trapped during the daytime, during the hours of intense rays. It is being used for lighting,
heating, and others.
Wind-Wind energy has been used for many years for grinding grains in mills. Although, in
recent years, it has been used to generate electricity by harnessing the energy of winds by
turbines attached to substantial capacity generators. Usually, such wind farms are located
near coastal areas or mountains with the high wind flow. In India, desert regions, like the
outskirts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, have built substantial wind farms.
Nuclear Power Plants- Nuclear energy is acquired from nuclei atoms that occur naturally in
radioactive sources like uranium, thorium, and others. Nuclear fuels emit power when
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undergone in nuclear reactors. Globally, the USA and Europe are the largest nuclear power
producers, although in India, uranium is found in Jharkhand, and thorium is found in
Kerala.
Geothermal Energy- The heat acquired from the earth is geothermal energy. In many areas,
hot springs are witnessed as part of geothermal energy. The heat from within the earth has
been used for generating power. New Zealand, Iceland, Central America, and the USA have
the largest geothermal power plants. India also has geothermal power plants located in
Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
Tidal Energy- Tidal waves also generate energy harnessed by erecting dams. The narrow
dams are built near the end of tides, where the turbines help to capture the energy. India
has vast tidal mill farms at the Gulf of Kachchh, while other countries include Russia and
France.
Benefits of the non- conventional source of energy
• They are non-polluting
• Available in abundant
• Freely available
• Low harnessing costs
• Low environmental damage
Disadvantages of non- conventional sources of energy
• Their acquisition can be sourced only in restricted time limits like in rainy seasons
tidal waves will generate more energy than others
• Not viable commercially
• Lower efficiency levels.

Conventional sources of energy Non-conventional sources of energy

It is readily available by nature It requires mechanical devices for

procuring

It has been used from centuries It is a recent development as

alternative fuels

It is highly polluting It is non-polluting

It is more commercially viable and is widely used It is majorly used domestically

in industries

They are scarce resources (primary energy sources They are available in abundance (sun,
like coal, petroleum, natural gas, etc) wind, hot springs, and others)

Hydro Power Plant

The following Construction or Layout of Hydro Power Plant:
1) Head pond or Reservoir 2)Control gate 3)Penstock 4)Turbine 5)Draft Tube
6) Tail Race 7) Transmission Line 8) Generator 9) Transformer 10) PowerHouse
Headpond: There is one reservoir which is having a large area in which a huge amount of
water is being stored here. So the energy here is in the form of Potential energy.
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Control Gate:
There are having multiple control gates in a single hydro power plant. The work of control
gate is to regulate the flow of water. When the control gate is fully opened the speed of
water flowing is maximum.
Penstock:
The penstock is also called Pipe. The water stored at the dam or head pond is being
released by the control gate, the water starts moving to the turbine. The Head pond is
having high heights and the Turbine is situated below.
So the speed of water gets increased because of gravitational force. The material of the
penstock is hard steel being used.

Valve and Nozzle:

The valve work is similar to the control gate and Nozzle work is striking water in a specific
direction [Pressure is high] that is a turbine blade.

Surge tank:
Surge tank is an additional and essential component which is used to accumulate the
water which is in pipe when we want to close the turbine working. Or you can say it is used
for avoiding the pipe burst.
Turbine:
Turbine is a device which is used for generation of electricity. Turbine work is, the fluid
having kinetic energy is being converted into rotational energy.
The high kinetic energy water comes through the penstock to the nozzle and strikes the
turbine blades. The turbine blades start rotating. So the rotational energy can also be
called mechanical energy.
Draft Tube:
Drat tube is mechanical component which is used for enlarging the area of pipe for sending
maximum fluid to the other side.
Tail Race:
Tailrace carries water away from the plant. Hence the water is sent to the river.
Transmission Line:
The transmission line carries power from the power unit or transformer and transfers or
supplies from one source to another. It is made up of conductor.
Generator:
When the turbine buckets starts rotating, the turbine shafts also rotating. the motors are
attached to the turbine shafts which is also rotating and generator is attached to them
which generates electricity.
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Transformer:
The transformer is attached to the generator. The electricity generated is now controlled by
the transformer. The work of transformer is to set up or set down the voltage.
Power House:
The name power house means there is a house in which the power is being stored and
released to the transformer and so on.
Hydro Power Plant Working:
In a large amount of water is available or you can say a river. The water is being stored in
the reservoir which is in the form of potential energy. With the use of the control gate, the
water is being released and water starts flowing into the penstock. Here two components
are attached 1. Surge tank, Valve, and Nozzle.

