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ArcFault
FromOpenElectrical

Contents
1 ArcFlashHistory
2 ArcFlashDefinitions
3 ArcFlashMitigationinSwitchgear
4 ArcFlashPPE
5 ArcFlashCalculationaccordingtotheIEEEStd.15842002
5.1 Determiningthearccurrent
5.2 Determinetheincidentenergy
5.3 Determinetheflashboundary
5.4 Othercalculationapproachesfortheincidentenergy
5.5 CriticismofIEEE1584
6 NPFA70E2004Application
7 Methodsforreducingarcflashhazards
7.1 ArcFlashDetectionPrinciples
7.2 ResponsestoArcFlashFaults
8 ArcFlashCalculator
9 References

ArcFlashHistory
FirstofficialpublicationonthearcflashhazardwaspublishedbyRalphLeepublishedin"TheOtherElectricalHazard,ElectricArcBlast
Burns",1982.Inthispaperthethermaleventassociatedwithanelectricarcanditseffectsonthehumanbodywasanalysedanddescribed.
Valueofthe1.2cal/cm2wasdefinedasthe"curableburnlevel"(definedasthelowerlimitfora3rddegreeburn)thatisstillusedtoday,
alsosomecalculationstodeterminethecurableburndistanceforanelectricarcinair.In1987RalphLeepublishedanotherpaper,
"PressuresDevelopedfromArcs",wherethesoundandpressureeffectsofanarcinairweredescribed.Includedinthispaperwerecharts
todeterminethepressurewaveforcesatvariousdistancesbasedonthefaultdutiesatthelocation.

Twomorepaperswerepublishedthatfurtherdefinedtheenergiesinarcingfaults.Thefirstwasthepaper"TestingUpdateonProtective
ClothingandEquipmentforElectricArcExposure",1997,byBingham,Doughty,andNeal.Inthatpapertheauthorsusedempiricaltest
datatodeterminetheincidentenergyatvariousdistancesfromalowvoltagearcingfault.Theywerethefirsttoexpressthedirectional
effectofanarcwithinanenclosure.In2000,Doughty,Floyd,andNealpublished"PredictingIncidentEnergytoBetterManagethe
ElectricArcHazardon600VPowerDistributionSystems",whichdefinedincidentenergybasedonfaultduty,workingdistanceand
clearingtimeforarcsinairorinanenclosure.

ThisworkwasusedintheNFPA70EStandardforElectricalSafetyRequirementsforEmployeeWorkplaces,2000Edition,forusein
developingsafeworkpracticeswithregardtoarcflashhazards,butwaslimitedtolowvoltageapplications.Italsorepresentedthebasis
forfurtherresearchthatresultedinthepublicationoftheIEEEStd.15842002,"IEEEGuideforPerformingArcFlashHazard
Calculations".

ArcFlashDefinitions
Anarcfaultisanelectricaldischargebetweentwoormoreconductors,wheretheinsulatingatmosphere(airorgas)hasbeenbrokendown
bytheelectricfieldbetweentheconductors.Wheneverthereisanarcfault,thegasesandvapoursthatmakeuptheatmospherebetween
theconductorsbecomeionised.

Themagnitudeofanarcfaultishighlyvariable.Theinstantaneousarcfaultcurrentmaybehigh,approachingtheboltedshortcircuit
current,orreasonablylow,comparabletotheloadcurrent.Anarcwillcontinueuntilitbecomesunstableandextinguishesitselforuntilit
isinterruptedbyaprotectiondevice(i.e.fuseorcircuitbreaker).

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Figure1.Arcfaultexplosionona480Vswitchboardwith23kAupstreamfaultcapacity

Arcfaultsarecharacterisedbyextremetemperaturesthatcancausesevereburnsdependingonthedistanceoftheoperatortothearc.Neal
etal[1]inTableIVdeterminedthata600V,40kAarcfaultwithadurationof0.5shasenoughenergytocauseseconddegreeburnsata
distanceof77inches(1.96m).

Additionally,arcfaultstendtomeltterminalsthatcanpotentiallyshowertheimmediatevicinitywithmoltenmetal.Theextreme
temperaturesproducedbyanarcfaultcanalsoleadtofires,causingmajordamagetoequipment.

