Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment - Earthing arrangements and protective conductors

Overview

IEC 60364-5-54 is the earthing part of the low-voltage electrical installations series. It covers earthing arrangements and protective conductors, including protective bonding conductors. In data centres, earthing is a basic infrastructure subject for both personal safety and reliable equipment operation. The third edition clarified the definition of protective conductor and improved the specification of the mechanical characteristics of the earth electrode. The earthing part therefore bears on every protective and bonding conductor in the installation and should be read alongside power distribution and lightning protection design.

It also added annexes on concrete-embedded foundation earth electrodes and soil-embedded earth electrodes. These additions give direct grounding for the design of a building's foundation earth electrode. The publication is the consolidated edition 3.1, combining the 2011 base text with Amendment 1 of 2021. It was published on 2021-04-13 and runs to 182 pages. Including these annexes makes it easier to plan the foundation electrode together with the building structure.

Its document code is IEC 60364-5-54:2011+AMD1:2021. It should be read together with national rules: in Turkey, for instance, the resistance limits in the Elektrik Tesislerinde Topraklamalar Yönetmeliği must be checked separately. As a result, the design file should state which edition is applied and how any national requirements interact with it.

Key points

1. Addresses earthing arrangements and protective conductors, including protective bonding conductors.
2. Clarifies the definition of protective conductor.
3. Improves the specification of the mechanical characteristics of the earth electrode.
4. Annexes cover concrete-embedded foundation earth electrodes and soil-embedded earth electrodes.
5. Consolidated edition 3.1 published 2021-04-13, 182 pages.
6. Document code IEC 60364-5-54:2011+AMD1:2021.

Using it in design

• Size protective conductors using the adiabatic k-factor check or the table method.
• Model the foundation earth electrode and the bonding ring for the building.
• With the TR profile active, cross-check results against the resistance limits of the Turkish Elektrik Tesislerinde Topraklamalar Yönetmeliği.
• Offer electrode type (concrete-embedded foundation or soil-embedded) as distinct options in the earthing module.

Who should read it

Data centre electrical and earthing designers and engineers reviewing earthing calculations.

Related standards

• IEC 60364-4-41
• Elektrik Tesislerinde Topraklamalar Yönetmeliği
• EN 50310

Publication details

Authors

IEC TC 64

Publisher

IEC

Year

2021

Document number

IEC 60364-5-54:2011+AMD1:2021

Document language

English

Source type

Standard

Access

Citation only

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation