Advances in Technology Innovation | 2026
Authors: Ganongo A.O.; Gomba R.; Nianga-Apila; Obita L.L.A.; Makanga B.J.L.; Gogom M.; Ganga G.
DOI: 10.46604/aiti.2026.15895
Journal: Advances in Technology Innovation
Year: 2026
Publisher: Taiwan Association of Engineering and Technology Innovation
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access
Cited by: 0
This study aims to analyze the influence of inter-electrode spacing on grounding resistance in high-voltage transmission networks. A simplified analytical model is applied to a case study on the Djiri-Ngo 220 kV line (Republic of the Congo), considering two representative soil types: clayey and siliceous sand. The grounding resistance is calculated by varying the number of electrodes and their spacing. The results show that increasing electrode spacing reduces grounding resistance. In certain configurations, the improvement exceeding 50 % when the spacing is increased from 5 m to 25 m. A saturation threshold is identified, beyond which further increases in spacing yields diminishing returns. Electrode spacing proves to be a key design factor, sometimes more influential than the number of electrodes. The proposed parametric geometric analysis offers a practical and cost-effective strategy for grounding system design, emphasizing the importance of adapting configurations to local geotechnical conditions. Copyright© by the authors. Licensee TAETI, Taiwan. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY-NC) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
electrode spacing; grounding resistance; lightning protection; soil resistivity; transmission line safety