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Figure2.Damagecausedbyarcfaults

AnnexCofIEEEStd1584[2]outlinescasehistoriesofreallifearcfaultincidents.Themajorityofincidentsoccurredduringenergisation
andswitchingoperationsorliveelectricalinstallationwork.Thepotentialcausesofarcfaultsincludecontamination/pollutioningress,
equipmentfailure,rodents/verminandaccidentalcontactwithtools.

Commondefinitions:

IncidentEnergyExposure:theamountofthermalincidentenergytowhichtheworker'sfaceandchestcouldbeexposedatworking
distanceduringanelectricalarcevent.Incidentenergyismeasuredinjoulespercentimetersquared(J/cm2)orcaloriespercentimeter
squared(cal/cm2).

FlashProtectionBoundary:theflashprotectionboundaryisanapproachlimitatadistancefromexposedlivepartsorenclosedliveparts
ifoperation,manipulation,ortestingofequipmentcreatesapotentialflashhazard,withinwhichapersoncouldreceiveaseconddegree
burnifanelectricalarcflashweretooccur.

IncidentEnergyatFlashProtectionBoundary:thearcflashprotectionboundary(FPB)distanceforthespecificincidentenergy,usually
providedfromthemanufacturesforthecorrespondingpersonalprotectionequipment(PPE).

HazardRiskCategory:thisistheminimumlevelofthepersonalprotectiveequipment(PPE)incal/cm2,asevaluatedintheIEEE
Standard1584,withtheintenttoprotecttheworkerfromthethermaleffectsofthearcflashat45cmor18inchesfromthesourceofthe
arc.

GroundingType:accordingtotheIEEE1584proceduretwogroundingclassesareapplied:

a)ungrounded,whichincludedungrounded,highresistancegroundingandlowresistancegrounding,and

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b)solidlygrounded.

GapbetweenConductors:equipmentbusgapinmm.Gapsof3to40mmwereusedforlowvoltagetestingtosimulategapsbetween
conductorsinlowvoltageequipmentandcables.Gaps13,104and152mm.wereusedin5and15kVequipmenttestings.Forcases
wheregapisoutsidetherangeofthestandardempiricallyderivedmodel,thetheoreticallyderivedLeemethodcanbeapplied.

WorkingDistance:typicalworkingdistanceisthesumofthedistancebetweentheworkerstandinginfrontoftheequipment,andfrom
thefrontoftheequipmenttothepotentialarcsourceinsidetheequipment.Arcfashprotectionisalwaysbasedontheincidentenergylevel
ontheperson'sfaceandbodyattheworkingdistance,nottheincidentenergyonthehandsorarms.Thedegreeofinjuryinaburndepends
onthepercentageofaperson'sskinthatisburned.Theheadandbodyarealargepercentageoftotalskinsurfaceareaandinjurytothese
areasismuchmorelifethreateningthanburnsontheextremities(seeFig.3).

Figure3.Arcflashzones

FortheFigure3.followingdefinitionscanbeapplied:

FlashProtectionBoundary:Anapproachlimitatadistancefromexposedlivepartswithinwhichapersoncouldreceiveaseconddegree
burnifanelectricarcflashweretooccur.Appropriateflashflameprotectionequipmentmustbeutilizedforpersonsenteringtheflash
protectionregion.

LimitedApproachBoundary:Anapproachlimitatdistancefromanexposedlivepartwithinwhichashockhazardexists.Aperson
crossingthelimitedapproachboundaryandenteringthelimitedregionmustbequalifiedtoperformthejob/task.

RestrictedApproachBoundary:Anapproachlimitatadistancefromanexposedlivepartwithinwhichthereisanincreaseriskof
shock,duetoelectricalarcovercombinedwithinadvertentmovement,forpersonnelworkingincloseproximitytothelivepart.The
personcrossingtherestrictedapproachboundaryandenteringtherestrictedspacemusthaveadocumentedworkplanapprovedby
authorizedmanagement,usePPEthatisappropriatefortheworkingbeingperformedandisratedforvoltageandenergylevelinvolved.

ProhibitedApproachBoundary:Anapproachlimitatadistancefromandexposedlivepartwithinwhichworkisconsideredthesameas
makingcontactwiththelivepart.Thepersonenteringtheprohibitedspacemusthavespecifiedtrainingtoworkonenergizedconductors
orliveparts.Anytoolsusedintheprohibitedspacemustberatedfordirectcontactatthevoltageandenergylevelinvolved.

