Arc Flash Analysis & Mitigation

Methods

By Albert Marroquin
Operation Technology, Inc.
Analysis Methods for Arc Flash Hazards

NFPA 70E 2004 “Standard for Electrical Safety

Requirements for Employee Workplaces”

IEEE 1584 2004a “Guide for Performing Arc Flash

Hazard Calculations”
 AGENDA
• AF Concepts and Analysis

• What is new in NFPA 70 2009

• NFPA 70E & IEEE 1584 Methodology – Arc Flash exercise 5

• Arc Flash study case & display options - Arc Flash exercise 1

• AF Analysis for LV - Arc Flash exercise 4

• AF Report Analyzer- Arc Flash exercise 2

• AF differential protection – Arc Flash exercise 6

• AF for 1-Phase applications – Arc Flash exercise 7

• AF Options (preferences) – Arc Flash exercise 3

• Questions and Answers session

 General Steps for Performing
Arc Flash Analysis
• Collect system information required for the arc flash
calculation

• Determine the system operating configuration

• Calculate 3-Phase bolted fault currents

• Calculate arcing fault current (IEEE only)

• Determine arc fault clearing time (arc duration) - TCC

 General Steps for Performing
Arc Flash Analysis

• Calculate incident energy

• Determine flash protection boundary

• Determine Hazard/Risk Category based on NFPA 70E

requirements

• Select appropriate protective equipment (PPE Matrix)

 AF Analysis Considerations
• Possible Arc Fault Locations
 Line side arc faults
 Load side arc faults
• Arc Flash Analysis Worst Case Scenarios
 Maximum bolted short-circuit fault current
 Minimum bolted short-circuit fault current
• Arcing Current Variation
 Incident Energy at 100% of arcing current
 Incident Energy at 85% of arcing current
 Analysis of AF Results
• Arc Flash Analysis Scope
 100s or 1000s of Buses
 High/Medium/Low Voltage Systems
 Multiple Operating Configurations
 Dozens of Multiple Scenarios to be considered
• Sorting the Results According to NFPA 70E
Categories
 Categories 0 - 4
 Locations with Arc Incident Energy > cat 4 limits
 Analysis of AF Results

• Determine Which Protective Device Clears the Arc Fault

 Is it the first upstream device in all cases?
• Determine the Locations with Special Analysis
Conditions
 Ibf is less than 700 or higher than 106,000 Amps
 The bus nominal kV less than 0.208 kV
 The feeder source has capacity less than 125 kVA (may
not have enough energy to generate the arc)
 Analysis of AF Results

• Arc Flash Analysis should include:

 Labeling of equipment and PPE requirements
 Recommendations on mitigation methods
 Engineering required to reduce the arc flash hazard
 Methods to Mitigate the
Incident Energy
• Methods to Reduce the Fault Clearing Time
 Improving coordination settings of OC PDs.
 Type 50 protective devices (Instantaneous)
 Arc Flash light sensors
 Maintenance mode (switch)
 Differential protection
 Zone selective interlocking protection (ZSIP)
• Methods to Increase the Working Distance
 Remote racking of breakers/Remote switching
 Use of Hot Sticks
 Methods to Mitigate the
Incident Energy
• Methods to Reduce the Short-Circuit Current
 Current limiting fuses and circuit breakers
 Current limiting reactors, Isolating Transformers
 High resistance grounding
• Methods to Reduce the Energy Exposure
 Arc resistant switchgear
 Arc shields
 Infrared scanning, Partial Discharge and or Corona
Cameras
 Incident energy exposure at a working distance of 18”
for a 19.5 kA Arc @ 600 Volts (enclosed equipment)

600 Volt Arc in Closed Box Incident energy Exposure @ 18 in.

20

15
NFPA 70E-2000
Calorie/cm^2

IEEE 1584-2002
10

0
0 10 20
Fault clearing time (Cycles)
 Improving Over-Current Device
Coordination Settings
• Purpose is to isolate the fault with the nearest
upstream over-current protective device
• Arc flash results are extremely dependent on
coordination settings
• Unnecessarily high time dial settings for type 51
over-current devices
• Selection of fuses with faster total clearing time
characteristic curves can reduce the energy significantly
 Coordination
C D B A
t

C D B

I
Fault Clearing Time
is 37 cycles with
current time dial
settings

Incident Energy
released is greater
Arcing current
than 27 cal/cm² through A
50/51-1

Category 4
Fault Clearing Time
= 10 cycles
with lower time dial
settings

Incident Energy
released is less than
Arcing current
8 cal/cm² through
50/51-1
A

Category 2
Sample Fuse TCC Curves used in Arc Flash Analysis
Fuse Total Clearing Time based on 3.5 kA Arc Fault
Incident Energy Released for Each Fuse
 Type 50 Protective Device

