Advanced Grounding Concepts
PO Box 49116, Atlanta GA 30359,
Phone / FAX : (404) 325-5411

 

WinIGS Overview

The program WinIGS performs analysis and design of a grounding system or multiple grounding systems that are an integral part of an electric power system. Specifically, it allows the user to model any power system together with its grounding structures, it analyzes the performance of the system under steady state, normal, and fault conditions, and evaluates its performance against industry-standard criteria. The user may select either the IEEE Std. 80 criteria or the IEC-479-1 criteria, both of which have been integrated into the program.

The power system network data as well as the grounding system geometric data are edited via specialized GUI based editors, which are tightly integrated into the WinIGS program. Specifically, the network data are edited via a network editor, which displays the power system in single line diagram form. The network topology can be manipulated using the mouse. Device parameters can be accessed by double clicking on the device drawing. Analysis results, corresponding to a specific device, can be displayed by double clicking on the device drawing. The grounding system geometric data are edited via the ground editor, which displays the grounding system as a scaled drawing, either in top, side, or perspective views. The size, shape, and position of any ground electrode can be altered using the mouse or by numeric entry. Furthermore, analysis results, such as earth voltage or touch and step potential distributions are directly displayed on the grounding system drawing, in the form of contour plots.

The power system may include any number of symmetric three phase devices as well as asymmetric elements. Presently the program supports power systems comprising any combination of devices including

• Sources
• Transmission lines
• Transformers
• Loads
• Grounding Systems

Of great importance is the grounding system geometric model. This model allows the user to model complex grounding systems and evaluate their performance. The grounding system model is built from a set of ground electrode objects including:

• Ground Rods
• Ground Mats
• Horizontal Ground Conductors
• Concrete Blocks, etc.

The WinIGS program has four operating modes:

• The Editor Mode.
• The Analysis Mode.
• The Reports Mode.
• The Tools Mode.

The user can switch between these modes at any time by clicking on the corresponding buttons, located at the top of the main program window. A typical program session starts at the Editor mode where both network topology and ground systems models are defined. Next, the Analysis mode is selected, and the desired computations are performed. Finally, the Reports mode is selected in order to view the results of the analysis. Note that in order to avoid confusion, the program enforces the following constrains:

• The system topology and device parameters can only be modified in the Editor mode.
• The analysis results can only be accessed in the Reports mode.
• The analysis results are deleted once the program is switched back into Editor mode.

The tools mode provides several auxiliary features that are not part of the Edit-Analysis-Reports cycle. Specifically it includes the following:

• Conductor Library Editor
• Cable Library Editor
• Transmission Line Tower/Pole Library Editor
• Smart Ground Meter Export Function.
• Lightning Shielding Analysis

The WinIGS program is provided CD, or a download from this site.

Minimum Computer Hardware Configuration

• IBM-compatible personal computer.
• 512 Mbytes of RAM (Larger amount of RAM will allow faster solution of large scale systems).
• 64 Mb of free Disk Space.
• Mouse. A mouse with a wheel is preferable (The wheel is used for zooming).
• Display system with at least 1280 x1024 pixel resolution. Even though WinIGS will run on computers with lower resolution, some of the functionality of the GUI may be lost. For example, some toolbar buttons may become inaccessible, and the quality of the graphs and drawings may deteriorate.
• Open GL Graphics Hardware.

Supported Operating Systems

Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7.

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