Short CKT All

Short-Circuit Analysis
The ETAP Short-Circuit Analysis program analyzes the effect of 3-phase, line-to-ground, line-to-line, and line-to-line-to-ground faults on electrical distribution systems.
The program calculates the total short circuit currents as well as the contributions of individual motors, generators, and utility ties in the system. Fault duties are in
compliance with the latest editions of the ANSI/IEEE Standards (C37 series) and IEC Standards (IEC 60909 and others).
This chapter describes definitions and usage of different tools you will need to run short circuit studies. In order to give you a better understanding of the standards applied
to short circuit studies and to interpret output results more easily, some theoretical background, and standard information are also included.
The ANSI/IEEE Short-Circuit Toolbar and IEC Short-Circuit Toolbar sections explain how you can launch a short circuit calculation, open and view an output report,
or select display options. The Short-Circuit Study Case Editor section explains how you can create a new study case, what parameters are required to specify a study case,
and how to set them. The Display Options section explains what options are available for displaying some key system parameters and the output results on the one-line
diagram, and how to set them.
The ANSI/IEEE Calculation Methods section lists standard compliance information and both general and detailed descriptions of calculation methods used by ETAP. In
particular, definitions and discussion of ½, 1.5-4, and 30 cycle networks, calculation of ANSI multiplying factors, and high voltage and low voltage circuit breaker
momentary and interrupting duties are provided. The Required Data section describes what data are necessary to perform short circuit calculations and where to enter them.
If you perform short circuit studies using IEC Standards, the IEC Calculation Methods section provides useful information on standard compliance, definitions on most
commonly used IEC technical terms, and general and detailed descriptions of calculation methods for all important results, including initial symmetrical short circuit
current, peak short circuit current, symmetrical short circuit breaking current, and steady-state short circuit current. Finally, the Short-Circuit Study Output Report section
illustrates and explains output reports and their format.
ANSI Short-Circuit Toolbar
IEC Short-Circuit Toolbar
GOST Short-Circuit Toolbar
Study Case Editor - SC
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
Display Options - SC
- Results Page
ANSI/IEEE Calculation Methods
IEC Short-Circuit Calculation Methods
Short-Circuit Required Data
AC-DC Converter Models
Short Circuit Study Output Report
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

This toolbar is active when you are in Short-Circuit mode and the standard is set to ANSI in the Short Circuit Study Case editor.
3-Phase Faults - Device Duty
Click on this button to perform a 3-phase fault study per ANSI C37 Standard. This study calculates momentary symmetrical and asymmetrical rms, momentary
asymmetrical crest, interrupting symmetrical rms, and interrupting adjusted symmetrical rms short circuit currents at faulted buses. ETAP checks the protective device rated
close and latching, and adjusted interrupting capacities against the fault currents, and flags inadequate devices.
Generators and motors are modeled by their positive sequence subtransient reactance.
Note that device duty calculation for protective devices that are connected to single-phase loads is carried out only when you run the Panel/UPS/1-Ph System Device Duty
calculation.
Panel/1-Ph UPS/ 1-Ph System Device Duty

Click on this button to perform a Device Duty Short-Circuit study per ANSI Standards for the parts of system below a main panel, a single phase UPS and a phase adapter.
These subsystems are mostly single-phase systems, but there can be three-phase components below a main panel. This study calculates short-circuit currents in the ½ cycle
network to evaluate Phase A, B, C, AB, BC, CA, three-wire center tap or three-phase using protective device capabilities in these systems. Please note that motor load
contributions below panels, single phase UPS or phase adapters are not considered in the calculation. Typically, these contributions are almost negligible for low voltage
single phase motor loads and can be ignored.
Note that in previous versions of ETAP, the 3-Phase UPS connected directly from the 3–phase system would be analyzed when launching the calculation from this icon. As
of ETAP11, the 3-phase UPS is handled as part of the 3-phase device duty calculation.
LG, LL, LLG, & 3-Phase Faults - ½ Cycle (Max. Short-Circuit Current)
Click on this button to perform 3-phase, line-to-ground, line-to-line, and line-to-line-to-ground fault studies per ANSI Standards. This study calculates short circuit currents
in their rms values at ½ cycle at faulted buses, which are considered the maximum short-circuit current values.
Generators and motors are modeled by their positive, negative, and zero sequence subtransient reactance. Generator, motor, and transformer grounding types and winding
connections are taken into consideration when constructing system positive, negative, and zero sequence networks. Any adjustment for the impedance is taken as negative in
order to produce smaller impedance and thus yield higher short-circuit currents.
LG, LL, LLG, & 3-Phase Faults - 1.5 to 4 Cycle

in their rms values between 1.5 to 4 cycles at faulted buses.
Generators are modeled by their positive, negative, and zero sequence subtransient reactance, and motors are modeled by their positive, negative, and zero sequence
transient reactance. Generator, motor, transformer grounding types, and winding connections are taken into considerations when constructing system positive, negative, and
zero sequential networks. Any adjustment for the impedance is taken as negative in order to produce smaller impedance and thus yield higher short-circuit currents.
LG, LL, LLG, & 3-Phase Faults - 30 Cycle (Min. Short-Circuit Current)
in their rms values at 30 cycles at faulted buses, which are the minimum, short-circuit current values.
Generators are modeled by their positive, negative, and zero sequence reactance, and short circuit current contributions from motors are ignored. Generator and transformer
grounding types and winding connections are taken into consideration when constructing system positive, negative, and zero sequence networks. Any impedance adjustment
can be applied as negative or positive. You may configure the impedance tolerance and temperature adjustments to yield higher impedance value (and thus further minimize
the short-circuit current value) by selecting the option “Apply Positive Tolerance and Max. Temperature for ANSI Minimum Short-circuit Calculation”. This option is
located on the Adjustment tab of the short-circuit study case.
Short-Circuit Display Options

See the Display Options section to customize the Short-Circuit Annotation Display options on the one-line diagram. This dialog box contains options for ANSI short-circuit
study results and associated device parameters. This includes displayed results for 3-phase and unbalanced faults (LG, LL, and LLG) and their individual contributions. The
display options also show Arc Flash Results.
Arc Flash Hazard Calculation

Click on this button to perform an Arc Flash Hazard analysis based on the options selected on the Short-Circuit Study Case Arc Flash page (NFPA 70E or IEEE 1584). The
3-phase and 1-phase bolted fault currents are used to determine the Incident Energy (based on IEEE Standards).
Alert
After performing a short-circuit device duty calculation, you can click on this button to open the Alert View, which lists all devices with critical and marginal violations
based on the settings in the Study Case.
Short-Circuit Report Manager

Short-Circuit Output Reports are provided in Crystal Report format. The Report Manager provides four pages (Complete, Input, 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 ANSI short-circuit 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.
You can open the whole short-circuit output report or only a part of it, depending on the format selection.
You can also view output reports by clicking on the View Output Report button on the Study Case toolbar. A list of all output files in the selected project directory is
provided for short circuit calculations. To view any of the listed output reports, click on the output report name, and then click on the View Output Report button.
Halt Current Calculation

The Stop Sign button is normally disabled. When a short-circuit calculation has been initiated, this button becomes enabled and shows a red stop sign. Clicking on this
button will terminate the calculation.
Get Online Data

When the ETAP Real Time System is set up and the Sys Monitor presentation is online, you can bring real-time data into your offline presentation and run a load flow by
pressing on this button. You
Get Archived Data

When ETAPS Playback is set-up, and any presentation is on Playback mode, you can bring this data into your presentation and run a Short Circuit Study by pressing on this
button. You will notice that the Operating Loads, Bus Voltages, and Study Case Editor will be updated with the playback data.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

This toolbar is active when you are in Short-Circuit mode and the standard is set to IEC in the Short Circuit Study Case editor.
3-Phase Faults - Device Duty (IEC60909)

Click on this button to perform a 3-phase fault study per IEC 60909 Standard. This study calculates initial symmetrical rms, peak, symmetrical and asymmetrical breaking
rms, and steady-state rms short circuit currents and their DC offset at faulted buses. ETAP checks the protective device rated making and breaking capacities against the
fault currents and flags inadequate devices.
Generators and motors are modeled by their positive sequence subtransient reactance.
Note that device duty calculation for protective devices that are connected to single-phase loads is carried out only when you run the Panel/UPS/1-Ph System Device Duty
calculation.
Panel/1-Ph UPS/1-Ph System Device Duty (IEC 60909)

Click on this button to perform a 1-phase device duty short-circuit fault per IEC 60909 Standards. This study calculates initial symmetrical (I” ) currents for evaluation of
k
protective device capabilities in parts of the system which are below a main panel, a 1-Ph UPS, or a phase-adapter. These subsystems are mostly single-phase systems, but
there can be three-phase components below a main panel.
Note that when you run the Panel/1-Ph UPS/1-Ph Device Duty, ETAP also performs device duty calculation on protective devices that are connected between a single-phase
loads and a three-phase system bus. A three-phase system bus is one that is not below a panel or a UPS.
Note that motor load contributions below panels, UPS or phase adapters are not considered in the calculation. Typically, these contributions are almost negligible for low
voltage single phase motor loads and can be ignored.
Note that as of ETAP11, the 3-phase UPS (connected directly from the 3-phase system) is no longer handled as part of the 1-phase calculation. To analyze the short-circuit
evaluation for this type of equipment you must now use the 3-phase device duty calculation.
LG, LL, LLG, & 3-Phase Faults (IEC 60909)

Click on this button to perform line-to-ground, line-to-line, line-to-line-to-ground, and 3-phase fault studies per IEC 60909 Standard. This study calculates initial
symmetrical rms, peak and symmetrical breaking rms, and steady-state rms short-circuit currents at faulted buses.
Generators are modeled by their positive, negative, and zero sequence reactance, and motors are modeled by their locked-rotor impedance. Generator, motor, and
transformer grounding types, and winding connections are taken into consideration when constructing system positive, negative, and zero sequence networks.
3-Phase Faults - Transient Study (IEC 61363)

Click on this button to perform a 3-phase fault study per IEC 61363 Standard. This study calculates instantaneous values of actual short-circuit current, DC offset, short-
circuit current envelope, AC component, and DC offset in percent for total short-circuit current at faulted buses. The results are tabulated as a function of time.
Generators are modeled by their positive sequence subtransient reactance, and motors are modeled by their locked-rotor impedance. Generator, motor, and transformer
grounding types, and winding connections are taken into consideration when constructing system positive, negative, and zero sequence networks.

See the Display Options section to customize the short circuit annotation display options on the one-line diagram. This dialog box contains options for IEC short circuit
study results and associated device parameters.
Arc Flash Hazard Calculation

Click on this button to perform an Arc Flash Hazard analysis based on the options selected on the Short-Circuit Study Case Arc Flash page (NFPA 70E or IEEE 1584). The
fault current used to determine the incident energy is based on IEC Standards.
Alert View
After performing a short-circuit study, you can click on this button to open the Alert View, which lists all devices with critical and marginal violations based on the settings
in the Study Case.

Short-Circuit Output Reports are provided in Crystal Report forms. The Report Manager provides four pages (Complete, Input, 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.
provided for short-circuit calculations. To view any of the listed output reports, click on the output report name, and then click on the View Output Report button. 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.
Short Circuit Plots

Click on this button to open the IEC 61363 Plot Selection editor. You can display the following plots:
Total Fault Current (i)

AC Component of Fault Currents (Iac, rms)
DC Component of Fault Current (Idc)
Percent DC Component of Fault Current (Idc %)
Top Envelop of Fault Current (ienv)
Combine Plots
When this box is checked, plots for all selected types will be displayed on the same plot.
Close All Plots

When this button is clicked, all open plots for IEC 61363 calculation will be closed.
Export to COMTRADE
When this button is clicked, all selected plots will be saved to file in COMTRADE format. A window will be open to allow you to specify the directory to save the file.

button will terminate the calculation.
Get Online Data

You can bring real-time data into your offline presentation and run a load flow by pressing on this button. You will notice that the Operating Loads, Bus Voltages, and
Study Case Editor will be updated with the online data. This requires ETAP to be online.
Get Archived Data

You can bring archived data from the ETAP Playback Server into your presentation and run a load flow by pressing on this button. You will notice that the Operating Loads,
Bus Voltages, and Study Case Editor will be updated with the playback data. This requires ETAP to be online.
For more information see Printing and Plotting.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

This toolbar is active when you are in Short-Circuit Mode and the standard is set to GOST in the Short-Circuit Study Case Editor.
3-Phase Faults – Device Duty
Click on this button to perform a 3-phase fault study per GOST Standard. This study calculates the initial periodic rms, initial aperiodic, and surge currents at faulted buses.
(The device duty checking is for future release of ETAP).
Maximum LG, LL, LLG, and 3-Phase Faults

Click on this button to perform a maximum 3-phase, line-to-ground, line-to-line, and line-to-line-to-ground fault studies per GOST Standard. This study calculates the initial
periodic rms, initial aperiodic, and surge currents at faulted buses. (For Future Release of ETAP)
Minimum LG, LL, LLG, and 3-Phase Faults

Click on this button to perform a minimum 3-phase, line-to-ground, line-to-line, and line-to-line-to-ground fault studies per GOST Standard. This study calculates the initial
periodic rms, initial aperiodic, and surge currents at faulted buses. (For Future Release of ETAP)

See the Display Options section to customize the short-circuit annotation display options on the one-line diagram. This dialog box contains options for GOST short-circuit
study results and associated device parameters. This includes display options for the initial periodic and/or surge fault currents.
Unit Display Options

Click to turn on/off units on the OLV display.
Fault Current Type Display Option

Click to toggle between initial periodic, surge fault current, or both on the OLV display.
Alert View
After performing a short-circuit study, you can click on this button to open the Alert View, which lists all devices with critical and marginal violations based on the settings
in the Study Case.

