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Dischrge Calcution Ref PDF
Dischrge Calcution Ref PDF
DC Short-Circuit Analysis
To assure the safe operation of DC systems, whenever there are any changes in the system related to
sources, loads, and power transmission components, a DC Short-Circuit Analysis must be carried out to
evaluate system conditions under a fault and assess protective device ratings. A complete short-circuit
calculation should provide details of fault current variations at the fault location as well as for
contributing branches, from the initiation of the fault to its end. Due to the complexities involved in
source behaviors and the nonlinearity characteristics of the equipment, such calculations are very
extensive and therefore the maximum short-circuit current is often calculated for examination of
protective device ratings.
In compliance with IEEE Standard 946, the ETAP DC Short-Circuit Module calculates the total fault
current, current contributions from different sources, and the rise time constant of the total fault current. It
can conduct calculations on both radial and looped systems. The fault under consideration is a short-
circuit between the positive and the negative terminals at the fault location. The contributing sources to
the short-circuit current include charger/rectifier, UPS, battery, and DC motor. These sources can be
modeled as a constant current source or a constant voltage source behind an impedance. For a
charger/rectifier source, the AC system equivalent impedance on the AC side can also be considered.
For each DC protective device, ETAP calculates the bus fault current as well as the maximum current that
flows through the device and flags the user in a prominent color for underrated devices.
The calculation results are reported in a Crystal Reports format as well as in a one-line diagram display.
The Crystal Reports format provides detailed information about the study, including all the input data
used in the calculation, fault current, contributions from different sources, and device rating validation
summary, etc. The user can customize the format and content of the Crystal Reports output report. The
one-line diagram display provides you with a direct visual representation of the system under fault
conditions. It displays the short-circuit current at the faulted bus, fault current contributions on
surrounding branches, as well as the system voltage profile under the fault.
Display Options
Click on this button to customize the information and results annotations displayed on the one-line
diagram in DC Short-Circuit mode.
Study Case ID
Enter a unique alphanumeric ID with a maximum of 12 characters.
Report
Specify the contribution level the report should encompass.
Update
Bus Selection
Use this area to select which buses to Fault, Don’t Fault, or click on the All Buses checkbox to fault all
buses.
Note: You can fault buses (or remove faults) directly from the one-line diagram by right-clicking on the
desired bus.
Study Remarks
You can enter up to 120 alphanumeric characters in this remark box. The information entered here will be
printed on the second line of every output report page header. These remarks can provide specific
information regarding each study case. The first line of the header information is global for all study cases
and entered in the Project Information editor.
Editor Selection
Click on this option to select the model type as specified in the editor for individual chargers.
Fixed SC Contribution
Click on this option to use the constant current model for all the charges in the system.
AC System Impedance
Click on this option to use the constant voltage model for all the charges in the system.
Editor Selection
Click on this option to select the model type as specified in the editor for individual batteries.
Show Units
When this box is checked the unit for the calculation results will be displayed on the one-line diagram
along with the results.
Voltage
Bus
Click on this checkbox to display bus voltage on the one-line diagram.
Equivalent Fault R
Click on this option to display the equivalent fault resistance in ohms for faulted buses.
Display Contribution
33.3.2 AC Page
This page includes options for displaying info annotations for AC elements.
ID
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ID of the selected AC elements on the one-line
diagram.
Rating
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ratings of the selected AC elements on the one-
line diagram.
kV
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated or nominal voltages of the selected elements
on the one-line diagram.
For cables/lines, click the checkboxes to display the cable/line and the size, length and type on the one-
line diagram.
A
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ampere ratings (continuous or full-load ampere)
of the selected elements on the one-line diagram.
For cables/lines, click the checkboxes to display the cable/line and the size, length and type on the one-
line diagram.
Z
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated impedance of the selected AC elements on
the one-line diagram.
D-Y
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the connection types of the selected elements on the
one-line diagram.
For transformers, the operating tap setting for primary, secondary, and tertiary windings are also
displayed. The operating tap setting consists of the fixed taps plus the tap position of the LTC.
Composite Motor
Click on this checkbox to display the AC composite motor IDs on the one-line diagram, then select the
color in which the IDs will be displayed.
ID
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the IDs of the selected AC-DC elements on the one-
line diagram.
Rating
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ratings of the selected AC-DC elements on the
one-line diagram.
kV
Click on the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated or nominal voltages of the selected
elements on the one-line diagram.
A
Click on the checkboxes under this heading to display the ampere ratings of the selected elements on the
one-line diagram.
Composite Network
Click on this checkbox to display the composite network IDs on the one-line diagram, then select the
color in which the IDs will be displayed.
Color Theme
A previously defined color theme can be selected from the list. The selected color theme will be used
whenever the Theme option button is selected.
Annotations
This area allows you to assign colors to AC and DC elements, composite elements, and displayed results.
Theme
This option allows the color theme selected in the color Theme list for element annotations to be applied
globally throughout all diagrams. When the option is selected, the name assigned to the applied color
theme is also displayed in a box at the right of the button.
User-Defined
Select this option to specify a color for element annotations. When this option is chosen, the DC element
annotation color selection list will appear.
Theme Button
Click this button to make the Theme Editor appear.
Theme Editor
The Theme Editor allows you to select existing color themes or define a new color theme. Note that color
themes are applied globally within a project file. Changes made on a color theme displayed on this page
may also affect other modes and presentations if the color themes option has been previously selected.
In the first step of the calculation, the short-circuit current sources such as charger, UPS, battery, and
motor are modeled as specified in the study case editor and individual element editors. They may be
modeled as constant current sources or as constant voltage sources behind impedance. Based on this
system, a load flow calculation is conducted to determine system voltage profile and current flows. These
voltage values will be used in the second step as the prefault voltage for short current calculation.
In the second step of the calculation, the program calculates fault current and contributions for each bus to
be faulted with the bus voltage calculated in the first step as the prefault voltage.
In addition to fault current, the program also calculates the equivalent R and L at the faulted bus, based on
the separate R and L network. Using the equivalent R and L, it calculates the current rise time constant for
the fault.
ETAP calculates the rise time constant based on the equivalent R and L at the fault location.
When modeled as a constant voltage source behind impedance, the rated voltage is used as the internal
voltage. The AC system Z specified in the Short-Circuit page of the Charger editor is converted to the DC
side and used as the impedance in the model.
UPS
A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) is represented as a constant current source. It injects into the
system a constant current equal to its rated current multiplied by the Imax specified in the Rating page of
the UPS editor.
Battery
A battery can be represented as a constant current source or a constant voltage source behind impedance.
As a constant current source, it injects into the system a constant current equal to its 1 minute discharging
current multiplied by a K factor specified in the Short-Circuit page of the Battery Editor.
When modeled as a constant voltage source behind impedance, the internal voltage depends on the option
selected in the Battery Editor. These options include using the rated voltage or the value calculated based
on the battery specific gravity and minimum operating temperature.
DC Converter
A DC converter is used to change the voltage level in a DC system. If a fault occurs on the output side of
the system, the DC converter is modeled as a constant current source injecting into the system a constant
current. This current is equal to its rated current multiplied by the Imax specified in the Rating page of the
DC Converter Editor.
When calculating fault current contributions, the calculation does not extend into the input side of the
system. In case a DC converter has the same input and output rated voltage values and is involved in any
loop as the only DC converter, the calculation will stop and post a message to inform the user.
DC Motor
A DC motor is modeled as a constant voltage source behind impedance. The internal voltage value can be
specified in the DC Short-Circuit Study Case Editor. The impedance is specified in the Short-Circuit page
of the DC Motor Editor.
DC Lumped Load
The constant power portion of a DC lumped load is modeled as a constant voltage source behind an
impedance. The internal voltage value can be specified in the DC Short-Circuit Study Case editor. The
impedance is specified in the Short-Circuit Imp page of the DC Lumped Load editor.
Note: Only the motor loads of the lumped loads contribute short-circuit currents, i.e., if the percent motor
load of a lumped load is greater than zero, the motor load part will be modeled the same as a DC motor.
The static load part will be represented as a static load and the constant current load portion will be
ignored in the short-circuit calculation.
DC Cable
In order to achieve conservative results, in a DC short-circuit analysis, the cable resistance is calculated at
the minimum temperature entered in the Cable editor. Note that ETAP automatically doubles the cable R
& L values for calculations to represent both the positive and negative cables.
Info Page
Charger ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
All data in this page is required for DC Load Flow calculations
SC Page
Data in the SC Contribution for DC System section
AC System Z data is required if the Based on AC System Z option is selected
UPS
Info Page
UPS ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
AC rating data
DC rating data
Auction diode option
SC Imp Page
SC Contribution to DC System section data
Battery
Info Page
Battery ID
Bus connection data
Number of strings
Rating Page
Number of cells
SC Page
Battery Library type data: Rp, time constant, SG, VPC, and 1-min-rating
Short-circuit model data
External impedance data
Voc per cell data
33.5.2 Load
DC Motor
Info Page
Motor ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Quantity
Rating Page
Rating data
Load category data
SC Page
SC parameters
Lump Load
Info Page
Lump load ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Rating Page
Rating section data
Motor/static load percent
Load category data
SC Imp Page
SC parameters
Static Load
Info Page
Static load ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Quantity
Rating Page
Rating section data
Load category data
CCSD Load
Info Page
CCSD load ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
Rating section data
Load category data
33.5.3 Branch
DC Cable
Info Page
Cable ID
Bus connection data
Cable length
Number of cables per phase
Impedance Page
Cable resistance and inductance
Units section data
Base and minimum operating temperature
DC Impedance
Info Page
DC impedance ID
Bus connection data
Impedance resistance and inductance
DC Converter
Info Page
DC converter ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
Rating section data
SC contribution data
DC CB
Info Page
ID
Bus connection data
Rated V
SC kA
DC Fuse
Info Page
ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
Rated V
Interrupting kA
DC Single-Throw Switch
Info Page
ID
Bus connection data
Rated V
Momentary kA
DC Double-Throw Switch
Info Page
ID
Bus connection data
Rated V
Momentary kA
33.5.5 Bus
DC Bus
Info Page
ID
Nom. V
Initial Voltage
The Crystal Reports format provides you with detailed information for a DC Short-Circuit Analysis. You
can utilize the DC Short-Circuit Report Manager to help you view the output report.
Help
Click on this button to access Help.
OK/Cancel
Click on the OK button to close the editor and open the Crystal Reports view to show the selected portion
of the output report. If no selection is made, it will close the editor. Click on the Cancel button to close the
editor without viewing the report.
Complete Page
On this page there is only one format available, Complete, which opens the complete report for the DC
Short-Circuit Study. The Complete Report includes Input Data, Results, and Summary Reports.
You can view the report in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel formats. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
checkbox.
Battery
Branch
Bus
Cable
Converter
Cover
Impedance
Loads
You can view the report in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel formats. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
checkbox.
Result Page
This page allows you to select formats to view the short-circuit result portion of the Output Report.
You can view the report in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel formats. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
checkbox.
Summary Page
This page allows you to select formats to view summary reports of the Output Report. The only summary
report format available is the Interrupting Current format.
You can view the report in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel formats. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
checkbox.
Load Data
The load data section prints input data for motors, lump loads, static loads, and CCSD loads. The Vin
column shows the internal voltage of motors and the motor load portion of lump loads.
DC Arc Flash
The ETAP DC Arc Flash analysis module uses several methods to determine the level of incident energy
which can be generated by different direct-current electric circuits. The program is fully compatible with
the ETAP DC Short-Circuit calculation program which has been an industry standard for the analysis of
DC equipment faults for many years. The program can be used to determine the arc flash energy for
industrial, nuclear, data centers, electrochemical, petrochemical and any other DC electrical applications.
The DC arc flash incident energy and arc flash boundaries are determined based on the equations and
methodology presented in the following documents
ETAP DC Arc Flash is a fully integrated module that takes advantage of all the capabilities already built
into ETAP. The program automatically determines the DC Short-Circuit current. It also calculates the
individual DC arcing current contributions and arc fault clearing time of all the protective devices
involved in the arc fault by interfacing with ETAP Star (Protective device selectivity and coordination
module). In addition, ETAP considers the equipment construction (enclosed or open air) to determine
the level of energy exposure.
With DC arc flash, you can perform arc flash analysis for a single bus or multiple buses at a time. It has
built-in tools like the DC Arc Flash Report Analyzer and summarized results at every DC bus or node.
ETAP also includes typical boundaries, equipment gap between conductors and working distances from
IEEE 1584 and NFPA 70E to minimize the data entry requirements.
ETAP DC arc flash provides sophisticated reporting which literally shows the arc flash results for every
location on the one-line diagram or in comprehensive analysis reports for every location. The program
gives you the ability to print or create custom MS Excel report by using the export feature from the DC
AF Report Analyzer. It also includes built-in Summary Crystal Reports for all the faulted buses in the
systems, which include the arc flash boundary and energy level. The final analysis results can be shown
on arc flash labels that can be placed on the equipment. The labels contain the necessary information to
convey the arc flash energy level in multiple languages or unit systems.
Display Options
Report Manager
To activate the Create Star View toolbar button, select an element or a group of elements on the one-line
diagram. This is called rubber-banding a zone for a selected Configuration. Composites (nested networks)
can be opened up, rubber-banded, and grouped with their external connecting elements for coordination.
Display Options
Click on this button to customize the information and results annotations displayed on the one-line
diagram in DC Arc Flash mode.
Report Manager
DC Arc Flash Output Reports are provided in Crystal Report format. The Report Manager provides five
pages (Complete, Input, Label, Result, and Summary) for viewing the different parts of the output report.
Available formats for Crystal Reports are displayed in each page of the Report Manager for DC Arc Flash
studies. You can open and save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text Format, or Excel format. If you
wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default checkbox.
Equipment Properties
Type
The Type dropdown list allows you to select or enter the DC equipment type being model for DC arc
flash Analysis. The list has been pre-populated with the following options:
Panelboard
LV Switchgear
MV Switchgear
Junction Box
Exposed Conductors
Battery Rack
Battery Terminals
Battery Disconnect
Overhead Conductor
The option to type in and define the actual type of equipment being modeled is also available.
Note: The equipment type is used for information only and it does not affect the calculation; however,
entering the correct equipment type description is useful for label printing and reporting purpose.
If the option “Automatically Update Arc Flash Parameters” is enabled, the fields in the DC bus editor
related to arc flash are immediately populated with typical IEEE 1584 and NFPA 70E boundaries and
working distances.
Note: The Gap between Conductors / Electrodes, Width, Height, Depth, and Reflectivity coefficients are
not listed in IEEE 1584 or NFPA 70E Standards. The typical values for these parameters come from the
DC Arc Models and Incident Energy Calculations Paper.
Width
If the equipment is enclosed, this field displays the width of the enclosure which contains the DC
energized conductors. This field is used for information only and is not used in the calculation of the
incident energy at this time.
Height
If the equipment is enclosed, this field displays the height of the enclosure which contains the DC
energized conductors. This field is used for information only and is not used in the calculation of the
incident energy at this time.
Depth
If the equipment is enclosed, this field displays the depth of the enclosure which contains the DC
energized conductors. This field is used for information only and is not used in the calculation of the
incident energy at this time.
a&k
The reflectivity constants are used when determining the incident energy. They are properties of the
enclosure and are determined based on the dimensions of the box/enclosure. These constants are used
when determining the incident energy based on the Stokes & Oppenlander or Paukert methods.
Please refer to "DC Arc Models and Incident Energy Calculations Paper No. PCIC-2009-07" for below
typical data.
Conductor/Electrode Properties
ETAP has two additional calculation methods which are called “Stokes & Oppenlander” and “Paukert”.
For these methods the gap between conductors is a critical parameter to determine the arcing current. It is
highly recommended that a proper value be selected based on the actual equipment distance between the
Anode and Cathode as shown in the image below.
Orientation
This is the orientation of the conductors / electrodes. The orientation field will be used as an input field as
future calculation methods become available. In this version of ETAP it is used for information purposes
only.
Termination
This field allows the user to enter the type of conductor / electrode termination. The termination field will
be used as an input field as future calculation methods become available. In this version of ETAP it is
used for information purposes only.
Conductor Type
This field allows the user to enter the material of the conductor / electrode. The conductor type field will
be used as an input field as future calculation methods become available. In this version of ETAP it is
used for information purposes only.
Typical Data
This button works in similar way as AC arc flash. It provides the ability to update the typical approach
boundaries to energized conductors or circuit parts for shock protection.
Note: The Gap between Conductors / Electrodes, Width, Height, Depth, and Reflectivity coefficients are
not updated when using this option. There are no available typical values in the standards for these
parameters at this time.
The Typical Data button brings in default values and ranges for the Limited, Restricted, and Prohibited
Approach Boundaries.
The LAB for exposed movable conductors is the distance, which unqualified persons may not cross when
approaching a conductor that is not properly braced in a fixed position. The value should be entered in
feet or meter. The default value is the minimum value allowed in NFPA 70E-2012 table 130.4 (C)(b)
(Approach Boundaries energized Electrical Conductors or Circuit Parts for Shock Protection, Direct
Current Voltage Systems).
Limited Approach Boundary for Different Voltage Levels (NFPA 70E 2012)
Limited Approach Boundaries
Bus Nominal kV Exposed Movable Boundary Exposed Fixed Circuit Part
Range
Default (ft) Range (ft) Default (ft) Range (ft)
10 10 to 30 3.5 3.5 to 30
10 10 to 30 5 5 to 30
10 10 to 30 5 5 to 30
10 10 to 30 8 8 to 30
10 10 to 30 8 8 to 30
10.66 10.66 to 45 10 10 to 45
11.66 11.66 to 45 11.66 11.66 to 45
20 20 to 45 20 20 to 45
* 26 26 to 45 26 26 to 45
* Note: If the Bus kV is higher than 800 kV, the boundary distances remain the same as those for the
800 kV
Print On Label
This toggle radio button allows you to select which limited approach boundary to display on the Label.
Basically this input value serves the purpose of telling the program which one of the approach boundary
values should be passed to the arc flash labels.
Restricted and Prohibited Approach Boundary for Different kV levels (NFPA 70E 2012)
Restricted and Prohibited Approach Boundaries
Bus Nominal kV Restricted Approach Prohibited Approach
Range Boundary Boundary
Default (ft) Range (ft) Default (ft) Range (ft)
1 1 to 30 0.083 0.083 to 30
1.416 1.416 to 30 0.333 0.333 to 30
2.166 2.16 to 30 0.583 0.583 to 30
2.75 2.75 to 30 1.416 1.416 to 30
3.166 3.16 to 30 2.083 2.083 to 30
4 4 to 45 3.166 3.166 to 45
5.25 5.25 to 45 5 5 to 45
11.5 11.5 to 45 10.833 10.833 to 45
16.416 16.416 to 45 16.416 16.416 to 45
* Note: If the Bus kV is higher than 800 kV, the boundary distances remain the same as those for the
800 kV
Note: ASTM does not define the insulating glove voltage rating or class for voltage higher than 54000
Volts. As a result of this, the voltage rating is set to the bus nominal kV if the bus nominal voltage is
higher than 54 kV and the glove class is omitted in the labels.
Note: This information is only to be displayed on certain arc flash label templates and will not cause any
effect on the arc flash results (i.e., effect of covers open or closed, etc.). The default for this field is
“covers removed”.
The main purpose of the DC Bus Arc Flash page is to display the calculated DC Arc Flash analysis results
from the global calculation. The main features of this page are displayed below:
Perform “What if scenarios” for incident energy calculations for different working distances.
Setup user-defined parameters for the DC arc flash global calculation.
Plot incident energy points on the TCC views.
DC Arc Current
This section displays the results of the global DC arc flash calculation. It is dedicated to the calculation of
the DC arc current.
Method
This read-only field displays the calculation method used to determine the arcing current and incident
energy. The available methods are the Maximum Power, Stokes & Oppenlander and Paukert. The
method displayed is selected from the DC Arc Flash Study Case.
Ibf
This is the total DC Short-Circuit current in kA available at the bus. This field is display only and is
updated from the global DC Arc Flash calculation.
Iarc
This is the total arcing current in kA at the point of the fault. This field is display only and is updated by
the global arc flash calculation.
Varc
This is the calculated total arc voltage in Volts dc. This field is display only and is updated by the global
arc flash calculation.
Disable Update
This check box disables the update of results into the DC Arc Flash page.
Source PD
This section is dedicated to the display of the source protective device results and selections.
User-Defined Source PD
This droplist allows the selection of the source protective device which will be used for the determination
of the fault clearing time.
Source PD
This is the ID of the source protective device determined by the global DC arc flash calculation to be the
device which clears the fault at the bus (last operating device to de-energize the fault). If there are
multiple source branches with protective devices, ETAP will select the one that takes the longer to trip
(clear the fault).
The ID of the source PD is passed to the DC Bus Arc Flash page if the update options are selected in the
Method page of the DC Arc Flash Study Case. The source PD ID is updated only upon a successful
global DC arc flash calculation.
Source PD Ibf
The fault current shown in this field is the actual available short-circuit current in kA which would pass
through the source protective device in the event of a bolted fault. This current value is used to determine
the equivalent arcing current through the source protective device.
Source PD Iarc
The fault current shown in this field is the actual arcing current in kA which would pass through the
source protective device for a fault at the bus.
Fixed FCT
If this checkbox is selected, then the global DC arc flash calculation uses the User-Defined Fault Clearing
Time (FCT) value to determine the incident energy of this bus.
If this checkbox is selected, the fields “Source PD ID drop List” and “Source PD Arcing Current” will be
hidden since they are not applicable. The program will indicate that it used the Fixed FCT on the reports
by showing a flag next to the bus FCT field.
Incident Energy
This section displays the incident energy and arc flash boundary information.
Incident Energy
This is the calculated incident energy based on the system calculated parameters. The units for the
incident energy are cal/cm2. This display only field shows the incident energy calculated using any of the
three DC arc flash calculation methods. The “Method” display only field indicates which one is being
used to determine the incident energy in this field.
Note 1: The Arc Flash Boundary calculated in the Bus Arc Flash page may be different from the global
arc flash calculated results if the EB value (Parameters Page of the DC Arc Flash Study Case editor) is set
to a value higher than 1.2 cal/cm2, or if notes 1 & 2 from the incident energy section apply.
Note 2: The bus Arc Flash page always uses EB = 1.2 cal/cm2 to determine the flash protection boundary.
Please also note that the equations used to determine the Arc Flash Boundary are different from the
empirical method or Lee method in AC arc flash calculation. Depending on which method is used, the
program automatically determines the right equation to use.
Energy Level
The Energy Level is determined based on the incident energy. This is nothing more than a method to sort
the incident energy results. The program has different sets of levels which can be used to sort the energy
results.
Note: The energy levels are used simply to sort and group the incident energy for different locations.
They are not meant to be used for PPE ATPV or EB ratings for personal protective equipment (PPE).
Other factors involved in the task need to be considered to perform a “Risk” analysis to determine the
actual PPE ratings to be used. NFPA 70E 2012 can be used as a starting point in designing a PPE system
adequate for the task.
Allowable Energy
This incident energy value can be used to plot a reference point on the TCC views. It can be used as a
reference point to set the overcurrent protective device settings. In the future, this value will be used as an
alert in similar fashion as the AC Arc Flash calculation does.
Working Distance
Enter the distance from the possible arc point to the person in inches (centimeters). This distance is
defined as the distance between the arc point and the persons face and torso. This value has a range of 1 to
999.99. This is the distance value used to determine the incident energy. Typical working distances to DC
equipment have not been established yet in the standards and guidelines for arc flash calculations. The
default value in ETAP is 18 inches, but consideration of the work procedures and task requirements
should be made in order to ensure that a conservative working distance is used for the calculation.
TCC Plot
This section allows you to plot the incident energy curves on ETAP Star.
Study Case ID
Enter a unique alphanumeric ID with a maximum of 12 characters.
Report
Specify the contribution level the report should encompass.
Update
Bus Selection
Use this area to select which buses to Fault, Don’t Fault, or click on the All Buses check box to fault all
buses.
Note: you can fault buses (or remove faults) directly from the one-line diagram by right-clicking on the
desired bus.
Study Remarks
You can enter up to 120 alphanumeric characters in this remark box. The information entered here will be
printed on the second line of every output report page header. These remarks can provide specific
information regarding each study case. The first line of the header information is global for all study cases
and entered in the Project Information editor.
Charger Contribution
A charger can be represented as a constant current source or a constant voltage source behind impedance.
As a constant current source, it injects a constant current into the system when a fault occurs.
Editor Selection
Click on this option to select the model type as specified in the editor for individual chargers.
Constant Current
Click on this option to use the constant current model for all the charges in the system.
Battery Contribution
A battery can be represented as a constant current source or a constant voltage source behind impedance.
As a constant current source, it injects a constant current into the system when a fault occurs. The current
injected into the system is equal to a constant multiplied by its 1-minute discharge rate.
Editor Selection
Click on this option to select the model type as specified in the editor for individual batteries.
Load Status
Select this option to include loads in the arc flash study based on load status. For the current system
configuration, loads that have either the Continuous or Intermittent status will be considered in the study.
Loads that have the Spare status will be excluded from the study. When this option is selected, all of the
Composite CSD loads will be included in the study.
Load Category
Select this option to use the loading percent to determine which loads will be included in the arc flash
calculation. Once this option is selected, you can specify a loading category in the loading category
selection box. All loads that have non-zero loading percent for the selected loading category will be
included in the short circuit calculation.
Maximum Power
This method of estimating DC arc flash incident energy was presented at the 2007 IEEE Electrical Safety
Workshop. This method is based on the concept that the maximum power possible in a DC arc occurs
when the arcing voltage is equal to half of the system prefault voltage. Please see NFPA 70E 2012 Annex
D.8.1.1 for more information.
transition point. Their set of data totaling two million current and voltage points was re-assembled to
current-voltage characteristics. These characteristics were compiled into empirical equations which are
used by ETAP to determine the arcing current using an iterative method.
Paukert
This method is based on J Paukert’s compilation of arcing fault data from seven researchers who
conducted a wide range of arc tests. Paukert generated equations from the compiled results for both low-
current and high-current arcs. Only the high-current arc equations have been implemented in ETAP DC
arc flash.
Update
This option always updates the arc flash results into the faulted buses.
No Update
Does not update any result into the faulted buses.
Note: If the “Disable Update” is selected (DC Bus -DC Arc Flash Page), then the arc flash results will
never be updated into the bus.
If there is more than one protective device that needs to open to clear the fault, ETAP will select the FCT
of the element that takes the longest to open.
User-Defined FCT
If this option is selected, the DC Arc Flash Module uses the FCT values specified in the DC Bus Editor
DC Arc Flash page to calculate the incident energy for all the buses in the system.
Individual
If this option is selected, the program will use the gaps, coefficients and working distances defined in
each bus editor.
Global
This option will be available in a future release of the program.
PPE Requirements
This section allows you to select the set of PPE requirements which can be printed on the arc flash labels
or reports. There are four basic options to select. All four sets of PPE descriptions
Note: The PPE Requirements provided by ETAP are only samples and are based on different versions of
NFPA 70E. It is recommended that all PPE Requirements be approved prior to implementation on any arc
flash labels or reports.
Edit/Approve PPE
This button opens the PPE Requirements editor. This editor can be used to modify and approve the PPE
Requirements which can be used to be printed on the arc flash labels.
Note: The PPE Requirements will not be printed on the arc flash labels or in the reports or arc flash
analyzer until they have been approved by the engineer in charge or the facility safety manager.
1.2 cal/cm2
Select to use 1.2 cal/cm2 as given by NFPA 70E 2009.
User-Defined EB
Enter a user-defined energy value to use to find the arc flash boundary. If your safety program requires
everyone at all times to wear PPE rated for an energy value higher than 1.2 cal/cm2, then based on
engineering supervision, the value of EB can be set to a higher value than 1.2. this will reduce the required
Arc Flash Boundary to a smaller distance. The program only allows you to set this value to a maximum of
4.00 cal/cm2. As an example we can show the difference in the calculated flash protection boundary for
two cases:
Where:
Arc Flash
This group provides display options for calculated DC arc flash results. The results are provided for every
faulted DC bus in the system. The program shows only the arcing current on the display. This is different
from AC Arc Flash. To view the available DC Short-Circuit contributions on the one-line you have to run
the DC Short-Circuit calculation.
Incident Energy
If this checkbox is selected, then the incident energy is displayed in cal/cm2.
AFB
If the AFB (Arc Flash Boundary) option is selected, the Arc Flash Program will display the calculated
Boundary on the one-line diagram. The results are placed next to the faulted bus. The units for this value
are ft or meters.
Energy Level
This is the energy level assigned to each bus based on the selection from the Parameters page of the DC
Arc Flash Study Case editor. The energy levels help the engineer sort the incident energy and focus on the
higher values for detailed analysis. The energy level sorting is not to be confused with personal protective
equipment ratings and selection.
FCT
This option can be used to display the final fault clearing time (FCT) for every faulted bus (FCT of the
bus only). The unit for the FCT is seconds.
The following image shows the displayed values on the one-line diagram.
Bus
This check box allows you to show the arc flash analysis results for a fault right at the buses. Typically,
the incident energy results for a fault at the load protective device are set the same as those as the bus.
Source PDs
This option will be available in a future release of the program. In this version a node needs to be inserted
on the line side of the source PD to see the results on the one-line diagram.
Load Terminals
This option will be available in a future release of the program. In this version a node needs to be inserted
on the line side of the source PD to see the results on the one-line diagram.
Info Page
To begin, set up an arc flash calculation by selecting the buses to be faulted. You do this by right-clicking
the buses and selecting the Fault option while in DC arc flash mode. Or, you can open the DC Arc Flash
Study Case, click the Info page, and select the buses to be faulted.
Note: It is recommended that the voltage behind impedance model be used whenever possible. This is
especially true for battery and battery charger models. ETAP allows these elements to be modeled as
constant current injection for the purpose of obtaining conservative DC Short-Circuit results. However,
for DC arc flash the voltage behind impedance model should be always used to represent these models as
much as possible. Please refer to the calculation methodology section for more information.
Note: Please note that DC-DC converters and the UPS DC Output are only modeled as constant current
sources. Please refer to the calculation methodology section of this chapter for special handling
conditions.
Method Page
There are three methods for running DC arc flash calculation. The method to be used can be selected from
this page. The simplest and most popular method is the Maximum Power method. It is the one that
requires the least amount of input data. It is the default calculation method in ETAP. It is considered to
yield conservative results.
The DC Short-Circuit calculations were developed based on other additional standards. Please consult the
DC Short-Circuit chapter of this user-guide for more information on other reference material.
1. The total bus bolted DC Short-Circuit current is used to calculate the total bus DC arcing current.
2. The individual DC arcing currents are determined by distributing the arcing current proportionally
among all the contributing sources (branches, motor loads, sources, and etc.).
The process ends up being similar to the process described in section 18.8.2 of this user-guide. Please
refer to that section for more information.
The arc resistance is added to the circuit to represent an actual arc fault scenario. The image below shows
the arc resistance and the calculation of the arcing current.
The biggest task is to determine the arc resistance and/or voltage to be used to solve the circuit above.
ETAP has three methods which can be used to determine the arc resistance and voltage. They will be
discussed in more detail later in this section.
Once the arc resistance, voltage and current are known, then the arc power and energy can be easily
calculated. The following basic equations apply
Power Vdc I dc
2
Parc Varc I arc I arc Rarc
2
Earc I arc Rarc t arc
The image above shows the arcing current and arc power calculation. The energy calculation would
follow once the arc duration is determined. This is another major step in the calculation methodology
which will be covered in this section.
The incident energy is calculated using different methods as described in the references section. The main
factor to be considered for this step would be the type of equipment (enclosed or open air types).
I arc 0.5 I bf
Vsource
R arc 0.5
I bf
Where:
This method is simple since the arc fault current in principle is determined to be half of the DC Short-
Circuit current available at the fault location.
This method is easy to use and it has the benefit of easy arcing fault current calculation. Please refer to the
reference material for information on the calculation of the incident energy. The calculation of the
incident energy should be the most conservative of all three methods available in ETAP.
The main problem with this method is that it does not yield accurate arcing current values. In fact it may
be better to assume a fault clearing time or incident energy exposure time (i.e. fixed FCT) with this
method to determine the energy. Regardless, ETAP still uses the arcing current predicted from this
method to determine the clearing time.
This calculation is not recommended for system nominal voltages higher than 1000 Volts dc.
The main equation used by ETAP to determine the arcing current is shown below:
It 10 0.2 zg
0.12
Varc (20 0.534 zg ) I arc
(20 0.534 zg )
Rarc 0.88
I arc
Where:
The only way to solve the equations above is iteratively because of their non-linear nature. ETAP only
calculates the arcing currents above the transition current It. If arcing current is below transition point, a
solution cannot be reached and the program will flag this condition.
If the gap, voltage and system impedance are within the limits of the equations, the model can predict if
the arc is sustained. If the gap is too long, a solution may not be found. With this method, the arcing
current and arc fault duration calculation is more accurate. The incident energy calculated as a result of
this method should be more accurate rather than over conservative.
This method requires an iterative solution and because of this it is not easy to calculate manually unlike
the maximum power method.
ETAP determines the arcing current from the equations listed above for different gap values. The
following table describes how these equations are selected based on the equipment gaps:
The compiled test data included DC arcs with both vertical and horizontal electrode configurations. The
test also included arcing currents ranging from 0.3A to 100kA and electrode gaps from 1 to 200mm.
Similar to the Stokes and Oppenlander method, if the gap voltage and/or system impedance are within the
range of the equations, the model can predict if the arc can occur. The arcing current and arc duration
from the TCCs is also more accurate when compared to the maximum power method.
The Paukert method may not be applicable for electrode gaps more than 200 mm. however ETAP uses the
200 mm equation to obtain the results. The arcing current used for this model should not exceed 100 kA.
The arcing current is difficult to obtain for systems energized only or main by constant current sources.
For these locations, ETAP will use the bus nominal voltage and equivalent fault resistance to create the
Thevenin equivalent circuit.
The program will detect the “Constant Current Source” condition by showing a flag in the DC Arc Flash
Report Analyzer. The name of the flag is “Calc. Warnings”. The following image shows how this
condition can be detected through the analyzer.
The program will use a multiplier value which can be user-defined to obtain the equivalent source
voltage. The multiplier can be defined in the ETAPS.INI file as follows:
Under the [ETAP PowerStation] section of the INI file place the following entry:
DCAFVoltageMultiplier=1.0
The value of this entry can be changed from 0.1 to 2. Its default value is 1.0
There is also an internal check to detect the constant current source condition. The check consists of
multiplying the short-circuit current by the equivalent source resistance. The program identifies the
condition by checking if the result is higher than the specified value (1.5 times the bus nominal voltage).
This limit may also be modified by adding the following INI entry:
DCAFVoltageLimitFactor=1.5
The value of this entry can be changed from 0.1 to 2. Its default value is 1.5. Lowering this limit may be
desirable to detect the constant current condition at lower voltages.
The incident energy calculation will be more conservative for systems which exhibit this condition since
the source voltage driving the DC arc will be higher.
1) It reduces the over conservative approach of the maximum power method since it allows for an
actual arc current operating point determined from the PV array P-V short-circuit curves.
2) It is combined with the Stokes and Oppenlander and Paukert methods; which by themselves are
considered a “rigorous” or “detailed” calculation method for dc arc flash current.
The previous two benefits make this method a preferred choice for PV array dc arc flash calculations. The
method essentially introduces the constant current limits of the PV arrays and general constant current
sources and iteratively finds the operating point of the dc system after the arc fault has been introduced
into the system.
The following image illustrates the concept of this method. The arc voltage and resistance are determined
iteratively by the program. The iterative routine utilizes the PV characteristic short-circuit curves and the
(Paukert / Stokes & Oppenlander) equations to determine the final value of the dc arc current.
The resistance of the arc causes the operation of the PV arrays to settle at a lower power operating point
than what is considered a maximum power point. If the dc fault were to be completely bolted, the output
current of the PV arrays would be the Isc current rating on the left axis at approximately 1.3 Amps. The
added resistance of the arc causes the operating point to move away from a bolted fault but settle towards
a slightly higher power output.
The short-circuit characteristic curve used by ETAP is simplified to a pair of linear regions with a knee
point represented by the (Impp, V mpp) point.
Depending on the gap between conductors and the distance (electrical resistance of the system Rs) from
the PV array sources, the power dissipated by the arc fault may change. Note that it is assummed that the
MPPT controller can maintain and operate the PV arrays near the maximum power point only within a
limited operating voltage.
The entry is
DCAFEngineCalcArcR= 0 or 1
The default of the entry is Method 1 (value of 0). If the entry is not present in the INI file, then the
program still uses method 1.
If the entry is added and it has a value of 1, then the program will use method 2 to calculate the arc
current.
ETAP classifies protective devices (PDs) as of two types. The first and most important are the source
PDs. These are the protective devices that energize the faulted bus, and once disconnected, completely
isolate the system from any power source. The other type of protective devices is Load PDs. These are
the PDs which carry power to the loads or subsystems connected to a faulted bus, but do not provide
power from a source (i.e. battery, battery charger, converters, and etc).
ETAP takes the most conservative approach when determining the fault clearing time (FCT). If there are
several parallel source PDs feeding the bus, it will select the longest FCT (or the time at which the last
source PD opens). If there is multiple source PDs in series on the same branch, it will take the shortest
opening time of such PDs. The FCT is then used to calculate the incident energy for the bus and load
PDs.
The process of obtaining the fault clearing time is dependent on the method selected to determine the
results. The program determines the arcing current contribution passing through each source PD and
based on its TCC settings, the program automatically determines the estimated fault clearing time of each
PD.
For some circuits ETAP provides the time constant value of the circuit. Please refer to the DC Short-
Circuit chapter for more details on how this value can be obtained.
The following applies to the process of determining the FCT at a fault location:
ETAP determines the FCT for a faulted bus by searching up to 50 branch levels away from the
faulted bus. The program will search for source PDs as far away from the fault location as
specified in the option “Bus Levels Away To Find Source PD”. This option can be configured
from the project preferences window under the Arc Flash section.
The default value of the “Bus Levels Away To Find Source PD” entry is 10. The maximum level
is 50. It is recommended that this entry be left as default unless the protection for the faulted bus
resides in location that is more than 10 bus levels away (reducing this number speeds up the
calculation). If you know that the protection for all the buses can be found within 5 or less bus
levels away, then reducing this number of levels to search may speed up the calculation
considerably.
If ETAP cannot determine the FCT for any of the connected source protective devices which are
capable of de-energizing the fault, then it displays a warning message on the one-line diagram
and reports “TCC not Found”.
Protective devices which are considered as Load PDs are not considered in the determination of
the FCT for the bus. Load PDs are not considered for determining the bus FCT since such devices
cannot isolate the fault at the bus
Protective devices need to have their proper TCC curves selected from the ETAP Library to be
considered in the determination of the FCT. The reason for this requirement is to limit human
error when entering settings into a protective device editor directly. Also the analysis is far more
accurate if you use the actual TCC curves.
This version of DC arc flash only handles low voltage breakers and fuses. No relay operation is
considered for DC systems at this time.
Fuse total clearing time cannot be less than 0.010 sec. If the fuse does not have a total clearing
time curve (i.e., average time curve only), the program adds an additional 10 or 15% time from
the average melt time determined from the manufacturer fuse curve.
You may also use the User-Defined Source PD from the DC Arc Flash page of DC Bus editor to
efficiently determine the FCT. You may select the ID of the source PD that should be used for the
determination of the FCT in the bus editor. The option “Except if PD is Selected in Bus Editor”
from the Method page of the DC Arc Flash Study Case needs to be selected as well. ETAP will
automatically determine the arcing current passing through this protective device for a fault at the
specified bus. Based on this arcing current, the program finds the FCT and uses it to calculate the
bus and load PD incident energy.
The way the Arc Flash calculation handles fuses which have only the average melt time curves
has been modified. The new method is described below:
If Fuse has average melt time curve or both total and minimum clearing time curves, then
1) There are no source protective devices properly configured to protect the arc fault location:
If you have not added the protective devices which actually de-energize the equipment in the
event of a fault, the program may display this error message.
2) Arcing current is too Low and Source Protective Device does not trip: The arcing current
could be much smaller in magnitude than the available bolted DC Short-Circuit current for some
equipment. Because of this phenomenon, the protective devices may not trip at all under an
arcing fault (i.e., arcing current is below the long time pickup). If ETAP detects that the source
protective device does not trip, then it will display the “TCC not found” message.
3) The Source Protective Device is outside the Search Bus Level Number: In order to reduce the
calculation speed and computer system requirements, certain limits are set by ETAP. The
limitation consists of reducing the number of bus levels required in the search of the source
protective device.
4) The source protective device is completely outside the search area of the program: For some
very special cases, the DC arc flash program may not be able to determine the Fault Clearing
Time since the source protective device cannot be located. This means that the system does not
have protection within the searchable area of the system. It is possible that the source PD selected
(user-defined source PD) is located in an isolated part of the system and thus it is impossible for it
to de-energize the fault. It is possible that the source protective device may be part of a highly
complex loop configuration in which not all paths energizing the fault are cleared.
The process of determining the incident energy is simple and it uses the following equations for the
maximum power method:
Tarc
IE open 0.01 Vsys I arc
D2
Tarc
IE box 3 0.01 Vsys I arc
D2
Please refer to NFPA 70E 2012 Annex D.8 for more information.
ETAP DC arc flash uses the following equations to calculate the arc power for the Stokes & Oppenlander
and Paukert methods:
Power Vdc I dc
2
Parc Varc I arc I arc R arc
2
E arc I arc R arc t arc
Once the arc power is known, the incident energy is determined using the equations below:
Earc
Es
4 d2
Earc
E1 k
a2 d 2
The NFPA 70E 2012 guidelines do not address how complex electrical system with multiple sources
should be handled. These guidelines only indicate that the incident energy can be determined based on the
fault clearing time of the first upstream protective device which de-energizes the fault. This methodology
is simple enough for radial systems; however, there is no mention on how to handle looped or meshed
systems with multiple source protective devices energizing the fault location.
ETAP AC Arc Flash has two methods of handling the calculation of the incident energy for power
systems which have more than one energizing source protective device. The first method takes the total
bus arcing current and determines the energy using the fault clearing time of the last protective device to
de-energize the fault. For most power systems having multiple sources, it is likely that the operating time
of each source is similar and thus it is acceptable to use the entire arcing current up to the final fault
clearing time. The DC arc flash program only utilizes this method at this time and it will handle the
Incident Energy Subtraction method (refer to Chapter 18) in a future release.
ETAP can also show the allowable incident energy level point on the Star Views. The calculated incident
energy curve should always be below the allowable incident curve since this would mean that the
equipment protection ATPV rating is adequate for protecting personnel working on this equipment.
The calculated and allowable incident energy points can be shown on the TCCs if you select them from
the DC Bus Editor’s DC Arc Flash page. The image below shows the calculated and allowable incident
energy points.
ETAP gives the option of defining your own incident energy levels or to use those defined by NFPA 70E.
You can define up to 10 levels, but in the majority of the cases it proves impractical to define more than
three levels.
The “Incident Energy Levels” editor can be accessed from the Project menu by pointing to Settings – Arc
Flash and selecting PPE Requirements or via the DC Arc Flash Study Case editor “Edit/Approve PPE”
button in the AF Data page.
1. Standard: which includes four pre-defined PPE requirements as described in NFPA 70E 2000,
2004, and 2009 and a user-definable set of descriptions for NFPA 70E 2012.
2. Personal Protective Equipment: where you can specify the personal protective equipment list
for each level.
3. Disclaimer / User-Defined Text section: Where you can enter text that can be used as a
disclaimer about the Arc Flash Analysis results that are printed on a label
The level ranges are always from low values to higher values. For example, this means that the level 4
value cannot be equal to or higher than the value in level 3. This is true for all the levels.
If any level (6, 7, 8, and 9) is left as zero, the module ignores it and uses the 5th level for any value higher
than the maximum value in the 5th level. This will also apply if level 6 is the last one and 7, 8, and 9 are
left as zero. You cannot skip a level.
The Incident Energy Levels editor has the following properties and behavior:
a) The NFPA 70E 2000, NFPA 70E 2004 and NFPA 70E 2009 Incident energy ranges are not
customizable and follow the definitions published by NFPA 70E Standards. The items that can be
customized are the Level ID and the list of PPE equipment (requirements) for each level. It is
recommended that these “Legacy” options not be used for new arc flash analysis studies.
b) If you select the User-Defined Values option, you can define a name for each level, which can be
composed of up to 12 alphanumeric characters (i.e., a Level0 or Level1, etc.).
c) If you select the User-Defined Values option, the Incident Energy range fields become editable
and you may type the different limits in cal/cm2.
d) You have the option to type in some text for a disclaimer statement. This disclaimer statement
may appear in some selected label templates. This field holds up to 250 alphanumeric characters.
e) You have the ability to create a user-defined text field, which may be used to type in custom
information (such as engineering company name and address). This information is included in
certain label templates or is stored in the output report database. This field holds up to 125
alphanumeric characters.
f) You may navigate using the scroll arrows which allow you browse the different PPE descriptions
for each level.
g) There are four sets of PPE descriptions. One for each of the options “NFPA 70E 2000” (5
descriptions), “NFPA 70E 2004” (5 descriptions), “NFPA 70E 2009” (5 descriptions), and one
for the “NFPA 70E 2012 to 2015/User-Defined” (10 descriptions). The description fields hold up
to 250 alphanumeric characters.
Note: The defaulted descriptions are provided only as examples of PPE requirement descriptions as
described by NFPA 70E Standards. These descriptions are not recommendations made by ETAP on how
to protect personnel from Arc Flash or Shock Hazards. Please exercise caution in applying these
descriptions and follow all the remaining recommendations made in NFPA 70E 2015.
In previous versions of ETAP the incident energy levels were defined as incident energy categories. For
the purpose of keeping older projects or versions compatible, the word category is maintained and still
used for the 2000, 2004 and 2009 sets of energy levels.
Note: Starting with NFPA 70E 2012_2015, a new set of PPE descriptions specifically designed to be used
with for arc flash analysis has been approved and added. It is important to understand that the energy
levels or “categories” as they used to be called in previous versions are nothing more than a method of
sorting (filtering) incident energy results and do not imply that the table method from NFPA 70E is being
used.
These ranges have been used in the past versions of ETAP as a method of rationalizing or analyzing the
incident energy found at different locations in the system. It was convenient to use the incident energy
breakdown from the table method of NFPA 70E as a starting range to sort or present the incident energy
results.
PPE Approval
The PPE requirements must be approved prior to printing any reports or printing arc flash labels. For this
reason, starting with ETAP11, an approval checkbox has been added to raise the awareness towards the
review and approval of the PPE which will be reported.
