Comparative analysisof grounding systems formed by MV cable lines with either uninsulated or insulated metal sheath(s)

It is well known that medium-voltage (MV) paper-insulated cables essentially reduce the potentials appearing during a ground fault in substations located in urban surroundings. This is explained by the fact that these cables usually (normally) have an uncoated metallic sheath. Due to this, MV cable lines leaving a high-voltage/middle-voltage (HV/MV) substation act as long external grounding electrodes and spontaneously form one very large and complex grounding system around this substation. Cables with an insulated metallic sheath however, are progressively being more applied in contemporary power distribution practice. Consequently, the following quite logical question arises: how will a cable with such constructive characteristic influence the general conditions for solving the grounding problem of distribution substations, especially of those working in high-voltage (HV) networks with directly grounded neutral(s)? The analysis performed in this paper shows that, when applied these cables spontaneously form a grounding system which also exhibits excellent grounding performances.