• Relays with instantaneous settings

• Molded case circuit breakers

• Insulated case breakers

• Power circuit breakers with instantaneous direct acting

trip elements
 Type 50 PD Advantages

• Fast acting to reduce the fault clearing time since it can

operate within 3 to 6 cycles
• Commonly available for most MV and LV applications
• Cost effective and do not require special installations
• Already installed in electrical system and may only
require adjustments to reduce the incident energy
 Type 50
Protective
Devices
 Equipment Specific Incident Energy
Equations for Molded Case CBs
• Equation based calculation of incident energy for molded
case CBs (Eaton Electrical MCCBs)
• Equations were developed based on extensive testing
• Equations typically yield smaller incident energy results
when compared to those obtained with the TCC curve
analysis methods.
• Maintenance and aging of breakers can change the
predicted incident energy release
 Example of Eaton Molded Case CB
Equations

• Please note that equations should be used for values

higher than 15*Ir.
 Type 50 PD Drawbacks

• To achieve coordination with downstream elements,

upstream source Protective Devices have longer time
delays (do not have instantaneous protection)

• The arcing current magnitude passing through the Type 50

protective device must be higher than the device’s
instantaneous pickup setting
 Type 50 PD Drawbacks

Selective
Coordination
introduces
time delays
 Maintenance Mode
• Very fast acting trip device reduces the Fault Clearing Time
(FCT)

• Are designed to pickup under very low arcing current

values (instantaneous pickup setting is very low)

• Does not require complicated installation and will

effectively protect locations downstream from the trip unit
with maintenance mode
Maintenance
Mode

Normal
Operating
Mode
Normal Operating
Mode
Normal Operating
Mode
Maintenance Mode
Maintenance Mode
ON
 Maintenance Mode Drawbacks
• System will not have coordination during the maintenance
period because of reduced instantaneous pickup settings

• Does not increase equipment protection unless the

maintenance mode is ON

• May not protect certain zones where energized equipment

tasks may be performed
 Zone Selective Interlocking
Protection (ZSIP)
• Reduced arc fault clearing times
• Zone selection is accomplished by means of hard wired
communication between trip units
• Only the trip unit closest to the fault will operate within
instantaneous since upstream units are restrained by the
unit closest to the fault
• Equipment and personnel arc fault protection
 Normal
Coordination
Settings
 Arc Faults at
different bus levels
without ZSIP
 ZSIP hard-wired
communication for
restraining upstream
trip units
Arc Flash at different
bus levels using
ZSIP (observe the
reduced energy)
 ZSIP Drawbacks

• May take a bit longer to operate than type 50 devices

because of the inherent time delay required for the ZSI
logic operation
• If system is not coordinated, ZSIP does not necessarily
force coordination and other upstream devices may
operate before the device closest to the fault
• Arcing current must still be above short time pickup
 Arc Flash Light Sensors

• Detect the light emitted by the arc

• Very fast operation (5 to 10 ms) after the light is detected

• Provide comprehensive zone or individual cubicle arc flash

protection (doors open or closed) when correctly applied

• Light sensor protection can be worn at time of task being

performed for additional safety
Enclosures
Light Sensors
Kema-Laboratory Tests
50 kA - 500 ms Arc Fault Clearing Time
Arc Flash without Light Sensors
Kema-Laboratory Tests
50 kA - 500 ms Arc Fault
Kema-Laboratory Tests
50 kA Arc Fault with 50ms Fault Clearing Time
Kema-Laboratory Tests
50 kA Arc Fault with 50ms Fault Clearing Time
 Arc Flash Light Sensor Drawbacks

• Nuisance trips caused by light emitted from sources other

than electrical arcs (can be remedied by using a more
robust approach by combining over-current and light
sensors)

• Positioning of the light sensors poses a possible problem if

they are obstructed or blocked and cannot see the light
emitted by the arc
 Light Sensor and
Over-Current Relay
Combination
 Differential Protection
• Short Arc Fault Clearing Times
 Differential protection can operate (relay plus breaker)
within 4 to 6 cycles
 Relay can operate within ½ to 3 cycles
• Maintain coordination between protective devices upstream
and downstream from the Differential Protection Zone
• Differential protection provides continuous equipment arc
flash protection
 Types of Differential Relays

• Generator Differential Protection

• Transformer Differential Protection

• Bus Differential Protection

• Line Differential Protection

 Generator
Differential Relay
 Transformer
Differential Relay
Bus Differential
Relay
Actual System with
Differential
Protection
Arc Fault with Bus Diff Protection