The PPE requirements can be approved from the PPE Requirements editor by clicking on the “Approve
PPE” button. The following message window appears:
Once the PPE Requirements have been approved, the message window closes, and the PPE
requirements become display only (read-only). This is done to prevent further changes or
undesired PPE requirements once the approval has been done. If modifications are needed then
the PPE approval box should be unchecked.
If the PPE requirements have not been approved, the arc flash calculation will not write them into the
output reports or label databases.
34.7.1 Bus
DC Bus
Info Page
Nom. V
DC AF Parameters Page
Relativity coefficients a, k
Gap between Conductors / Electrodes
34.7.2 Source
Charger
Info Page
Charger ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
All data in this page is required for DC Load Flow calculations
SC Page
Data in the SC Contribution for DC System section
AC System Z data is required if the Based on AC System Z option is selected
UPS
Info Page
UPS ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
AC rating data
DC rating data
SC Imp Page
SC Contribution to DC System section data
Battery
Info Page
Battery ID
Bus connection data
Number of strings
Rating Page
Number of cells
SC Page
Battery Library type data: Rp, time constant, SG, VPC, and 1-min-rating
Short-circuit model data
External impedance data
Voc per cell data
34.7.3 Load
DC Motor
Info Page
Motor ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Quantity
Rating Page
Rating data
Load category data
SC Page
SC parameters
Lump Load
Info Page
Lump load ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Rating Page
Rating section data
SC Page
SC parameters
Static Load
Info Page
Static load ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Quantity
Rating Page
Rating section data
Load category data
CCSD Load
Info Page
CCSD load ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
Rating section data
Load category data
34.7.4 Branch
DC Cable
Info Page
Cable ID
Bus connection data
Cable length
Number of cables per phase
Impedance Page
Cable resistance and inductance
Units section data
Base and minimum operating temperature
DC Impedance
Info Page
DC impedance ID
DC-DC Converter
Info Page
DC converter ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
Rating section data
SC contribution data
1. Click the Report Manager Button on the DC Arc Flash toolbar. ETAP displays the Arc Flash Report
Manager.
2. Click the Summary page tab, select Arc Flash Summary, and click OK to generate the report.
You may also start the Arc Flash Crystal Reports by selecting them from the Report Manager located on
the upper right-hand corner of ETAP as shown below:
There is no input data report for DC arc flash. There is no Arc Flash analysis report. The only report that
is readily available is the Arc Flash Summary report. However any input or output report can be easily
created by exporting the input/output results from the DC Arc Flash report analyzer into MS Excel®.
Input
The Report Manager’s Input section shows the input data for the DC Arc Flash calculations.
Complete
The Report Manager Complete page shows the Complete DC Arc Flash report with an extra appended
page that contains the Arc Flash Summary report.
Summary
From the DC Arc Flash Report Manager Summary page, you can generate the Arc Flash Summary report.
1) Faulted Bus: Provides information on the identification “ID” of the DC Faulted bus, its nominal
voltage, equipment type and gap between energized conductors or circuit parts.
2) Fault Current: This section provides information on the DC Short-Circuit fault current (total fault
current), the equivalent total arc current and the portion of the arcing current which passes
through the source protective device.
3) Source Trip Device ID: This is the ID of the last source protective device to de-energize the fault.
4) Total FCT (seconds): This is the time it takes the source protective device to trip or completely
clear the fault.
5) Arc Flash Boundary: AFB (ft / meters).
6) Incident Energy (cal/cm2): Total faulted bus incident energy
7) Working Distance (inches / centimeters): This is the working distance from the energized
conductor or circuit part to the face and or torso.
8) Energy Level: This is the level used to sort, filter and group the incident energy results.
Result
This section of the report manager does not contain any information specific to DC arc flash. It only
contains the DC Short-Circuit results (which are the base for the DC Arcing current calculation).
ETAP labels can be printed to different types of labels printers and to different media types. Please refer
to the AC Arc Flash chapter for more information of printing arc flash labels.
The Arc Flash Result Analyzer has the ability to present the results of all the different output reports and
to filter them based on different conditions of special interest. The analyzer is a powerful tool for
exporting results to MS Excel in any fashion that you want since it allows you to select different
input/output fields.
Bus
Select the “Bus” check box to display the DC bus arc fault results in the display window.
Load Terminal
This option will be available in a future release of DC arc flash.
Info
View general information pertaining to the devices selected. This information is typically the information
that is reported in the input and summary pages of the study reports. The information displayed for the
protective devices and loads may come from the connected bus of that device. Please also note that when
multiple reports are selected, the info fields are taken from the reference report. The following image
shows you how to select the reference report. Of course, it is highly unlikely that the input AF properties
like the Gap and X-factor will be set differently for different scenarios. Most likely the variations occur
on protective device settings and/or fault current levels or system configurations. This is why it is
practical to include only the reference report input data when comparing multiple reports.
Voltage
Display the voltage rating of the element. This may be the bus nominal voltage, protective device rated
voltage or the load rated voltage.
Type
Display the specific type of DC equipment, such as LV Switchgear, Battery Rack, Panelboard, etc.
Open / Box
This field indicates if the equipment is enclosed or open.
Width
If the equipment is enclosed, this field displays the width in mm of the enclosure which contains the DC
energized conductors. This field is used for information only and is not used in the calculation of the
incident energy at this time.
Height
If the equipment is enclosed, this field displays the height in mm of the enclosure which contains the DC
energized conductors. This field is used for information only and is not used in the calculation of the
incident energy at this time.
Depth
If the equipment is enclosed, this field displays the depth in mm of the enclosure which contains the DC
energized conductors. This field is used for information only and is not used in the calculation of the
incident energy at this time.
a&k
The reflectivity constants are used when determining the incident energy. They are properties of the
enclosure and are determined based on the dimensions of the box/enclosure. These constants are used
when determining the incident energy based on the Stokes & Oppenlander or Paukert methods.
Bus Gap
This is the gap between conductors/electrodes in mm.
Orientation
This is the orientation of the conductors / electrodes. The orientation field will be used as an input field as
future calculation methods become available. In this version of ETAP it is used for information purposes
only.
Termination
This field allows the user to enter the type of conductor / electrode termination. The termination field will
be used as an input field as future calculation methods become available. In this version of ETAP it is
used for information purposes only.
Conductor Type
This field allows the user to enter the type of material of the conductor / electrode. The conductor type
field will be used as an input field as future calculation methods become available. In this version of
ETAP it is used for information purposes only.
Equipment Name
Display the equipment name of the device.
Working Distance
Display the working distance, which is used to calculate the incident energy, for each bus or connected
bus.
RAB
Display the restricted approach boundary of the bus or the connected bus. This is the approach limit at a
distance from an exposed live part within which there is an increased risk of shock due to electrical arc
combined with inadvertent movement, for personnel working in close proximity to the live part.
PAB
Display the prohibited approach boundary of the bus or the connected bus. This is the approach limit at a
distance from an exposed live part within which work is considered the same as making contact with the
live part.
Glove V-rating
Maximum Insulated glove voltage rating per ASTM D120-02a (2006) standard. Please note that if your
safety program requires a higher voltage rating to be used, then the user-defined voltage-rated glove
feature can be used.
Glove Class
Insulated glove class per ASTM D120-02a (2006) standard
Results
This section determines which calculation values are displayed in the results windows. The results
displayed are determined by either the output reports selected or the different analysis filters selected.
The following are descriptions of each field which can be displayed in the results window:
Var
This is the arc voltage in Volts dc.
Rarc
This is the arc resistance in ohms.
PPE Description
Description of the required Personal Protective Equipment required for performing energized work based
on the determined energy level. This PPE is determined based on the total incident energy accumulated
during the arc fault.
AFB
The Arc Flash Boundary (ft/m) is the distance at which the energy exposure is less than or equal to 1.2
cal/cm2 (typically the onset of a second degree burn). This boundary is always determined based on the
total incident.
Energy Level
This is used to sort the results using different energy levels. Typically the values from NFPA 70E tables
have been used as reference points for energy values.
Final FCT
The Final Fault Clearing Time (FCT) is the time at which the final source protective device operates to
completely de-energize the arc fault. ETAP assumes that all sources must be completely de-energized
before the arc fault can be completely extinguished.
Total Ia
Total arcing fault current for a fault at the DC bus (kA)
Source PD ID
This is the ID of the last source protective device to operate to de-energize the fault. For radial systems,
this is the first device which operates which is capable of de-energizing the fault.
Total Ibf
Total bolted fault DC Short-Circuit current for a fault at the DC bus (kA)
Source PD Ibf
DC Short-Circuit current which would flow through the source protective device for a bolted fault (kA)
Source PD Ia
Arcing current which flows through the source protective device (kA)
Calc. Warning
This flag identifies which locations are energized by a large amount of constant current sources. Please
refer to the calculation methodology section for more information on this field.
Incident Energy
Incident Energy
Filter the results based on incident energy values. Only available if multiple reports are being compared.
Worst-case
Show only the results of the scenario which produced the worst-case incident energy exposure for each
location.
Min
Show only the results of the scenario which produced the minimum incident energy exposure for each
location.
1) If the check box “Incident Energy” is selected, then the Max and Min Radio toggle field should
be enabled. The default position of the Incident Energy check box should be as unchecked.
Selecting this box should enable the Max/Min filters.
2) The default position of the filter is set to Max. This means that the filter will find the highest
incident energy values for every bus, protective device and or load terminal amongst all the
different output reports (scenarios).
3) The Min Incident Energy Filter is designed to do exactly the opposite of the Max filter. It is
looking for the minimum incident energy value (not including “0”) amongst all the selected
output reports for every faulted element.
4) When the Incident Energy Filter Max or Min filters are enabled, the name of the configuration
and the output report ID are always displayed. This helps to identify which configuration or
scenario produces the worst or minimum incident energy values.
5) If the Incident Energy Filter is selected, the “Ref.” toggle radio box on the Output Report window
is hidden. However, if you choose to show information from the “Info” window, it will come
from the reference report.
Filter Results By
This section allows you to filter results based on special conditions which the program determined during
the calculation.
1) If the “FCT Not Determined” filter is enabled and the “Bus” result selection check box is
selected, then the program only shows the bus elements for which the program failed to find a
fault clearing time (FCT).
Calc. Warnings
This filter determines if any calculation warning related to constant current source modeling is present at
any faulted bus. Please refer to the calculation methodology section for a list of the calculation limits.
Level A
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level “0”
Level B
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level“1”
Level C
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level“2”
Level D
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level“3”
Level E
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level“4”
Level F
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level“5”
Level G
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level“6”
>Level G
Show the incident energy results for locations with energy level higher than last level specified.
Not Det.
Show the incident energy results for locations for which a hazard/risk assessment could not be
determined.
Show Colors
Display the colors for each category in the results window of the analyzer.
The default colors for the each of the energy levels are displayed in the following table:
1) The results window filters out any result which does not match with the levels selected in the
incident energy level drop list. This means that if you ran some studies with the NFPA 70E 2000
and and some other studies with the NFPA 70E 2004 energy levels, but the drop list selection is
NFPA 70E 2009, then the program only displays the reports which were generated using the
NFPA 70E 2009 selection in the Parameters Page of the DC Arc Flash Study Case editor.
2) The “Not Det” option of the filter shows all the results for which the incident energy level could
not be determined. One common cause of this condition is when the program fails to determine
the fault clearing time (i.e. “FCT not determined” condition). This means that enabling the results
of the FCT not determined filter will most likely produce similar results to those of this filter
option.
Display Options
This section will be enabled in a future release of the program.
Actual Value
Actual operating values of the incident energy results
Skip if Same
Do not show results if they are the same in multiple scenarios.
FCT Unit
This section determines the measurement unit used to display the fault clearing time.
Seconds
Display the fault clearing times in seconds.
Custom Labels
Labels are the end result of Arc Flash Studies. Many labels need to be customized according to different
regulations or preferences (i.e. CSAZ462, NFPA 70E, NEC, ANSI Z535, etc). The DC arc flash custom
labels work in similar fashion as their AC counterparts. Please refer to the AC Arc Flash chapter of this
user-guide for more information on how to open, modify or create custom labels.
Work Permit
A work permit is part of the NFPA 70E Guidelines. It is required when performing work on energized
equipment. It contains information about the shock hazard and the arc flash analysis results. The work
permit needs to be generated for individual bus arc flash results. It is launched from the Arc Flash Report
Analyzer. Customize the report analyzer to fit the requirements of each project.
Due to lack of analytical tools in the past, DC power system design and validation studies have been
mainly done by hand-calculations, limited to simplified calculations on simple system configurations.
Such simplified hand-calculations cannot meet today’s requirement for DC system analysis, especially for
the nuclear power industry. The ETAP Load Flow Analysis Module is the perfect tool to perform DC
system studies. It provides a diversity of DC components and calculations required for conducting DC
power system design and validation studies. It can handle any system configuration at ease, including
radial system; loop system and AC-DC interconnected system.
A variety of DC components and AC-DC power conversion components are available for you to model
the DC power system, including:
DC battery
DC bus and node
DC cable
DC machine, static load, lumped load, and Composite CSD (CCSD) load
DC protective devices, such as circuit breaker, fuse, switch, and contact
DC composite network and DC composite motor
DC-DC converter
AC-DC power conversion components, such as charger/rectifier, inverter, and UPS
DC load flow analysis is an essential study for DC system design and operating condition assessment.
The ETAP Load Flow Program calculates bus voltage profile and branch power flows for a user-specified
loading category. It validates the calculated operating conditions against element operating limits, such as
bus maximum/minimum operating voltage, branch allowable current, and source maximum output, etc. In
case any abnormal operating condition occurs in the system, ETAP flags the user in the one-line diagram
by showing the element in an outstanding color.
In order to simulate correctly various operating modes for AC-DC interface components in actual
operations, ETAP provides different models to represent them in load flow studies. It automatically
selects the one that is suitable for the actual operating condition. For example, a charger may be operating
in constant voltage, constant current or non-effective modes, depending on its terminal bus voltage and
loading conditions.
The calculation results are reported in a Crystal Reports format as well as in the one-line diagram display.
The Crystal Reports format provides detailed information about the study, including all the input data
used in the calculation, system voltage profile, branch power flows, and overloading validation results,
etc. The one-line diagram display provides you with a direct visual representation of system operating
conditions.
Study Case ID
Enter a unique alphanumeric ID with a maximum of 12 characters. ETAP automatically assigns a unique
ID, which consists of the letters DCLF plus an integer, starting with the number 1 and increases as the
number of study cases increases.
Max. Iteration
Enter the maximum number for iterations. If the solution has not converged before the specified number
of iterations, a message will show up to flag the user.
Precision
Enter the value for the solution precision to be used to check for convergence. This value determines how
precise you want the final solution to be. A load flow solution is considered reached if, between two
iterations, the maximum bus voltage difference in per unit is less than the specified precision value.
Initial Condition
Report
Critical Voltage
Select this option and enter the minimum and maximum voltages that any bus may achieve before it is
flagged and included in the critical undervoltage and overvoltage bus summary report.
Marginal Voltage
Select this option and enter the minimum and maximum voltages that any bus may achieve before it is
flagged as a marginally undervoltage or overvoltage bus.
Bus Voltage
Calculated bus voltages seen in the output report can be printed in kV or in percent of the bus nominal
voltages. Select your preference by clicking on Percent or kV.
Power
Power seen in the output report can be printed in W, kW or in MW. Select your preference by clicking on
W, kW or MW.
Update
The selected options will be updated after the subsequent load flow run.
Study Remarks
You can enter up to 120 alphanumeric characters in this remark box. Information entered here will be
printed on the second line of every output report page header. These remarks can provide specific
information regarding each study case. The first line of the header information is global for all study cases
and entered in the Project Information editor.
Loading
DC Loading Category
Select one of the 10 DC Loading Categories for this Load Flow Study. The selection applies to all DC
load elements and UPS.
None
Select None to use the percent loading of each load for the selected Loading Category.
Bus Max.
