XGSLab FAQs
Technical
- Which are the specific standards that XGSLab uses?
- What is the frequency range of the phenomena that may be studied by XGSLab?
- Does XGSLab consider multilayer soil model?
- Why the double layer soil model is so important?
- Why is so important to consider soil parameters frequency dependence?
- Why is so important a model that considers both self and mutual impedances?
- Is it possible modeling the soil using soil resistivity measurements?
Answers
Sales
Can I buy XGSLab and then have training in-house to learn how to use it?Yes, you can. We provide courses on site on demand or Video Conferences.
Furthermore you can count on a complete and clear User’s Guide with some very useful tutorial.
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Is there a demo version?
According to our experience a web presentation is more effective than a demo in showing XGSLab features in a short time.
You can arrange a web presentation contacting our Customer Service.
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Does XGSLab includes a support?
Yes, XGSLab includes 12 months of support period.
The support includes software and documents updating, maintenance support and regular engineering applications support.
The support period may be renewed on an annual basis.
Is XGS easy to use?
Very easy with basic applications, as for instance for grounding systems analysis with GSA. Advanced applications requires an adequate knowledge of the subject but anyway XGS User’s Guide and Tutorial can help also beginners. Experience shows Users expert with competitors tool are able to use XGS immediately or, at most, with a few hours of web training.
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Is XGS convenient?
XGS is convenient because the price is usually lower than competitors and training is web based, with interactive 1 hour sessions, and so really affective and cheap.
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Software
What are software and hardware requirements?XGSLab is designed to operate on personal computer (PC) having the following software and hardware requirements.
Software requirements:
- Operating system: Windows® 8 or upper, 32 or 64 bit (Windows® 10 included)
- Microsoft® .NET Framework 4.6.2 installed
Hardware requirements suggested:
- HD: 500 MB free space
- RAM: depending on module and maximum elements or cells number
- CPU: Intel Core i5 for basic versions, i7 quad-core or more for higher version
- Monitor resolution: 1920x1080 (full HD) or more
About the modules *GSA*, the following hardware requirements should be considered.
Taking into account that the maximum elements number is limited depending on the program version, the following RAM requirements are suggested:
- Light version (up to 2000 elements): at least 2 GB for GSA and 4 GB for *_FD and XGSA_TD
- Standard version (up to 5000 elements): at least 4 GB for GSA and 8, better 16 GB for *_FD and XGSA_TD
- Professional version (up to 16000+ elements): at least 16 GB for GSA and 32 GB for *_FD and XGSA_TD
About the module NETS, the following hardware requirements should be considered.
Taking into account that the maximum cells number is limited depending on the program version, the following RAM requirements are suggested:
- Light version (up to 20 cells): at least 2 GB
- Standard version (up to 50 cells): at least 2 GB
- Professional version (up to 1000+ cells considering 4+4 ports for each cell): at least 8 GB
XGSLab works on Windows 64-bit?
XGSLab is distributed both 32bit and 64bit.
The 32bit version has better perfomance in terms of speed but it suffers some limits of memory (eg. 2GB).
While 64bit version is fast in calculation and it can manages all available memory (suggested).
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What software apart from XGSLab is required?
XGSLab comes with Microsoft Server SQL Compact Edition, and Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 as well.
Both these softwares are installed with XGSLab.
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Does XGSLab require any hardlock?
XGSLab requires a USB protection dongle shipped via courier.
Delivery time is usually in the range 1 – 4 working days. The program can be downloaded from our helpdesk web site.
XGSLab has two possible versions of protection hardlock: one working on local PC, the other one working on a network.
XGSLab single user license may be installed into any number of PC’s, but only the PC with the USB dongle attached can be used.
In network version license, the USB protection dongle has to be plugged in a Server of the local network. The Network license allows to use XGSLab on the local network simultaneously by a number "N" of users depending on agreements. User "N+1" can use XGSLab when one of the active users stops running the licensed software.
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Technical
Which are the specific standards that XGSLab uses?
- IEC/TS 60479-1:2005 - IEC/TS 60479-5:2007 (international standards)
- HD 637 1999 e EN 50522 2010 (European Standards)
- IEEE 80-2000 e IEEE 80-2013 (USA Standard)
- HD 637 1999 e EN 50522 2010 (European Standards)
- IEEE 80-2000 e IEEE 80-2013 (USA Standard)
- HD 637 1999 e EN 50522 2010 (European Standards)
- IEEE 80-2000 e IEEE 80-2013 (USA Standard)
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What is the frequency range of the phenomena that may be studied by XGSLab?