Initially, the valve is closed. But when the water reaches up to the max level that can create
high pressure then we on the valves. The water with high pressure starts flowing and
strikes to the turbine blades through the nozzle.
The turbine blades start rotating. So till now, we observed the water which is having
Potential Energy is now converting into Kinetic Energy.
In the turbine blade, an electric motor is attached to the turbine shafts. So rotation of
turbine bades also rotates the turbine shafts, which also rotates the electric motor. Hence
Kinetic energy into mechanical energy and then further it is converted into electric energy.
The energy generated is sent to the powerhouse, Transformer, and Transmission line.
The water which is rotating the turbine blades is now sent to the river via a tailrace.
The hydropower plant is constructed to store the water in a large amount. When the water
reaches up to the max level then it is being released which also causes the flood in some
area (due to sudden release of water).

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The working principle of nuclear power plant depends upon mainly four components.
1.Nuclear Reactor
2.Heat Exchanger
3.Steam Turbine
4.Alternator
Nuclear reactor is used to produce heat and heat exchanger performs to convert water into
steam by using the heat generated in nuclear reactor. This steam is fed into steam turbine
and condensed in condenser. Now steam turbine is turn to run an electric generator or
alternator which is coupled to steam turbine and thereby producing electric energy. This is
a very basic working principle of Nuclear power plant. The block diagram of nuclear
power plant shown in figure:-
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANT:

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1. Nuclear Reactor:-
Nuclear reactor is the main component of nuclear power plant and nuclear fuel is
subjected to nuclear fission. Nuclear fission is a process where a heavy nucleus is spitted
into two or more smaller nuclei. A heavy isotope generally uranium-235(U-235) is used as a
nuclear fuel in the nuclear reactor because it has the ability to control the chain reaction in
the nuclear reactor. Nuclear fission is done by bombarding uranium nuclei with slow
moving neutrons. The energy released by the fission of nuclei is called nuclear fission
energy or nuclear energy. By the braking of uranium atom, tremendous amount of heat
energy and radiation is formed in the reactor and the chain reaction is continuously
running until it is controlled by a reactor control chain reaction. A large amount of fission
neutrons are removed in this process, only small amount of fission uranium is used to
generate the electrical power.
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF NUCLEAR REACTOR:

The nuclear reactor is cylindrical type shape. Main body of reactor is enclosed by reactor
core, reflector and thermal shielding. It prevent reactor wall from getting heated. It is also
used to protect alpha ( α), bita (β) , gama (γ) rays and neutrons which are bounce back at
the time of fission within the reactor. Mainly Nuclear reactor consists, some fuel rods of
uranium, moderator and control rods. Fuel rods are made of the fission materials and
released large number of energy at the time of bombarding with slow moving neutrons.
Moderator consists full of graphite which is enclosed by the fuel rods. Moderator maintains
the chain reaction by releasing the neutrons in a suitable manner before they mixed with
the fissile materials. Control rods are made of boron-10 and cadmium or hafnium which is
a highly neutron absorber and it is inserted into the nuclear reactor. When control rods are
push down into the reactor core, it absorbs most of fission neutrons and power of the
reactor is reduced. But when it is pulling out from the reactor, it releases the fission
neutrons and power is increased. Real practice, this arrangement depends upon according
to the requirement of load. A coolant, basically sodium metal is used to reduce the heat
produce in the reactor and it carries the heat to the heat exchanger.
2. Heat Exchanger:-
Coolant is used to raise the heat of the heat exchanger which is utilised in raising the
steam. After that, it goes back to the reactor.
3. Steam Turbine:-
Steam is coming from the heat exchanger to fed into the steam turbine through the valve.
After that the steam is exhausted to the condenser. This condensed steam is fed to the heat
exchanger through feed water pump.
4. Alternator:-
Steam turbine is coupled to an alternator which converts mechanical energy to electrical
energy. The output of alternator produces electrical energy to bus bars via major electrical
apparatus like transformer, circuit breakers, isolators etc.