Short-Circuit Output Reports are provided in Crystal Report forms. The Report Manager provides four pages (Complete, Input, 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. 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 Set As Default check box.
provided for short-circuit calculations.

button will terminate the calculation
Get Online Data

You can bring real-time data into your offline presentation and run a load flow by pressing on this button. You will notice that the Operating Loads, Bus Voltages, and
Study Case Editor will be updated with the online data. This requires ETAP to be online.
Get Archived Data

You can bring archived data from the ETAP Playback Server into your presentation and run a load flow by pressing on this button. You will notice that the Operating Loads,
Bus Voltages, and Study Case Editor will be updated with the playback data. This requires ETAP to be online.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Short-Circuit Study Case Editor Overview

The Short Circuit Study Case editor contains solution control variables, faulted bus selection, and a variety of options for output reports. ETAP allows you to create and save
an unlimited number of study cases. Short-circuit calculations are conducted and reported in accordance with the settings of the study case selected in the toolbar. You can
easily switch between study cases without the trouble of resetting the study case options each time. This feature is designed to organize your study efforts and save you time.
With respect to the multi-dimensional database concept of ETAP, study cases can be used for any combination of the three major system components (i.e., for any
configuration status, one-line diagram presentation, and Base/Revision data).
The Short Circuit Study Case editor can be accessed from the Study Case toolbar by clicking on the Study Case button. You can also access this editor from the Project
View by clicking on the Short Circuit Study Case folder.
Short Circuit Study Case Toolbar

To create a new study case, go to Project View, right-click on the Short Circuit Study Case folder, and select Create New. A new study case will be created, which is a copy
of the default study case added to the Short Circuit Study Case folder.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Info Page – Short-Circuit Study Case Editor

Study Case ID
Study case ID is shown in this entry field. You can rename a study case by deleting the old ID and entering a new ID. The study case ID can be up to 12 alphanumeric
characters. Use the navigator button at the bottom of the editor to go from one study case to the next existing study case.
XFMR Tap
Two methods are provided for modeling transformer off-nominal tap settings:
Adjust Base kV
Base voltages of the buses are calculated using transformer turn ratios, which include the transformer kV ratings as well as the off-nominal tap settings. In looped systems,
there is a possibility of applying different base voltage values from two different paths if the transformer tap positions are considered to adjust the base kV. If this situation
is detected, ETAP displays the message shown below:
If this situation is caused by transformer taps, then you may use the “Use Nominal Tap” as an alternative. If you click the “OK” button on this error message window, the
program will carry out the calculation with the Use Nominal Tap method.
Use Nominal Tap

Transformer kV ratings are used as the transformer turn ratios for calculating base voltages of the buses (i.e., all off-nominal tap settings are ignored and transformer
impedances are not adjusted). However, even if this option is used, in some cases a looped system may still contain transformers with incompatible voltage ratios. This can
lead to two different base voltage values being applied at the same faulted bus, and this prevents the short circuit calculation from continuing. An error message similar to
the one below may be generated by the SC program under this situation:
To correct this situation, you need to change the transformer kV rating of one of the transformers involved in the loop.
Calc. Load Term. SC

Check this box to calculate the short circuit current at the load terminals. The fault analysis is performed at the terminals of induction motors, synchronous motors, static
loads, capacitors and MOVs. The load terminal fault calculation is carried out when you run Device Duty studies and is applicable to 3-phase and 1-phase loads connected
to three-phase buses.
Note that the load terminal fault current for three-phase loads is calculated when you run the 3-phase Device Duty. The load terminal fault current for single-phase loads
(connected to a three-phase bus) is calculated when you run the Panel/1-Ph UPS/1-Ph system Device Duty. The following images illustrate this concept:
1-Ph/Panel/1-Ph UPS Subsystem

ETAP allows you to perform short-circuit device duty evaluations for 1-Ph systems, 3-Ph and 1-Ph Panels and 1-Ph UPS. The Info page has three options which allow
selecting which type of subsystem to include in the device duty calculation.
Panel
When this option is selected, all panel subsystems (3-Phase and 1-Phase) are included in device duty calculations.
1-Phase UPS
When this option is selected, all 1-Ph UPS subsystems are included in device duty calculations. The 1-Ph UPS can be modeled as a constant current source or a voltage
source behind an impedance depending on the selected UPS Model option. Please refer to the calculation methodology section for more details.
1-phase
When this option is selected, all single phase subsystems connected below phase adapters will be included in device duty calculations.
Please see the ANSI/IEEE calculation methods section for more details on the Panel/1-Ph UPS/1-Phase System Device Duty Evaluation.
Cable/OL Heater
Select the appropriate check boxes in this option group to include the impedance of equipment cable and overload heaters of medium and/or low voltage motors in short
circuit studies.
Report
You can select the following options for short-circuit output reports.
Contribution Level
Choose how far away you want to see the short circuit current contributions from individual buses to each faulted bus by specifying the number of bus levels away in this
section. For large systems, choosing to report a high bus level, results in very large output reports (the report grows exponentially with the number of levels selected). The
default is one. It is recommended not to report more than 3 levels away for large systems unless it is required to report these far-away contributions.
When selecting contribution levels of n buses away, depending on the number of faulted buses, the calculated results are displayed on the one-line diagram and printed in
the output report as follows:
l Fault 1 (one) Bus Displayed results: whole system

Reported output: n bus levels away
l Fault more than one bus Displayed results: 1 bus level away (from the adjacent buses)
Reported output: n bus levels away
Motor Contribution Based on

You can select the following options for considering motor contribution in short-circuit studies.
Motor Status
When this option is selected, motors whose status is either Continuous or Intermittent will make contributions in short-circuit. Motors with Spare status will not be
considered in the short-circuit analysis.
Loading Category
When this option is selected, you can select a loading category from the selection box to the right. In the short-circuit calculation, motors that have non-zero loading in the
selected loading category will have a contribution in short-circuit. Motors with zero loading in the selected loading category will not be included in the short-circuit analysis.
Both
When this option is selected, a motor will make contribution in short-circuit if it meets either the Motor Status condition or the Loading Category condition. That is, for a
motor to be excluded in the short-circuit analysis, it has to be in the Spare status and have zero loading in the selected loading category.
Bus Selection
ETAP is capable of faulting one or more buses in the same run; however, in the latter case buses are faulted individually, not simultaneously. Depending on the specified
fault type, ETAP will place a 3-phase, line-to-ground, line-to-line, and line-to-line-to-ground fault at each bus, which is faulted for short circuit studies.
When you open the Short Circuit Study Case editor for the first time, all buses are listed in the “Don’t Fault” list box. This means that none of the buses are faulted. Using
the following procedures, you can decide which bus(es) you want to fault for this study case.
l To fault a bus, highlight the bus ID in the “Don’t Fault” list box and click on the Fault button. The highlighted bus will be transferred to the Fault list box.
l To remove a bus from the Fault list box, highlight the bus ID and click on the Fault button. The highlighted bus will be transferred to the “Don’t Fault” list box.
l If you wish to fault all buses, medium voltage buses, or low voltage buses, select that option and click on the Fault button. The specified buses will be transferred
from the “Don’t Fault” list box to the Fault list box.
l To remove all buses, medium voltage buses, or low voltage buses from the Fault list box, select that option and click on the Fault button. The specified buses will be
transferred from the Fault list box to the “Don’t Fault” list box.
Note: Single-phase buses below the panel or phase adapter cannot be faulted and therefore will not be displayed in the list of buses to fault.
Note: The fault selection may also be accomplished from the one-line diagram by selecting the buses in the one-line and right clicking on the OLD background and selecting
to fault the selected buses.
Study Remarks 2nd Line

nd
Up to 120 alphanumeric characters may be entered in the Study Remarks 2 Line field. Information entered here will be printed on the second line of every output report
page header line. These remarks can provide specific information regarding each study case. (Note: The first line of the header information is global for all study cases and
is entered in the Project Menu field.)
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Standard Page – Short-Circuit Study Case Editor

Standard
ANSI, IEC, and GOST Standards are available for short circuit studies. Select the short circuit study standard by clicking on the standard notation. Different sets of
solution control variables (prefault voltage, calculation methods, etc.) are available for each standard.
When you create a new Study Case, the Short-Circuit Standard is set equal to the project standard you have specified in the Project Standards Editor, which is accessible
from the Project menu. The Study Case standard can be changed independently of the project standard.
The Short-Circuit Study Case Editor ANSI Standard page is shown below:
When the IEC Standard is selected, the study options will change and you will see the page shown below:
When the GOST Standard is selected, the study options will change and you will see the page shown below:
Prefault Voltage - ANSI Standard

You can select either fixed or variable prefault voltages for all buses.
Fixed Prefault Voltage

This option allows you to specify a fixed prefault voltage for all the faulted buses. This fixed value can be in percent of bus nominal kV or base kV. Bus nominal kV is the
value you enter in the Bus editor to represent the normal operating voltage. The bus base kV is calculated by the program and is only reported in the results section of the
short-circuit report for each faulted bus.
The process of computing base kV starts from one of the swing machines, such as a utility or a generator, by taking its design voltage as the base kV for its terminal bus. It
then propagates throughout the entire system. When it encounters a transformer from one side, the transformer rated voltage ratio will be used to calculate the base kV for
the buses on other sides. If the Adjust Base kV option is selected on the Info page of the Short Circuit Study Case editor, the transformer tap values will also be used in the
base kV calculation along with transformer rated voltage ratio. It can be seen from this calculation procedure that the base kV is close to the operating voltage, provided that
the swing machine is operating at its design setting.
Variable Prefault Voltage

If you select the Vmag x Nominal kV (in the Bus editor) prefault voltage option, ETAP uses the bus voltages entered in the Bus editor as the prefault voltage for faulted
buses. Using this option, you can perform short circuit studies with each faulted bus having a different prefault voltage. For instance, you can perform short circuit studies
using the bus voltages calculated from a specific load flow study and calculate fault currents for an actual operating condition. To do so, select Update Initial Bus Voltages
from the Load Flow Study Case editor and run a load flow analysis.
As the short circuit current is proportional to the prefault voltage, different options will most likely give different results. However, with any one of the above options, the
calculated fault current is the same as long as the prefault voltage in kV is the same. The option to be used for a study depends on your engineering judgment and objective
of the study. If you wish to calculate the fault current to size protective switching devices, apply the maximum possible prefault voltages in the calculation by using the
option of Fixed Base kV. If the bus normal operating voltage is entered in the Bus editor as the bus nominal voltage, you may also use the Fixed Nominal kV option.
HV CB Interrupting Capability- ANSI Standard

According to ANSI Standards, the rated interrupting capability entered in the High Voltage Circuit Breaker editor corresponds to the maximum kV of the circuit breaker.
When the circuit breaker is utilized under a voltage below this maximum kV, its capability is actually higher than the rated interrupting kA. In this section, you specify the
operating voltage to be used to adjust breaker rating.
Nominal kV
When this option is selected, the nominal kV of the bus, connected to the circuit breaker, is assumed to be the operating voltage, and breaker, interrupting rating is adjusted
to this voltage value.
Nominal kV & Vf
When this option is selected, the operating voltage of the breaker is calculated as the multiplication of the prefault voltage and the nominal kV of the bus connected to the
circuit breaker. The circuit breaker interrupt rating is adjusted to this voltage value.
Machine X/R - ANSI Standard

Fixed and variable machine X/R options are available for short circuit calculations. The selection of fixed or variable machine X/R impacts only the interrupting (1.5-4
cycle) duty calculations of high voltage circuit breakers.
Fixed X/R
ETAP uses the specified machine X/R ratio (=Xd”/Ra) for both ½ cycle and 1.5-4 cycle networks. The intention of this option is to account for the fact that ANSI standard
does not consider variable machine X/R ratio.
The following example shows Ra calculations when X/R ratio is fixed:
½ Cycle Network 1.5-4 Cycle Network

Input: Xsc 15 25
Input: X/R = 10
Calculated: Ra 1.5 2.5
Variable X/R
ETAP uses the specified machine X/R ratio and subtransient reactance (Xd”) to calculate the armature resistance (Ra). This resistance is then used for both ½ cycle and 1.5-
4 cycle networks. The motor reactance for 1.5-4 cycle network is larger than the motor reactance for ½ cycle networks. Therefore, this option results in a higher machine
X/R ratio and a higher short circuit contribution for the interrupting fault calculation of a high voltage circuit breaker than the fixed X/R option.
The following example shows Ra and X/R calculations when variable X/R is considered:
½ Cycle Network 1.5-4 Cycle Network

Input: Xsc 15 25
Input: X/R = 10
Calculated: Ra 1.5 1.5
Final: X/R 10 16.7
LVCB Interrupting Capability

When running ANSI device duty, select to use either the ANSI Standard or a user-defined value to compare the operating kV against the LVCB rated kV as defined in the
LVCB editor.
Note: This option does not apply for Fused LVCB. The %Limit is fixed to 100% of the rated kV of the LVCB.
C37.13/UL 489
Compare the operating voltage against 105.83% of the rated kV of the LVCB. ETAP will issue an alert to indicate the operating kV exceeds the LVCB rated maximum kV
for the interrupting kA capability.
User-Defined kV
Compare the operating voltage against a user-defined percentage of the rated kV of the LVCB. ETAP will issue an alert to indicate the operating kV exceeds the LVCB
rated maximum kV for the interrupting kA capability. The allowable range for this field is 100 - 106%.
Protective Device Duty – ANSI Standard

You can select to use either the bus total fault current or the maximum current through a protective device to compare against protective device duty.
Based on Total Bus Fault Current

Check this box to use the total bus fault current to compare against protective device rating. The Maximum Through Fault Current is always used to compare against the
protective device rating for circuit breakers that are flagged as a generator circuit breaker due to its comparable contributions from both generator and system sides, even if
the Based on Total Bus Fault Current option is selected.
Based on Maximum Through Fault Current

Check this box to use the maximum through fault current to compare against protective device rating. The maximum through fault current is determined as the larger value
between the fault current contribution through a protective device and the total bus fault current minus the contribution through the device.
For ANSI Device Duty calculation, if the faulted bus is the terminal bus of a generator or motor, the rated or Full Load Amps (FLA) of the machine can be considered at the
user’s choice to determine the maximum through fault current. It is assumed that for a generator, the rated current is flowing out of the generator, and for a motor, the full
load current is flowing into the motor. Therefore, for a generator, the rated current is added to generator short circuit contribution to determine the maximum through fault
current. For a motor, the full load current is subtracted from motor short circuit contribution to determine the maximum trough fault current.
There is an ETAP Preference entry which allows you to consider or not consider the FLA for the calculation of the maximum through fault current. You can edit the
“Include Machine FLA Based on Maximum Through” entry by accessing the Options (Preferences) editor from the Tools menu. It is located under the short-circuit section.
This entry indicates to the short-circuit program to include (or exclude) the rated Full Load Amps (FLA) of induction/synchronous machines in the calculation of the
maximum through short-circuit current duty (momentary or interrupting) of protective devices directly connected to those machines. If this entry is set to 0, the FLA will not
be considered (this includes generator circuit breakers). This entry only applies for ANSI Short-circuit calculations (IEC Short-circuit does not consider the FLA and thus is
not affected by this option).
C37.010 – 1999
Check this option to calculate the S factor for symmetrical rated high-voltage circuit breaker based on the contact parting time entered in the Circuit Breaker editor. In
calculating the S factor, the standard time constant for DC component specified in ANSI Standards are used, 45 ms for regular circuit breaker and 133 ms for generator
circuit breaker. Additionally, when calculating asymmetrical fault current, the multiplication factors for local and remote contribution are also calculated based on the
contact parting time entered in the Circuit Breaker editor. In case the curve for the specified contact parting time is not available, the multiplication factor is interpolated
based on available curves. See section ANSI/IEEE Calculation Methods for more information.
C37.010 – 1979 and Older

When this option is selected, the standard contact parting time and corresponding S factor are used in the calculation. These standard contact parting time and corresponding
S factors are given in group High Voltage Circuit Breaker Interrupting Duty Calculation. When this option is selected, the contact parting time entered in high voltage
circuit breaker is ignored in the calculation.
MF for HV CB & Bus Momentary Duty

This group provides options for you to select a method to calculate the multiplication factors used for computation of asymmetrical and peak values for high-voltage circuit
breaker and high-voltage bus momentary duty. Note that the asymmetrical and peak values of momentary duty are calculated based on the symmetrical duty and X/R.
Therefore, this group of options is for selection of X/R used in the calculation. Figures below graphically show the calculated MF for each method.
Based on Calculated X/R

With this option selected, the multiplication factors used to compute the asymmetrical and peak duty for high-voltage circuit breakers and high-voltage buses are based on
calculated system X/R ratio. This X/R ratio is calculated from the separate X and R networks for each faulted bus. From the figures given above, it is seen that at about X/R
= 25, the calculated multiplication factor for the asymmetrical duty (MFm) is about 1.6. At about X/R = 17, the calculated multiplication factor for the crest duty (MFp) is
about 2.6. When the calculated X/R ratio is different from these values, the multiplication factors can be larger or smaller than 1.6 or 2.6. Since this option provides the most
accurate results for momentary duty, it is the default option.
Set to 1.6 & 2.6 (RMS & Peak) as Min.

