equipotentialization

Equipotentialization is a term used in electrical safety and grounding systems. It refers to the practice of connecting all exposed conductive parts of an electrical installation and extraneous conductive parts to a common potential. This common potential is typically the earth potential, achieved through a grounding system. The primary goal of equipotentialization is to prevent dangerous voltage differences from appearing between conductive surfaces during fault conditions, such as a short circuit.

When a fault occurs, current can flow through various conductive paths. If exposed conductive parts are not at the same potential, a person touching two such parts simultaneously could become part of the circuit, leading to electric shock. Equipotentialization aims to ensure that any conductive surfaces that a person might come into contact with are at or very close to the same electrical potential. This is accomplished by interconnecting these conductive parts with equipotential bonding conductors, which are usually made of copper.

In a typical building, this involves bonding together the metallic water pipes, gas pipes, structural steel, and the metallic sheaths of cables to the main earthing terminal. This creates an equipotential zone, where the risk of dangerous touch voltages is significantly reduced. The effectiveness of equipotentialization is crucial for the safety of both people and equipment within an electrical installation. It complements other protective measures like overcurrent protection devices and insulation.