Thanks for all the replies, any input is appreciated. Also, if anyone is interested, I presented the questions to the guys at E&S grounding solutions and got a good response...
Our thoughts were that since the piles will be incased in concrete (for the top 6") with the tops at a depth of 5-6' below grade, there will not be a safety issue with isolation. The piles will be supporting a mat type foundation that will be beneath the ground grid located at a depth of 18"...
I am working on designing a grounding system for new 115/34kV substation. The civil engineers want to use steel piles (50' long, 9" O.D. steel pipes) to support the foundations due to difficult soil conditions. We would like to include the piles as ground rods in our ground grid analysis if...