With this option selected, the multiplication factors used to compute the asymmetrical and peak duty for high-voltage circuit breakers and high-voltage buses are based on
calculated system X/R ratio with minimum limits. The calculated multiplication factor for the asymmetrical duty (MFm) is limited at no less than 1.6 and the calculated
multiplication factor for the peak duty (MFp) is limited at no less than 2.6. Note that the values of 1.6 and 2.6 are used in the examples in IEEE Std C37.010.
Set to 1.6 & 2.6 (RMS & Peak)

With this option selected, the multiplication factors used to compute the asymmetrical and peak duty for high-voltage circuit breakers and high-voltage buses are fixed
values. The value of 1.6 is used as the multiplication factor for the asymmetrical duty (MFm) and the value of 2.6 is used as the multiplication factor for the peak duty
(MFp). In this case, system X/R ratio has no effect on the calculation of asymmetrical and peak duty. Note that the values of 1.6 and 2.6 are used in the examples in IEEE
Std C37.010.
MF for LV CB & (Molded & Insulated) Duty

This group provides options for you to select the method to be used for calculating multiplication factor for low voltage molded case circuit breaker and insulated case
circuit breakers.
Based on Peak Current

This method calculates multiplication factor (MF) based on the peak current, which is the same method used for calculating MF for an unfused low voltage power circuit
breaker.
Based on Asymmetrical Current
This method calculates multiplication factor (MF) based on the asymmetrical current, which is the same method used for calculating MF for a fused low voltage power
circuit breaker.
Higher MF
When this option is selected, the method that yields higher MF will be used, which provides a more conservative result. Study results have shown that depending on the
sizing of a low voltage molded or insulated circuit breaker and its testing power factor, either the peak current method or the asymmetrical method may give a more
conservative result. The following table shows results for some typical circuit breakers.
Breaker Rating Peak Current Method Asymmetrical Current Method

20 kA
More Conservative
(PF = 20%, X/R = 4.9)
10 -- 20 kA
More Conservative
(PF = 30%, X/R = 3.18)
<=10 kA
Slightly More Conservative
(PF = 50%, X/R = 1.73)
Short Circuit Current - IEC Standard

In this group, you specify if the maximum or minimum short circuit current to be calculated and based on the selection, different c factors will be used to modify source
voltage. There are three options available: Max, User-Defined c Factor, and Min. When the Max option is selected, the maximum values for c factor as defined in Table I of
IEC 60909 Standard is used to calculate maximum fault current:
< 1001 V c Factor = 1.10

1001 to 35000 V c Factor = 1.10
> 35000 V c Factor = 1.10
When the User-Defined c Factor option is selected, ETAP uses the user specified c factor. The ranges for the c factors are as follows:
< 1001 V c Factor = 0.95 -- 1.10

1001 to 35000 V c Factor = 1.00 -- 1.10
> 35000 V c Factor = 1.00 -- 1.10
When the Min. option is selected, the minimum values for c Factor, as defined in IEC 60909 Standard, are used to calculate minimum fault current.
< 1001 V c Factor = 0.95

1001 to 35000 V c Factor = 1.00
> 35000 V c Factor = 1.00
In each case, ETAP calculates ip, I"k, and Ik. Additionally, impedance tolerance, length tolerance, and operating temperature that are used in calculations also vary
according to the c Factor options selected.
If either the Max or User-Defined c Factor option is selected:
l The negative tolerance value is used for synchronous generator and synchronous motor direct-axis subtransient reactance (X”d).
l If the option is set in the Study Case to apply tolerance on impedance values, the negative tolerance value is used for transformer impedance, reactor impedance, and
overload heater impedance.
l If the option is set in the Study Case to apply tolerance on length, the negative tolerance value is used to for line length and cable length.
l If the option is set in the Study Case to adjust resistance value by individual operating temperature, the minimum operating temperature is used to adjust cable and
line resistance.
If the Min option is selected:
l The positive tolerance value is used for synchronous generator and synchronous motor direct-axis subtransient reactance (X”d).
l If the option is set in the Study Case to apply tolerance on impedance values, the positive tolerance value is used for transformer impedance, reactor impedance, and
overload heater impedance.
l If the option is set in the Study Case to apply tolerance on length, the positive tolerance value is used for line length and cable length.
l If the option is set in the Study Case to adjust resistance value by individual operating temperature, the maximum operating temperature is used to adjust cable and
line resistance.
It should be noted that when the Min option is selected, the IEC Duty button is disabled in the IEC toolbar to prevent you from accidentally performing device duty
calculation with minimum short circuit current.
Calculation Method - IEC Standard

X/R for Peak Current
l Method A – Using the uniform ratio X/R in calculating the peak current
l Method B – Using the X/R ratio at the short circuit location in calculating the peak current
l Method C – Using equivalent frequency in calculating the peak current
Protective Device Duty – IEC Standard

You can select either the bus total fault current or the maximum current through a protective device to compare against protective device duty.
Based on Total Bus Fault Current

Check this box to use the total bus fault current to compare against protective device rating for all protective device ratings. The High Voltage Circuit Breakers (HV CB)
flagged as generators are treated accordingly only in ANSI short circuit calculations. For an IEC short circuit these are still considered as non-generator HV CB (the
generator HV CB only applies under ANSI Standards).
Based on Maximum Through Fault Current
Check this box to use the maximum through fault current to compare against protective device rating. The maximum through fault current is determined as the larger value
between the fault current contribution through a protective device and the total bus fault current minus the contribution through the device.
The rated current of a generator and full load current of a motor are not considered in determining maximum through fault current due to the difference in short circuit
calculation methods between ANSI and IEC Standards.
Report Breaking Duty vs. CB Time Delay

In the IEC Device Duty calculation, this option will report a list of breaking currents for a number of different delay times in the individual fault calculation result page of
the Crystal Report. You can select to display the breaking duty based on the total fault current or based on the maximum through fault current.
The breaking duty is not directly associated with any protective device, therefore the total bus fault current and the maximum through fault current options below this check
box are independent of the option selected for the “Protective Device Duty”.
LVCB Breaking – IEC Standard

This group allows you to specify what LV CB breaking current rating is used to compare against the calculated fault current.
Use Ics
If this option is selected, ETAP will use the rated short circuit service breaking capacity (kA) to compare against the calculated breaking current by the IEC Duty (909)
Short-Circuit module.
Use Icu
If this option is selected, ETAP will use the rated short circuit ultimate breaking capacity (kA) to compare against the calculated breaking current by the IEC Duty (909)
short circuit program.
Cmax for Z Adjustment (<1000 V)

This group allows you to specify which constant value to use in the calculation of the K correction factors used to adjust the impedance of devices like transformers and
generators.
1.05 (+6% V Tolerance)

Use cmax = 1.05 for calculating the impedance correction factors for systems with 6% Voltage Tolerance.
1.1 (+10% V Tolerance)

Use cmax = 1.1 for calculating the impedance correction factors for systems with 10% Voltage Tolerance.
Note: These constants are not used as c Factors for the adjustment of the prefault voltage. They are only used to calculate the impedance adjustment (i.e. Kt, Kg, etc)
Zero Sequence MDL – ANSI, IEC, and GOST Standard

Include Y for Branch and Static Load
This option allows you to consider the effect of zero-sequence capacitances of lines and cables as well as shunt admittances of distinct static load elements. Y is considered
by ANSI, IEC and GOST LG and LLG short-circuit calculations. This means that if a cable has a susceptance value specified under the Y field (impedance page), ETAP
will convert this value into the zero sequence capacitance and consider it in the calculation of 3Io.
CableR Adjustment for SC Current – GOST Standard

This section provides options for adjustment on cable resistance for short-circuit current when a minimum short-circuit current calculation is conducted.
Uniform Factor: C = 1.5

Select a fixed factor of 1.5 to adjust cable resistance for minimum short-circuits calculations.
Standard Curves
The adjustment factor is calculated based on the curves provided in the low voltage system short-circuit standard, Annex 2 based on short-circuit time and time of cables.
These curves calculate cable resistance adjustment factor for minimum short-circuit calculations.
Uniform SC Current Duration – This field has 4 values: 0.2, 0.6, 1.0 & 1.5 second. The user can
select a short-circuit time for resistance adjustment for all cables
Apply to System above 20 kV or Bus Equivalent X/R >= 3 (For Future Release of ETAP)
If this option is not checked, the cable R adjustment for SC current will only be applied to system with kV <= 20 kV and X/R < 3. If checked, it will apply to whole system.
HV System – GOST Standard

This section provides options for determining method for system X/R, surge factor and complex load model.
Ta calculated as based on:
l Zeq – equivalent Z at fault location for complex systems.

l Req Xeq – separate R and X networks for complex systems.
l Zeq@40%Freq – equivalent Z at fault location under 40% of rated system frequency for complex systems.
Lump Load Model – GOST Standard

User-Defined Z
Use lump (complex) load impedance from lump load editor.
Per Standard
Use typical lump (complex) load impedance and internal voltage as per Table 2 of standard.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Arc Flash Method Page - Short-Circuit Study Case Editor

The Arc Flash Method page allows you to select the analysis method and study case options to perform an Arc Flash Analysis. This page will be discussed in more detail in
the Arc Flash Analysis chapter.
Arc Flash Page
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
AF FCT Page - Short Circuit Study Case Editor

The Arc Flash FCT page allows the user to set the options for determining the FCT (Fault Clearing Time) for arc faults. This page will be discussed in more detail in the Arc
Flash Analysis chapter.
AF FCT Page
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
AF Data Page - Short Circuit Study Case Editor

The Arc Flash Data page allows the user to set the options for the selection of global or individual AF input data for the calculation. Also select a global selection for the
standard that defines the hazard risk categories and PPE ratings you want to use for the arc flash study. This page will be discussed in more detail in the Arc Flash Analysis
chapter.
AF Data Page
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Adjustment Page - Short Circuit Study Case Editor

The Adjustments page of the short circuit study case applies to both ANSI and IEC Standards. This page contains different types of adjustments to conductor resistance,
cable length, transformer impedance, and others.
Impedance Tolerance
This group allows you to consider tolerance adjustments to equipment resistance and impedance. Each tolerance adjustment can be applied based on the individual
equipment percent tolerance setting or based on a globally specified percent value.
Transformer Impedance Adjustment

This adjustment is applied to the transformer impedance. The adjustment includes positive, negative, and zero sequence impedance depending on the type of fault being
performed (3-Phase or LG, LLG, and LL). The net effect of the transformer impedance adjustment in short circuit calculations is to decrease the impedance by the specified
percent tolerance value. For example, if the transformer impedance is 12% and the tolerance is 10%, the adjusted impedance used in the short circuit calculation will be
10.8% resulting in a higher fault current.
The impedance adjustment can be applied to individual transformers by using the tolerance percent value specified in the Transformer Editor Rating page. A global
transformer impedance adjustment can be specified as well by selecting and specifying a global tolerance other than 0% in the corresponding field of short circuit Study
Case Editor Adjustment page. The global impedance adjustment overrides any individual transformer tolerance value.
Reactor Impedance Adjustment

This adjustment is applied to the reactor impedance. The Short-Circuit module reduces the reactor impedance by the specified percent tolerance resulting in smaller
impedance and consequently a higher fault current. For example, if the impedance of the reactor is 0.1 Ohm and its tolerance is 5%, then the adjusted reactor resistance used
in the short circuit calculation is 0.095 Ohm.
The impedance adjustment can be applied to individual reactors by using the tolerance percent value specified in the Reactor Editor Rating page. A global Reactor
Impedance Adjustment can be specified as well by selecting and specifying a global tolerance other than 0% in the corresponding field of short circuit Study Case Editor
Adjustment page. The global impedance adjustment overrides any individual reactor tolerance value.
Overload Heater Resistance Adjustment

This adjustment is applied to the overload heater (OH) resistance. The Short-Circuit module reduces the OH resistance by the specified percent tolerance resulting in smaller
resistance and consequently a higher fault current. For example, if the resistance of the OH is 0.1 Ohm and its tolerance is 5%, then the adjusted OH resistance used in the
short circuit calculation is 0.095 Ohm.
The Resistance Adjustment can be applied to individual overload heaters by using the tolerance percent value specified in the Overload heaters Editor Rating page. A global
Overload Heater Resistance Adjustment can be specified as well by selecting and specifying a global tolerance other than 0% in the corresponding field of Short Circuit
Study Case Editor Adjustment page. The global Resistance Adjustment overrides any individual overload heater tolerance value.
The adjustments only apply if the “Cable/OL Heater” option is selected for MV and/or LV motors.
Synchronous Machine Direct-Axis Subtransient Reactance (X” ) Adjustment

d
The direct-axis subtransient reactance (X”d) for a synchronous generator or a synchronous motor will always be adjusted by the X”d tolerance value entered in the
Impedance/Model page of the machine editor. The Short-Circuit module reduces the X”d value by the specified percent tolerance resulting in smaller impedance and
consequently a higher fault current. For example, if the X”d value is 10% and its tolerance is 5%, then the adjusted X”d value used in the short circuit calculation is 9.5%.
Impedance Tolerance for IEC Minimum Short circuit current Calculation

In general, in order to calculate a more conservative (higher) short circuit current, the impedance tolerance value is taken as a negative value, resulting in a smaller
impedance value. However, in IEC short circuit current calculation, if the Min option is selected in the Short circuit current group of the Standard page, the impedance
tolerance value will be taken as a positive value. This leads to a larger impedance value and lower short circuit current.
Length Tolerance
This group allows you to consider tolerance adjustments to cable and transmission line length. Each tolerance adjustment can be applied based on the individual equipment
percent tolerance setting or based on a globally specified percent value.
Cable Length Adjustment
This adjustment is applied to the cable length. The Short-Circuit module reduces the cable length by the specified percent tolerance resulting in smaller impedance and
consequently a higher fault current. For example, if the length of the cable is 200 ft. and the tolerance is 5%, then the adjusted cable length used in the short circuit
calculation is 190 ft.
The Length Adjustment can be applied to individual cables by using the tolerance percent value specified in the Cable Editor Info page. A global Cable Length Adjustment
can be specified as well by selecting and specifying a global tolerance other than 0% in the corresponding field of Short Circuit Study Case Editor Adjustment page. The
global Length Adjustment overrides any individual cable tolerance value.
Transmission Line Length Adjustment

This adjustment is applied to the transmission line length. The Short-Circuit module reduces the transmission line length by the specified percent tolerance resulting in
smaller impedance and consequently a higher fault current. For example, if the length of the transmission line is 2 miles and the tolerance is 2.5%, then the adjusted
transmission line length used in the short circuit calculation is 1.95 miles.
The Length Adjustment can be applied to individual lines by using the tolerance percent value specified in the Transmission Line Editor Info page. A global Transmission
Line Length Adjustment can be specified as well by selecting and specifying a global tolerance other than 0% in the corresponding field of Short Circuit Study Case Editor
Adjustment page. The global Length Adjustment overrides any individual transmission line tolerance value.
Length Tolerance for IEC Minimum Short circuit current Calculation

In general, in order to calculate a more conservative (higher) short circuit current, the length tolerance value is taken as a negative value, resulting in shorter length.
However, in IEC short circuit current calculation, if the Min option is selected in the Short circuit current group of the Standard page, the length tolerance value will be
taken as a positive value. This leads to longer length and lower short circuit current.
Resistance Temperature Correction

This group allows you to consider resistance correction based on the minimum operating temperature for cable and transmission line conductors. Each temperature
resistance correction can be applied based on the individual cable/line minimum temperature setting or based on a globally specified value.
Resistance Temperature Correction for Transmission Line Resistance

This adjustment is applied to the transmission line conductor resistance. The Short-Circuit module adjusts the conductor resistance based on the minimum operating
temperature. If the minimum operating temperature is less than the rated base temperature of the conductor, then the resistance is reduced.
The temperature correction can be applied to individual lines by using the minimum operating temperature value specified in the Transmission Line Editor Impedance page.
A global temperature correction can be specified as well by selecting and specifying a global minimum temperature value in the corresponding field of Short Circuit Study
Case Editor Adjustment page. The global temperature correction value overrides any individual Transmission Line Impedance page minimum temperature. Please refer to
the Transmission Line Editor Impedance page section in Chapter 11, AC Elements.
Resistance Temperature Correction for Cable Resistance

