For reducing tower footing resistance, it is better to usea)Chemical a...
Tower footing resistance is the resistance offered by the tower footing to the dissipation of ground. The effective ground wire depends to a large extend on the tower footing resistance. The tower top potential depends on this resistance.
Low value of tower footing resistance results in less voltage stresses across line insulation. A tower footing resistance of 20 ohm for EHV lines and 10 ohm for HV lines provides sufficient lightning protection.
Tower footing resistance depends on
1) Type of electrode configuration employed
2) Soil resistivity
3) Electrode shapes (Hemisphere, vertical driven rod, and Buried horizontal wires)
Methods for tower grounding are:
Buried Conductor: One or more conductors are connected to tower legs and buried in back filled of tower foundation. It is used when soil resistivity is low
Counterpoise Wire: A wire/ Strip of length of 50 m is buried horizontally at depth of 0.5 m below ground. This wire is connected to tower legs. It is used when earth resistance is very high and soil conductivity is mostly confined to upper layer
Ground rod: Pipe/Rod of 3 to 4 m is driven into ground near the tower and top of rod is connected to tower by suitable wire/strip. It is used where ground conductivity increase with depth
Treated Earth Pits: Pipe/Rod of 3 to 4 m are buried in treated earth pits and top of rod is connected to tower by suitable wire/strip. It is used in very high resistivity near tower
For reducing tower footing resistance, it is better to use ground rod and counterpoise only.