Does XGSLab consider multilayer soil model?
Why the double layer soil model is so important?
- The resistivity of the upper layer changes with temperature, rain, pollution …,
- The resistivity of the deep layers changes mainly with the kind of soil,
- In case of large sites, horizontal resistivity variations is unavoidable,
- In case of large sites, the soil surface often cannot be considered flat.


Soil analysis – Measured resistivities and equivalent double layer model

Soil analysis – Measured resistivities and equivalent double layer model
Why is so important to consider soil parameters frequency dependence?
- Messier
- Visacro – Portela
- Visacro – Alipio
Why is so important a model that considers both self and mutual impedances?
Is it possible modeling the soil using soil resistivity measurements?
The on field measurements may be directly entered into the software including information about buried length of probes.
The algorithm to obtain soil parameters starting on resistivity measurements is based on the Trust region method and is very powerful and accurate and can manage constraints on results (results inside a given range).
Use of the software
What do “too short element” error and warning message mean?
- In case of bare element,
- no message means that the diameter of the element is lower than 1/12 of the element length
- warning message means that the diameter of the element is higher than 1/12 but also lower than 1/6 of the element length
- Error message means that that the diameter of the element is higher than 1/6 of the element length
- In case of covered element,
- no message means that the diameter of the element added to 2 × covering thickness is lower than 1/6 of the element length
- warning message means that the diameter of the element added to 2 × covering thickness is higher than 1/6 but also lower than 1/3 of the element length
- Error message means that that the diameter of the element added to 2 × covering thickness is higher than 1/3 of the element length
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modify the number of elements (lowering it) which the span is divided into
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delete the span where the too short element is when the span itself is too short. After deleting the faulted span the User has obviously to simplify the model (see following picture). This happens when the span is divide into 1 element in GSA or into 2 elements in GSA_FD and in victims of XGSA_FD
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more seldom, act on the diameter of the span or on the thicknesses of the soil layers. These last solutions can be taken into consideration if you are in a case in which this problem cannot be solved by lowering the number of elements. For example, if you have a rod with these properties:
- Diameter = 20 mm
- Length = 2 m
- Zs = 0 m
- Ze = 2 m
- Elements = 3
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What is the value that I have to input for Re in earthing currents tool?
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Set the arbitrary current (usually 1 A) in the faulted electrode (remember to confirm it by clicking on the green tick). See following picture
- Debug
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Run the calculation
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Results obtained in following picture, Re circled in red. This value has to be used in Earthing Currents tool
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How can I read the elements table?
The table can be exported in .csv format by clicking on “Export” in Results page of the panel
When you read the element table consider the meaning of the following headers:
- cs_d_m: diameter
- cs_deq_m: equivalent diameter (≠cs_d_m in case of bundle conductors)
- cs_tc_m: covering thickness
- dv_l: length of the element
- el_dKsr, el_dKur, el_dKsi and el_dKui: reduction factors
- el_E_Re and el_E_Im: electromotive force, real and imaginary part
- el_Ee_Re and el_Ee_Im: external electromotive force, real and imaginary part
- el_I_Re and el_I_Im: longitudinal current, real and imaginary part
- el_J_Re and el_J_Im: leakage current, real and imaginary part
- el_Je_Re and el_Je_Im: injected current, real and imaginary part
- el_V_Re and el_V_Im: potential, real and imaginary part
- el_Z_Re and el_Z_Im: element impedance, real and imaginary part
- el_Zl_Re and el_Zl_Im: element longitudinal additional impedance, real and imaginary part
- el_Zt_Re and el_Zt_Im: element transverse additional impedance, real and imaginary part
- ID: id number (internal to the code)
- IDElectrode: number of electrode
- ID: id of the project (always the same)
- IDRef: Reference point identifier
- idx: identifier of the element
- ly_xs, ly_ys, ly_zs, ly_xe, ly_ye and ly_ze: coordinates
- S: span to which the element belongs
- S_Source: 1 if source, 0 if victim
- se: 1 for the first element of a span, 0 for a central element, -1 for final element
- SiteName: name of the external impedances or of the reference point set in the element
- Tag: Tag of the element
w: 0 for horizontal elements, 1 for vertical