This adjustment is applied to the cable conductor resistance. The Short-Circuit module adjusts the conductor resistance based on the minimum operating temperature. If the
minimum operating temperature is less than the rated base temperature of the conductor, then its resistance is reduced.
The temperature correction can be applied to individual cables by using the minimum operating temperature value specified in the Cable Editor Impedance page. A global
temperature correction can be specified as well by selecting and specifying a global minimum temperature value in the corresponding field of short circuit Study Case Editor
Adjustment page. The global temperature correction value overrides any individual Cable Impedance Page minimum temperature. Please refer to the Cable Editor
Impedance page section in Chapter 11, AC Elements.
Resistance Temperature Correction for IEC Minimum Short circuit current Calculation
In general, in order to calculate a more conservative (higher) short circuit current, the resistance temperature correction is conducted according to the minimum operating
temperature, resulting in a smaller resistance value. However, in IEC short circuit current calculation, if the Min option is selected in the Short circuit current section of the
Standard page, the resistance temperature correction will be conducted according to the maximum operating temperature. This leads to a higher resistance value and lower
short circuit current.
Fault Zf
You may consider fault impedance in the unbalance fault calculations. In this section, you specify the fault impedance to be applied to all the faulted buses. Depending on
the type of faults applied to a bus, the specified fault impedance is assumed to be between locations as given below:
For a line-to-ground fault, the fault impedance is assumed to be between phase A and the ground.
For a line-to-line fault, the fault impedance is assumed to be between phase A and phase B.
For a line-to-line-to-ground fault, the fault impedance is assumed to be between the ground and the short circuit point between phases A and B.
Include Fault Impedance Zf

Check this box to include fault impedance in the calculation. You can enter fault impedance in the editor box below.
Fault Impedance Unit

You can enter the fault impedance in either Ohms or percent. If the Ohm option is selected, the values in the R and X editor boxes are in Ohms. If you select the Percent
option, the values in the R and X editor boxes are in percent based on 100 MVA and the nominal kV of the faulted bus.
R and X
In these two editor boxes, you enter the fault impedance in either Ohms or percent, depending on the fault impedance unit selected. These values apply to all the faulted
buses.
Apply Positive Tolerance and Max. Temperature for ANSI Minimum Short-Circuit Calculation & Arc Flash
This check box option sets the impedance tolerance, length tolerance and resistance temperature impedance corrections as positive adjustments instead of negative. This
option is considered only when you run the Minimum short-circuit calculation for ANSI standards. The net effect of this option on the calculation results is to increase the
impedance/resistance of the elements in order to find the true minimum short-circuit current. Refer to Chapter 18 under the section for Short-Circuit Study Case for the
effect of this option on Arc Flash calculations.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Alert Page - Short-Circuit Study Case Editor

The Alert page allows you to set up alerts on short circuit calculation results. The objective is to alert you to certain conditions of interest in short circuit studies. The alerts
are determined based on predetermined device ratings and system topology after performing a short circuit calculation
Alert
There are two categories of alerts generated by the short circuit calculations: Critical and Marginal. The difference between the two is their use of different condition percent
values for the same monitored parameter. If a condition for a Critical Alert is met, then an alert will be generated in the alert view window and the overloaded element will
turn red in the one-line diagram. The same is true for Marginal Alerts, with the exception that the overloaded component will be displayed in the color magenta. Also, the
Marginal Alerts check box must be selected to display the Marginal Alerts. If a device alert qualifies it for both Critical and Marginal alerts, then only Critical Alerts are
displayed.
Bus Alert
Short circuit simulation alerts for buses are designed to monitor crest, symmetrical, and asymmetrical bracing conditions. These conditions are determined from bus rating
values and short circuit analysis results. The percent of monitored parameter value in the Short Circuit Study Case Alert page is fixed at 100% for Critical Short Circuit
Alerts. The Marginal alert percent value is user-defined.
Protective Device Alert

The set up of protective device simulation alerts is similar to that of bus alerts. You can enter the monitored parameter percent values for Marginal Alerts into the Short
Circuit Study Case editor alert set up page; however, this value is fixed to 100% for critical level alerts.
For all protective devices the current rating will be compared against the maximum through fault current or the total bus fault current depending on the selection in the
protective device duty in the short circuit study case standards page.
Marginal Device Limit

ETAP flags all protective devices whose momentary and interrupting duties exceed their capabilities by displaying the element in red on the one-line diagram and flagging it
in the output report. Select the Marginal Device Limit option and specify the marginal limit in percent of the device capability to flag devices with marginal capabilities.
For example, consider a circuit breaker with an interrupting rating of 42 kA and a calculated short circuit duty of 41 kA. The capability of this circuit breaker is not
exceeded; however, if the marginal device limit is set to 95%, the circuit breaker will be flagged in the output report and will be displayed in purple in the one-line diagram
as a device with marginal capability.
Auto Display
The Auto Display feature of the Short Circuit Study Case Editor Alert page allows you to decide if the Alert View window should be automatically displayed as soon as the
short circuit calculation is completed.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Display Options - Short-Circuit

The Short Circuit Analysis Display Options consist of a Results page and three pages for AC, AC-DC, and Color information annotations. The colors and displayed
annotations selected for each study are specific to that study.
Display Options Pages:

AC Page
AC-DC Page
DC Page
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Results Page
The Results page of the Display Options is where you select different result annotations to be displayed in the one-line diagram. Depending on short-circuit study type,
ANSI or IEC, this page gives you different options for 3-phase fault results. If the study type is ANSI Short-Circuit Analysis, you will see the Results page as shown below.
ANSI Page IEC Page GOST Page

If the study type is IEC Short-Circuit Analysis, the options in the 3-Phase Faults section are Peak or Initial Symmetrical rms current. The rest of the groups are the same as
that for the ANSI Short-Circuit Analysis.
If the study type is GOST Short-Circuit Analysis, the options in the 3-Phase Faults section are Initial Periodic current, Surge current, or both Surge and Initial Periodic
currents in kA. The rest of the groups are the same as that for the ANSI Short-Circuit Analysis.
Show Units
Check the box to show units for voltage and current on the one-line diagram.
Bus Voltage Unit

Select bus voltage display units in kV or in percent. Bus voltages are only displayed when you fault one bus in the system.
Fault Current for Device Duty Calculations

Select which 3-phase fault current values are displayed on the one-line diagram. The ETAP Short-Circuit module provides results on the OLD when running the Duty ½ and
1.5 to 4 cycle calculations.
Symmetrical ½ Cycle or Symmetrical 1.5 to 4 Cycle kA

For the ANSI short circuit method (3-phase faults), select momentary (symmetrical 1/2 cycle) or interrupting symmetrical (symmetrical 1.5 to 4 cycle) kA to be displayed
on the one-line diagram.
Peak or Initial Symmetrical kA

For the IEC short circuit method (3-phase faults), select peak or initial symmetrical rms kA to be displayed on the one-line diagram.
Initial Periodic or Surge kA

For the GOST Short-Circuit Method (3-phase faults), select initial periodic rms kA or surge kA to be displayed on the one-line diagram.
Fault Type for Unbalanced Fault Calculations

After conducting an unbalanced fault calculation, the Fault Type section allows you to select the type of fault for which the short-circuit results to be displayed. You have
the option to display results in sequence components or in phases.
3-Phase
In a three phase fault, the fault current for all phase are the same. In this case, ETAP displays the phase A current in OLV.
L-G
When the Line-to-Ground fault type is selected, there are three options for the fault results to be displayed: voltage on phase B and zero sequence current, sequence voltage
and current, and phase voltage and current.
L-L and L-L-G
When the Line-to-Line or Line-to-Line-to-Ground fault type is selected, there are three options for the fault results to be displayed: voltage on phase A and zero sequence
current, sequence voltage and current, and phase voltage and current.
Display Motor Contributions

Medium Voltage Motor
Select this option to display short circuit current contributions from medium voltage motors (more than 1kV) on the one-line diagram.
Large Low Voltage Motor

Select this option to display short circuit current contributions from large low voltage motors (motor sizes equal to or larger than 100 hp or kW) on the one-line diagram.
Small Low Voltage Motor

Select this option to display short circuit current contributions from small low voltage motors (motor sizes smaller than 100 hp or kW) on the one-line diagram.
Display Options Pages:

AC Page
AC-DC Page
DC Page
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

ETAP provides two short circuit calculation methods based on ANSI/IEEE and IEC Standards. You can select the calculation method from the Short Circuit Study Case
Editor. This section describes the ANSI/IEEE standard method of calculation.
Standard Compliance
ETAP short circuit calculation per ANSI/IEEE Standards fully complies with the latest ANSI/IEEE and UL Standards, as listed below:
Standard Pub. Year Title

IEEE C37.04 1979 (1988)
IEEE C37.04f 1990 Standard Rating Structure for AC High-Voltage Circuit
IEEE C37.04g 1986 Breakers Rated on a Symmetrical Current Basis and
IEEE C37.04h 1990 Supplements
IEEE C37.04i 1991
IEEE C37.04 1999
IEEE C37.010 1979, 1988, 1999
IEEE Application Guide for AC High-Voltage Circuit
IEEE C37.010b 1985
Breakers Rated on a Symmetrical Basis and supplements
IEEE C37.010e 1985
IEEE C37.010 1999
Standard for Low-Voltage AC Power Circuit Breakers
1990
IEEE C37.13 Used in Enclosures
Standard for AC High-Voltage Generator Circuit

IEEE C37.013 1997 Breakers Rated on a Symmetrical Current Basis
Standard for Metal Enclosed Low-Voltage Power Circuit

IEEE C37.20.1 2002 Breaker Switchgear
Power System Analysis – the Brown Book

IEEE Std 399 1990 & 1997
Electric Power Distribution for Industrial Plants – the Red
IEEE Std 141 1986, 1993, 2002 Book
IEEE Recommended Practice for Protection and

IEEE Std 242 1986 & 2001 Coordination of Industrial and Commercial Power
Systems – the Buff Book
Standard for Safety for Molded-Case Circuit Breakers,
UL 489_9 1996, 2000, 2002 Molded-Case Switches, and Circuit-Breaker Enclosures
General Description of Calculation Methodology

In ANSI/IEEE short circuit calculations, an equivalent voltage source at the fault location, which equals the prefault voltage at the location, replaces all external voltage
sources and machine internal voltage sources.
All machines are represented by their internal impedances. Line capacitances and static loads are neglected. Transformer taps can be set at either the nominal position or at
the tapped position, and different schemes are available to correct transformer impedance and system voltages if off-nominal tap setting exists. It is assumed that for 3-phase
fault, the fault is bolted. Therefore, arc resistances are not considered. You can specify fault impedance in the Short Circuit Study Case for single-phase to ground fault.
System impedances are assumed to be balanced 3-phase, and the method of symmetrical components is used for unbalanced fault calculations.
Three different impedance networks are formed to calculate momentary, interrupting, and steady-state short circuit currents, and corresponding duties for various protective
devices. These networks are: ½ cycle network (subtransient network), 1.5-4 cycle network (transient network), and 30 cycle network (steady-state network).
ANSI/IEEE Standards recommend the use of separate R and X networks to calculate X/R values. An X/R ratio is obtained for each individual faulted bus and short circuit
current. This X/R ratio is then used to determine the multiplying factor to account for the system DC offset.
Using the ½ cycle and 1.5-4 cycle networks, the symmetrical rms value of the momentary and interrupting short circuit currents are solved first. These values are then
multiplied by appropriate multiplying factors to finally obtain the asymmetrical value of the momentary and interrupting short circuit currents.
Definition of Terms
The following terms are helpful in understanding short circuit calculations using ANSI/IEEE standards.
½ Cycle Network
This is the network used to calculate momentary short circuit current and protective device duties at the ½ cycle after the fault. The following table shows the type of device
and its associated duties using the ½ cycle network.
Type of Device Duty

High voltage circuit breaker Closing and latching capability
Low voltage circuit breaker Interrupting capability
Fuse Interrupting capability
Switchgear and MCC Bus bracing
Relay Instantaneous settings
½ Cycle Network Duty
The ½ cycle network is also referred to as the subtransient network, primarily because all rotating machines are represented by their subtransient reactance, as shown in the
following table:
Type of Machine Xsc

Utility X”
Turbo generator Xd”
Hydro-generator with amortisseur winding Xd”
Hydro-generator without amortisseur winding 0.75 Xd’
Condenser Xd”
Synchronous motor Xd”
Induction Machine
> 1000 hp @ 1800 rpm or less Xd”
> 250 hp @ 3600 rpm Xd”
All other > 50 hp 1.2 Xd”
< 50 hp 1.67 Xd”
½ Cycle Network Impedance
(Xd” = 1/LRC for induction motors)
1½-4 Cycle Network

This network is used to calculate the interrupting short circuit current and protective device duties 1.5-4 cycles after the fault. The following table shows the type of device
and its associated duties using the 1.5-4 cycle network.
Type of Device Duty

High voltage circuit breaker Interrupting capability
Low voltage circuit breaker N/A
Fuse N/A
Switchgear and MCC N/A
Relay N/A
1.5-4 Cycle Network Duty
The 1.5-4 cycle network is also referred to as the transient network. The type of rotating machine and its representation is shown in the following table:
Type of Machine Xsc

Utility X”
Turbo generator Xd”
Hydro-generator with amortisseur winding Xd”
Hydro-generator without amortisseur winding 0.75 Xd’
Condenser Xd”
Synchronous motor 1.5 Xd”
Induction machine
> 1000 hp @ 1800 rpm or less 1.5 Xd”
> 250 hp @ 3600 rpm 1.5 Xd”
All other > 50 hp 3.0 Xd”
< 50 hp Infinity
1.5-4 Cycle Network Impedances
(Xd” = 1/LRC for induction motors)
30 Cycle Network
This is the network used to calculate the steady-state short circuit current and duties for some of the protective devices 30 cycles after the fault. The following table shows
the type of device and its associated duties using the 30 cycle network:
Type of Device Duty

High voltage circuit breaker N/A
Low voltage circuit breaker N/A
Fuse N/A
Switchgear and MCC N/A
Relay Overcurrent settings
30 cycle Network Duty
The type of rotating machine and its representation in the 30 cycle network is shown in the following table. Induction machines, synchronous motors, and condensers are not
considered in the 30 cycle fault calculation.
Type of Machine Xsc

Utility X”
Turbo generator Xd’
Hydro-generator with amortisseur winding Xd’
Hydro-generator without amortisseur winding Xd’
Condenser Infinity
Synchronous motor Infinity
Induction machine Infinity
30 Cycle Network Impedance
ANSI Multiplying Factor

The ANSI multiplying factor is determined by the equivalent system X/R ratio at a particular fault location. The X/R ratio is calculated by the separate R and X networks.
Local and Remote Contributions

A local contribution to a short circuit current is the portion of the short circuit current fed predominately from generators through no more than one transformation, or with
external reactance in a series, which is less than 1.5 times the generator subtransient reactance. Otherwise the contribution is defined as remote.
No AC Decay (NACD) Ratio

The NACD ratio is defined as the remote contributions to the total contributions for the short circuit current at a given location.
l Total short circuit current Itotal = Iremote + Ilocal
l NACD = 0 if all contributions are local.

