ASTM F2676, ADDED SAFETY FOR CONFINED SPACE WORKERS

Copyright Material IEEE

Paper No. ESW2015-38

Victor L. Petrovic, PhD

Member IEEE
Petrovic Enterprises, Inc.
3671 Sandy Lake Road
Ravenna, OH 44266
vpetrovic@juno.com

I. ABSTRACT Breakthrough or break open, the formation of one or more

This paper will discuss the ASTM 2676 testing and use of arc
suppression blankets.
Preventing injuries from an arc flash/blast continues to receive
a great deal of attention. As mentioned in H. Landis Floyd’s
paper, table 1 (3), the best way to eliminate the hazard is to
eliminate it. Since this is not possible in an underground
environment with multiple live cables, switches and
connectors, other methods are needed to reduce the hazard.
Proper protective gear education and efforts have been made
to reduce the amount or duration of this energy. Even with
stringent safety protocols, the close proximity of needed work
to high energy makes safety boundaries impossible to
maintain.
A simple way to reduce the amount of energy reaching the
worker is to place a barrier between the worker and the
potential arc flash. As there are possibly multiple obstructions
in an underground vault or other confined space, any barrier
must combine the ability to protect with flexibility to adapt to the
enclosure. With flexible strength in mind, ASTM group F18
designed a test to measure three critical arc suppression
blanket requirements: first, the arc protective blanket had to
withstand the arc heat and plasma energy without breaking
open under a worst case scenario. Second, the blanket had to
have the mechanical strength to stay attached to its mounting
during the blast and third, blanket had to self-extinguish if it
ignited if ignited, within a short time. The test became
standard F2676-09 in June 2009.
II. INDEX TERMS
holes in the arc blanket material which may allow thermal
energy to pass through the material.
Ignition, the initiation of combustion
Mechanical strength, for an arc protective blanket, the ability to
remain attached to its support(s) in essentially its original
configuration during an arc event
Pressure wave, a certain force over an area created by air
movement caused by an electric arc.
All terms from ASTM 2676-09. (1)
III. ASTM F2676-09 VARIABLES
The importance of an arc protective blanket is its ability to help
protect against three dangers that are immediately critical to
life. They are arc energy generating high temperatures, the
blanket’s mechanical strength and blanket after flame. The
variables do not include electric shock.
A. ARC ENERGY
When the energy developed at the generating
plant is translated into a gap jumping spark,
this energy heats the electrodes and the air to
form plasma. In most cases, it is the 3000K
plasma cloud that causes injury. Testing shows that danger is
greatest if the plasma cloud impinges directly on a person and
that the danger will be less if the plasma cloud is deflected
onto a person over a longer distance. (6)

Arc, a conductive path in air for the electric current caused by
ionization of air between two electrodes
Arc suppression/protection blanket – a flat assembly of
fabric(s) with locations for attachment used to protect workers
from the effects of arc flash and arc blast
ASTM testing was limited to single phase systems. Enclosing a
3-phase arc in a box has the potential to increase the incident
energy approx. 3 times depending upon the box dimensions,
as compared to an arc in an open configuration. (2)

