L O R E S C O | Electrical Grounding Backfills

ELECTRICAL GROUNDING BACKFILLS

In addition to its leadership role in the cathodic protection industry, LORESCO® INTERNATIONAL has focused years of knowledge and expertise toward the development and manufacture of products to enhance electrical grounding for the electrical power, communications, and lightning mitigation systems.

PowerFillTM
PowerFillTM is an economical ground enhancement material to substantially lower earth resistance of copper-clad ground rods and copper grounding systems.

PowerSetTM
PowerSetTM is designed for use by the electrical grounding industry when a permanently-setting ground enhancement material for use with copper-clad ground rods and copper grounding systems is specified.

Typical designs for both products can be viewed through the graphic links shown here.

Typical
Horizontal
Design

Typical
Vertical
Design

Importance of Corrosion Inhibitor
Grounding Enhancement Backfills

In order to access the effect of corrosion inhibitors used with grounding enhancement backfills, four identical copper strips were cleaned and placed in individual containers with each strip placed in a different environment for a period of 1 year. Tap water was periodically added as required to replace water lost due to evaporation. The picture below was taken after removing and cleaning of the copper strips after exactly 1 year. The electrode numbers and environments were as follows:

#1 - Tap water
#2 - Carbon covered with tap water-no inhibitor
#3 - LORESCO PowerFillTM covered with tap water
#4 - LORESCO PowerSetTM covered with tap water

The copper strip exposed to coke with no inhibitor (#2) exhibited a 20% loss in weight due to significant corrosion as evidenced by the photograph. Significant thinning of the strip is evident in the photograph. The copper strip exposed to the tap water (#1) also exhibited some minor evidence of corrosion. However, both of the copper strips exposed to the LORESCO inhibited grounding enhancement backfills (#3 and #4) showed no corrosion. The protective surface film remained intact.