l NACD = 1 if all contributions are remote.
Momentary (1/2 Cycle) Short Circuit Current Calc. (Buses and HVCB)
The momentary short circuit current at the ½ cycle represents the highest or maximum value of the short circuit current before its AC and DC components decay toward the
steady-state value. Although the highest or maximum short circuit current actually occurs slightly before the ½ cycle in reality, the ½ cycle network is used for this
calculation.
The following procedure is used to calculate momentary short circuit current:
1. Calculate the symmetrical rms value of momentary short circuit current using the following formula:
where Zeq is the equivalent impedance at the faulted bus from the ½ cycle network.
2. Calculate the asymmetrical rms value of momentary short-circuit current using the following formula:
where MFm is the momentary multiplying factor, calculated from
3. Calculate the peak value of momentary short-circuit current using the following formula:
where MFp is the peak multiplying factor, calculated from
This value is the calculated Asymmetrical kA Crest printed in the Momentary Duty column of the Momentary Duty page in the output report.
In both equations for MFm and MFp calculation, X/R is the ratio of X to R at the fault location obtained from separate X and R networks at ½ cycle.
The value of the fault current calculated by this method can be used for the following purposes:
l Check closing and latching capabilities of high voltage circuit breakers
l Check bus bracing capabilities
l Adjust relay instantaneous settings
l Check interrupting capabilities of fuses and low voltage circuit breakers
High Voltage Circuit Breaker Interrupting Duty Calculation

The interrupting fault currents for high voltage circuit breakers correspond to the 1½-4 cycle short-circuit currents, i.e., the 1½-4 cycle network is used for this calculation.
Contact Parting Time

The magnitude of the DC component of the short circuit current is dependent on the contact parting time of the individual circuit breaker. On the Rating page of High
Voltage Circuit Breaker editor, you can specify the contact parting time for a circuit breaker. If the C37.010-1999 option is selected on the Standard page of the Short
Circuit Study Case, then the contact parting time entered in the High Voltage Circuit Breaker editor will be used in the calculation.
If the C37.010-1979 and Older option is selected, then the default contact parting time given in the following table will be used. The default contact parting time is
dependent on the rated cycle of the circuit breaker. In this case, the contact parting time entered in the High Voltage Circuit Breaker editor will be ignored in the calculation.
Circuit Breaker Contact Parting

Rating in Cycles Time in Cycles
8 4
5 3
3 2
2 1.5
S Factor
The S Factor reflects the ability of a symmetrically rated high voltage circuit breaker to interrupt a fault current with a DC component. It is defined as the ratio of
asymmetrical interrupting rms rating over symmetrical interrupting rms rating of a circuit breaker.
If the C37.010-1999 option is selected on the Standard page of Short Circuit Study Case, the S Factor for a symmetrically rated circuit breaker is calculated using the contact
parting time entered in the High Voltage Circuit Breaker editor and the standard time constant for the DC component provided in IEEE Standards. According to IEEE
Standard C37.10-1999, the time constant is equal to 45 ms for an AC high voltage circuit breaker rated on a symmetrical current basis. According to IEEE Standard
C37.013-1997, the time constant is equal to 133 ms for an AC high voltage generator circuit breaker rated on a symmetrical current basis. The calculated S Factor is also
displayed on the Rating page of the High Voltage Circuit Breaker editor.
If the C37.010-1979 and Older option is selected, the default S factor given in the following table will be used. The default S Factor is dependent on the rated cycle of the
circuit breaker. In this case, the S Factor displayed in the High Voltage Circuit Breaker Editor will not be used in the calculation.
Circuit Breaker
Contact Parting Time S Factor
4 1.0
3 1.1
2 1.2
1.5 1.3
S Factor for AC High Voltage Circuit Breaker
Rated on a Symmetrical Current Basis
Calculation Procedure
The following procedure is used to calculate the interrupting short circuit current for high voltage circuit breakers:
1. Calculate the symmetrical rms value of the interrupting short circuit current using the following formula:
where Zeq is the equivalent impedance at the faulted bus from the 1½-4 cycle network.
2. Calculate the short-circuit current contributions to the fault location from the surrounding buses.
3. If the contribution is from a Remote bus, the symmetrical value is corrected by the factor of MFr, calculated from
where t is the circuit breaker contact parting time in cycles.
The following table shows the Multiplying Factors for Remote Contributions (MFr) for default contact parting time
8 Cycle CB 5 Cycle CB 3 Cycle CB 2 Cycle CB

X/R Ratio (4 cy CPT) (3 cy CPT) (2 cy CPT) (1.5 cy CPT)
100 1.487 1.540 1.599 1.63
90 1.464 1.522 1.585 1.619
80 1.438 1.499 1.569 1.606
70 1.405 1.472 1.548 1.59
60 1.366 1.438 1.522 1.569
50 1.316 1.393 1.487 1.54

45 1.286 1.366 1.464 1.522
40 1.253 1.334 1.438 1.499
35 1.215 1.297 1.405 1.472
30 1.172 1.253 1.366 1.438
25 1.126 1.201 1.316 1.393

20 1.078 1.142 1.253 1.334
18 1.059 1.116 1.223 1.305
16 1.042 1.091 1.190 1.271
14 1.027 1.066 1.154 1.233
12 1.015 1.042 1.116 1.190

10 1.007 1.023 1.078 1.142
9 1.004 1.015 1.059 1.116
8 1.002 1.009 1.042 1.091
7 1.001 1.005 1.027 1.066
6 1.000 1.002 1.015 1.042

5 1.000 1.00. 1.007 1.023
4 1.000 1.000 1.002 1.009
3 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.002
2 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
1 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
MFr, Remote Contributions Multiplying Factors; Total Current Basis CBs
If the contribution is from a Local generator, the symmetrical value is corrected by the factor of MFl, which is obtained from: ANSI/IEEE C37.010, Application Guide for
AC High-Voltage. Since the standard only provides curves for several typical contact parting time values, if a curve exists for the contact parting time of a circuit breaker,
the factor MFl will be obtained from the curve. Otherwise, the two curves with closest contact parting time values, one on each side, will be used to interpolate MFl. In the
High Voltage Circuit Breaker editor, you can only enter a contact parting time that is within the range limited by the curves available in the standard. This ensures that MFl
will only be calculated by means of interpolation on available curves, not extrapolation.
8 Cycle CB 5 Cycle CB 3 Cycle CB 2 Cycle CB

X/R Ratio (4 cy CPT) (3 cy CPT) (2 cy CPT) (1.5 cy CPT)
100 1.252 1.351 1.443 1.512
90 1.239 1.340 1.441 1.511
80 1.222 1.324 1.435 1.508
70 1.201 1.304 1.422 1.504
60 1.175 1.276 1.403 1.496
50 1.141 1.241 1.376 1.482

45 1.121 1.220 1.358 1.473
40 1.098 1.196 1.337 1.461
35 1.072 1.169 1.313 1.446
30 1.044 1.136 1.283 1.427
25 1.013 1.099 1.247 1.403

20 1.000 1.057 1.201 1.371
18 1.000 1.039 1.180 1.356
16 1.000 1.021 1.155 1.339
14 1.000 1.003 1.129 1.320
12 1.000 1.000 1.099 1.299

10 1.000 1.000 1.067 1.276
9 1.000 1.000 1.051 1.263
8 1.000 1.000 1.035 1.250
7 1.000 1.000 1.019 1.236
6 1.000 1.000 1.005 1.221

5 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.205
4 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.188
3 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.170
2 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.152
1 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.132
MFl, Local Contributions Multiplying Factors; Total Current Basis CBs
4. Calculate the total remote contributions and total local contribution, and thus the NACD ratio.
5. Determine the actual multiplying factor (AMFi) from the NACD ratio and calculate the adjusted rms value of interrupting short-circuit current using the following
formula.
Iint,rms,adj = AMFi Iint,rms,symm

where
AMFi = MFl + NACD (MFr – MFl)
6. For symmetrically rated breakers, the adjusted rms value of interrupting short-circuit current is calculated using the following formula.
where the correction factor S reflects an inherent capability of ac high voltage circuit breakers, which are rated on a symmetrical current basis.
The value of this current is applied to check high voltage circuit breaker interrupting capabilities.
For AC high voltage circuit breakers rated on a total current basis, the interrupting current rating entered in the circuit breaker editor is the asymmetrical value. The short-
circuit current used to compare against the circuit breaker rating can be calculated by the same formula given above with the S value equal to 1.0.
Low Voltage Circuit Breaker Interrupting Duty Calculation

Due to the instantaneous action of low voltage circuit breakers at maximum short-circuit values, the ½ cycle network is used for calculating the interrupting short-circuit
current.
The following procedure is used to calculate the interrupting short-circuit current for low voltage circuit breakers:
1. Calculate the symmetrical rms value of the interrupting short-circuit current from the following formula.
where Zeq is the equivalent impedance at the faulted bus from the ½ cycle network.
2. Calculate the adjusted asymmetrical rms value of the momentary short-circuit current duty using the following formula:
where MF is the multiplying factor, considering the system X/R ratio and the low voltage circuit breaker testing power factors.
The following equation is used to calculate the multiplication factor for an unfused power, a molded, or an insulated circuit breaker when the Based on Peak Current option
is selected in the Short Circuit Study Case:
The following equation is used to calculate the multiplication factor for an fused power, a molded, or an insulated circuit breaker when the Based on Asymmetrical Current
option is selected in the Short Circuit Study Case:
Where (X/R)test is calculated based on the test power factor entered from the Low Voltage Circuit Breaker editor. The manufacturer maximum testing power factors
given in the following table are used as the default values:
Max Design (Tested)

Circuit Breaker Type % PF (X/R)test
Power Breaker (Unfused) 15 6.59
Power Breaker (Fused) 20 4.90
Molded Case (Rated Over 20,000 A) 20 4.90
Molded Case (Rated 10,001-20,000 A) 30 3.18
Molded Case (Rated 10,000 A) 50 1.73
Maximum Test PF for Low Voltage Circuit Breaker
The calculated duty value Iint,rms,adj can be applied to low voltage breaker interrupting capabilities.
If the calculated multiplication factor is less than 1, it is set to 1 so that the symmetrical fault current is compared against the symmetrical rating of the device. If the
symmetrical fault current is less than the symmetrical rating of the device, the checking on asymmetrical current will certainly pass.
Fuse Interrupting Short Circuit Current Calculation

The procedures for calculating the fuse interrupting short circuit current is the same as those for the Circuit Breaker Interrupting Duty calculation. Note that the current
limiting effect of certain devices like current limiting fuses or circuit breakers is not considered for short-circuit calculations or for device duty evaluations.
Comparison of Device Rating and Short-Circuit Duty

ETAP compares the rating of protective devices and bus bars with the fault duties of the bus. The comparison results are listed in the summary page of the output report. The
device rating and fault duty used in the comparison are shown below.
Calculated
Device Type Device Capability
Short-Circuit Duty
Momentary Duty
HV Bus Bracing Asymm. kA rms Asymm. kA rms
Asymm. kA Crest Asymm. kA Crest
LV Bus Bracing Symm. kA rms Symm. kA rms
Asymm. kA rms Asymm. kA rms
HVCB C&L Capability kA rms Asymm. kA rms

C&L Capability kA Crest Asymm. kA Crest
Interrupting Duty
HVCB Interrupting kA*** Adjusted kA
LVCB Rated Interrupting kA Adjusted kA

Comparison of Device Rating and Short-Circuit Current Duty
*** The interrupting capability of a high voltage circuit breaker is calculated based on the nominal kV of the connected bus and the prefault voltage (Vf ) if the flag is set in
the Short Circuit Study Case, as shown below.
Interrupting kA = (Rated Int. kA) * (Rated Max. kV) / (Bus Nominal kV)
or
Interrupting kA = (Rated Int. kA) * (Rated Max. kV) / (Bus Nominal kV * Vf )
The calculated interrupting kA (as shown above) is then limited to the maximum interrupting kA of the circuit breaker.
Generator Circuit Breakers

Determination of Generator Circuit Breakers
In order for ETAP to evaluate a circuit breaker as a generator CB according to IEEE C37.013 1997, it must be associated with the corresponding generator by making the
selection from the rating page of the high voltage circuit breaker. Also, the generator CB must be directly connected to the generator or it must be located along the
connecting path between the generator and the unit step-up transformer (as shown in Figures A & B below).
Generator Circuit Breakers are only rated on a symmetrical current basis. In calculating the S factor, the standard time constant for the DC component specified in IEEE Std.
C37.013 1997 is 133 ms for a generator circuit breaker.
If a circuit breaker is connected in a configuration similar to that shown in Figure C below (Gen CB1), even if the circuit breaker is flagged as a generator circuit breaker in
the editor, the program evaluates the circuit breaker device duty as regular HVCBs. This method yields conservative results in most cases, but they are not as accurate as the
current per IEEE Std. C37.013 1997. Note that, for an HVCB assigned as a generator CB even if it is handled as a regular HVCB, the time constant will change to 133ms
and it is the value used in the calculation.
Short-Circuit Current Calculation for Generator Circuit Breakers

For a generator circuit breaker, ETAP calculates short-circuit current according to the guidelines specified in IEEE Std. C37.013 1997. The short-circuit duty calculated
includes symmetrical, asymmetrical, and peak kA for momentary and interrupting duty, as well as the DC kA and degree of asymmetry for interrupting duty.
For each circuit breaker, it determines short-circuit current when the system side is faulted (generator-source) and when the generator side is faulted (system-source). For
each fault location it calculates short-circuit current for three generator pre-fault loading conditions: full load at lagging power factor, full load at leading power factor and
no load. The lagging power factor is the generator rated power factor and the leading power factor can be set from the ETAP ini file. A default value of 95% is used for the
leading power factor. The calculation of short-circuit current for different loading conditions is necessary to reveal the worst possible fault current values. For example, for
the generator-source fault, the worst asymmetrical duty occurs under lagging load power factor condition, while the worst degree of asymmetry occurs under leading power
factor condition.
For a fault on the system side of the circuit breaker (generator-source), the short-circuit current through the circuit breaker is only from the generator. ETAP applies
generator full dynamic model in the short-circuit calculation, including transient and sub-transient impedance and time constant. This complete model captures the detailed
behavior of a generator under short-circuit, including both ac and dc current decay. Tests have shown that ETAP calculation at no load is within 1% of the value calculated
by hand in Annex C37.013-1997. ETAP is more accurate and more conservative than the hand calculations in the example based on the standard because ETAP does not
ignore the impedances removed from the equations given in the standard to simplify the hand calculations.
For a fault on the generator side (system-source), the system contribution is the only current flowing through the circuit breaker. The program uses the system side
symmetrical fault current and the X/R calculated based only on the system side to determine the asymmetrical current. The symmetrical closing and latching duty is
calculated based on the symmetrical and dc fault current at 1/2 cycle.
The plot below displays an asymmetrical generator source short-circuit current and the pattern is identical to the results shown in Figure A3 from C37.013-1997.
Panel/1-Ph UPS/1-Ph Subsystem Device Duty Short-Circuit Calculation

ETAP can perform device duty short-circuit calculations for 3-phase and 1-phase subsystems. These subsystems are defined as those connected to the output of a Panel, 1-
Phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or 1-phase elements connected below a phase adapter. ETAP performs these calculations if the options are selected on the Info
page of the Short-Circuit Study Case. The program faults every single bus in the subsystem and it displays the fault current at every bus in the subsystem.
3-Phase Panel Subsystems Short-circuit Current