978-1-4799-4782-9/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE

Designing the test for an arc protective blanket required a new
concept. Common terminology for rating safety product energy
is cal/cm^2 or calories per square centimeter. At the proposed
test energy, cal/cm^2 was determined to be very difficult to
measure. ASTM group F18-65 therefore defined energy as a
combination of the amperage in kilo-amps (KA) and cycles (C)
where one cycle is one sixtieth of a second. The new term
KAC is the amount of amperage over a given time. Thus,
400KAC would describe the amount of energy released by a
40,000A (40KA) discharge over 10C. 40KA x 10C = 400KAC.
Although this unit is simplistic, it is repeatable and able to
generate information on the ability of arc suppression blankets
to withstand given single phase amperage levels.
Another consideration was the length of time a blanket should
be able to withstand an arc flash. Typical clearing time a fault
current normally causes fuses or circuit breakers to trip was
estimated to be 5 cycles (5/60 of one second), so the ASTM
group doubled that figure. This decision mandated that a
blanket had to resist breakthrough and stay attached for a
minimum of 10 cycles. This 10 cycle clearing time should be
considered when choosing ASTM 2676 as a criterion for
choosing an arc suppression blanket
Arc suppression blankets are designed to resist defined energy
levels. Power plant engineers at the testing facility chose three
energy levels for arc protective blankets: 15 KA, 25KA and
40KA. Thus, a 15KA blanket must withstand 15KA arc for at
least 10 cycles, 25KA blanket withstand a 25KA arc for at least
10 cycles and a 40KA blanket must withstand 40KA for at least
10 cycles. Although various voltages have an effect on
pressure waves, one voltage was used for all three amperage
levels. These current levels were RMS current with maximum
currents approximately double. Voltages were in the 750V to
1000V range, depending on test amperage.
B.BLANKET MECHANICAL STRENGTH
Ralph H. Lee, in his 1987 IEEE paper (4), developed a formula
to estimate the pressure wave from an arc.
P = 11.58 x Iarc/ D^0.9 where
P is the pressure in pounds per square foot
Iarc is the arcing current in kilo amps
D is the distance from the arc in feet
As an example, with Iarc at 40KA and D at 1 foot, the pressure
is 864 lb/ft^2 or 6 pounds per square inch. With Iarc at 15KA
and D at 10 feed, the pressure would be 22 lb/ft^2 or 0.15
lf/inch^2. The difference in distance and angle of the arc flash
to the body allow an estimate of the force on the body. With a
40,000 amp arc flash 18 inches from the center of the worker,
estimated body forces average 400 to 500 pounds. Even if the
worker is expecting the jolt, the reaction would be violent. The
important point here is that increasing the distance from the arc
to the worker reduces the force of the pressure wave.
Mechanical strength was a simple test. The blanket had to
remain attached with all connectors still in place after the arc
energy stopped.
C. BLANKET AFTER FLAME
Finally, the third major danger from an arc flash is the
combustion. When any substance is heated to its ignition point
combustion occurs. This substance can be the insulation
around a conductor, oil in the cable or the clothing worn by the
worker. Even those clothes designated as Flame Retardant or
arc rated will burn if subjected to temperatures above its
ignition point. Combustion has three danger elements.
Besides causing burns, they release toxic gasses or smoke
and consume oxygen.
To minimize danger to the worker, any flame had to self-
extinguish within 30 seconds after the cessation of the arc.
IV. ASTM F2676-09 TESTING
A.SETUP
Testing considerations included designing a “worst case
situation”. Previous testing indicated that arc flashes are not
predictable in direction. Connectors, cables and switches have
widely varying geometry that influences how an arc is
generated and to where the arc flash travels. Those were
shown in previous arc protective blanket testing where current
and times were strictly controlled, but damage to blankets
varied widely.
To obtain consistent results, a 4’ by 5’ blanket was hung in a
vertical configuration. Two parallel 1” copper or stainless
electrodes were placed four inches apart, perpendicular to and
six inches from the blanket center. A 1,000 frame per second
camera and standard camera took video pictures of the test.
Monitoring took place in a remote control room with live video
feeds.
B.TEST RESULTS
For a blanket to be certified a passing ASTM F2676-09, the
blanket must pass three main criteria:
1. BREAKTHROUGH (Arc Energy)
At the appropriate current rating the blanket cannot have any
openings that could allow arc flash energy to pass through.
Since blankets are tested to failure, the failure cannot occur
before 10 cycles. High speed photography designates the time
the arc starts and failure occurs.
2. MECHANICAL STRENGTH (Pressure Wave)
During the test, the attachments must keep the blanket solidly
in place. Attachment points must all remain intact until the test
is completed
3. IGNITION (After flame)
After the arc has stopped, all visible fire must self-extinguish
within 30 seconds. Even if all other parts of the test are
successful, an after-flame of 31+ seconds is automatic failure
for the blanket
C.HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE WORKER’S SAFTY?
Properly installed arc protection blankets provide a barrier to (6) Anthony David Stokes and David Keith Sweeting Electric
direct contact from plasma during an arc flash. ASTM F2676- Arcing Burn Hazards IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY
09 certified arc protective blankets protect workers because APPLICATIONS, VOL. 42, NO. 1, JANUARY/FEBRUARY
they are strong enough to absorb or re-direct the rated arc 2006, pp 134 – 141.
energy. By increasing the distance the plasma or pressure
wave has to travel, energy that can harm workers is reduced.
Specifically:

• Heat that would harm workers is reduced

• The pressure wave on the worker, is at a minimum,
reduced
• Burns and fire are at a minimum, reduced
D.CONCLUSION
ASTM STANDARD F2676-09 is a test method and rating to
evaluate the ability of an arc protective blanket to resist the
effects of an arc flash/blast. Its use is primarily in confined
spaces, often underground, where multiple hazards exist. Used
properly, it will contribute to worker’s safety.
Victor L Petrovic holds a BS in chemistry as well as an MBA
and PhD in business from Kent State University. His present
position is president of Petrovic Enterprises, Inc. His major
interest is new product development for the high-temperature
safety industry. He has written articles in industrial safety
magazines on arc suppression blankets. In addition to being a
member of IEEE, he is a member of ASTM, working with
Electrical Safety (F18), Textiles (D13) and Personnel
Protection (F23) groups.

Arc protective blankets tested to meet ASTM F2676-09 are

capable of withstanding an arc flash, but materials and
construction are only two thirds of the protection. The third
part of the protection is the proper attachment of the blanket to
a suitable backing (5).

NOTE: Blankets passing ASTM 2676 will withstand the

conditions for which they are tested. There are, however,
other factors involved with arc flash. Longer than 10 cycle
clearing time, higher voltages or unique environments
may reduce the effectiveness of the blanket.

V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A special thank you is given to Mike Scott from Estex

Manufacturing for his help with the information in this paper.

VI. REFERENCES

(1) ASTM International, (2009), F2676-09, Standard Test

Method for Determining the Protective Performance of and Arc
Protective Blanket for Electric Arc Hazards

(2) R.L. Doughty, T.E. Neal, T.A. Dear, and A.H. Bingham,
“Testing update on protective clothing and equipment for
electric arc exposure,” IEEE Ind. Application. Magazine., vol. 5,
no. 1, pp. 37–49, Jan./Feb. 1999.

(3) H. Landis Floyd II, (2011), Arc-Flash Hazard Mitigation,

IEEE INDUSTRY APPLICATION MAGAZINE, July/August, pp
38 – 42.

(4) Lee, R.H. (1987), Pressures Developed by Arcs, IEEE

TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, Vol. IA-23
No. 4, July/August pp 246 -251.

(5) Mulvaney, M. R. and Petrovic, V.L. (2009), Arc

Suppression Blanket Installation, Incident Prevention, Volume
6, Issue 5, October, pp 24 – 27.