With differential
protection the
incident energy is
only 5.5 cal/cm2
 Bus Diff Protection vs. OC Relay

Fault I = 51.2 kA
Diff Protection
FCT = 0.060 sec
Fault I = 13.83 kA
OC Protection
FCT = 0.643 sec
 Differential Protection Drawbacks

• Nuisance trips caused by transformer inrush currents which

are seen by relay as internal faults - the magnetizing
current has particularly high second order harmonic content
which can be used to restrain or desensitize the relay
during energizing

• Higher equipment and installation costs - relatively higher

costs when compared to traditional over-current protective
devices
• Limited zone of protection for differential ct nodes
 Current Limiting Methods
• Current Limiting Fuses

• Current Limiting Circuit Breakers

• Current Limiting Reactors

• Isolating transformers

• High Resistance Grounding

 Current Limiting Fuses
• Current limiting fuses can operate in less than ½ cycle

• Current limiting action is achieved as long as the

magnitude of the arcing current is within the current
limiting range

• Current limitation curves (peak let-through curves) are

needed in order to check if the fuse can limit the current

• Can be very effective at reducing the incident energy if

properly used
 Current Limiting Action

Ip
Current (peak amps)

ta = tc – tm
Ip’ ta = Arcing Time
tm = Melting Time
tc = Clearing Time
Ip = Peak Current
tm ta Time (cycles)
Ip’ = Peak Let-thru Current
tc
Current Limiting Action
Analysis of Current Limiting Action

Current Limiting
Action from this
point based on peak
let-through curves
Analysis of Current Limiting Action
Current Limiting Not in Current Limiting
Range Range (10 times higher)
Analysis using IEEE 1584 Equations

Current Limiting Equation for RK Fuses

E  4.184  (0.0302 I bf  0.9321)

E  2.57 J / cm 2
E  0.615cal / cm 2
 Current Limiting Fuse Drawbacks
• Current limiting action is achieved as long as the
magnitude of the arcing current is within the current
limiting range

• Can be thermally damaged and have altered characteristics

• Needs spares (which may be expensive) and there is not
indication of the type of fault.
• Energization on pre-existing fault = another blown fuse
 Current Limiting Reactors
Isolating Transformers

• Current limiting reactors can help to reduce the available

fault current and thus reduce the available energy

• Isolating transformers help to reduce high kA short-circuit

levels (down to less than 10 kA).

• Isolating transformers add impedance between the main

switchboard and the smaller panels fed from it. The short-
circuit available at the switchboard may be considerably
higher
 Increasing the Working Distance

• Hot Sticks
• Remote Racking
• Remote Switching
 Using Hot Sticks
• Used to insulate the electrician from electric shock and to
increase the distance from arc flash/blast

• Should be inspected prior to each use for signs of cracks or

physical damage which may affect the insulating capability

• Need to wear additional PPE

Using Hot Sticks
 Remote Racking/Remote
Switching
• Are used to increase the personal space between the
potential source of the arc and the electrician

• Can be combined with high strength plastic shields to

reduce the effects of the arc flash/blast
Remote Racking/Remote
Switching
Remote Racking/Remote
Switching
 Mitigating/Avoiding the
Incident Energy

• Arc Resistant Switchgear

• Arc Flash Shields

 Arc Resistant Switchgear

• Funneling or re-directing the incident energy away from

the personal space

• Special design and construction allows the front of the

equipment to experience low levels of energy

• Arc flash may still be very severe and equipment will

suffer considerable damage
Arc Resistant Switchgear
 Infrared Scanning
• Infrared scanning can help detect loose connections by
detecting hot spots and thus avoiding an arc flash

• Infrared scanning only helps to detect equipment failure

which may cause an arc, but it does not reduce the risk of
arc flash incidents caused by human error
Infrared Scanning
 Partial Discharge Measurements
• Measures partial discharge activity through analysis of high
frequency activity

• Identifies areas where insulation is breaking down

• Digital Oscilloscope with noise reduction software

• Connects to existing CT’s, PT’s or RTD circuits

• No shutdowns required
Partial Discharge Measurement
Results of Partial Discharges

<<< Corona

Corona (Close up) >>>

Results of Partial Discharges

<<Tracking 4,160 Volt

Surface Discharges >>>

and Void Type Defect
 Best Solution to
Mitigate the AF Risk

• De-energize the equipment

 The best strategy to protect against arc flash dangers
is to de-energize the equipment before working on it
 Acknowledgements

• Eaton Cutler-Hammer
• ETAP Canada Ltd.
• QIP2
• VAMP
• Shaw
Thank You.