3-phase subsystems can be connected below panels. These elements are just an extension of the regular 3-phase system and ETAP will perform the device duty for these
elements in similar fashion as if these elements were connected directly to the 3-phase system (i.e. without the 3-phase panel). However, The only differences are that the
short-circuit contributions from the motors in the subsystem are not considered. This simplification/method is acceptable since in real life applications the size of the motors
connected below 3-Phase panels are small and generally negligible in contributions to a fault.
The image below shows a 3-Phase panel subsystem with short-circuit results.
3-Ph Panel A and 3-Ph Panel B are similar buses. The image above shows both buses being faulted along with Panel1, Pnl A and Pnl B. Every location below (and
including) Panel1 are faulted when the “Run Panel/1-Ph UPS/1-Ph System Device Duty” button is pressed on the short-circuit toolbar. The program also determines which
device’ short-circuit ratings (momentary, interrupting, close and latch, etc) are exceeded and it generates warnings in the alert view window or on the one-line diagram by
changing the color of the overstressed device. This mechanism is similar to the regular 3-phase system alert system.
1-Phase Subsystems Short-circuit current

These systems are classified as those with the following phase types: A, B, C, AB, BC, CA, LL, L1, and L2 (center-tap 3-wire systems). The calculation method used by the
program to determine the short-circuit current depends on the type of connection and phase being faulted. The program considers the upstream contributions (from the 3-
phase system) towards the faulted elements in the 1-phase subsystem by considering the impedance networks of the 3-phase system (i.e. positive, negative and zero
sequence). The contributions from 1-phase motor loads connected in the 1-phase subsystem are not considered by the program. The following image shows examples of 1-
phase subsystem faults:
Low voltage Circuit Breaker Device Duty below Panel/1-P UPS/1Ph Subsystem
This calculation is similar to the one for LVCBs connected in a regular three phase system. The ½ cycle network short-circuit currents are used to evaluate the breaker
interrupting and momentary capability.
Low Voltage Fuse Device Duty below Panel/1-Ph UPS/1Ph Subsystem

This calculation is similar to the one for fuses connected in a regular three phase system. The ½ cycle network short-circuit currents are used to evaluate the fuse interrupting
capability.
Medium Voltage Circuit Breaker Device Duty in 3-Ph or 1-Ph Subsystem

The program uses the ½ cycle short-circuit current to determine the momentary and interrupting duty of medium voltage circuit breakers connected below Panels/UPS/1Ph
subsystems. The use of the ½ cycle currents for evaluating the interrupting capability should yield more conservative results for this device. This simplification is applicable
for both 3-phase and 1-phase medium voltage breakers. If more accuracy is needed, then the regular 3-phase short-circuit calculation can be used for 3-phase medium
voltage breakers instead.
Device Duty Evaluation on Protective Devices for Panel Internal Circuits

In Panel/1-PhUPS/1Ph Subsystem Device Duty Short-Circuit Calculation, device duty evaluation also includes protective devices for panel internal circuits. However, in
order for ETAP to carry out the device duty evaluation for an internal circuit, protective device parameters for the circuit must be selected from the ETAP library. This can
be done from the Protective Device subpage of the Schedule page of the Panel Editor.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

ETAP provides two short circuit calculation methods based on ANSI/IEEE and IEC Standards. You can select the calculation method from the Short Circuit Study Case
editor. This section describes the IEC Standard method of calculation.
Standard Compliance
ETAP short circuit calculation per IEC Standards fully complies with the latest IEC documentation as listed below:
Standard Pub. Year Title

High-voltage switchgear and controlgear – Part 100: High-voltage
IEC 62271-100 2003 alternating-current circuit breakers
High-voltage switchgear and controlgear – Part 200: AC metal-

enclosed switchgear and controlgear for rated voltages above 1 kV
IEC 62271-200 2003
and up to and including 52 kV
High-voltage switchgear and controlgear – Part 203: Gas-insulated

IEC 62271-203 2003 metal-enclosed switchgear for rated voltages above 52 kV
High-voltage fuses – Part2: Expulsion fuses

IEC 60282-2 1997
Electrical installations of ships and mobile and fixed offshore
units – Part 1: Procedures for calculating short-circuit currents in
IEC 61363-1 1998
three-phase a.c.
Short-Circuit Currents in Three-phase a.c. systems - Part 0:

Calculation of Currents (including 2002 corrigendum 1) for
IEC 60909-0 2001
systems up to 500kV.
Short-circuit currents in three-phase a.c. systems - Part 1: Factors

for the calculation of short-circuit currents according to IEC-
IEC 60909-1 2002
60909-0
Electrical equipment - Data for short-circuit current calculations in

IEC 60909-2 1992 accordance with IEC 909 (1988)
Short-circuit currents in three-phase a.c. systems Part 4: Examples

IEC 60909-4 2000 for the calculation of short-circuit currents
Low voltage switchgear and controlgear, Part 1: General rules

IEC 60947-1 2004
Low voltage switchgear and controlgear, Part 2: Circuit breakers
IEC 60947-2 2003
These standards are for short circuit calculation and equipment rating in AC systems operating at 50 Hz or 60 Hz. They cover 3-phase, line-to-ground, line-to-line, and line-
to-line-to-ground faults.
IEC 60909 and the associated standards classify short circuit currents according to their magnitudes (maximum and minimum) and fault distances from the generator (far
and near). Maximum short circuit currents determine equipment ratings, while minimum currents dictate protective device settings. Near-to-generator and far-from-
generator classifications determine whether or not to model the AC component decay in the calculation, respectively.
IEC 61363 Standard calculates the short circuit current as a function of time and displays its instantaneous values using the machine’s subtransient reactance and time
constants. This provides an accurate evaluation of the short circuit current for sizing protective devices and coordinating relays for isolated systems such as ships and
offshore platforms.
General Description of Calculation Methodology

In IEC short-circuit calculations, an equivalent voltage source at the fault location replaces all voltage sources. A voltage factor c is applied to adjust the value of the
equivalent voltage source for minimum and maximum current calculations.
All machines are represented by their internal impedances. Transformer taps can be set at either the nominal position or at an operating position, and different schemes are
available to correct transformer impedance and system voltages if off-nominal tap setting exists. System impedances are assumed to be balanced 3-phase, and the method of
symmetrical components is used for unbalanced fault calculations..
Zero sequence capacitances of transmission lines, cables and shunt admittances can be considered for unbalanced fault calculations (LG and LLG) if the option in the study
case is selected to include branch Y and static load. This means that the capacitances of static loads and branches are considered based on IEC 60909-0 2001. The basic
model used to consider these shunt admittances is shown below:
Calculations consider electrical distance from the fault location to synchronous generators. For a far-from-generator fault, calculations assume that the steady-state value of
the short-circuit current is equal to the initial symmetrical short-circuit current and only the DC component decays to zero. However, for a near-to-generator fault,
calculations count for decaying in both AC and DC components. The equivalent R/X ratios determine the rates of decay of both components, and different values are
recommended for generators and motors near the fault.
Calculations also differ for meshed and unmeshed networks. The factor k, which is used to multiply the initial short-circuit current to get the peak short-circuit current ip, is
defined differently for different system configurations and the methods selected to calculate the R/X ratios.
Definition of Terms
IEC standards use the following definitions, which are relevant in the calculations and outputs of ETAP.
Initial Symmetrical Short circuit current (I”k)

This is the rms value of the AC symmetrical component of an available short circuit current applicable at the instant of short circuit if the impedance remains at zero time
value.
Peak Short Circuit Current (ip)

This is the maximum possible instantaneous value of the available short circuit current.
Symmetrical Short Circuit Breaking Current (Ib)

This is the rms value of an integral cycle of the symmetrical AC component of the available short circuit current at the instant of contact separation of the first pole of a
switching device.
Steady-State Short Circuit Current (Ik)

This is the rms value of the short circuit current, which remains after the decay of the transient phenomena.
Subtransient Voltage (E”) of a Synchronous Machine

This is the rms value of the symmetrical internal voltage of a synchronous machine which is active behind the subtransient reactance Xd” at the moment of short circuit.
Far-From-Generator Short Circuit

This is a short circuit condition during which the magnitude of the symmetrical AC component of available short circuit current remains essentially constant.
Near-To-Generator Short Circuit

This is a short circuit condition to which at least one synchronous machine contributes a prospective initial short circuit current which is more than twice the generator’s
rated current, or a short circuit condition to which synchronous and asynchronous motors contribute more than 5% of the initial symmetrical short circuit current (I”k)
without motors.
Subtransient Reactance (Xd”) of a Synchronous Machine

This is the effective reactance at the moment of short circuit. For the calculation of short circuit currents, the saturated value of (Xd”) is taken.
According to IEC Standard 60909-0, the synchronous motor impedance used in IEC short circuit calculations is calculated in the same way as the synchronous generator.
Where kVn and kVr are the nominal voltage of the terminal bus and the motor rated voltage respectively, cmax is determined based on machine rated voltage, Xd” is
machine subtransient reactance (per unit in motor base), and qr is the machine rated power factor angle.
Minimum Time Delay (Tmin) of a Circuit Breaker

This is the shortest time between the beginning of the short circuit current and the first contact separation of one pole of the switching device.
The time delay (Tmin) is the sum of the shortest possible operating time of an instantaneous relay and the shortest opening time of a circuit breaker. Minimum time delay
does not include the adjustable time delays of tripping devices.
Voltage Factor c
This is the factor used to adjust the value of the equivalent voltage source for minimum and maximum current calculations according to the following table:
Voltage Factor c
For Maximum Short-Circuit Current Calculation For Minimum Short-Circuit Calculation
Nominal Voltage Un
cmax cmin
Others < 1001 V 1.1 0.95
Medium voltage: > 1 kV to 35 kV 1.10 1.00
High voltage: > 35 kV to 230 kV 1.10 1.00
ETAP provides three options for you to select the c factors in the Short circuit current group of the Standard page of the study case: Max, User-Defined c Factors, and Min.
If the Max option is selected, the maximum values given in the cmax column will be used in the calculation. If the User-Defined c Factor option is selected, the user
specified c factor values will be used. The user-defined values must be in the range between the values given in the cmax and cmin columns. If the Min option is selected, the
minimum values given in the cmin column will be used in the calculation.
Calculation Methods
Initial Symmetrical Short Circuit Current Calculation
Initial symmetrical short-circuit current (I”k) is calculated using the following formula:
where Zk is the equivalent impedance at the fault location.
Peak Short Circuit Current Calculation

Peak short-circuit current (ip) is calculated using the following formula:
Where k is a function of the system R/X ratio at the fault location.
IEC Standards provide three methods for calculating the k factor:
l Method A - Uniform ratio R/X. The value of the k factor is determined from taking the smallest ratio of R/X of all the branches of the network. Only branches that
contain a total of 80 percent of the current at the nominal voltage corresponding to the short circuit location are included. Branches may be a series combination of
several elements.
l Method B - R/X ratio at the short circuit location. The value of the k factor is determined by multiplying the k factor by a safety factor of 1.15, which covers
inaccuracies caused after obtaining the R/X ratio from a network reduction with complex impedances.
l Method C - Equivalent frequency. The value of the k factor is calculated using a frequency-altered R/X. R/X is calculated at a lower frequency and then multiplied by
a frequency-dependent multiplying factor.
Symmetrical Short Circuit Breaking Current Calculation

For a far-from-generator fault, the symmetrical short circuit breaking current (Ib) is equal to the initial symmetrical short circuit current.
For a near-to-generator fault, Ib is obtained by combining contributions from each individual machine. Ib for different types of machines is calculated using the following
formula:
where µ and q are factors that account for AC decay. They are functions of the ratio of the minimum time delay and the ratio of the machine’s initial short circuit current to
its rated current, as well as real power per pair of poles of asynchronous machines.
IEC Standards allow you to include or exclude AC decay effect from asynchronous machines in the calculation.
DC Component of Short Circuit Current Calculation

The DC component of the short circuit current for the minimum delay time of a protective device is calculated based on initial symmetrical short circuit current and system
X/R ratio:
Where f is the system frequency, tmin is the minimum delay time of the protective device under concern, and X/R is the system value at the faulted bus.
ETAP plots the dc component of the fault current vs. time. The Idc component is printed in the “Breaking and DC Fault Current (kA)” section of the short-circuit report for
each fault location. The currents in this report are always based on the total bus fault current.
Asymmetrical Short Circuit Breaking Current Calculation

The asymmetrical short-circuit breaking current for comparison with circuit breaker rating is calculated as the rms value of symmetrical and DC components of the short-
circuit current.
ETAP plots the asymmetrical breaking current at every bus starting from 0.01 until 0.3 sec. This information can be used for selection of the circuit breaker breaking current
depending on the tmin value of the device. The Ibasym is printed in the “Breaking and DC Fault Current (kA)” section of the short-circuit report for each fault location. The
currents in this report are always based on the total bus fault current.
Steady-State Short circuit current Calculation

Steady-state short circuit current Ik is a combination of contributions from synchronous generators and power grid. Ik for each synchronous generator is calculated using the
following formula:
where l is a function of a generator’s excitation voltage, ratio between its initial symmetrical short circuit current and rated current, other generator parameters, and IrG is the
generator’s rated current.
The steady-state short circuit current calculated is dependent on the option selected for Short circuit current in the study case. If the Max and User-Defined c Factor is
selected, the maximum steady-state current short circuit is reported. If the Min option is selected, the minimum steady-state short circuit current is reported.
This maximum steady-state short circuit current is used to determine minimum device ratings. The minimum steady-state short circuit value is used for relay coordination
purposes in preventing the occurrence of nuisance trips and loading deviations.
Meshed and Non-Meshed Network

According to IEC 60909-0 Standard, short circuit contributions from meshed and non-meshed sources are calculated differently regarding various factors and R/X ratio. In
ETAP calculations, short circuit contribution in the following cases are considered as from a non-meshed network:
l A contributing machine is connected directly to the faulted bus.

l A contributing machine is connected to the faulted bus through a radial network in which the machine is the only source making short-circuit contribution to the
faulted bus.
In all other cases, the short circuit contributions are considered as from a meshed network.
Adjustment of Ib
According to IEC Standard 60909-0, to improve accuracy of Ib calculation for a near-to-generator three-phase short circuit in a meshed network, the breaking current can be
adjusted for decay in Ib from synchronous and induction machines based on Equation (75) of the standard. This adjustment will reduce Ib slightly from Ik”.
In ETAP, this adjustment is implemented according to Equation (75) for each sub-network that has near-to-generator short circuit contributions to the faulted bus. A sub-
network with respect to a given faulted bus includes all elements that are connected together, except through the faulted bus. When a sub-network has multiple contributions
to a faulted bus, the total Ib adjustment (a phase value) is distributed among all contributions from the sub-network based on the phase ratio of individual Ik” contribution
over total Ik” of all the contributions from the sub-network.
Modeling of Power Station Unit

According to IEC Standard 60909-0, sections 3.7, 4.2.13, and 4.2.14, the impedance of a power station unit needs to be modeled with special considerations. Depending on
where the fault location is in the system and if the unit transformer has on-load tap-changer, the impedance values of the generator and unit transformer will be adjusted by
different factors.
Designation of A Power Station Unit

