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An arc flash primer

BY NICHOLAS CHALHOUB, Senior Electrical Engineer, CH2M HILL -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 5/20/2008 8:56:00 AM

Historically, arc flash analysis has not been a priority for the operation and maintenance of electrical systems. Since the issue of the 2002 edition of the National Electrical Code, which mandates arc flash analysis, companies are beginning to allocate the capital necessary to perform this important work.

Persons who perform short circuit calculations, arc flash hazard analysis, or coordination studies should understand the following terminology: arc blast, arc flash hazard, short circuit, interrupting capacity, bolted fault current, current limiting fuses, safe work condition, flash protection boundary, limited approach boundary, restricted approach boundary, prohibited approach boundary, incident energy, PPE categories, and others listed in OSHA standards 29 CFR part 1910, NFPA 70E, and IEEE 1584. Refer to Definitions at the end of this article for clarification.

What is an Arcing fault? The primary cause of arc fault is human error. Arcing is the flow of current through the atmosphere when two-phase conductors touch, or between phase conductor and neutral, or between phase conductor and ground. This can release a tremendous amount of energy through the air in less than a second, which results in very high temperatures (35,000 F, which is four times the surface temperature of the sun), very high pressure blast, and thousands of shrapnel at very high velocity (estimated to be about 500 to 1,000 mph). The arc fault occurs for many reasons: Overconfidence of qualified personnel working on energized electrical equipment Unqualified personnel working on energized electrical equipment without supervision Insufficient time to perform the work properly

Use of metallic tools such as fish tape, non-protected screw drivers, wearing jewelry such as watches, rings, etc. Personnel not paying attention while working on energized electrical equipment Lock-out tag-out procedural mistakes Improper or inappropriate grounding method

Water leakage or other contaminants in chemically corrosive areas causing insulation to deteriorate Animals in electrical equipment

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Electrical equipment not properly maintained, which can cause overheating, loose connections, and overloading of conductors. It is recommended that electrical equipment be maintained, cleaned, and infrared-scanned once every 12 months. Accidental touching of live exposed parts by dropped tools, which can cause sparks and initiate a fire in electrical equipment

Reducing the hazard Arc flash is a very serious matter and can cause severe injuries such as loss of hearing, loss of sight, and burns requiring many years of skin grafting and rehabilitation.

Injuries also can happen while workers are wearing their PPE equipment, especially when the work area has not been cleared of all obstacles. Workers can fall backwards hitting their head against objects causing neck, back, or other permanent injuries. These injuries also can happen to workers who are several feet away from the explosion.

As a result of an arc flash, equipment can be damaged including primary switch gear, transformers, and low voltage distribution equipment. Financial impact can be considerable: lost production from downtime and potential litigation costs. Also, a companys reputation may be affected by such incidences through the loss of the ISO ratings and poor safety records.

To reduce the potential of an arc flash, the following must be considered: proper design; preventative maintenance on electrical equipment; established goals and objectives; and performance and maintenance of short circuit study, arc flash analysis, and coordination study.

Proper design Prior to release of the 2002 edition of NEC, many engineers and designers were not aware of arc flash and related OSHA regulations. Arc flash mitigation consulting was not offered to their customers, nor were the needed calculations performed. On more than one occasion, I asked my mentor: Why dont we perform arc flash calculations and specify the settings for the breakers or type of fuses on the drawings?

It is a good engineering practice to perform all necessary design in compliance with the NEC (including sections 110.16 Flash Protection and 240.12 Electrical System Coordination), the authority having jurisdiction, OSHA regulations (29-CFR, Part 1910) and customer safety standards. A design is not complete and may be rejected by the authorities having jurisdiction if short circuit studies, arc flash analysis, and coordination study are not performed and documented properly, even though the drawings were properly sealed by a professional engineer. The complete design will include all breaker settings, all fuse types, and coordination between all the protective devices. Relying on the contractor to perform engineering design is a failure on the engineers part. Lack of proper engineering studies may allow the contractor to install the least expensive (not necessarily appropriate) type of protective devices. Later on, the customer will likely be forced to pay the high cost to correct the deficient protective devices in order to meet the safety requirements at the facility.

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Preventative maintenance Maintenance of the electrical equipment, including protective devices, is critical to maintain production and prevent hazardous incidences. At a minimum, maintenance should include infrared scan, oil samples, and cleaning and ventilation of electrical spaces. After infrared scan is completed, the engineer, electrician, or maintenance staff should replace the defective parts, tighten loose bolts and lugs, clean contacts, and clean coils and bushings. Compare the oil sample results to IEEE standards and manufacturer requirements. Keep a log of the results for the life of the equipment. Maintenance, in my opinion, should be performed every six months, depending on the area in which the electrical equipment is located. Refer to NFPA 70B Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance.

Goals and objectives The goals and objectives of arc flash calculations are as follows: Protection of workers from potential harm Compliance with codes, local authorities, and OSHA Improved production efficiency Stability of insurance costs Training and education of electricians and maintenance staff of the potential hazards Reduction of arc flash related accidents

Perform and update short circuit calculations, arc flash analysis and coordination study To allow the engineer to perform the arc flash study the following should be completed: Gather as much information about the installed or proposed protective devices, cable size and length, transformer impedance, voltages and X/R ratio. Contact the local utility and request the short circuit contribution. Also make sure to obtain the types of equipment at the plant (motors, lighting, resistive loads, etc). Develop and maintain updates to the electrical one-line diagram as accurately as possible including all the above information. All electrical equipment should be tagged properly.

