Safety Conditions around Metal Electric Poles in Wet and Flooding Conditions

Inadequate  installation  or  internal  circuit  damage  in  metal  electrical  poles  may  lead  to  the 
emergence of electric potential on the pole structure. When an individual comes into contact 
with such metal electric poles, a voltage differential relative to the ground occurs. If the person 
wears insulating shoes, the charges will flow through the body into the ground. These charges 
may be so low that the person does not perceive an electric shock. Conversely, if the person 
touches the electric pole in a wet or flooded area, it can result in life-threatening electrical 
currents.  Therefore,  this  research  studied  the  voltage  distribution  around  metal  poles  by 
modelling the voltage distribution around electrodes in wet soil and flooded area with the input 
electric source of 110V/50Hz stepping down from 220V. In the study of the voltage distribution 
in wet conditions, the voltage was applied through the electrode rod in the center of the model 
at the depth of 2 cm from the soil surface. It was found that the maximum voltage was 56.02 V 
at 2 cm below the electrode rod, around the center of the system. The voltage was distributed 
symmetrically, and it decreased as the grid level was far away from the voltage source point. In 
the study of the voltage distribution in flooding condition, the electrode was placed at the center 
of the model at the depth of 10 cm, which is the level of soil surface. The maximum voltage 
was  about  91.19  V  and  83.27  V  at  the  water  surface  and  soil  surface,  respectively.  The 
maximum voltage located near the electrode rod and the voltage decreased as the measurement 
probe went far away from the voltage source point. The experiment on the voltage distribution 
near the electric pole when the people walked nearby and touched it in flooding conditions was 
also performed. The electrode rod was placed at the corner of the system under the water surface 
16 cm with input source of 220V/50Hz. It was found that the voltage increased as the distance 
between the two legs increased, as called a step voltage. The maximum and minimum step 
voltages were 169.89 V and 108.41 V, respectively. The voltage across the leaked electric pole 
and all part of the body was approximately 230 V. The touch voltage was significantly higher 
than  the  step  voltage.  The  voltage  level  decreased  as  the  distance  from  the  released  point 
increased. Even a small increase in the distance from the voltage source point can significantly 
decrease the voltage. This large difference in the voltage distribution in both wet and flooding 
condition  can  make  the  people  unaware  of  the  current  leakage  at  the  electric  pole  and 
accidentally  touch  it.  The  touch  voltage  will  then  be  appeared,  leading  to  an  extremely 
dangerous situation.