When the maximum loading option is selected, each load will be multiplied by the Maximum Load
Diversity Factor entered in the Bus editor for the bus where the load is connected.
This study option is helpful when the future loading of the electrical system has to be considered and each
bus may be loaded at a different maximum value.
Bus Min.
When the minimum loading option is selected, each load will be multiplied by the Minimum Load
Diversity Factor entered in the Bus editor for the bus where the load is connected.
The minimum bus loading study option may be used to check system voltages under a minimum (light)
loading condition.
These factors are global throughout the whole system. A motor load multiplying factor of 125% implies
that the motor loads of all buses are increased by 25% above their nominal values. This value can be
smaller or greater than 100%.
Constant kVA
Enter the global diversity factor in percent for constant kVA loads.
Constant Z
Enter the global diversity factor in percent for constant impedance loads.
Inverter Loading
There are two options for including inverter loads: Operating Load and Loading Category.
Operating Load
Select this option to use the load displayed in the operating load section on the Loading page of the
Inverter Editor. When the operating load is used, the diversity factor will not be applied to the inverter
load. These operating loading values can only be updated by running an AC load flow calculation. They
cannot be edited directly by the user.
Loading Category
Select this option to use the loading category selected in the Category list.
Motor Load
A motor normally behaves as a constant power load when its terminal voltage is close to its rated voltage.
However, when its terminal voltage deviates considerably from its rated voltage, its behavior becomes
similar to a static load. This group allows you to set the voltage range within which you want a motor to
be modeled as a constant power load.
Vmin
Enter the minimum voltage as a percentage of its rated voltage, below which the motor load will be
modeled as a constant impedance load.
Vmax
Enter the maximum voltage as a percentage of its rated voltage, above which the motor load will be
modeled as a constant impedance load.
Show Units
When this box is checked the unit for the calculation results will be displayed on the one-line diagram
along with the results.
Voltage
Bus
Click on this checkbox to show the bus voltage in the one-line diagram.
Power Flows
kW and Amp
Select the kW to display power flow Amp to display current in ampere.
% Voltage Drop
Click on the Cable/Z checkbox to display voltage drop across cables and impedance.
Branch Losses
Click on the kW checkbox to display branch losses in kW.
Flow Results
Click on these checkboxes to display load flow results for different types of elements, including Branch,
Source, Load/UPS, Composite Motor, and Composite Network.
35.3.2 AC Page
This page includes options for displaying information annotations for AC elements.
ID
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ID of the selected AC elements on the one-line
diagram.
Rating
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ratings of the selected AC elements on the one-
line diagram.
kV
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated or nominal voltages of the selected elements
on the one-line diagram.
For cables/lines, click the checkboxes to display the cable/line and the size, length and type on the one-
line diagram.
A
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ampere ratings (continuous or full-load ampere)
of the selected elements on the one-line diagram.
For cables/lines, click the checkboxes to display the cable/line and the size, length and type on the one-
line diagram.
Z
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated impedance of the selected AC elements on
the one-line diagram.
D-Y
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the connection types of the selected elements on the
one-line diagram.
For transformers, the operating tap setting for primary, secondary, and tertiary windings are also
displayed. The operating tap setting consists of the fixed taps plus the tap position of the LTC.
Composite Motor
Click on this checkbox to display the AC composite motor IDs on the one-line diagram, then select the
color in which the IDs will be displayed.
ID
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the IDs of the selected AC-DC elements on the one-
line diagram.
Rating
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ratings of the selected AC-DC elements on the
one-line diagram.
kV
Click on the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated or nominal voltages of the selected
elements on the one-line diagram.
A
Click on the checkboxes under this heading to display the ampere ratings of the selected elements on the
one-line diagram.
Composite Network
Click on this checkbox to display the AC Composite Network IDs on the one-line diagram, then select the
color in which the IDs will be displayed.
Annotations
This area allows you to assign colors to AC and DC elements, composite elements, and displayed results.
Theme
This option allows the color theme selected in the color Theme list for element annotations to be applied
globally throughout all diagrams. When the option is selected, the name assigned to the applied color
theme is also displayed in a box at the right of the button.
User-Defined
Select this option to specify a color for element annotations. When this option is chosen, the DC element
annotation color selection list will appear.
Theme Button
Click this button to make the Theme Editor appear.
Theme Editor
The Theme Editor allows you to select existing color themes or define a new color theme.
Note: Color themes are applied globally within a project file. Changes made on a color theme displayed
on this page may also affect other modes and presentations if the Set Global option has been previously
selected.
In a DC load flow calculation, the loads involved in the system are constant power loads and constant
impedance loads. The sources include constant voltage source and constant current source. A constant
voltage source maintains its terminal bus voltage at a fixed value, while a constant current source injects a
fixed value of current into the system.
Because a converter component, such as a charger, has a maximum current limit, it is a constant voltage
source only when its output current is not larger than its current limit. Once the output current is over the
limit, it becomes a current source. Therefore, the operating mode of a converter component and its model
cannot be predefined. It varies depending on system loads and configurations, and is determined during
the process of calculation.
Newton-Raphson Method
The Newton-Raphson method formulates and solves iteratively the following load flow equation:
J V I
where I is a vector for bus current injection mismatch between the specified value and the calculated
value. Here the constant power loads are converted to current injections using the calculated voltage. V
is a vector for bus voltage incremental and J is a coefficient matrix called the Jacobian Matrix.
The Newton-Raphson method possesses a unique quadratic convergence characteristic. It usually has a
very fast convergence speed compared to other load flow calculation methods. However, the method is
highly dependent of the initial value of bus voltages. A careful selection of bus voltage initial values is
strongly recommended.
When the system contains constant power loads and a charger (or a UPS) is the only source in the system,
and the source is overloaded and changes to a constant current source, there may be problems in reaching
a solution. This can occur when the source switches to a constant current source; it provides less current
than it would as a constant voltage source. For a constant power load, its terminal voltage increases when
it draws less current in order to maintain a constant power. It can lead to abnormally high voltage values
as the calculation resolves. At such high voltage values, the motor loads actually behave as constant
impedance loads. In order to resolve this situation, you may check the option of Constant kW if V within
Range in the study case and properly set the VMin and VMax values.
Model
In DC load flow calculations, a charger can be represented in one of three models: constant voltage source
model, constant current source model, and inactive mode model.
A charger is normally operating as a constant voltage source, maintaining its terminal bus voltage at the
regulated value specified in the Charger editor. However, when the current drawn from the charger is
more than Imax, the maximum current it can provide while keeping its terminal voltage constant at the
same time, it becomes a constant current source. The current drawn from the charger is then kept at Imax,
while the terminal voltage drifts, depending on system loads and other sources.
Whenever the terminal bus voltage is lower than the regulated voltage of a charger, it will try to raise the
voltage to the regulated value until the charger current reaches Imax. On the contrary, if for some reason,
such as other sources being connected to the same buses, the terminal bus voltage is higher than the
charger regulated voltage, the charger becomes inactive as if it is switched off from the system.
Operating Mode
As a constant voltage source, a charge can operate in either the Constant Vdc Mode or the Fixed Firing
Angle mode, depending on the selection made in the Rating page of the Charger Editor.
In the Constant Vdc Mode, the charger output voltage is regulated at either the floating voltage or the
equalizing voltage, as selected in the Rating page of the Charger Editor.
In the Fixed Firing Angle Mode, the output voltage depends on the firing angle and the input bus voltage
value. When the load to the charge varies, its output voltage should change accordingly. However, since
the internal voltage drop of a charger is not considered in the calculation, the charger output voltage is
assumed to be constant in the load flow studies.
Converter
From the Information page of the Charger Editor, you may select the type of charger as Converter, which
means it is actually a rectifier. As a rectifier, it behaves almost the same as a charger, except that it does
not have floating and equalizing voltage values. When operating in the Constant Vdc Mode, the regulated
voltage is equal to its rated output voltage.
UPS
When a UPS is not connected to an energized AC input bus, it becomes a load to the DC system.
When a UPS is connected to an energized input AC bus, but it has an auction diode, the diode prevents
the flow from entering into the DC system, so the UPS will not be a source to the DC system. In this case,
either the DC system or the AC input bus may provide the power to loads connected to the UPS output
AC bus, depending on the voltage values of the AC input bus and the DC bus. After converting to the
UPS AC output terminal using the UPS rated voltage ratio, if the DC bus voltage is higher than the AC
bus voltage, the DC system will provide the power to the UPS output load; otherwise, the AC input bus
provides the power to the load.
As a source, a UPS is normally operating as a constant voltage source, maintaining its terminal bus
voltage at its rated voltage. However, when the current drawn from the UPS is more than Imax, the
maximum current it can provide while keeping its terminal voltage constant at the same time, it becomes
a constant current source. The current drawn from the UPS is then kept at Imax, while the terminal voltage
drifts, depending on system loads and other sources.
Whenever the terminal bus voltage is lower than the regulated voltage of a UPS, it will try to raise the
voltage to the regulated value, until the UPS current reaches Imax. On the contrary, if for some reason,
such as other sources being connected to the same buses, the terminal bus voltage is higher than the UPS
regulated voltage, the UPS becomes inactive as if it is switched off from the system.
In the Constant Vdc mode, the UPS output voltage is regulated at its rated DC voltage.
In the Fixed Firing Angle mode, the output voltage depends on the firing angle and the input bus voltage
value. When the load to the UPS varies, its output voltage should change accordingly. However, since the
internal voltage drop of a UPS is not considered in the calculation, the UPS output voltage is assumed to
be constant in Load Flow Studies.
Battery
Under normal operation conditions, a battery serves as a backup source. It actively provides power to
loads only when other sources, such as chargers, become de-energized or fail to maintain system voltage
at the required level.
In DC load flow analyses, a battery can be represented in one of two models: a constant voltage source
model or an inactive mode model. When the terminal bus voltage is higher or equal to the rated voltage of
a battery, it is in the inactive mode and is not supplying any power to the system. A battery that has just
been discharged is actually a load to the DC system. Due to the complexity in determining quantitatively
the load for a charging battery, it is not considered as a load in the DC load flow analysis. It is considered
in the battery sizing calculation.
When the terminal bus voltage of a battery is lower than its rated voltage, the battery becomes an active
source. It is represented by a constant voltage source (at battery rated voltage) behind battery resistance.
DC Converter
A DC converter can change DC voltage from one level to another, either increasing or decreasing the
voltage value. It has the capability of regulating the output voltage as long as it is not overloaded. It is
unidirectional in terms of power flow, allowing the current flowing from the input terminal to the output
terminal only.
In DC load flow calculations, a DC converter can be represented in one of three models: constant voltage
source model, constant current source model, and inactive mode model.
A DC converter is normally operating as a constant voltage source, maintaining its terminal bus voltage at
the regulated value specified in the DC converter editor. However, when the current drawn from the DC
converter is more than Imax, the maximum current it can provide while keeping its terminal voltage
constant at the same time, it becomes a constant current source. The current drawn from the DC converter
is then kept at Imax, while the terminal voltage drifts, depending on system loads and other sources.
Whenever the terminal bus voltage is lower than the regulated voltage of a DC converter, it will try to
raise the voltage to the regulated value, until the DC converter current reaches Imax. On the contrary, if for
some reason, such as other sources being connected to the same buses, the terminal bus voltage is higher
than the DC converter regulated voltage, the DC converter becomes inactive as if it is switched off from
the system.
When a DC converter is operating as a source, either a constant voltage source or a constant current
source, it is a constant power load to its input bus, with a load equal to output power plus converter losses.
Photovoltaic Panel
Inverter and PV Array Model is based on the connection scenarios:
PV Array &
# Element Model Comment
Inverter Connection
1 Inverter No PV Array Constant Load Same as existing inverter
Connection
2 Inverter Has PV Array Variable Voltage Source 1. Inverter becomes a constant
Connected DC Voltage Source
Only absorbs real power 2. MPPT control based on
Inverter editor selection
3. If MPPT at inverter, it adjusts
DC bus voltage to maximize
the DC input power to inverter
and take all the slack power
4. The voltage operating range
will be limited by the MPPT
voltage range.
5. If MPPT at PV Array, it will
fix DC voltage per AC bus
rating converted to DC voltage
and it will take all slack power.
3 PV Array No inverter Source by curve 1. PV Array modeled by curves
connected without MPPT control.
2. One PV array behaves as
voltage source and others as
constant current source. The
voltage and current source
values are iteratively
determined.
4 PV Array Has inverter Source by curve 1. PV Array modeled by its
connected and MPPT curves and terminal voltage.
at inverter They are handled as constant
current sources with current
values based on calculation
terminal voltage.
5 PV Array Has inverter Constant Power Load PV Array is modeled as constant
connected, MPPT at power source.
PV Array
You should consider a system that contains motor loads and a charger (or a UPS) as the only source in the
system. If the source is overloaded and it changes to a constant current source, there may be problems in
reaching a solution. This is because when the source switches to a constant current source, it provides less
current than it would as a constant voltage source. For a constant power load, its terminal voltage
increases when it is drawing less current in order to maintain a constant power. It can lead to abnormally
high voltage values and causes the calculation process to fail to converge.
In the real world, at such high voltage values, the motor loads actually behave as constant impedance
loads. In order to resolve this situation, the DC load flow study case provides you with the opportunity to
set a voltage range for motor loads to be modeled as constant power loads. In the DC Load Flow Study
Case Editor, you can check the option of “Constant kW if V within Range” and properly set the VMin
and VMax values. Once the motor terminal voltage is outside this range, the motor will be modeled as a
constant impedance load. However, inverter or UPS loads are always modeled as constant power loads.
Info Page
Charger ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
All data in this page are required for DC load flow calculations
UPS
Info Page
UPS ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
All data in this page are required for DC load flow calculations
Loading Page
Loading data. If a UPS is a load to the DC system, that is, when it is not connected to an energized
AC input bus or the Auction Diode option in the Rating page is checked, the data entered is used to
determine the UPS load to the DC system.
Battery
Info Page
Battery ID
Bus connection data
Number of strings
Battery Library type data. The resistance per positive plate (Rp) is used to calculate battery internal
resistance.
Rating Page
Number of cells
Rated voltage
SC Page
External resistance R
35.5.2 Load
DC Motor
Info Page
Motor ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Demand factor
Quantity
Rating Page
Rating section data
Load category data
Lumped Load
Info Page
Lumped load ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Demand factor
Rating Page
Rating section data
Motor/static load percent
Load category data
Static Load
Info Page
Static load ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Demand factor
Quantity
Rating Page
Rating section data
Load category data
CCSD Load
Info Page
CCSD load ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
Rating section data
Load category data
Inverter
Info Page
Inverter ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
Demand factor
Rating Page
AC rating section data
DC rating section data
Loading Page
Loading Category data
35.5.3 Branch
DC Cable
Info Page
Cable ID
Bus connection data
Cable length
Number of cables per phase
Impedance Page
Cable resistance
Units section data
Base and maximum operating temperature
DC Impedance
Info Page
DC impedance ID
Bus connection data
Impedance resistance
Info Page
ID
Bus connection data
Configuration status
DC Converter
Info Page
DC converter ID
Bus connection data
Rating Page
Rating section data
Operating Vout
35.5.4 Bus
DC Bus
Info Page
ID
Nom. V
Initial Voltage
Load Diversity Factor
The Crystal Reports format provides you with detailed information for a DC Load Flow Analysis. You
can utilize the DC Load Flow Report Manager to help you view the output report.
Help
Click on this button to access Help.
OK/Cancel
Click on the OK button to close the editor and open the Crystal Reports view to show the selected portion
of the output report. If no selection is made, it will close the editor. Click on the Cancel button to close the
editor without viewing the report.
Complete Page
On this page there is only one format available, Complete, which opens the complete report for the DC
Load Flow Study. The Complete Report includes Input Data, Results, and Summary Reports.
You can view the report in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel format. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
checkbox.