To specify a synchronous generator and a two-winding transformer as a power station unit, check the “Unit Transformer for Generator” option in the Tap page of the Two-
Winding Transformer editor and select the generator in the list next to this field as the unit generator. NOTE: A generator can be selected as a unit generator for only one
unit transformer.
In short-circuit calculation, the generator and the transformer specified as a pair for a power unit will be modeled as a power unit only when both the generator and the
transformer are energized. If the transformer is not energized, the generator will be modeled as a regular generator. If the generator is not energized, the transformer will be
modeled as a network transformer. The generator and the transformer specified as a pair for a power unit must also be connected either directly or through branches other
than transformers; otherwise, they will be modeled as a regular generator and a network transformer.
Network Bus, Connecting Bus and Auxiliary System Bus for A Power Station Unit
According to IEC Standard 60909-0, the generator and the transformer in a power station unit will be modeled differently depending on the fault location. In ETAP, a
faulted bus can be classified as one of three types with respect to a power station unit: a network bus, a connecting bus, and an auxiliary system bus.
A connecting bus for a power station unit is the bus on the shortest connecting path between the unit generator and the unit transformer. ETAP automatically determines the
connecting path and connecting buses for a power station unit.
An auxiliary bus is a bus that is in the auxiliary system of a power station unit, but not a connecting bus. The auxiliary system includes all the elements that are connected to
the connecting buses without going across the unit transformer.
Network buses are all the rest of the buses that are neither connecting buses nor auxiliary buses.
Note that bus type designation is with respect to a given power station unit. For the system given below, generator Unit-Gen and transformer Unit-XFMR forms a power
station unit. For this power station unit, Gen-Bus is the connecting bus for the power station unit. Auxiliary system buses include Aux-Bus-1 and Aux-Bus-2. The rest buses
are all network buses.
IEC Short-Circuit Mesh Determination Method
IEC Standards have published different benchmark sample calculation results based on IEC Standard 60909-0 2001. These calculation examples have been published in IEC
Standard 60909-4 2000 and are described in detail in sections 3.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1 of IEC 60909-4. These examples appear to have been created mostly for hand-calculation
(except for example 4), and one problem which arises because of these multiple solutions is that they do not establish a single calculation method which produces consistent
results for all four examples for a computer based solution. Because of these inconsistencies in the standard, certain calculation assumptions have been added to ETAP’s
short-circuit program in order for the results to match those published in these four examples.
These calculation preferences affect the selection of calculation methods for Idc, Ib and Ik. One of the most important causes of the inconsistencies in the standard is the
method used to determine the meshed or non-meshed (radial) parts of the systems. This determination is very important since the results are affected considerably once this
determination is made.
Meshed/Non-Meshed Systems
A meshed system can be considered a looped system or one that has multiple source contributions meshed together through the same contributing branch. A non-meshed
system is defined as a radial system or one which has only one contribution passing through a branch towards the faulted bus. The following images illustrate the concept of
meshed and non-meshed as described by IEC standard 60909-0 2001:
The areas enclosed in red color represent the Meshed contributions in this system towards the faulted buses. The areas enclosed in green color represent the non-meshed
(radial) contributions to their connected bus. In other words, the contributions of G2, G1, G3, M3 and M2 are considered to be non-meshed as long as the fault is placed at
the bus to which they are connected. These same contributions could be handled as meshed contributions to faults in other parts of the system.
These engineering calculation preferences can be modified by changing the value of the entry IEC Short Circuit Mesh Determination Method from the ETAP “Options
(Preferences)” menu.
This entry can take on the value of “0”, “1” or “2”.
IEC Short Circuit Mesh Determination Method = 0

For a faulted bus, ETAP checks if any contributions can be classified as Meshed network contributions. If any contribution to a faulted bus is indeed classified as “Meshed”,
then all contributions to the bus will be treated as if they are coming from a meshed network. If none of the contributions can be classified as meshed, then all the
contributions are treated as coming from non-meshed parts of the system. In Figure 16 above, all buses can be classified as meshed since meshed contributions are part of
every bus faulted bus in the system. In Figure 12, all the contributions would be considered as non-meshed since none of them are considered to be meshed.

For a faulted bus, meshed or non-meshed contributions are determined based on individual contributions. That is, for non-meshed contributions, ETAP uses individual
branch R/X ratios. For all the meshed network contributions it uses the R/X of the equivalent meshed part of the system. For Figure 16, the program will determine that the
contributions of G1 and G2 are non-meshed for a fault at Bus 4 and 3. The rest of the contributions to these faulted buses will be handled as meshed.

If a faulted bus is part of a PowerStation unit group (generator, unit transformer and auxiliary load connecting bus), then ETAP will handle this part of the system with the
methodology described for option = 1. If the faulted bus is outside the PowerStation group (network bus), then ETAP will handle the meshed/non-meshed determination as
if option = 0 had been selected.
Impact of the Meshed/Non-Meshed Determination on Ib, Ik and Idc

Once the program has determined the meshed and non-meshed parts of the system, then it makes some decisions based on this for calculating the value of Ib, Idc and Ik as
described throughout IEC standard 60909-0 2001.
1. Idc: If the branch contribution is considered to be coming from a non-meshed source, then the R/X of the individual branch is used to determine the value of the Idc
coming into the faulted bus. The equivalent R/X value of the meshed network will be used to determine the value of Idc for the meshed contributions. Please see
section 4.3.1.1 and 4.3.1.2 and 4.4.
2. Ib: If a contribution is non-meshed, then the program will use the method described in section 4.5.2.2 Equations 71 and 72 to determine the contributions of Ib from
different non-meshed components. If the system is meshed, then the program uses a very different approach to determine Ib, it will use section 4.5.2.3 Equations 74
and 75 to determine the value of Ib.
3. Ik: If the contribution or system is considered to be non-meshed, then the program will use the method described in section 4.6.2 Equations 82 and 83. If the
contribution of the system is considered to be meshed, then the program will use the method described in section 4.6.3 Equations 84 and 85 to determine Ik. Note that
the use of these equations may result in the value of Ik being higher than Ib as can be observed in the results published in IEC Standard 60909-4 2000 for Example 4.
From the previous description in items 1-3, it becomes apparent that the determination of meshed and non-meshed parts of the system can have a drastic effect on the
results. The options that ETAP provides are designed to provide choices on how the analysis should be performed.
Comparison of Device Rating and Short-Circuit Duty

In the 3-phase Device Duty calculation, ETAP compares the protective device rating against bus short-current duty for the devices that are checked as complying with IEC
Standard and also have device rating entered. In case the short circuit duty is greater than the device duty, ETAP will flag the device as underrated in both one-line diagram
and output reports. The following table lists the device ratings and short circuit duties used for the comparison for MV CB, LV CB, and fuses:
Comparison of Device Rating and Short-Current Duty

*Device capability calculated by ETAP.
Calculation of IEC Device Capability
As Shown in the above table, some of the device capability values are calculated by PowerStation based on capability provided by users and default parameters given in IEC
standards.
l MV CB – The asymmetrical breaking and dc current ratings for MV CB are calculated as follows,
Where tmin is the minimum delay time, and Ib,symm is the AC breaking current provided by the user. Following IEC Standard 62271-100, is equal to 45 milliseconds.
l LV CB – The asymmetrical breaking current rating for LV CB is calculated as follows:
Where f is the system frequency, tmin is the minimum delay time, and Ib,symm is the breaking current provided by the user. X/R is calculated based on a testing PF given in
IEC Standard 60947-2, Table 11.
l Fuse – The asymmetrical breaking current rating for fuse is calculated as follows:
Where f is the system frequency, tmin is assumed to be a half cycle, and Ib,symm is the breaking current provided by the user. X/R is calculated based on the default testing
PFof 15 %.
l Ithr – The thermal withstand short circuit current capability for LV CB and MVCB is calculated based on specifications on IEC 60909-0 2001 Annex A as follows:
These equations represent the Joule Integral and the equivalent short circuit current Ith that ETAP determines in order to compare against the value of Ithr specified on the
Circuit breaker rating page (LV or MV).
ETAP compares the Circuit Breaker (CB) rated short-time withstand current (Ithr) with the calculated thermal equivalent short-circuit current (Ith). The time for Ithr and Ith
is the breaker rated short-time in seconds (Tkr). The Comparison is reported in the Summary report.
You can select or enter Ithr and Tkr on the Rating page of the circuit breaker editor. For example you can enter 0.5s for Tkr.
Transient Short-Circuit Calculation

In additional to device duty calculations, ETAP also provides transient short circuit calculation per IEC Standard 61363-1. The transient short circuit calculation presents
fault current waveforms as a function of time, considering a number of factors that affect short circuit current variations at different time after the fault. These factors include
synchronous machine subtransient reactance, transient reactance, reactance, subtransient time constant, transient time constant, and DC time constant. It also considers
decay of short circuit contributions from induction motors. This detailed modeling provides an accurate evaluation of the short circuit current for sizing protective devices
and coordinating relays for isolated systems such as ships and offshore platforms. The calculation can be conducted on both radial and looped system with one or multiply
sources.
Based on the equations given in IEC Standard 61363, the SC current includes 3 parts: subtransient, transient, and steady state components. The subtransient and transient
components equal to a magnitude multiplied by an exponential term. The short-circuit current at any given time is the summation of the three components. In the Short-
Circuit Summary Report, the magnitude of the three components are printed under subtransient, transient, and steady state current columns.
The IEC 61363-1 performed by ETAP applies to both meshed and non-meshed systems since it is unrealistic to expect an electrical system to be completely non-meshed.
The same approach is used to determine the contributions from meshed systems as is used for non-meshed systems since there is no other methodology provided in the
guideline to handle the transient short-circuit currents for meshed systems.
As calculation results, ETAP provides short circuit current as function of time up to 0.1 second at 0.001 second time increment. It also presents short circuit current as
function of cycles up to 1 cycle at 0.1 cycle increment. Along with the instantaneous current values, ETAP also furnish calculated AC component, DC component, as well as
top envelope of the current waveform. In the summary page, it also provides the subtransient, transient, and steady-state fault current for each bus.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

Bus Data
Required data for short circuit calculation for buses includes:
l Nominal kV (when the prefault voltage option is set to use nominal kV)
l %V (when the prefault voltage option is set to use bus voltage)
l Type (such as MCC, switchgear, etc.) and continuous and bracing ratings
Branch Data
Branch data is entered into the Branch editors (i.e., 3-Winding Transformer, 2-Winding Transformer, Transmission Line, Cable, Reactor, and Impedance). Required data for
short circuit calculations for branches includes:
l Branch Z, R, X, Y, or X/R values and units, tolerance, and temperatures, if applicable
l Cable and transmission line length and unit
l Transformer rated kV and MVA
l Base kV and MVA of impedance branches
For unbalanced short circuit calculations you will also need:
l Zero sequence impedances
l Transformer winding connections, grounding types, and grounding parameters
Power Grid Data

Required data for short circuit calculations for utilities includes:
l Nominal kV
l %V and Angle
l 3-Phase MVAsc and X/R
For unbalanced short circuit calculations, you will also need:
l Grounding types and parameters
l Single-Phase MVAsc and X/R
Synchronous Generator Data

Required data for short circuit calculations for synchronous generators includes:
l Rated MW, kV, and power factor
l Xd”, Xd’, and X/R

l Generator type
l IEC exciter type

l GOST exciter type
l Rdc for GOST short-circuit calculation
l X0 (Zero Sequence Impedance)

l X2 (Negative Sequence Impedance)
Synchronous Motor Data

Required data for short circuit calculations for synchronous motor includes:
l Rated kW/hp and kV and the number of poles
l Xd” and X/R

l % LRC, Xd, and Tdo’ for IEC short circuit calculation
l GOST exciter type
l Rdc for GOST short-circuit calculation
l X0 (Zero Sequence Impedance)

Induction Motor Data

Required data for short circuit calculations for induction motors includes:
l Rated kW/hp and kV

l X/R plus one of the following for ANSI short circuit calculation:
Xsc at ½ cycle and 1.5-4 cycle if ANSI Short-Circuit Z option is set to Xsc, or
% LRC if ANSI Short-Circuit Z option is set to Std MF
l % LRC, Locked Rotor PF and Td’ (IEC 363) for IEC & GOST short circuit calculations

l X0
Lumped Load Data

Required data for short circuit calculations for lumped load includes:
l Rated MVA and kV

l % motor load
l % LRC, X/R, and Xsc for ½ cycle and 1.5-4 cycle for ANSI short circuit calculation
l % LRC, X’’, m and Td’ (IEC 363) for IEC & GOST short circuit calculation
Additional data for unbalanced short circuit calculations includes:
Inverter Data
Required data for short-circuit calculations for inverters include:
l Rated kW, kV, and power factor

l K factor in the Rating page
Additional data for unbalanced short-circuit calculations include:
l AC grounding status
UPS Data
Required data for short-circuit calculations for UPS include:
l Rated kW, kV, and power factor

l Kac factor in the SC Impedance page
l AC secondary grounding status
VFD Data
Required data for short-circuit calculations for VFDs connected to a bus on output side include:
l Rated HP, kV, and power factor

l K factor in the Rating page
l Output grounding status

High Voltage Circuit Breaker Data
Required data for short circuit calculations for high voltage circuit breakers includes:
ANSI Standard Circuit Breaker:
l Max kV
l Rated Int. (rated interrupting capability)
l Max Int. (maximum interrupting capability)
l C & L rms (rms value of closing and latching capability)
l C & L Crest (crest value of closing and latching capability)
l Standard
l Cycle
IEC Standard Circuit Breaker:
l Rated kV
l Min. Delay (minimum delay time in second)
l Making (peak current)
l AC Breaking (rms AC breaking capability)
l Ithr (short circuit withstand current)
l Tk (duration of short circuit withstand current)
ETAP calculates the interrupting capabilities of the circuit breaker from the rated and maximum interrupting capabilities. This value is calculated at the nominal kV of the
bus that the circuit breaker is connected to.
Low Voltage Circuit Breaker Data

Required data for short circuit calculations for low voltage circuit breakers includes:
ANSI Standard Circuit Breaker:
l Type (power, molded case, or insulated case)

l Rated kV
l Interrupting (interrupting capability)
l Test PF
IEC Standard Circuit Breaker:
l Type (power, molded case, or insulated case)

l Rated kV
l Min. Delay (minimum delay time in second)
l Making (peak current)
l Breaking (rms AC breaking capability)
l Ithr (short circuit withstand current)
l Tk (duration of short circuit withstand current)
Fuse Data
Required data for short circuit calculations for fuses includes:
l Fuse ID
ANSI Standard Fuse:
l Fuse rated kV
l Interrupting (interrupting capability)
l Test PF
IEC Standard Fuse:
l Fuse rated kV
l Breaking (rms AC breaking capability)
l Test PF
Other Data
There are some study case related data, which must also be provided, and you can enter this data into the Short Circuit Study Case editor. The data includes:
l Standard (ANSI/IEC/GOST)
l XFMR tap option (transformer tap modeling method)
l Prefault voltage
l Report (report format)
l Machine X/R (machine X/R modeling method)
l Faulted buses
l Cable/OL heater (select this option to include cable and overload heater elements)
l Ta,eq (specify the method of equivalent time constant Ta,eq to be used for GOST only)
l Lump Load Model (specify the lump load modeling to be used for GOST only)
l Cable R adjustment (specify the method of cable resistance adjustment to be used for GOST only)
Bus Duct
The bus duct element does not have any impedance and it will not limit any fault currents. Currently it is just a symbol which illustrates the presence of the element in the
actual system. In reality, bus duct elements have impedance and its effect will be considered in a future version of ETAP.
Open Delta Transformers

The current version of ETAP does not perform any short-circuit calculation below open-delta transformers. This will be done in a future release of the program.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

Charger
When performing AC analyses, chargers and UPSs are considered as loads to their input AC buses. The rectifiers in these elements block the current from flowing back into
the AC system. Therefore, chargers and UPSs are not included in an AC short circuit analysis.
3-Phase UPS in 3-Phase System Calculation

