Principles of Data Center Grounding and Aging Mitigation: Preventing Electric Shock and Ensuring Equipment Safety

Grounding in data centers is the last line of defense for safety, discharging leakage currents to the earth to prevent casualties. Even in low-voltage environments of 220V/380V, if human body resistance decreases, a minute current of tens of mA can induce ventricular fibrillation, making it crucial to keep grounding resistance close to zero.

Grounding is categorized by purpose into protective grounding, system grounding, and lightning protection and functional grounding. Recently, the KEC (Korean Electrical Equipment Standards) emphasizes integrated grounding, which combines these to eliminate potential differences and protect equipment. During installation, a Mesh grounding method is used, laying copper wires in a grid pattern across the entire building floor and driving copper rods, with connection points permanently fused using Cadweld to prevent corrosion.

Over long-term operation, grounding resistance may rise due to changes in soil moisture or excavation work. To address this, reinforcement tasks such as parallel installation of grounding electrodes, Deep Boring methods that reach underground water layers, and application of resistance-reducing materials with good moisture retention are necessary. Additionally, Bonding to equalize voltage between equipment and connections to the earth must be clearly distinguished, and the status of equipotential bonding and grounding resistance should be inspected regularly.