Solar Power Plant

“A solar power plant is based on converting sunlight into electricity, either directly using
photovoltaic or indirectly using concentrated solar power.”
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Solar Power Plant Components
Following are the components of solar power plants:
1. Solar panels
2. Solar cells
3. Battery
4. D.C. to A.C. Converter (Inverter)
#1 Solar Panels
It serves as the solar power plant’s brain. Solar panels are made up of many solar cells. In
one panel, we have about 35 solar cells. Each solar cell produces a very small amount of
energy, but when 35 of them are combined, we have enough energy to fully charge a 12-
volt battery.
#2 Solar Cells
It serves as the solar power plant’s core. In order to generate energy, a silicon
semiconductor is used, which is made up of p-type and n-type silicon semiconductors.
#3 Battery
During the day, batteries are used to produce power and store the excess energy generated
during the day, so they can be used at night to supply the energy needed.
#4 D.C. to A.C. Converter (Inverter)
Solar panels generate direct current (D.C.), which must be changed into alternating current
(A.C.) before it can be delivered to homes or the power grid.
Solar Power Plant Diagram

Working of Solar Power Plant

Numerous photons hit the silicon’s p-type region as sunlight passes over solar cells. After
absorbing photon energy, an electron and hole pair will separate. A p-n junction’s electric
field causes the electron to move from a p-type region to an n-type region.
To strengthen this electric field, the diode is further reverse biased. Therefore, this current
begins to flow in the circuit for each solar cell. A significant output is obtained by
combining the current flowing through each solar cell in a solar panel.
Solar power plants use a lot of solar panels interconnected to produce a lot of voltage. The
lithium-ion batteries store the electrical energy generated by the solar panel’s combined
work so that they can be used at night when there is no sunlight.
Wind Power Plant
All the wind turbines used today are horizontal axis machine with 3 bladed rotor spinning
in a vertical plane. Wind energy is used to rotate these blades, which are mounted at a
height of almost 40 meters. Thus converting kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical
energy. This mechanical energy is then converted to electrical energy using generator.
Main Parts of Wind Turbine
1. Nacelle–
It is named after the furring of an aircraft engine. It is a fible glass tube that contains the
gearbox, brakes and a generator. However for turbines generating upto 2MW/unit high
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voltage transformer is also placed in nacelle itself. Also it has got direction and speed
sensors mounted as back as possible on nacelle to prevent them from the dirt coming from
blades.

2. Gearbox-
A shaft connected to the hub directly goes into the gearbox and it increases its rpm to the
required level .It is the heaviest part in the nacelle.
3. Brakes–
Brakes are used when wind is blowing above critical level to same turbine from damage.
Brakes is mounted just behind the gearbox.
4. Generator-
It converts the energy of fast rotating shaft into electrical energy, and finally the high
voltage transformer converts it to high voltage to be ready to go in transmission lines.
5. Tower-
It‘s the cylindrical structure on which nacelle is mounted. For a sub megawatt turbine
generating upto 400-600 watts of power its height may vary from 25m to 45 meter.
However the diameter of this cylinder reduces as we go up the tower. The transmission
cable from generator comes down inside this tower to the high voltage transformer. Tower
also has a ladder inside it with wooden platforms at different heights. The platform
connected to the nacelle is called the yaw platform.
6. Yaw Platform-
It is a steel platform at the top of the tower and helps the nacelle to yaw in the direction of
the wind. It has also got brakes in some high end wind turbines to maintain the direction
of the nacelle.
Working of Wind Power Plant

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Blades of the wind turbine work as an airfoil of different cross-sections all along the length.
When fluid (air) moves over this airfoil it generates a lift force thus making the blade to
rotate at its axis. The generator is also connected to the rotor shaft starts rotating and
produces electricity.
Now, we all know that rotating blades can get us electricity. But the wind speed keeps on
changing with time so we get a fluctuation in power. To overcome this, threshold velocity is
decided at which turbine will start rotating, below that brakes are used to prevent the
blades from rotating. And for high wind velocity brakes are applied to prevent turbine from
damage.
Motors and sensors are used to rotate the blades about their axis so that they can adjust
according to the varying direction of wind. And to extract maximum power out of wind.
Blades are also rotated to stop the turbine from rotating, means they are oriented in such a
way that no lift will be generated even with the blowing wind.