Battery
Branch
Bus
Cable
Charger
Cover
DC Converter
Impedance
Inverter
Loads
UPS
Result Page
This page allows you to select formats to view the load flow result portion of the Output Report.
Summary Page
This page allows you to select different portions of the load summary to view. Note that some portions of
the summary are available only when you selected specific options in the study case, such as Critical and
Marginal Voltage options.
1. Load on the DC system exceeds the maximum output of the battery charger
2. Output of the battery charger is interrupted
3. Auxiliary AC power is lost
The battery should be sized to meet the most severe of these conditions, which most likely is the third
condition. When the AC power is lost, batteries will provide power to critical loads and control circuits
for a specified time period so that the AC power source can be recovered or the critical equipment can be
adequately shut down. For example, in U.S. nuclear power plants, it is required that batteries have
sufficient capacity to supply the required load during a loss of AC power for field flashing, control
circuits, DC fuel oil booster pumps, and DC lube oil pumps for a period of four hours. In order to meet
this requirement, battery sizing calculations need to be carried out to determine the appropriate battery
size.
The ETAP Battery Sizing Module provides you with a powerful tool to accomplish this task. In
complying with IEEE Standard 485, it determines the number of strings, number of cells, and cell size of
a battery for a designated duty cycle. The number of cells is determined to satisfy the maximum system
voltage during the battery charging period and the minimum system voltage during the battery
discharging period. The number of strings and cell size is determined to provide sufficient power to the
load cycle considering the minimum system voltage and the minimum operating temperature. It also
considers different factors that affect battery performance, such as design margin, aging compensation,
initial capacity, and temperature, etc.
The duty cycle for the battery can be a summation of the duty cycles of all the loads that the battery is to
supply power for. It can also be calculated using DC load flow, which considers different characteristics
of constant power load and constant impedance load, their variations to voltage changes, branch voltage
drops and losses.
The battery duty cycle includes both random load and non-random load from individual loads. In
compliance with IEEE Standard 485, the load impulses in the battery duty cycle that are less than one
minute are automatically extended to one minute.
ETAP also provides a Battery Discharging Analysis Module to verify the performance of an existing or a
sized battery. The module calculates the battery capacity, voltage, current, and output power as the battery
discharges through a duty cycle. The battery duty cycle can be calculated from either load current
summation or load flow calculations. When the battery duty cycle is calculated from load flow, the
Battery Discharging Analysis also provides bus voltage and branch power along with battery output
results. Several correction factors used in battery sizing calculation, such as battery temperature, aging
and initial capacity, can also be considered in the battery discharge calculations.
Display Options
Click on this button to customize the information and results annotations displayed on the one-line
diagram in Battery Sizing Mode.
The Battery Sizing Study Case Editor includes six pages: Information, Sizing, Discharge, Adjustment,
CSD, and (when the Report CSD Voltage Drop Results box is checked) Alert. You specify the battery to
be sized on the Information Page, select the duty cycle to be considered, and enter the diversity factor that
allows you to globally adjust system load.
On the Sizing page you specify sizing requirements and correction factors for the calculation.
On the CSD page, select the options related to Control System Diagrams.
The Alert page allows you to specify options for alerts on Control System Diagrams. This page becomes
enabled only when you have clicked the check box to report voltage drop calculation results in the CSD
page.
Study Case ID
Enter a unique alphanumeric ID with a maximum of 12 characters. ETAP automatically assigns a unique
ID for a new Study Case.
Battery
ID
Select a battery to be sized from the drop-down list.
limited number of discrete points in the library, interpolation and extrapolation of the battery
characteristic curves are needed in battery voltage calculations. This group provides you with different
options for extracting data from battery characteristic curves. In the previous version of ETAP, these
options were provided as ETAP INI file entries.
Calculation Method
In this group, you specify the method used for determining the battery duty cycle based on duty cycle of
individual loads.
Load Summation
Select this option to determine the battery duty cycle by using the load summation method. The battery
duty cycle will be equal to the sum of the load duty cycles for all the loads powered by the battery. This
method treats all loads as constant current type loads.
Load Model
In this group, you specify how to determine load types, such as constant power, constant impedance, or
constant current, for each duty cycle section of a load. This group is applicable only when the Load Flow
Calculation option is selected in the Calculation Method group, since when the Load Summation is
chosen all loads are considered as constant current loads.
be modeled as constant current load, load section “stage2” will be modeled as constant power load, and
load section “stage3” will be modeled as a constant impedance load.
Report
Load
Duty Cycle
Select the duty cycle from the drop-down list for battery sizing. Every load has five different duty cycles.
The name of the duty cycles are defined in “Duty Cycle Category” in the Project/Setting menu bar.
Duration
Select either the Hours or Duty Cycle Span option to specify the length of time to size the battery. If the
Hours option is selected, you must specify the length of duration (number of hours) by either selecting a
value from the drop-down list or entering a value.
If the Duty Cycle Span option is selected, the Duration will be the longest time span of individual load
duty cycles from all loads involved in the calculation.
Diversity Factor
Specify the load diversity factor in percent. The load used in battery sizing will be multiplied by this
diversity factor.
Correction Factor
User-Defined Temperature
Click on this option to specify a temperature to be used for battery temperature correction factor
calculation.
Aging Compensation
Use this field to enter the aging compensation correction factor in percent to be used in sizing and
discharge calculations.
Initial Capacity
Use this field to enter the initial capacity correction factor in percent to be used for the battery sizing and
discharge calculations.
Study Remarks
You can enter up to 120 alphanumeric characters in this remark box. Information entered here will be
printed on the second line of every Output Report page header. These remarks can provide specific
information regarding each study case. The first line of the header information is global for all Study
Cases and entered in the Project Information Editor.
Voltage Requirements
Correction Factor
Use this group to specify the correction factors to be considered in battery sizing calculations.
Temperature
Click on this checkbox to use the temperature correction factor in battery sizing calculations. The
temperature value specified in the Info page is displayed here.
The temperature correction factor is applied according to the IEEE Method described in standard 485 for
correcting cell size in sizing calculations. IEEE provides values between – 4 C and +52 C. Any value
outside of this range is curve fitted using the IEEE recommended curve-shifting method (ETAP checks
the temperature value and provides a user message indicating that the entered temperature is out of
normal range). When the box is not checked, the temperature correction factor is assumed to be 100%.
Aging Compensation
Click on this check box to use the aging compensation correction factor specified in the Info page.
Initial Capacity
Click on this check box to use the initial capacity correction factor specified in the Info page.
Design Margin
Click on this check box to use the design margin correction factor specified in the edit box.
Battery Library
Options
Vd Calculation Parameters
The battery discharge calculation uses the information included in these fields to determine how the
voltage drop calculation will be performed.
Time Step
The Time Step parameter is the time interval at which a plot point is to be generated. A plot point is also
generated at the times when load changes occur. This value will affect time of calculations, especially in
the case that the battery duty cycle is obtained by the load flow method.
Vmax Limit
This feature allows the user to specify the maximum voltage value at the battery terminal. The default
value is 100% of the battery rated voltage. The calculated battery voltage will be limited at this value.
ETAP provides three options for duty cycle span with different features and they may give different
calculated battery and load terminal voltage values. It is recommended that the “One-minute Span for
Battery Only” option be used, as it is consistent with IEEE-485 standard and provides conservative
battery voltage and more accurate load terminal bus voltage.
Figure 1 show 3 loads in a duty cycle: 40 amperes for 5 seconds, 80 amperes for 10 seconds and 30
amperes for 20 second. Figure 2 is the one-minute span of the duty cycle. 80 amperes is spanned to the
whole minute.
It should be noted that, since the worst (highest) coincident loading within a given time step is used to
represent system operating condition for the whole time step, it does not guarantee to give the worst
voltage in the time step for all load terminal buses in the system even though this option gives the worst
battery voltage for the time step,
The figure below shows the one-minute span of the duty cycle. Eighty amperes spans the entire minute.
Note: The above figure is the one-minute span of the duty cycle, eighty amperes is spanned to the whole
minute
It should be noted that IEEE-485 standard dictates that the battery current used for sizing the battery
within a one minute time period is equal to the highest coincident load current within that minute. This
approach is conservative as it results in the maximum expected battery load current for a given minute
even though the load current can change throughout the minute. The battery voltage will change within a
given minute as the current increases and decreases and as amp-hours are removed from the battery.
However, there is a limit to how quickly the battery terminal voltage will respond to a step change in
load. For example, an instantaneous decrease from 500A to 50 amps may not result in a corresponding
instantaneous increase in cell voltage to a value corresponding to 50A of load assuming the same amp-
hours removed value. The voltage will eventually increase to this value, but the change is not
instantaneous due to the chemical process with the cells.
terminal voltage is based on the maximum coincident load current within a given minute similar to the
“One-minute Span for Battery and Load” option.
This method is consistent with IEEE-485 standard for sizing and does not model instantaneous battery
terminal voltage changes resulting from load changes. It performs a load flow every instant that the load
current changes similar to the “Load Duty Cycle - No One-minute Span” option. Thus, the battery
terminal voltage is fixed for a given time step, but the load flow is performed every time the load current
changes using actual load currents.
Note: For battery sizing calculations, the one-minimum span is always applied on battery duty cycle.
Correction Factors
This group of the battery discharge page provides a set of correction factors to be used during the battery
discharge cycle. Similar to battery sizing calculations, the correction factors have either a positive or a
negative effect on the battery AH capacity (Amp Hour) or the battery duty cycle. With these features, the
user is able to simulate the effect of temperature, battery maintenance conditions, and aging factor on the
battery. The user has the choice of applying the correction factors to the battery duty cycle or to the
battery initial AH capacity. The program calculates a total correction factor by multiplying the
temperature CF and the Aging Compensation CF and then dividing by the initial Capacity CF.
This method reflects the method outlined in IEEE 485 standard, Annex C. The adjusted load currents are
used to determine the voltage drop across the cables throughout the system
Note: This is equivalent to applying diversity factor to the loads. The load diversity factor field is located
in the Info page of the DC Battery Sizing Study Case Editor.
This method of determining a battery volt/cell value from the fan curve is not contained within IEEE 485
standard, Annex C, however, the bus and node voltages throughout the system are calculated based on
actual currents and not corrected currents. This method provides more realistic system voltages.
Temperature
Click this checkbox if you want the temperature correction factor to be used in battery discharge
calculations. This factor has the effect of either increasing or decreasing battery capacity. The temperature
correction factor is applied according to the IEEE method described in standard 485 for correcting cell
size in sizing calculations. The same standard applies for discharge calculations. IEEE provides values
between – 4 C and +52 C. Any value outside of this range is curve fitted using the IEEE recommended
curve-shifting method. (ETAP checks the temperature value and provides a user message indicating that
the entered temperature is out of normal range). When the box is not checked, the temperature correction
factor is assumed to be 100%.
Aging Compensation
Click this checkbox if you would like to use the aging compensation correction factor in battery discharge
calculations. When this factor is applied, the battery discharge simulation includes a decrease in battery
capacity due to aging. When the box is not checked, the aging correction factor is assumed to be 100%.
Initial Capacity
Click this checkbox to use the initial capacity correction factor percent specified in the Information page.
When the box is not checked, the initial capacity correction factor is assumed to be 100%.
LF Parameters (Newton-Raphson)
This group of the Discharge page becomes active if the Load Flow duty cycle calculation method is
selected form the Info page. If the Current Summation method is used, this group remains grayed out.
Max. Iteration
Enter the maximum number for iterations. If the solution has not converged before the specified number
of iterations, a message will appear to flag the user.
Precision
Enter the value for the solution precision to be used to check for convergence. This value determines how
precise you want the final solution to be. A load flow solution is reached if, between two iterations, the
maximum bus voltage difference in per unit is less than the specified precision value.
Initial Condition
Similar to the LF Parameter group, this part of the discharge page only has an effect if the Load Flow
Method for battery discharge is selected from the Info page. If the load flow method is indeed selected,
then the information entered in this area is used to initialize the Newton-Raphson load flow calculation.
Motor Load
A motor normally behaves as a constant power load when its terminal voltage is close to its rated voltage.
However, as the battery terminal voltage deviates considerably from its rated voltage, its behavior
becomes similar to a static load. This group allows you to set the voltage range within which you want a
motor to be modeled as a constant power load.
Similar to the LF Parameter group, this part of the Discharge page only has an effect if the Load Flow
Method for battery discharge is selected from the Info page.
If this box is not checked, all of the motor loads will be modeled as constant power loads regardless of
their terminal voltage. When there are only constant current sources in the system, this may prohibit load
flow calculations from reaching a solution.
Vmin
Enter the minimum voltage as a percentage, below which the motor load will be modeled as a constant
impedance load.
Vmax
Enter the maximum voltage as a percentage, above which the motor load will be modeled as a constant
impedance load.
Report
Similar to DC Load Flow Calculations, if at any point during the specified battery discharge cycle (using
DCLF method) a bus voltage falls below the percent value specified in the Under Voltage field, this
information will be flagged in the one-line diagram. The same is true for buses exceeding the over voltage
limit.
Critical Voltage
Select this option and enter the minimum and maximum voltages that any bus may achieve before it is
flagged. The buses violating the critical voltage limits will be flagged in red color in the one-line diagram.
Marginal Voltage
Select this option and enter the minimum and maximum voltages that any bus may achieve before it is
flagged as a marginally undervoltage or overvoltage bus. The buses violating the marginal voltage limits
will be flagged in pink color in the one-line diagram.
Bus Voltage
Calculated bus voltages displayed in the plot and one-line diagram can be given in kV or in percent of the
bus nominal voltages. Select your preference by clicking on Percent or V options.
Wire / Cable
Check this box to apply temperature correction on resistance of wires and cables. Once this box is
checked, you can specify the temperature used for the correction. There are two choices available. You
can select to use the individual maximum temperature entered in the Wire or Cable editor, so that each
wire or cable uses its own operating temperature for correction. Alternatively, you can also specify a
global temperature applied to all wires and cables.
Tolerance
Check the box to apply length tolerance on wires and cables. Once this box is checked, you can specify
the tolerance to be used. There are two choices available. You can select to use the individual tolerance
entered in the Wire or Cable editor, so that each wire or cable uses its own length tolerance for correction.
Alternatively, you can also specify a global length tolerance applied to all wires and cables.
Check the box to apply a burden tolerance on control relays and solenoids. Once this box is checked, you
can specify the tolerance to be used. There are two choices available. You can select to use the individual
tolerance entered in the Rating page of Control Relay editor or Solenoid editor. Alternatively, you can
also specify a global burden tolerance applied to all control relays and solenoids.
Contact
Check the box to include contact resistance in the calculation. Once this box is checked, you can specify
the resistance to be used. There are two choices available. You can select the individual contact resistance
entered in the Contact page of the Control Relay or Solenoid editor, so that each contact uses its own
resistance. Alternatively, you can also specify a global resistance to be applied to all contacts.
CB, Switch, Push Button
Check the box to include resistance values for circuit breakers, switches, and push buttons in a Control
System Diagram in the calculation. Once this box is checked, you can specify a global resistance value
for all these devices.
Fuse
Check the box to include resistance values for circuit fuses in a Control System Diagram in the
calculation. Once this box is checked, you can specify a global resistance value for all these devices.
associated. The duty cycle can be entered from the Duty Cycle editor. It can also be updated
automatically by ETAP based on calculations from the Control System Diagram. This group allows you
to specify options for the duty cycle of composite CSD elements.
Calculate and Update Duty Cycle Based on Individual Element Inside CSD
When this option is selected, the duty cycle of a composite CSD element will be calculated based on the
individual element inside the Control System Diagram that the composite CSD element is linked to. The
calculation is carried out according to the sequence defined in the duty cycle entered in all devices in the
Control System Diagram. The total load will be summed up and updated to the composite CSD element
and used in the Battery Sizing or Discharge calculation.
