Difference Between Step And Touch Potential, Why It Occurs

May 12, 2021July 3, 2022 Bhavana

Hello guys, welcome back to our blog. In this article, we will discuss the difference between step and touch potential, why it occurs, what is step potential, what is touch potential, etc.

If you have any electrical, electronics, and computer science doubts, then ask questions. You can also catch me on Instagram – CS Electrical & Electronics.

Also, read:

Difference Between Step And Touch Potential

Step and Touch potentials are considered safety hazards in many situations during the involvement of the power sources. These are popularly known as the step and touch voltages. These voltages are dangerous things as the transmission lines are always being energized due to electromagnetic coupling, this may affect the daily line workers.

The voltage ratings are very high so according to the situation, preventions are taken such as alarm instructions while the transmission of high voltages. The voltages can be present on both earth and the overhead, so this is considered a safety hazard for transmission line workers to protect themselves from the danger.

Step Potential

In step potential electricity spreads like ripples or rings over the surface of the ground away from the point of contact each ring carries a different voltage, if you step into one ring while your feet are in another the electricity will make up the difference in voltage through your body. The voltage can be passed through the ground soil when the fault occurs between the line and the ground.

The power will be passed to round there the voltage level rises in the ground and due to the excess voltage, it starts searching for the low resistive path through the soil, if it is possible then the voltage will be passed through the ground.

This leakage of electricity may cause death to the transmission line workers during working hours. The SNT-02 kit will be used for the alarm and other types of instructions while the danger voltage is transmitted. This will help the line workers to work safely near the high voltage transmissions.

Touch Potential

In touch potential, if someone on the ground touches what is in contact with the power line electricity will travel through that person’s body to get through the ground. It is easily described as the physical contact between the person and the energized object. The touch potentials may occur during the de-energized conditions also. The de-energized line is getting into electromagnetic induction due to the parallel line running beside which is energized.

This causes the current flow in the de-energized line and the worker who is repairing the line will get a high potential shock due to the inductive effect. These types of faults majorly occur in the crowded power line areas and the major wind farms located far away. The line workers should take some safety measures while dealing with crowded power lines due to touch potential dangers.

The SNT-02 kit is also used while dealing with the touch potential. They will give the alarm when the voltage is high in the de-energized cable, this will make the line workers protect themselves from this type of dangerous voltage.

Difference Between Step And Touch Potential

The major difference between the step and touch potential is the voltage caused due to the ground between the person’s feet is called the step potential and the voltage caused due to the physical contact with the electrical element is called the touch potential. They are similar to each other as they both occurred due to faults. The only difference is how they cause in different situations.

The step & touch potentials are combined and for this protection is also provided by the single kit. The supply will not matter in these types of potentials as in the major conditions these dangerous voltages occur at the non-energized equipment. The step & touch potentials occur at the transmission towers as they carry high voltages and the ground faults majorly occur at the transmission lines the probability of these types of voltages is more in crowded power lines.

Let’s take an example here consider that the potential at the touching point due to fault is 10-kilo volt so the other circles will equal to 9KV, 8KV, 7KV, and so on until we get out of the faulted area, which is approximately 10 meters or more from the center of the fault, now if someone is trying to move inside the faulted area he will be in a very serious situation any step this man takes will cause different potential on his both legs and this potential difference will force the electrons to travel through his body and he will be exposed to electric shock.

Now let’s assume that there is a destruction in the insulation of power transformers, the body becomes in contact with phases now the body of the transformer will be energized touching the body of transformer will cause a potential difference between hand and leg which will force current to travel through the body this phenomenon called touch potential. This is about the step and touch potentials.

I hope this article may help you all a lot. Thank you for reading this article.

Also, read: