The hazardous multigrounded neutral distribution system and dangerous stray currents

Abstract

The multigrounded neutral system is the predominant electrical distribution system used in the United States. It permits an uncontrolled amount of electric current to flow over the earth unrestrained, posing the potential of harm to the public and to animals causing electric shocks and is presumed responsible for undetected electrocutions. To compound the problem of uncontrolled current over the earth, utility practices places harmful current from lightning strokes directly into customers homes. As today's electrical loads continue to escalate, more current is forced into and over the earth. The question electrical engineers and the public must answer is what is the acceptable safe level, if any, of the passage of uncontrolled flow of electrical current over the earth and into our homes, office buildings and industrial facilities. The decisions to "save money" by the adoption of the multigrounded neutral electrical distribution system outweighed the public's safety are disclosed in this paper and the electrical distributions systems that are safe are presented. The history of the development of the multigrounded neutral distribution system is covered. Examples of the dangers associated with the multigrounded neutral distribution system and the ungrounded distribution system are disclosed. The methods of converting these dangerous and hazardous distribution systems into safer systems are presented.