When this option is selected, the other sections on this page are enabled.
Note: The duty cycle can be entered from the Duty Cycle editor directly, or automatically updated by
ETAP from a previous study.
When this option is selected, the other sections on this page are not applicable and are hidden.
Note: This check box will enable the Alert tab in the study case editor.
Device Model
There are two ways provided in the device editor to model the behavior of a device: burden and inrush
rating model and duty cycle model. This section allows you to specify the model type to use in the
calculation.
Duty Cycle
When this option is selected, the duty cycle model will be used in calculation for all devices, disregarding
the model type selected in the Info page of individual devices.
Note: In the current version of ETAP, if the duty cycle model is used for a device, the control logic
between the device and the controlled contacts will not be simulated in the simulation.
Individual Editor
When this option is selected, the model type used for each device in calculation is dependent on the
Calculation Model selected in the Info page of individual device editor.
Note: In the current version of ETAP, if the duty cycle model is used for a device, the control logic
between the device and the controlled contacts will not be simulated in the simulation.
Pickup Voltage
Pickup voltage of a device is a limit of minimum voltage value across the device in order for it to
successfully change the state of controlled contacts from normal state to off-normal state. After a device
become energized, if the voltage across the device remain equal to or higher than the pickup voltage for a
time duration equal to or longer than the operating time of a controlled contact, the contact will switch to
its off-normal state. This voltage limit is used in simulation of sequence operation of a control system as
well as alert checking. This section allows you to specify pickup voltage for control relay, solenoid, and
general load. For a general load, the pickup voltage is only used for alert checking.
Individual Vpickup
When this option is selected, the pickup voltage for a control relay or a solenoid will be the value defined
in the Rating page of device editor.
Global Vpickup
When this option is selected, the global value for pickup voltage will be used for all control relays and
solenoids. The global Vpickup can be entered in the edit box next to the selection and is defined in
percent of device rated voltage.
Dropout Voltage
Dropout voltage of a device is a limit of voltage across the device. While a device has been energized, if
the voltage across a device is below this voltage limit, the device will not be able to keep its controlled
contacts at off-normal state. Under this condition, a controlled contact will return to its normal state if the
voltage across the device remains below Vdropout for a time duration equal to or longer than the release
time of the contact. This voltage limit is used in simulation of sequence operation of a control system as
well as alert checking. This section allows you to specify dropout voltage for control relay, solenoid, and
general load. For a general load, the dropout voltage is only used for alert checking.
Individual Vdropout
When this option is selected, the dropout voltage for a control relay or a solenoid will be the value defined
in the Rating page of device editor.
Global Vdropout
When this option is selected, the global value for dropout voltage will be used for all control relays and
solenoids. The global Vdropout can be entered in the edit box next to the selection and is defined in
percent of device rated voltage.
Marginal
Two checkboxes in this page allow for device marginal alerts, one for device voltage alerts and another
for device current alerts. Check these boxes if you want ETAP to generate marginal alerts.
Note: If the Marginal box is not checked, the corresponding percentage fields for marginal limit will not
be editable.
Pickup Voltage
For this selection group, specify the pickup voltage alert limits for the control relay, solenoid, and general
load. The pickup voltage alert check is applied to devices that are to be energized to execute a given task,
such as changing the state of a controlled contact. Since pickup voltage alerts are under-voltage alerts, the
limit for a marginal alert must be higher than for critical alerts.
Control Relay
Check the box to enable alert checking on pickup voltage for control relays. Once it is checked, the
critical voltage limit will show a value of 100 percent, which cannot be changed. In order to enter a
percentage value for marginal voltage limit, the Marginal alert box above must also be checked.
The limits are percentages based on the control relay pickup voltage previously specified for Vpickup
option on the Model page. For example, if the global Vpickup was specified at 80% and you entered
110% for the Marginal Limit for Control Relay pickup voltage, the voltage limit for a marginal alert is
88% of the rated voltage of control relays. When a control relay becomes energized and the voltage across
it is less than 88% of its rated voltage, a marginal alert on pickup voltage will be generated for the control
relay.
Solenoid
Check this box to enable alert checking on the pickup voltage for solenoids. Once checked, the critical
voltage limit will show a value of 100 percent, which cannot be changed. In order to enter a percentage
value for marginal voltage limit, the Marginal alert box above must also be checked.
These limits are percentages based on the solenoids pickup voltage specified for Vpickup option on the
Adjustment page. For example, if the global specification for Vpickup was 80% and a percentage of
100% for the Critical Limit for solenoid pickup voltage was set, the voltage limit for a critical alert will be
80% of the rated voltage of the solenoids. When a solenoid becomes energized and the voltage across it is
less than 80% of its rated voltage, a critical alert on pickup voltage will be generated for the solenoid. In
such an instance, the solenoid will not be able to execute the task it is supposed to accomplish.
General Load
This checkbox enables alert checking on pickup voltage for general loads. Once checked, the critical
voltage limit will show a value of 100 percent, which cannot be changed. In order to enter a value for
marginal voltage limit, the Marginal alert box above must also be checked. The limits are a percentage
based on the general load pickup voltage previously specified for Vpickup option on the Adjustment
page.
Dropout Voltage
In this selection group you can specify the dropout voltage alert limits for the control relay, solenoid, and
general load. The dropout voltage alert check is applied to a device that is energized. If the voltage across
the device is below the dropout voltage limit, the device will not be able to continue its normal function,
such as keeping a controlled contact in a certain state. Since dropout voltage alerts are under-voltage
alerts, the limit for the marginal alert should be higher than that for critical alerts.
These limits are percentages based on the control relay dropout voltage previously specified for the V
dropout option on the Adjustment page. For example, if a global percentage for Vpickup of 30% and a
percentage of 100% were specified for the Critical Limit for Control Relay dropout voltage, the voltage
limit for a critical alert is 30% of the rated voltage of control relays. When a control relay is energized and
the voltage across it is less than 30% of its rated voltage, a critical alert on dropout voltage will be
generated for that control relay. In this instance, the control relay will not be able to execute the task it is
supposed to accomplish.
The limits are percentages based on the solenoids dropout voltage specified previously for the V dropout
option on the Adjustment page. For example, if it was specified to use a global V dropout of 30% and
110% was entered for the Marginal Limit of the solenoid dropout voltage, the voltage limit for a marginal
alert is 33% of the rated voltage of solenoids. When a solenoid is energized and the voltage across it is
less than 33% of its rated voltage, a marginal alert on pickup voltage will be generated for the solenoid.
General Load
Check this box to enable alert checking for dropout voltage on general loads. Once checked, the critical
voltage limit will show a value of 100 percent, which cannot be changed. In order to enter a value for
marginal voltage limit, the Marginal alert box above must also be checked. The limits are a percentage
based on the general loads pickup voltage specified previously for the Vdropout option on the Adjustment
page.
Loading
In this selection group, specify the critical and marginal alert limits for device overload alerts.
Control Relay
Enter the critical limit and marginal limit for control relay overload alerts. The limits are a percentage
based on the rated burden current entered on the Rating page of the Control Relay Editor.
Solenoid
Enter the critical limit and marginal limit for solenoid overload alerts. The limits are a percentage based
on the rated burden current entered on the Rating page of the Solenoid Editor.
Contact
Enter the critical limit and marginal limit for contact overload alerts. The limits are a percentage based on
the rated inductive current entered on the Contact page of the Control Relay Editor or Solenoid Editor.
Switching Device
Enter the critical limit and marginal limit for switching devices, such as circuit breakers, fuses, and
switches. The limits are a percentage based on the rated inductive current entered on the Contact page of
the Control Relay Editor or Solenoid Editor.
Wire / Cable
Enter the critical limit and marginal limit for wires and cables. The limits are a percentage based on the
rated continuous current of the wire or cable.
Auto Display
This is a two-state button that can be clicked on or off. When Auto Display is activated the Alert View
will display automatically after a simulated sequence-of-operation is completed.
Voltage
Battery
Click on this checkbox to show the battery voltage in the one-line diagram.
Bus
Click on this checkbox to show the bus voltage in the one-line diagram.
Note: Bus voltage results are available for display only when the Load Flow Calculation Option is
selected for Calculation Method in the Info page of the DC Battery Sizing Study Case.
Show Units
Click this checkbox to show units along with results in the one-line diagram.
Power Flows
Power flow results are available for display only when the Load Flow Calculation Option is selected for
Calculation Method in the Info page of the DC Battery Sizing Study Case.
kW and Amp
Select kW to display power flow or select Amp to display the current in amperes.
Show Units
Check this box to show the unit with calculation results displayed on the one-line diagram.
Flow Results
Click on these checkboxes to display load flow results for different types of elements, including Branch,
Battery, Composite Motor, and Composite Network. These results are available for display only when the
Load Flow Calculation Option is selected for Calculation Method in the Info page of the DC Battery
Sizing Study Case.
36.3.2 AC Page
This page includes options for displaying information annotations for AC elements.
ID
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ID of the selected AC elements on the one-line
diagram.
Rating
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ratings of the selected AC elements on the one-
line diagram.
kV
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated or nominal voltages of the selected elements
on the one-line diagram.
For cables/lines, click the checkboxes to display the cable/line and the size, length and type on the one-
line diagram.
A
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ampere ratings (continuous or full-load ampere)
of the selected elements on the one-line diagram.
For cables/lines, click the checkboxes to display the cable/line and the size, length and type on the one-
line diagram.
Z
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the rated impedance of the selected AC elements on
the one-line diagram.
D-Y
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the connection types of the selected elements on the
one-line diagram.
For transformers, the operating tap setting for primary, secondary, and tertiary windings are also
displayed. The operating tap setting consists of the fixed taps plus the tap position of the LTC.
Composite Motor
Click on this checkbox to display the AC Composite Network IDs on the one-line diagram, then select the
color in which the IDs will be displayed.
ID
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the IDs of the selected AC-DC elements on the one-
line diagram.
Rating
Select the checkboxes under this heading to display the ratings of the selected AC-DC elements on the
one-line diagram.
A
Click on the checkboxes under this heading to display the ampere ratings of the selected elements on the
one-line diagram.
Composite Network
Click on this checkbox to display the composite network IDs on the one-line diagram, then select the
color in which the IDs will be displayed.
For cables, click the checkboxes to display the cable/line and the size, length and type on the one-line
diagram.
Color Theme
A previously defined color theme can be selected from the list. The selected color theme will be used
whenever the Theme option is selected in the Annotation section.
Theme
Click this button to make the Theme Editor appear.
Theme Editor
The Theme Editor allows you to select existing color themes or define a new color theme.
Note: Color themes are applied globally within a project file. Changes made on a color theme displayed
on this page may also affect other modes and presentations if the Set Global option has been previously
selected.
Annotations
This area allows you to assign colors to AC and DC elements, composite elements, and displayed results.
Theme
This option allows the color theme selected in the color Theme list for element annotations to be applied
globally throughout all diagrams. When the option is selected, the name assigned to the applied color
theme is also displayed in a box at the right of the button
User-Defined
Select this option to specify a color for element annotations. When this option is chosen, the DC element
annotation color selection list will appear.
Non-continuous loads are on only during a portion of the duty cycle. Typical non-continuous loads
include emergency pump motors, critical ventilation system motors, communication system power
supplies, and fire protection systems, etc. Some of the non-continuous loads can occur repeatedly in a
duty cycle but are of short duration, less than one minute in any occurrence. These loads are called
momentary loads. Typical momentary loads include switchgear operations, motor-driven valve
operations, isolating switch operations, field flashing of generators, motor starting currents, and inrush
currents, etc.
If the time of occurrence of a non-continuous load cannot be predetermined, it is called a random load.
The random loads should be shown at the most critical time of a duty cycle. In battery sizing calculations,
these loads are treated differently from non-random loads.
In order to explain how the program determines the battery duty cycle, let us consider a sample case, in
which a battery supplies power to two loads: “Load 1” and “Load 2”. The following two tables list the
load duty cycle as entered in the Duty Cycle page of the Load editor. Notice that the tables have two
columns: Non-Random Load and Random Load. The Non-Random Load includes continuous, non-
continuous, and momentary loads.
The load duty cycle for “Load 1” is plotted in the following figure. In figure A, it is plotted in load items
as entered in the Load Editor, while in figure B it is the combination of all load items plotted as a function
of time. Notice that the random load is also displayed in the curve.
After summing up random loads, if there is any peak with duration less than one minute, it will also be
extended to a one minute time period, similar to the process applied on the non-random load.
The battery duty cycle determined based on the load flow method will give more accurate representation
of the actual load. With the load flow calculation, the load can be modeled as constant power or constant
impedance load depending on the load type. As the responses of these two types of load with respect to
voltage variations are very different, correctly modeling these loads provides more accurate battery load
current. In the load flow calculation, the battery load can also include losses on cables and other branches.
Additionally, when the load flow method is used in the discharge calculation, ETAP calculates bus
voltages and loads and branch flows for the whole system along with battery results.
In the battery sizing calculation, ETAP retrieves the battery characteristic curves according to the battery
type information. Since this link between the battery and the library is dynamic, any changes you make on
the battery characteristics in the library may affect the battery sizing results afterward.
The ETAP Battery Library provides two types of battery characteristic curves: Time vs. Amp type and
Time vs. Kt type. The following figure displays sample curves for both types, taken from IEEE Standard
485. On the left is the Time vs. Amp type and on the right Time vs. Kt type. The Time vs. Amp type
curves provide values for Rt, which is the number of amperes that each positive plate can supply for a
specified time, at 25 C and to a definite end-of-discharge voltage. Time vs. Kt type curves provide
values for Kt, which is the ratio of rated ampere-hour capacity (at a standard time rate, at 25 C, and to a
standard end-of-discharge voltage) of a cell, to the amperes that can be supplied by that cell for a
specified time, at 25 C and to a definite end-of-discharge voltage.
In the above sample curves, the set of curves may apply to batteries of different sizes or to only one size.
In ETAP, you specify a set of characteristic curves for a given size. If you want to use a given set of
curves for batteries of different sizes, you can indicate this in the Battery Sizing Study Case Editor. Please
see the Study Case Editor section for more information.
When you size a battery to a specific end-of-discharge voltage, i.e. 1.75V per cell, your battery library
should normally contain characteristic curves at an end-of-discharge voltage at 1.75V. In case the battery
library does not contain the characteristic curve at 1.75V, ETAP will estimate a characteristic curve at
1.75V based on curves in the library for other end-of-discharge voltage values. Since the behavior of
battery discharging is very nonlinear, this estimation can only provide approximate results.
Several methods for battery characteristic estimation have been developed and the best one has been used
in ETAP to match actual manufacturer curves more accurately. However, the estimated curve is always
an approximation of the actual battery behavior. When estimated battery characteristic curves are used for
battery sizing calculations, the results may be different from that obtained from manufacturer provided
battery characteristic curves. Various tests have been conducted on estimation of battery characteristic
curves from a limited number of manufactures. In each of the test, a manufacture curve at a specific end-
of-discharge voltage was first removed from the battery library and ETAP is used to estimate the curve
based on the rest manufacturer curves. The ETAP estimated curve was then compared against the
manufacture curve removed. It should be pointed out that noticeable differences have been observed, and
in some cases the estimated curves were less conservative.
In order to obtain accurate battery sizing results, we suggest that when you size a battery, make sure that
the battery library contains a battery characteristic curve with end-of-discharge voltage equal to the
Battery Min. Discharge Voltage you have entered in the Battery Sizing Study Case.
It should be stressed that estimation of battery characteristic curves is needed only when the calculation
performed is Battery Sizing, and the battery library used does not contain a characteristic curve of end-of-
discharge voltage equal to the Battery Min. Discharge Voltage value that you have specified in the
Battery Sizing Study Case. If you perform battery discharge calculation for an existing battery,
estimation of battery characteristic curves will not be required at all.