The art of determining the per unit (i.e., one kWh) cost of production of electrical
energy
Two-part tariff. When the rate of electrical energy is charged on the basis of maximum
demand of the consumer and the units consumed, it is called a two-part tariff.
In two-part tariff, the total charge to be made from the consumer is split into two
components viz., fixed charges and running charges. The fixed charges depend upon the
maximum demand of the consumer while the running charges depend upon the number of
units consumed by the consumer.
Thus, the consumer is charged at a certain amount per kW of maximum demand plus a
certain amount per kWh of energy consumed i.e.,
Total charges = Rs (b × kW + c × kWh)
where, b = charge per kW of maximum demand
c = charge per kWh of energy consumed
This type of tariff is mostly applicable to industrial consumers who have appreciable
maximum demand.
Advantages
(i) It is easily understood by the consumers.
(ii) It recovers the fixed charges which depend upon the maximum demand of the
consumer but
are independent of the units consumed.
Disadvantages
(i) The consumer has to pay the fixed charges irrespective of the fact whether he has
consumed
or not consumed the electrical energy.
(ii) There is always error in assessing the maximum demand of the consumer.
CALCULATION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY FOR DOMESTIC PREMISES
Calculating the electrical load formula for a piece of equipment requires identifying its
amps (a measure of current), volts (a measure of voltage), and watts (a measure of power
generated).
Ampere = Watts/Volt
Watts = Volt x Ampere
Using these formulas, you can put together a detailed load calculation sheet and determine
the capacity of the main circuits and individual circuits. Start by joining down the power
consumption of your household appliances.
Here’s a representation of common appliances and their average power rating (in
watts):

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Appliances/Fixtures Power Rating (in watts)

Incandescent lamp 40 – 150

LED Bulb 4 – 25

LED tube light 8 – 36

Fluorescent tube light 18 – 60

Table fan 30 – 70

Induction motor Ceiling fan 60 – 80

Cooler 100 – 500

AC (1.5 ton) 1500

Refrigerator 150 – 400

Computer 100 – 250

TV 60 – 120

Smartphone charger 4–7

Space Heater 1,000 and up

Washing Machine 300 – 500

Microwave 700 – 1,400

Coffee maker 800

Toaster oven 1,400

Blow dryer 300 – 1,200

To get to the bottom of the “how to electrical load calculation formula”, Here’s how to
calculate the load of electricity of a house:
Number of Appliances Power Rating Daily Use in Load Calculation
Hours

4 LED Bulb 9-watt each 10 4 x 9W x 10 = 360 watt

1 Cooler 400-watt 6 1 x 400W x 6 = 2,400 watt

2 Ceiling fans 70-watt each 18 2 x 70W x 18 = 2,520 watt

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1 TV 100-watt 4 1 x 100W x 4 = 400 watt

1 Refrigerator 300-watt 12 1 x 300W x 12 = 3,600

watt (approximately)

Here’s what the total will be 9,280 Watt Hour

Calculations:
It’s simple. 1 watt = 0.001 kW
Therefore, your daily load is 9.28 kWh or 9.28 units per day.
Considering that you use these appliances for the same number of hours daily, your
monthly power consumption will be 9.28 x 30 = 278.4 units per month.
If the electricity tariff for your region is ₹ 8 per unit, your monthly energy bill will be
₹ 2,227.20
Problems
1) Calculate the electricity bill for 30 days if an air conditioner of rating 2 kW is operated
for 4 hours per day. The cost of electricity per unit is Rs.5.

Given:
Power rating of the air conditioner = 2 kW
Cost of electricity per unit = Rs.5
Time for which the device is operated in a day = 4 hours
Units consumed per day = 2kW×4hours = 8 kWh = 8 units
Units consumed in 30 days = 8×30 = 240 units
Electricity bill for 30 days = 240 units×Rs.5 *1/unit=Rs.1200

2) A family uses a light bulb of 100 W, a fan of 100 W and a heater of 3kw, each for 8 hours a day.
If the cost of electricity is Rs.2 per unit, what is the expenditure for the family per month of 30
days, on electricity?

3) A family pays Rs. 1000 for electricity on an average in those months in which it does not use a
water heater. In the months in which it uses a water heater, the average electricity bill is Rs.
1240. The cost of using the water heater is Rs. 8.00 per hour. Find the average number of hours
the water heater is used in a day

Extra Electricity charges because of water heater in a month =Rs1240−1000 =Rs240

Cost of electrcity/hr=Rs8 Total hrs heater was used in a month=240/8=30hrs
So no of hrs water heater used in a day=30/30=1hr
Fuses
A fuse is a short piece of metal, inserted in the circuit, which melts when excessive current
flows through it and thus breaks the circuit.
The fuse element is generally made of materials having low melting point, high conductivity
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and least deterioration due to oxidation e.g., silver, copper etc. It is inserted in series with
the circuit to be protected. Under normal operating conditions, the fuse element is at a
temperature below its melting point. Therefore, it carries the normal current without
overheating. However, when a short-circuit or overload occurs, the current through the
fuse increases beyond its rated value. This raises the temperature and fuse element melts
(or blows out), disconnecting the circuit protected by it. In this way, a fuse protects the
machines and equipment from damage due to excessive currents.
The time required to blow out the fuse depends upon the magnitude of excessive current.
The greater the current, the smaller is the time taken by the fuse to blow out. In other
words, a fuse has inverse time-current characteristics as shown in Fig. Such a
characteristic permits its use for overcurrent protection.