Input the collected data into appropriate analysis software. Save and run the calculations often. It is easier to trouble shoot later on. IEEE 1584 does not require the calculations to be completed for systems less than 240 V when fed from 125 kVA transformer or less. However, in my experience, safety departments of many companies require the calculations to be completed down to 120-V receptacles.

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Example The partial one line diagram in Figure 1 shows a 12,470-V power source, 3,000-kVA transformer, and 4, 000-amp switchgear feeding a 250-hp compressor. The first calculation indicates that category 3 (8.4cal/cm2) exists at the SWBD-1. This means a higher degree of PPE equipment should be used to work on this energized equipment. This will be uncomfortable for the electrician due to heat, sweat, and the need for big gloves to handle tools.

Figure 1 - Partial one-line diagram

To reduce a higher category to a lower one, try to adjust the trip settings on the main breaker. If category 0 or 1 cannot be achieved with existing protective devices, then the installation of newer protective devices may be needed. This could mean additional capital and downtime.

De-energizing electrical equipment is the safest way to perform maintenance. However, reducing higher categories to lower categories is very important to achieve a safer environment in troubleshooting control cabinets and machinery.

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It is best that the initial design of the electrical system includes the short circuit calculations, arc flash analysis, and coordination study between protective devices. In the above example, the coordination study must be completed to calibrate the settings on both the main breaker for SWBD-1 and the breaker for the compressor. In case of a fault, properly designed and coordinated devices will allow the compressor breaker to trip first, enhancing system safety.

After these calculations are generated, the arc flash and shock hazard tags must be printed and placed on the specified equipment. See Figure 2 and 3. The flash hazard boundary, flash hazard, and the category type should be listed on the tag. Many maintenance and safety personnel have been requesting that the limited, restricted and prohibited approach be listed also.

Figure 2 - Typical Tag

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Figure 3 - Protection boundaries of electrical system

For more information, refer to the following standards and product manufacturers:

OSHA Standards 29-CFR, Part 1910, Occupational Safety and Health Standards1910 sub part S (electrical), Standard number 1910.333, specifically addresses Standards for Work Practices and references NFPA 70E. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 70The National Electrical Code (NEC) contains requirements for warning labels. NFPA 70Eprovides guidance on implementing appropriate work practices that are required to safeguard workers from injury while working on or near exposed electrical conductors or circuit parts that could become energized. The Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 1584Guide to Performing ArcFlash Hazard Calculations. Electrical systems analysis software: Easy-Power SKM

Definitions 1. Arc flash hazard: A dangerous condition associated with the release of energy caused by an electric arc. 2. Arcing fault current: A fault current flowing through electrical arc plasma, also called arc fault current and arc current. 3. Available fault current: The electrical current that can be provided by serving utility and facility-owned electrical generating devices and large electric motors, considering the amount of impedance in the current path. 4. Bolted fault current: A short circuit or electrical contact between two conductors at different

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potentials in which the impedance or resistance between the conductors is essentially zero. 5. Circuit: A conductor or system of conductors through which an electric current is intended to flow. 6. Electrical hazard: A dangerous condition in which inadvertent or unintentional contact or equipment failure can result in shock, arc-flash burn, thermal burn, or blast. 7. Electric Shock: Physical stimulation that occurs when electrical current passes through the body. 8. Energized: Electrically connected to or having a source of voltage. 9. Exposed (live parts): It is applied to parts that are not suitably guarded, isolated, or insulated. 10. Fault current: A current that flows from one conductor to ground or to another conductor due to an abnormal connection between the two. 11. Flash hazard analysis: A method to determine the risk of personal injury as a result of exposure to incident energy from an electrical arc flash. 12. Flash-protection boundary: An approach limit is a distance from live parts that are uninsulated or exposed within which a person could receive a second degree burn. 13. Incident energy: The amount of energy impressed on a surface, a certain distance from the source, generated during an electrical arc event. Incident energy is measured in joules per centimeter squared. 14. Shock hazard: A dangerous condition associated with the possible release of energy caused by contact or approach to live parts. 15. Arc Blast: The explosive result of an arcing fault. As current begins passing through ionized air, large volumes of ionized gases, along with metal from the vaporized conductors, are rapidly expelled, creating such hazards as intense heat, thermoacoustic shock wave, molten metal, shrapnel, blinding light, toxic smoke and contact with energized components. 16. Current limiting fuse: A UL Listed, current-limiting fuse must clear a short circuit current in less than one half cycle. By isolating a faulted circuit before the fault current has sufficient time to reach its maximum value, a current-limiting fuse tremendously limits the total electrical energy delivered to the fault, reducing both the magnitude and duration of a fault current. 17. Short circuit: An electrical malfunction where current takes the path of least resistance to ground, Current flow is excessive from low resistance resulting in a blown fuse. 18. Interrupting capacity: The interrupting capacity is the maximum value of current that a contact assembly is required to successfully interrupt at a specified voltage for a limited number of operations under specified conditions.
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