Parallel computing aided design of earthing systems for electrical substations in non-homogeneous soil models

Accurate design of grounding systems is essential to assure the safety of people, protect the equipment and avoid interruptions in the power supply. In order to attain these targets, the equivalent electrical resistance of the system and the potential distribution on the earth surface in fault conditions need to be computed. The authors present a numerical approach for grounding analysis embedded in stratified soils and its implementation on a high-performance parallel computer. The feasibility of this system is shown with its application to the analysis of a real grounding system in a layered soil.