the fuse element should have the following desirable characteristics:

(i) low melting point e.g., tin, lead.
(ii) high conductivity e.g., silver, copper.
(iii) free from deterioration due to oxidation e.g., silver.
(iv) low cost e.g., lead, tin, copper.
Advantages
(i) It is the cheapest form of protection available.
(ii) It requires no maintenance.
(iii) Its operation is inherently completely automatic unlike a circuit breaker which requires
an elaborate equipment for automatic action.
(iv) It can break heavy short-circuit currents without noise or smoke.
(v) The smaller sizes of fuse element impose a current limiting effect under short-circuit
conditions.
(vi) The inverse time-current characteristic of a fuse makes it suitable for overcurrent
protection.
(vii) The minimum time of operation can be made much shorter than with the circuit
breakers.
Disadvantages
(i) Considerable time is lost in rewiring or replacing a fuse after operation.
(ii) On heavy short-circuits, *discrimination between fuses in series cannot be obtained
unless
there is sufficient difference in the sizes of the fuses concerned.
(iii) The current-time characteristic of a fuse cannot always be co-related with that of the
protected apparatus.

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 MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker)
A miniature circuit breaker (MCB) is an Electrical Switch that automatically switches off
the electrical circuit during an abnormal condition of the network means an overload
condition as well as a faulty condition.

Working Principle of MCB

Whenever continuous overcurrent flows through MCB, the bimetallic strip is heated and
deflects by bending. This deflection of the bi-metallic strip releases a mechanical latch.
As this mechanical latch is attached to the operating mechanism, it causes to open the
miniature circuit breaker contacts, and the MCB turns off thereby stopping the current to
flow in the circuit. To restart the flow of current the MCB must be manually turned ON.
This mechanism protects from faults arising due to overcurrent or overload and short
circuits.
But during short circuit conditions, the current rises suddenly, causing electromechanical
displacement of the plunger associated with a tripping coil or solenoid. The plunger strikes
the trip lever causing the immediate release of the latch mechanism consequently opening
the circuit breaker contacts. This was a simple explanation of a miniature circuit breaker’s
working principle.
An MCB is very simple, easy to use, and is not generally repaired. It is just easier to
replace. The trip unit is the main part, responsible for its proper working. There are two
main types of trip mechanisms.
A bi-metal provides protection against overload current and an electromagnet provides
protection against electric short-circuit current.
MCB has several advantages over fuse:
1.MCB is more sensitive to current than fuse. It detects any abnormality in the current flow
and automatically switches off the electrical circuit.
2.In case of MCB, the faulty zone of electrical circuit can be easily identified. Faulty circuit
trips to the off position. On the other hand in case of fuse, the complete fuse wire needs to
be checked by opening fuse grip for confirming the faulty zone.
3.With MCB it is very simple to resume to the supply. You just need to push the knob of
MCB back to on position. But in case of fuse, the entire fuse wire needs to be replaced.
4.MCB provides a better interface with the help of knob than a fuse. In case of fuse the
compete handle needs to be taken care out.
5.Handling MCB is electrically safer than handling a fuse.
6.MCB is reusable and hence hassles maintenance and replacement cost. Whereas a fuse
needs to be replaced whenever it goes faulty.

Electrical Shock

Introduction
All systems which use electrical energy have the potential to cause serious harm.
Injuries caused by electric current
Electric current can pass through the body when the body becomes part of the electric
circuit. Electric current flowing through the body can cause:
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 electric shock
electrocution
burns caused by electric current and arc flash

The severity of the injury depends on:

Amount of current flowing through the body.
Path of the current through the body.
Length of time the body is in the circuit.
The voltage of the current.

The following table contains details of the effect of alternating electric current during a
hand-to- foot shock of one second duration:

Current level
(milliamperes) Probable Effect on Human Body

1 mA Perception level. Slight tingling sensation.

