Analysis of the Effect of Addition of Bentonite Zeolite Bunch Ash and Coconut Kernel Oil as Earthing Media

A grounding system is fundamental in securing electrical equipment from fault currents caused by unbalanced load sources or external disturbances such as lightning strikes to the ground. The grounding system works by flowing fault current that a short circuit in the environment may cause. The best resistance or soil resistivity, according to the PUIL 2011 standard, has a value of <5 ohms for grounding systems and <3 Ohms for electronic device frame grounding systems. Several factors, including soil resistivity, soil moisture, soil mineral content, and Soil temperature, influence soil resistance values. In this research, soil improvement was carried out by mixing four low-resistivity materials with two basic materials, namely bentonite and zeolite, as well as unique materials in the form of coconut shell meal and bunch ash, each combined with the original Soil. Measurements were carried out using a single rod electrode using the three-point method, with variables observed: soil resistance, temperature, humidity, and pH. In this study, the best soil resistance was obtained using a composition of 10% original soil + 40% zeolite + 50% bunch ash with an improvement in resistance reduction from the initial resistance of 139.5 ohms to 10.5 ohms and the initial soil-specific resistance of 163.14 ohm-meters to 11.35 ohm-meters, followed by a decrease with a mixture of 10% original soil + 40% bentonite + 50% bunch ash with an initial resistance value of 138.9 ohms to 11.8 ohms and an initial soil specific resistance of 162.4 ohmmeters to 13.2 ohm-meters. The increasing soil moisture affects a significant decrease in the measured soil resistance value, followed by a change in the calculated soil pH value. In contrast, the effect of soil temperature changes does not affect changes in the calculated soil resistance value.