Number of Cells
The number of cells should be determined to satisfy system minimum and maximum voltage
requirements:
1. When charging the battery, the voltage to be applied to the battery should not be greater than the
maximum system voltage.
2. When discharging the battery, the battery minimum discharge voltage should not be smaller than the
minimum system voltage.
Let N be the number of cells. The voltage requirements can be given in the following equation
Where
Vsys,min is the minimum system voltage that is equal to the nominal voltage of the battery terminal bus
multiplied by the minimum system voltage deviation entered in the Battery Sizing Study Case editor.
Vsys,max is the maximum system voltage that is equal to the nominal voltage of the battery terminal bus
multiplied by the maximum system voltage deviation entered in the Battery Sizing Study Case editor.
Vcell,ch is the battery charge voltage in V/Cell entered in the Battery Sizing Study Case editor.
Vcell,disch is the battery discharge voltage in V/Cell entered in the Battery Sizing Study Case editor.
It is clear that the number of cells of the battery is dependent on the four values for voltage requirement
entered in the Battery Sizing Study Case editor. It can happen that for some incompatible values, we
cannot determine a value for N to satisfy the above equation. When this situation occurs, ETAP will
display a message indicating that it cannot determine the number of cells.
In practical cases, there is often a range of values that N can take to satisfy the above equation. In this
case, ETAP will select the value for N that results in the battery rated voltage being closest to its terminal
bus nominal voltage.
Cell Size
In determining the battery size, ETAP will find the smallest size that can provide sufficient power for the
specified duty cycle. The capacity of a battery can be increased either by using a larger size or by adding
more strings. Since ETAP allows you to enter different characteristic curves for different sizes of
batteries, in the battery sizing calculation, the program starts with one string and the smallest size
available for the calculation. If it fails to meet the load requirement, the program first increases the size
and performs calculations with the characteristic curves for the new size. When no available sizes can
meet the load requirement for the given number of strings, it then increases the string number and
performs the calculation with the smallest size again. This process continues until a battery size and a
string number are found to meet the load requirement.
F= Max Fi i=1,..Sm
where Sm is the total number of load sections and Fi is the size calculated for the ith load section. The
calculation of Fi depends on the type of battery library curves.
For the Time vs. Amp type battery library, the cell size Fi is the number of positive plates, which is
calculated as:
P i A p A P 1
F i
P 1 R t
where Ap is the load current value in period P. RT is the value obtained from the battery characteristic
curve, which is the number of amperes that each positive plate can supply for t minutes, at 25 C, and to
the end-of-discharge voltage specified in the Study Case.
For the Time vs. Kt type battery library, the cell size Fi is the capacity in ampere-hours, which is
calculated as:
P i
Fi Ap AP 1 Kt
P 1
where Ap is the load current value in period P. Kt is the value obtained from the battery characteristic
curve, which is the ratio of rated ampere-hour capacity (at a standard time rate, at 25 C and to a standard
end-of-discharge voltage) of a cell, to the amperes that can be supplied by that cell for t minutes, at 25 C,
and to the end-of-discharge voltage specified in the study case.
Adjusting Factors
In the Battery Sizing Study Case Editor, you can select several adjusting factors to be considered in
calculating battery size. These factors include temperature factor, design margin factor, aging
compensation factor, and initial capacity factor. The uncorrected battery size is adjusted by multiplying
the first three factors and dividing that value by the initial capacity factor.
Calculation Cycle
It is clear from the equations for determining cell size that the cell size is calculated based on a given set
of battery characteristic curves, which is for a given cell size. If the calculated cell size is different from
the one corresponding to the characteristic curves used, we have to do the calculation again with the
battery characteristic curves for the calculated cell size, which may again result in a new size because of
different characteristic curves used. This process continues until the calculated size matches with the
curves used in the calculation. Sometimes the calculation may get into a cycle of changing cell size and
characteristic curves, especially if the curves were not entered correctly. ETAP has implemented a
scheme to break the cycle.
In this release of ETAP, the discharge calculation is performed only when the battery is linked to the
“Time vs. Amp” type library. The library data required by the discharge calculation for the characteristic
curves is described in section 35.5.1. The battery characteristic curves can be used to interpolate voltage
values in different ways. Because of the nonlinearity of battery characteristics and often limited curves
available, voltage values interpolated from battery curves sometimes may not seem reasonable. For
example, the interpolated voltage value for a very small current at the beginning of discharging could be
larger than the rated battery voltage. The method used in ETAP first converts the curves from “Time vs.
Amp” curves to equivalent “AH vs. Amp” curves, and then interpolates for voltage values at a fixed
current value. This method is chosen for ETAP due its consistent results for a constant discharging
current.
If the battery duty cycle is calculated by the load current summation method, the battery current will
change only when there is a change in any load duty cycle. When the load flow method is selected in the
study case, even if there is no change in the load duty cycle, the battery current will change due to
decrease in the battery voltage. In this case the battery current is calculated by a full load flow calculation,
considering different types of loads and system losses. In this load flow calculation, the battery is
modeled as a constant voltage source with the voltage calculated in the previous step. The calculated
battery current will be used in the current step for battery voltage calculation.
Along with battery voltage and current, the battery discharge module also calculates battery discharge
capacity. When there is change in the load current, two values of voltage and current are calculated, at t -
and t+, one for before the load change and one for after the load change.
When the battery is calculated using the load flow method, the battery discharge calculation also provides
considerable information on the system performance, including bus voltage, bus loading, branch power
and current, etc.
In calculating CSD duty cycle, the sequence of operation simulated is dependent on other options in the
CSD page of DC battery Sizing Study Case, as well as the logical set up in the CSD. These options
include Device Model, Pickup Voltage and Dropout Voltage. Different options selected can result in very
different sequence of operation and therefore different duty cycles.
The voltage drop calculation results for all CSDs are placed in a single output report, which can be open
from any CSD view involved in the calculation. The CSD Events View and Alert View are also provided
for you to verify operation sequence and identify abnormal conditions.
Battery
ID
Bus connection data
Battery library type data. This information is used to retrieve library data for calculations.
If only the battery discharge calculation is conducted, the following additional information is also
required:
36.5.2 Load
UPS
When a UPS is not connected to an energized input AC bus, it is considered a load in battery sizing
calculations.
ID
Bus connection data
DC rated voltage
kW and kVA
Duty Cycle page
(If duty cycle data is not entered, this load will be assumed to be zero.)
DC Motor
ID
Bus connection data
Quantity
Rated voltage
kW or HP and efficiency
Duty Cycle page
(If duty cycle data is not entered, this load will be assumed to be zero.)
Lumped Load
ID
Bus connection data
Rated voltage
kW Rating
Duty Cycle Page
(If duty cycle data is not entered, this load will be assumed to be zero.)
Static Load
ID
Bus connection data
kW rating
Rated voltage
Duty Cycle page
(If duty cycle data is not entered, this load will be assumed to be zero.)
Inverter
ID
Bus connection data
DC rated voltage
kVA, PF, DC kW rating
Duty Cycle page
(If duty cycle data is not entered, this load will be assumed to be zero.)
36.5.3 Branch
DC Cable
ID
Bus connection data
Cable length
Resistance and inductance and cable length units
DC Impedance
ID
Bus connection data
Resistance and inductance impedance information
DC Converter
ID
Bus connection data
kW rating and rated kV input and output
36.5.4 Bus
DC Bus
Info Page
ID
Nom. V
Initial Voltage
Load Diversity Factor
36.5.5 Other
Library
Library type data
Battery characteristic curve data
The Crystal Reports format provides you with detailed information for a battery Sizing Study. You can
utilize the Battery Sizing Report Manager to help you view the output report.
Help
Click on this button to access Help.
OK/Cancel
Click on the OK button to close the editor and open the Crystal Reports view to show the selected portion
of the output report. If no selection is made, it will close the editor. Click on the Cancel button to close the
editor without viewing the report.
Complete Page
In this page there is only one format available, Complete, which opens the complete report for the battery
sizing study. The complete report includes input data, results, and summary reports.
You can view the report in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel formats. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
checkbox.
Input Page
This page allows you to select categories to view different input data, grouped according to type. These
include the following available categories:
Battery Characteristics
Branch
Bus and Connected Load
Cable
Cover
DC Converter
Impedance
Inverter
Load Duty Cycle
UPS
You can view these reports in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel format. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
check box.
Result Page
This page allows you to select formats to view the result portion of the output report, including
Calculation Results, Battery Load Profile, Battery Characteristics, Battery Tabulation, Bus Tabulation,
and Sizing Results. The Calculation Results portion prints the uncorrected cell size for each load section
in non-random load and random load. The Battery Load Profile is the battery duty cycle generated based
on load duty cycles. The Battery Characteristics are mostly data entered by the user. However, if the
characteristic data does not contain a curve corresponding to the minimum discharge voltage specified in
the Battery Sizing Study Case Editor, the calculation program will generate a new curve based on data
entered by the user. Therefore, the Battery Characteristics portion is placed in both the Input and Results
lists of the report manager. The Battery Tabulation and Bus Tabulation are battery discharge calculation
results. The Sizing Results show the results of battery sizing stages in the same format as given in the
IEEE Standard 485.
You can view these reports in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel formats. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
checkbox.
Summary Page
This page allows you to select available formats to view the result summary portion of the report. The
summary portion contains the final result for battery sizing calculations.
You can view these reports in the Crystal Reports viewer, or save the report in PDF, MS Word, Rich Text
Format, or Excel format. If you wish this selection to be the default for reports, click the Set As Default
check box.
In the sample below, there are duty cycles for a lump load, a static load, and a CSD load. The lump load
and the static load are continuous load, maintaining constant load current over the whole duty cycle. The
CSD load has both non-random and random loads. Notice that in the report the non-random load is the
combination of all load items entered in the Duty Cycle page, shown as a series of square waveforms as a
function of time. The random load is printed in load items, each with different load duration. If you have
entered two random load items that have the same load duration, they will be summed up and shown as
one item in the report.
Depending on the options you selected in the Correction Factor section of the Discharge page of the DC
battery Sizing Study Case, the battery duty cycle used for battery sizing and discharge calculation may
not be the same. For example, if you selected the option of Adjust Battery Duty Cycle in the section, the
correction factors for temperature, aging and initial condition will be used to change the battery duty
cycle used in the battery discharge calculation. In the report, ETAP prints the duty cycle lists for both
sizing and discharge calculations, if you run the battery sizing calculation. When you run the discharge
calculation, only one duty cycle will be reported.
Battery Characteristics
In this page, the information from the Battery Library is printed. It starts with the library type information
including battery manufacturer, model, characteristic curve type, base temperature, V/Cell, resistance per
positive plate, etc. It is then followed by the information for the final battery size used. In the Battery
Library there may be a set of characteristic curves for each battery size, but only one set of curves is
printed in the report, and it is the one used to determine the cell size. In this sample, curves for the battery
size with 21 plates are printed, including four curves with final discharge voltages at 1.75, 1.91, 1.84, and
1.88 volts, respectively. This page also prints the option you selected in the Battery Sizing Study Case
editor on how to use the battery library data: as Sizes Given in Library Only or as Min/Max Ranges. In
this case, the Min/Max ranges option was selected.
It can be seen that for some load sections, such as sections 2 and 4, the cell size is printed as zero. This is
because the calculation skipped these sections. If the load current for the last load period of a load section
is less than the current of the next load period, the calculation for the load section is skipped, because its
size is surely smaller than the size for the next load section. In this sample case, it can be seen from the
Battery Load Profile in the Battery Duty Cycle section above that, for load periods 2 and 4, their load
currents are smaller than their next load period. Therefore, the calculation for load sections 2 and 4 are
skipped and the report prints zero for those sections.
The Cell Size group prints the curve used in the calculation. In this sample case, the curves for cell size 21
were used in the calculation. It also prints the cell sizes for maximum non-random and maximum random
load, as well as the uncorrected and the recommended sizes. When the curves used are the Time vs. Amp
type, the first three values are the number of positive plates, while the last is the total number of plates.
When the curves used are the Time vs. Kt type, all four values are capacity in ampere-hour.
If the Current Summation Method for battery discharge is used, the displayed results are the discharged
Battery AH Capacity, Terminal Current (Amps), and the Terminal Voltage. These three results vary with
the time slider. When the time is equal to zero, the capacity displayed in the one-line diagram as the
sizing result is the rated capacity. Furthermore, ETAP will also display the number of positive plates,
strings, and cells it used for the discharge calculation. The following diagram provides an example of how
the parameters are displayed in the one-line diagram. The Battery Discharge Time Slider displays the
results at time equal to 59 minutes.
If the DCLF Method of Battery Discharge is used, branch flow results along with bus voltages may be
displayed on the one-line diagram. Branch flows displayed are Current (Amps) and Power (kW or MW).
Bus Voltage may be displayed in terms of kV or %Nominal Voltage.
36.8 Plots
ETAP’s Battery Discharge Module provides Simulation Plots for the purpose of examining calculation
results graphically. To view the Battery Discharge plots, click on the Battery Sizing Plots icon located on
the Battery Sizing toolbar. This will open a Battery Sizing Plot selection window. You can select the
Device by its ID and chose from one of several plots generated by the program. The device types
currently plotted by the program are Batteries, Battery Duty Cycles, Battery Characteristics, Branches and
Buses.
If the load flow method is used to generate battery duty cycle, ETAP also generates a plot for system bus
and branch, including:
Plot parameters such as the plot line type, axis, legend, and text may be modified directly from the plot
view. For example, to modify the attributes of the line, double-click on the plot line to open the Plot
Parameter Editor and click in Line Attributes and change the attributes.
To modify the plot axis, double-click on the axis (horizontal or vertical) to open the editor where you can
specify several parameters, such as values range, ticks, grids, etc. Also, clicking on the button attributes
will display an editor where you can specify the line color, type and width.
Unless it is for axis labels, the annotations of the plot are Text boxes. To modify the textbox double-click
on the Textbox to display the editor where you can specify a new text sentence, font type, color size and
style.
To modify the Label Axis (horizontal or vertical) double click on annotation axis to display the Label
Editor as shown in the figure below, where you can specify label position, format (decimal, scientific,
date, etc.), date parameters, etc.. Also clicking on the Text Parameters button will display the Text
Parameter Editor where you can specify the font, type, color, size and style.
Panel Systems
Panel Systems are an integral part of ETAP used for representing power and lighting panels in electrical
systems. ETAP provides a comprehensive model for designing and scheduling AC panel systems
including 3-Phase and 1-Phase panels. 3-Phase panels can be either 3-Wire or 4-Wire panels. 1-Phase
panels can be set up as 2-Wire or 3-Wire.
A panel is a collection of branch circuits feeding system loads. ETAP supports an unlimited number of
circuits within a panel. A branch circuit in a panel is modeled with complete details, which includes
connected load information, protective device ratings, and feeder data. The ETAP panel model is
supported by comprehensive breaker, fuse, and cable libraries. Default and typical data are provided to
save you time and money when designing and scheduling panels. ETAP allows you to graphically
connect subpanels to upstream panels. There is no limit to the number of subpanels you can connect.
In ETAP, a panel branch circuit load can be modeled as an internal or external load. If the load is
connected physically to a panel on the one-line diagram, for example the motor BLR-MTR in the diagram
below, it is considered an external load. Loads that are not connected physically to the panel are referred
as Internal Loads.
The total load fed by branches connected to a panel circuit are calculated and displayed on the panel
schedule. The system connected to a panel circuit may itself represent a complete subsystem with all
ETAP elements. For example, in the diagram below, one of the Main-Panel circuits is connected to the
Panel-67 through a cable and a transformer. In this case, ETAP calculates the total load of the Panel-67
and displays it on the corresponding circuit in the Main-Panel schedule. ETAP performs the calculation to
include all downstream loads. Connections forming loops between branches emanating from panel
circuits are not allowed.