Slight shock felt; not painful but disturbing. Average individual can
5 mA let go.
Painful shock. Loss of muscular control. Commonly referred to as the
6 – 16 mA freezing current or "let-go" range.

Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscular

17 – 99 mA contractions. Individual cannot let go the source in contact
with. Can cause ventricular fibrillation.
Ventricular fibrillation (uneven pumping of the heart.)
100 – 2000 mA Muscular contraction and nerve damage begins to occur. Death
likely.
>2000 mA Cardiac arrest, internal organ damage, and severe burns. Death
probable.

A person receiving a shock caused by grabbing a bare conductor can generally release
himself when the current passing through his body is less than 15 mA.

The high resistance of a dry skin is rapidly broken down by a high voltage. High
voltages can cause violent muscular contraction, often so severe that the victim is thrown
clear.

An electric shock may injure the human body in several ways:

Contraction of chest muscles causing interference with breathing,

leading to asphyxiation.
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 Temporary paralysis of the nerve center leading to breathing failure.

Ventricular fibrillation which is an irregular movement of heart muscles leading to

failure of blood circulation. The heart cannot spontaneously recover, causing death.
Hemorrhage and destruction of nerves, tissues and muscles, caused mainly by heat.

When electricity passes through the body, it can interfere with the normal
electrical signals between the brain and other body systems.
Arc flashes result in intense heat causing burns or ignition of other materials.

Contact with high voltage can cause burns in internal tissues.

Precautions to be taken while working with electricity

Check for damage on power plugs, wire and other electrical fittings. If found
damaged, repair or replace damaged equipment immediately.
Keep electrical wires of equipment away from hot surfaces to prevent damage of
the insulation.
Do not lay electric wires along passage. It can be a trip hazard. Further contact with
sharp edges can cause damage to insulation leading to short circuit.
Know the location of switches/circuit breaker boxes for use in case of an
emergency.

All circuit breakers in the switch board must be clearly labelled for easy
identification.

Access to circuit breakers must not be blocked.

Extension cords must be used only to supply power temporarily.

Do not handle electrical equipment when hands, feet or body are wet
or perspiring, or when standing on a wet floor.
Consider all floors as conductive unless covered with insulating
matting of suitable type for electrical work.
Whenever possible, use only one hand when working on circuits or control devices.

Do not wear rings, metallic watchbands, chains etc. when

working with electrical equipment.

Precautions to be taken while using power tools

Before connecting the tool to the power supply, switch the tool OFF.

Disconnect power supply before making adjustments.

The tool must be properly grounded with a 3-wire cord with a 3-prong
plug. Use double insulated tools wherever possible.
Do not use electrical tools in wet conditions or damp locations
unless the tool is connected to an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker.

Earthing: Types
Earthing is a process of instant discharge of electrical energy which takes place by
transferring the charges directly to the earth with the help of low resistance wire. Earthing
is used for protection from electric shock. It protects us by providing a
protective conductor for a fault current to flow to the earth.
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Earthing specifically connects the metal case of an electrical appliance to the earth at a
zero potential through a metal wire known as earth wire. In a household circuit, we have
three wires named the live wire, the neutral wire and the earth wire and the one end of the
earth wire is buried in the earth. This process of transferring charge from a charged object
to the earth is defined as earthing.
Process Of Earthing

Earthing is for the safety of living being in a house. The procedure of earthing is mentioned
below:

• It is done by connecting the electrical appliance with earthing systems

or electrodes placed in the soil.
• The electrode equipped with a flat iron riser is installed under the ground level.
• The installed electrode connects all the non-current-carrying metallic parts of the
equipment.

• When an overloaded current is passed through the equipment or when a fault occurs
in the system due to the current, the fault current from the equipment flows through
the earthing system.
• The earth mat conductors help in maintaining equal voltage value. The resistance of
the earth mat is multiplied by a ground fault and helps guard the equipment against
the overload or fault current.
• In homes, there are three types of wires, live, neutral, and earth. The live and neutral
wires carry electric current whereas the earth wire is connected to the buried metal
plate/pipe/strip.

Types of Earthing
Earthing has three types:
• Pipe Earthing - It is an economical earthing in which a galvanised steel perforated
pipe is buried in the ground. The pipe is buried vertically connecting all the electrical
conductors to the ground.

• Plate Earthing - A galvanized copper or iron plate is buried vertically in the earth.
The plate connects all the conductors to the earth.
• Strip Earthing - A wire or strip of electrodes are buried horizontally in the ground.
These strips are useful in the procedure of transmission.

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