1/13/22, 1:07 AM Basic short-circuit current calculation | EC&M

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BASICS
The
Differen
Betwee
Basic short-circuit current
Dec. 7, 20 calculation
content
Dec. 1, 1999
The A basic electrical theorem says the amount of
Differen
Betwee current that will flow through a short circuit
Sept. 23, depends on two variable values: The system
Code Bas voltage and the
John A. DeDad

A basic electrical theorem says the amount of

current that will flow through a short circuit
depends on two variable values: The system voltage
and the connected total impedance of the current
flow path from the source to the point of the fault.

New TIA
The typical system voltages are very familiar to all
for 2020 of us. The connected total impedance of the short-
NEC and
circuit current flow path needs a little clarification,
Sept. 13, 2
National however. This impedance normally includes the
LOG IN
Electrical
Code feeder conductors' resistance and reactance, any REGISTER
SEARCH
transformers' impedances (going from the point of
What's
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1/13/22, 1:07 AM Basic short-circuit current calculation | EC&M
What s
Wrong
Here?…
Sept. 7,
2021
fault back to the energy source), and any other
What's equipment connected in the path of current flow.
Wrong
Here?
Fig. 1 is a very simple one-line with the following: a
The
Differen power source, transformer, and an overcurrent
Betwee
protective device (OCPD) having a specific short-
Aug. 5, 20
Code Bas
circuit current interrupting rating.

MEMBERS
ONLY Let's talk about the power source first. In many
CONTENT
EC&M short-circuit current calculation examples, you'll
Tech Ta see references like "Assume the power source has
Episode
July 28, 2
infinite capacity" or "The source has an infinite
Bonding bus." What does this mean, and why is it important
Groundin
to sample calculation? All that is being said is the
The
source voltage has no internal impedance. As a
Differen
Betwee result, the sample calculation becomes very
July 6, 20 conservative. Since the source has been assumed to
Code Bas
have no impedance of its own, the corresponding
Code
short-circuit current will be at its worst case.
Quiz
of th…
June Now let's look at the transformer. The impedance
28,
2021 determining the amount of short-circuit current on
content its secondary is made up of two separate
MEMBERS impedances: Its own impedance plus that of the
CONTENT
Back-to secondary conductors run to the point of the fault.
Basics
The transformer's own impedance is the amount of
Refresh
June 23, 2 its opposition to the flow of short-circuit current
Back to B through it.

Now, all transformers have impedance, and it's

ll
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1/13/22, 1:07 AM Basic short-circuit current calculation | EC&M
generally expressed as a voltage percentage. This is
the percentage of normal rated primary voltage that

must be applied to the transformer to cause full-

load rated current to flow in the short-circuited
secondary. For instance, if a 480V/120V
transformer has an impedance of 5%, this means
that 5% of 480V, or 24V, applied to its primary will
cause rated load current flow in its secondary. If 5%
of primary voltage will cause such current, then
100% of primary voltage will cause 20 times (100
divided by 5) full-load-rated secondary current to
flow through a solid short circuit on its secondary
terminals. Obviously, then, the lower the
impedance of a transformer of a given kVA rating,
the higher the amount of short-circuit current it
can deliver.

Let's take another example for clarification.

Suppose we have two transformers, each rated at
500kVA. Since they have the same rating, each has
the same rated secondary load current. Suppose
one of the units has a 10% impedance. It, therefore,
can supply 10 times (100 divided by 10) its rated
secondary load current into a short circuit on its
secondary terminals. Now suppose the second unit
has an impedance of 2%. This unit can supply a
much greater multiple of its rated secondary load
current into a short circuit on its secondary
terminals: 50 times (100 divided 2) this value.
Comparing both units, the latter transformer can
deliver five times as much short-circuit current as
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1/13/22, 1:07 AM Basic short-circuit current calculation | EC&M

the former unit.

Sample calculation Now that we understand the

basic variables that determine short-circuit
currents, let's do a sample calculation. As shown in
Fig. 2, suppose we have a simple distribution
system with a fault condition. For the sake of clarity
and simplification, let's assume there are negligible
line impedances between the transformer
secondary and the fault.

Step 1. Determine full-load

secondary current (IsubS). IsubS =
100,000VA/240V = 417A

Step 2. Determine the short-

circuit current (IsubSC) at the
transformer's secondary terminals
per its impedance. IsubSC * (100%
/ %ZsubT) x IsubS = (100/2.5) *
417 = 16,680A

Therefore, the OCPD must be capable of safely

interrupting this amount of current, along with the
asymmetrical current value (usually a multiplier
times the symmetrical value).

Admittedly, this is greatly simplified. In reality, the

calculation would consider all impedances and the
distance of the fault relative to the transformer.
Nevertheless it gives you a feel for what is involved
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1/13/22, 1:07 AM Basic short-circuit current calculation | EC&M
Nevertheless, it gives you a feel for what is involved
in short-circuit current analysis.

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