Set 32 Power system protection – arc flash

Some of the slides in this presentation are taken from the

Construction Safety Association of Ontario.

Full credit is given to them where their material is used.

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Power system protection – arc flash

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 Standards
US National Fire Protection
Association
Canadian Standards -Standard NFPA 70E
Association
-Standard Z-462
Institute of Electrical &
Electronics Engineers
Canadian Electrical Code -Standard 1584
-Rule 2-306

Occupational Health & Safety

Act
US Occupational Safety &
-Applicable regulations
Health Administration

CREDIT TO: - Construction Safety Association of Ontario

Make sure you have
IEEE Std 1584 – 2018.

The fundamentals are

the same, but the
details on technical
items such as equation
forms, voltage levels,
enclosure types, etc
have been greatly
expanded since 2002.

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There is an associated
document.

It is a MUST
particularly if you are
working for a
Consulting Company.

It tells all the data you

have to collect, how to
use the equations, the
scope of what you
must do, the
deliverables that the
Client will expect to
see, and how to write
the Final Report

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 Examples

Arc flash in a box Arc flash in a panel

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 Causes of arc flash

Dust and impurities on insulating surfaces can provide a path for

current flow, allowing t to flashover and create an arc discharge across
the surface. This can develop into greater arcs.

Fumes or vapor of chemicals can reduce the breakdown voltage of air

and cause arc flash.

Corrosion of equipment parts can provide impurities on insulating

surfaces.

Corrosion also weakens the contact between conducting terminals,

increasing the contact resistance through oxidation or other corrosive
contamination. Heat is generated on the contact surfaces which can
result in local air ionization, this can lead to arcing faults with nearby
exposed conductors.

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 Causes of arc flash -more

Condensation of water and dripping can cause tracking on the

surface of insulating materials, which can cause a flashover to
ground phase to phase arcing.

Accidental touching of live exposed parts can initiate arc faults.

Accidental dropping of tools may cause momentary short circuits

producing sparks and initiating arcs.

Overvoltage across narrow gaps due to poor workmanship or

damage of insulating materials (UNBSJ)

Failure of insulating materials.

Improperly designed or utilized equipment.

Improper work procedures.

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 Nature of an arc flash

● Electric arcs produce the highest temperature on

earth – up to 35,000 degrees F, which is four times the
temperature of the sun.

● All known materials are vaporized at this temperature.

● Upon vaporization, copper expands 67,000 times

and water expands 1670 times.

● The intense heat from the arc causes the sudden

expansion of air that results in a blast with very strong air
pressure.

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 Nature of an arc flash

● Pressure on the chest of a person can be as high as

2000 pounds per square feet.

● Blast pressure waves have knocked workers off ladders,

and have thrown them across a room.

● Arcs in enclosures, such as Motor Control Centres

(MCCs) or switchgear, magnify the blast and energy
transmitted.

● Arcs spray droplets of molten metal at high speed, and

blast shrapnel can penetrate the body

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 Blindness

• Flash of light is so intense it can damage vision.

CREDIT TO: -- Construction Safety Association of Ontario

 Shrapnel Wounds

Material and molten metal can

hit the body at over
700 miles per hour.

CREDIT TO: Construction Safety Association of Ontario

 Blast Lung Injury (BLI)
• Arc blast can cause inhalation injuries.
For example:
– Inhaling high temperature
copper vapour.
– More than 100 toxic
substances can be found
in the fumes.

BLI + Burns = Greater chance of death

CREDIT TO: -- Construction Safety Association of Ontario

 Hearing Damage

Arc blast at 2 feet 145 decibels

Jet engine at 200 feet 132 decibels

Pain threshold 130 decibels

CREDIT TO:- Construction Safety Association of Ontario

 Pressure Wave Injuries

• Arc blast can throw a worker:

– Off a ladder
– Into nearby walls or equipment.
• 2000 lbs/ft2 pressure on the body can cause:
– Concussion
– Collapsed lungs
– Other internal injuries
CREDIT TO:- Construction Safety Association of Ontario
 Protection Boundaries

Flash protection boundary is the value we will calculate i.e the distance
from the arc source where damage is reduced to defined levels.

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Protection Boundaries

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First, you have to
do a Fault Study,
for a three-phase
fault with a perfect,
zero impedance
fault which is
called a Bolted
Fault.

An arc has a very

complicated
resistance so the
Arcing Current
must be
determined based
on the Bolted Fault
Current

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 Some Definitions – leading to the next class

Arc - A plasma cloud formed in a gap between two electrodes, when there is
sufficient potential difference.

Arc flash – An electric arc event with thermal energy dissipated as radiant,
convective, and conductive heat.

Arc fault current (or arcing current) – A fault current flowing through an
electric arc plasma.

Bolted fault – A short circuit condition that assumes zero impedance exists
at the point of fault.

Incident energy – The amount of thermal energy impressed on a surface, a

certain distance from the source, generated during an electric arc event

Arc flash boundary – The distance from a prospective arc source at which
the incident energy is calculated to be 5.0 J/cm2 (1.2 calories/cm2 ) or 5.0
watt-sec/cm2 [which will cause a recoverable, second-degree burn]
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