The 3-Ph UPS element is modeled as a voltage source behind impedance in 3-phase system short-circuit calculations. This impedance is determined from the short-circuit
current contribution (specified on the “SC Imp” page of the UPS editor). This impedance value is determined using the “rated output kV” of the UPS and the “Isc” fault
current value. The maximum UPS current contribution will be limited by the equivalent impedance of the UPS. It is a function of the pre-fault voltage at the faulted buses
downstream of the UPS.
The 3-Ph UPS has a bypass switch. If the bypass switch is open, then the UPS contribution is determined from its internal impedance as described above. If the bypass is
closed, then there is a tie-pd connection between the input and output which allows the direct contribution of a short-circuit current towards the output of the UPS. The
bypass is not allowed if the UPS rated output voltage is not the same as the UPS rated input voltage. If a bypass needs to be modeled under these conditions, then an external
transformer which steps the voltage up/down would be required and the UPS output and input voltage should then be set to the same value.
The 3-Ph UPS output is modeled as a part of the regular 3-Ph short-circuit calculations. All short-circuit calculations, except for the 1-Ph device duty calculation (Panel/1-Ph
UPS/1-Phase System Device Duty), model the 3-Ph UPS as an equivalent impedance behind an ideal voltage source. Since the 3-Ph UPS is modeled as a part of the regular
3-Ph short-circuit network, it means that the UPS output can be operated in loop configurations. This is a major enhancement for modeling short-circuit faults for higher
reliability designs (i.e. data centers) with multiple UPS units operating in parallel or looped systems. The following image shows the short-circuit results for a looped 3-Ph
UPS system.
The 3-Ph UPS has a grounding option which allows the unit to be modeled as solidly grounded or ungrounded on the output terminal. Checking the “Grounded” option
allows zero sequence currents to flow for an unbalanced (i.e. phase to neutral) fault. The negative and zero sequence impedance of the 3-Ph UPS are the same as the positive
sequence. The grounding resistance “Rg” at the output is not considered at this time.
UPS Modeling in 1-Phase System Calculation

UPS elements involved in 1-Ph device duty short-circuit calculations are mostly 1-ph UPS. However, there can be 3-Ph UPS powered by a panel and it will be modeled the
same way as a 1-Ph UPS described in this section. The 1-Ph UPS element uses a slightly different modeling approach. The 1-Ph UPS output short-circuit is modeled only as
part of the 1-Ph device duty short-circuit calculation.
The modeling of the 1-Ph UPS consists of an impedance behind the prefault voltage or as a constant current source. If the 1-Ph UPS is modeled as an impedance behind a
voltage source, then its contribution is determined similarly as the 3-Ph UPS in 3-Ph system calculations. The resistance of the UPS is determined using the rated output
voltage and rated Isc of the unit.
If the 1-Ph UPS is modeled as a constant current source, then it will provide a constant current towards the fault location as long as the impedance between the output of the
UPS and the fault location does not limit the current below the rated Isc value. If it does, then the SC current is limited by the impedance of the circuit up to the point of the
fault. The following image illustrates this concept.
The impedance of the cable “UPS Fdr Cab” is high enough to limit the current below the rated Isc value of the 1-Ph UPS. In the case of Panel A1, the impedance of the
cable “UPS Fdr Cab1” is not high enough to limit the current below the constant current rating of the 1-Ph UPS1 unit.
The following image shows the voltage behind impedance results for the same pair of UPS units. In this case, the short-circuit current of the 1-Ph UPS units can only be
equal to Isc if the fault is at the output terminals of the UPS. If the fault is anywhere downstream from the UPS output terminal (i.e. with additional circuit impedance), then
the fault current will be less and is limited by the sum of the UPS equivalent resistance plus the impedance of the downstream output elements.
Inverter / Photo Voltaic (PV) Array / Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) Type 4
An inverter is a voltage source to the AC system. Under fault conditions, it will provide fault contribution to the AC system. When its terminal bus is faulted, the
contribution from an inverter is equal to the multiplication of its AC full load amp by a constant K, which is entered on the Rating page of the Inverter editor or Imp/Model
page of the WTG editor. This is the maximum possible contribution from the inverter. If the fault location is away from the terminal bus, then the contribution from the
inverter decreases. The inverter is modeled similar to that of the 3-Ph UPS.
The inverter elements have a grounding option which allows the units to be modeled as solidly grounded or ungrounded on their output terminal. Checking the “Grounded”
option allows zero sequence currents to flow for an unbalanced (i.e. phase to neutral) fault. The negative and zero sequence impedance of the inverter units are the same as
the positive sequence (Rn = R0 = Rp). The grounding resistance “Rg” at the output is not considered at this time.
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD)

With the bypass switch for short-circuit set to “open”, the VFD element is modeled as a voltage source behind an impedance. The resistance of the VFD is determined from
the rated output voltage and Isc of the unit. Similar to the 3-Ph UPS and Inverter elements, the short-circuit contribution is determined assuming a voltage behind impedance
approach. With the bypass switch open, no short-circuit contribution from any motors on the output of the VFD can flow towards a fault on the input AC bus of the VFD.
This is due to the fact that the rectifiers in VFD block the current from flowing back into the input AC system. The bypass is not allowed if the VFD rated output voltage is
not the same as the VFD rated input voltage.
There is no VFD operating output frequency variation considered for short-circuit calculations on the output side of the VFD. The short-circuit calculation for a VFD (with
the bypass switch open) only considers the system nominal frequency (typically 50/60 Hz or as defined in the Project \Standards\Frequency value). This means that the
operating frequency and V/Hz settings do not have any effect in the short-circuit current calculation. The effect of operating output frequency will be considered for both
short-circuit and arc flash in future versions of the program.
If the bypass switch condition is set to “closed”, then the VFD is not considered and the short-circuit current flows directly from the input AC bus into the output of the unit
and vice versa (similar to a tie-protective device). Also, any motor short-circuit contribution from the electrical network on the output AC bus of the VFD can flow towards
a fault on the input AC bus of the VFD. The following image illustrates short-circuit results (at nominal system frequency) for the VFD with bypass switch “open” and
“closed”. It can be seen that full contribution from the AC Input bus flows into the VFD output fault and that the output motor contributes towards a fault on the input AC
bus with the bypass closed.
The VFD element has a grounding option which allows the unit to be modeled as solidly grounded or ungrounded on its output terminal. Checking the “Grounded” option
allows zero sequence currents to flow for an unbalanced (i.e. phase to neutral) fault. The negative and zero sequence impedance of the VFD unit are the same as the positive
sequence (Rn = R0 = Rp). The grounding resistance “Rg” at the output is not considered at this time.
Note: For Short-circuit / Arc-Flash studies: If you attempt to change the system nominal frequency by changing the Project\Standards\Frequency setting, then all reactances
need to be adjusted manually or obtained again from the library, (in case of cables), in order to adjust the reactances (which are typically entered at nominal frequency). The
program does not adjust most reactances automatically.
The reason for this is that in most cases the reactance is specified in the libraries and impedance fields at nominal frequencies instead of specifying the actual inductance or
capacitance (L & C) of the elements. Careful considerations should be taken when performing such frequency manipulations.
However, for other load flow based studies, the reactances of all branch elements and loads are adjusted based on the operating output frequency of the VFD. This means
that the effect of frequency variations for motor dynamic acceleration or for steady-state load flow VFD operation is considered. The frequency limitation on the output of
the VFD applies only to short-circuit based studies including sequence of operation and STAR short-circuit.
High Voltage DC Link (HVDC)

When a bus on the inverter side of a high voltage DC link is faulted, the DC link will make short circuit contribution. Due to the application of Voltage Dependent Current
Order Limiter (VDCOL), which is very common in a DC link, the short circuit contribution is limited about 150% of rated current and it lasts only about 1.5 cycle.
In ETAP short circuit calculations, a DC link is represented as a constant voltage source behind an equivalent reactance. The voltage source has a constant voltage value
equal to the prefault voltage. The equivalent reactance is determined so that if a 3-phase short circuit fault occurs at the inverter side terminal bus, the contribution from the
DC link is equal to maximum operating current Imax.
Due to the very short duration of short circuit current contribution from a DC link, for ANSI standard, ETAP considers the contribution only in ½ cycle (momentary) short
circuit current calculation. For IEC standard, the contribution is included only in calculation of ip, I”k, Ib, and Idc.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
ETAP provides short circuit study output reports with different levels of detail, depending on your requirements. The following are just some examples that show this
flexibility. ETAP 6.0.0 reports show total and individual fault current contributions for all the different types of faults (3-phase, LG, LL & LLG).
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Output Reports
View Output Reports From Study Case Toolbar
This is a shortcut for the Report Manger. When you click on the View Output Report button, ETAP automatically opens the output report that is listed in the Study Case
toolbar with the selected format. In the picture shown below, the output report name is short circuit-duty and the selected format is Complete.

To open the Short Circuit Report Manager, simply click on the Report Manager button on the Short-Circuit Study toolbar. The editor includes four pages (Complete, Input,
Result, and Summary) representing different sections of the output report. The Report Manager allows you to select formats available for different portions of the report and
view it via Crystal Reports. There are several fields and buttons common to every page, as described below.
Output Report Name

This field displays the name of the output report you want to view.
Project File Name

This field displays the name of the project file based on which report was generated, along with the directory where the project file is located.
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 simply close
the editor. Click on the Cancel button to close the editor without viewing the report.
Input Data Page

This page allows you to select different formats for viewing input data, grouped according to type, including Bus, Cable, Cover, Adjustments, Generator, Loads, Reactor,
Transformer, UPS, and Utility.
Result Page
This page allows you to select formats to view the short circuit result portion of the output report. If you run a 3-phase fault, there is only one short circuit report format
shown in the report manager. If you run an unbalanced fault calculation, the results section will include short circuit reports that include individual contributions for LG, LL,
& LLG faults. The same applies for IEC 3-phase or unbalanced faults.
Summary Page
This page allows you to select formats to view summary reports of the output report.
Complete Page
In this page you can select the Complete report in Crystal Reports format, which brings up the complete report for the short circuit study. The complete report includes input
data, results, and summary reports.
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
check box.
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC
Alert View - Short Circuit Analysis

To make it easier for you to check the device ratings after a device duty calculation, ETAP provides a Short-Circuit Analysis Alert View that lists all devices that have a
critical or marginal rating violation. Open this view by clicking on the Alert View button. If the Auto Display box is checked in the Study Case, the Alert View will be
automatically open once the device duty short-circuit calculation is completed.
Alert View Entries

Device ID
The Device Identification group of the Alert View window lists the names of the components that qualified as alerts after the short circuit calculation.
Type
The Type group of the Alert View window displays information about the type of the device having the displayed alert.
Rating
The Rating group of the Alert View window provides the rating information being used to determine whether an alert should be reported and of what kind of alert was
found.
Calculated
The Calculated group of the Alert View window displays the results (duty) from the short circuit calculation. The results listed here are used in combination with those
displayed in the ratings section to determine the operating percent values. These values are then compared to those entered in the Short-Circuit Study Case Editor Alarm
page.
%Value
This group displays the percent operating values calculated based on the short circuit results and the different device ratings. The values displayed here are directly
compared to the percent of monitored parameters entered directly into the Study Case Editor Alarm page. Based on the element type, system topology and given conditions,
ETAP uses these percent values to determine if and what kind of alert should be displayed.
Condition
The Conditions group of the Alert View Window provides a brief comment about the type of alert being reported. In the case of short circuit alarms, the different conditions
reported are the same as those listed in the bus and protective device monitored parameters tables.
Phase
In future releases of ETAP, alerts for unbalanced fault conditions will be provided. Currently ETAP only provides alerts for 3-phase faults (ANSI & IEC Duty).
Parameters Monitored and Conditions Reported

Bus Alert
Short circuit simulation alerts for buses are designed to monitor crest, symmetrical, and asymmetrical bracing conditions. These conditions are determined from bus rating
values and short circuit analysis results. The conditions reported for buses are the same for ANSI and IEC project standards. The following table contains a list of monitored
parameters and the conditions that their corresponding alerts report.
Bus Alerts Monitored Parameters and Condition Reported
Type of Device Monitored Parameter Condition Reported

Momentary Asymmetrical. rms kA Bracing Asymmetrical
HV Bus (> 1000 Volts)
Momentary Asymmetrical. crest kA Bracing Crest
Momentary Symmetrical. rms kA Bracing Symmetrical
LV Bus (<1000Volts)
Momentary Asymmetrical. rms kA Bracing Asymmetrical
Protective Device Alert

Short circuit alerts monitor certain conditions of interest for both ANSI and IEC project standards. The conditions reported by the alerts depend on whether you run ANSI or
IEC short circuit analysis. ANSI and IEC standards have different sets of monitored parameters. The following table contains a list of monitored parameters used for both
standards.
Protective Alerts Monitored Parameters
Device Type ANSI Monitored Parameters IEC Monitored Parameters

LV CB Interrupting Adjusted Symmetrical. rms kA Breaking
Momentary C&L Making
HVCB Momentary C&L Crest kA N/A
Interrupting Adjusted Symmetrical. rms kA Breaking
FUSE Interrupting Adjusted Symmetrical. rms kA Breaking
SPDT Momentary Asymmetrical. rms kA Making
SPST Switches Momentary Asymmetrical. rms kA Making
Short circuit alerts for protective devices report different conditions depending on the monitored parameters. The following table contains a list of the corresponding
conditions reported in the Alert View window.
Protective Device Reported Condition
Device Type ANSI Reported Condition IEC Reported Condition

LV CB Interrupting Breaking
Interrupting Breaking
C&L Making
HVCB
C&L Crest N/A
Fuse Interrupting Breaking
SPDT C&L Making
SPST Switches C&L Making
- Info Page
- Standard Page
- AF Method Page
- AF FCT Page
- AF Data Page
- Adjustment Page
- Alert Page
- Results Page
- Crystal Reports
Alert View - SC

Short CKT All

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Short CKT All

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Short-Circuit Analysis

ANSI Short-Circuit Toolbar

Panel/1-Ph UPS/ 1-Ph System Device Duty

LG, LL, LLG, & 3-Phase Faults - 1.5 to 4 Cycle

Short-Circuit Display Options

Arc Flash Hazard Calculation

Short-Circuit Report Manager

Halt Current Calculation

Get Online Data

Get Archived Data

IEC Short-Circuit Toolbar

3-Phase Faults - Device Duty (IEC60909)

Panel/1-Ph UPS/1-Ph System Device Duty (IEC 60909)

LG, LL, LLG, & 3-Phase Faults (IEC 60909)

3-Phase Faults - Transient Study (IEC 61363)

Short-Circuit Display Options

Arc Flash Hazard Calculation

Short-Circuit Report Manager

Short Circuit Plots

Total Fault Current (i)

Close All Plots

Halt Current Calculation

Get Online Data

Get Archived Data

For more information see Printing and Plotting.

GOST Short-Circuit Toolbar

Maximum LG, LL, LLG, and 3-Phase Faults

Minimum LG, LL, LLG, and 3-Phase Faults

Short-Circuit Display Options

Unit Display Options

Fault Current Type Display Option

Short-Circuit Report Manager

Halt Current Calculation

Get Online Data

Get Archived Data

Short-Circuit Study Case Editor Overview

Short Circuit Study Case Toolbar

Info Page – Short-Circuit Study Case Editor

Use Nominal Tap

Calc. Load Term. SC

1-Ph/Panel/1-Ph UPS Subsystem

l Fault 1 (one) Bus Displayed results: whole system

Motor Contribution Based on

Study Remarks 2nd Line

Standard Page – Short-Circuit Study Case Editor

Prefault Voltage - ANSI Standard

Fixed Prefault Voltage

Variable Prefault Voltage

HV CB Interrupting Capability- ANSI Standard

Machine X/R - ANSI Standard

The following example shows Ra calculations when X/R ratio is fixed:

½ Cycle Network 1.5-4 Cycle Network

½ Cycle Network 1.5-4 Cycle Network

LVCB Interrupting Capability

Protective Device Duty – ANSI Standard

Based on Total Bus Fault Current

Based on Maximum Through Fault Current

C37.010 – 1979 and Older

MF for HV CB & Bus Momentary Duty

Based on Calculated X/R

Set to 1.6 & 2.6 (RMS & Peak) as Min.

Set to 1.6 & 2.6 (RMS & Peak)

MF for LV CB & (Molded & Insulated) Duty