ArcFlashMitigationinSwitchgear
AnnexZC6ofAS3439.1[3]providesguidelinesfortheminimisation,detectionandcontainmentofinternalarcfaultsinswitchgear.
Thesearesummarisedbelow:

Insulationofliveconductors(inadditiontoclearancesinair)
Arrangementofbusbarsandfunctionalunitsinseparateventedcompartments,formorerapidextinguishingofthearcandto
containanarcfaultinasinglecompartment
Useofprotectiondevicestolimitmagnitudeanddurationofarcingcurrent
Useofdevicessensitivetoenergyradiatedfromanarctoinitiateprotectionandinterruptarcingcurrent
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Useofearthcurrentdetectiondevicesforinterruptionofarcfaultstoearth
Combinationsoftheabove

Itshouldbenotedthatuncontainedarcfaultscanspreadtootherpartsoftheswitchboardanddevelopintolargerfaults(e.g.functional
unitarcfaultspreadingtobusbars).

ArcFlashPPE
Asageneralguideline,Nealetal[1]recommendsthefollowingpersonalprotectionequipmentto
safeguardagainstarcfaults:

Clothingconsistingofouterlayer(s)ofloosefittingflameresistantfabricwithoutopenings
andinnerlayersofnonmeltablefibres
Switchmanshoodorfaceshieldwith0.08inchthickpolycarbonateviewingwindow
Heavydutyflameresistantworkgloves
Heavydutyworkboots

AnnexCofIEEEStd1584[2]illustratesacasestudy(No.42)ofa2.3kVswitchingoperationthat
ultimatelyendedinanarcfault.Theoperatorwaswearingafullarcflashsuit,safetyglassesandfire
resistantshirtandpants.ThePPEpreventedanyburninjuriesfromthearcflash.Othercasestudieswhere
theoperatorswerenotwearingappropriatePPEresultedinsevereburnsordeath.

ArcflashPPEisnormallyratedtoanArcThermalPerformanceexposureValue(ATPV),whichspecifies
themaximumincidentarcfaultenergythatcanprotectthewearer(measuredincaloriespercm2).

Bywayofexample,theresultsofanarcflashhazardcalculationbasedonIEEEStd1584followsto
determinetheappropriateATPVratingofPPE.Theprospectivefaultcurrentusedwas25kA.Afault
clearingtimeof0.5swaschosen,whichissuitablyonerousforaworstcaseincident.
Figure4.Typicalarcflash
Thecalculationconcludedthattoprotectagainstinjuryfromanarcfaultofthismagnitude,PPEwithan
suit
ATPVratingofover50cal/cm2).isrequired.TheATPVratingistypicallyquotedoncommonlyavailable
arcflashPPE.

TypicalarcfaultPPEisavailablefromvendorssuchasOberon(http://www.oberoncompany.com/index.php).

ArcFlashCalculationaccordingtotheIEEEStd.15842002
IEEEStd15842002containscalculationmethodsdevelopedthroughtestingbyseveralsourcestodetermineboundarydistancesfor
unprotectedpersonnelandtheincidentenergyattheworkingdistanceforqualifiedpersonnelworkingonenergizedequipment.The
incidentenergylevelcanbeusedtodeterminetheproperPPErequiredforpersonnel.TheequationsdevelopedintheIEEEstandardassess
thearcflashhazardbasedontheavailable(bolted)faultcurrent,voltage,clearingtime,equipmenttype,grounding,andworkingdistance.
Theworkingvoltageisalsousedtodetermineothervariables.Theequationshaveothervariablesthataccountforgrounding,equipment
type,andconstruction.Thismethodcanalsodeterminetheimpactofcertaincurrentlimitinglowvoltagefusesaswellascertaintypesof
lowvoltagebreakers.Itisanimprovementoverthepreviousworkinthatthecalculationscanbeappliedoveralargerangeofvoltages.
ThemanyvariablesofthismethodmakeitthepreferredchoiceforArcFlashevaluations,butatthesametimerequireseitheracomplex
spreadsheetorcomputerprogramtobeusedefficiently.

Determiningthearccurrent

Forapplicationsunder1kV:

log(Ia ) = K + 0.662 log(If ) + 0.0966 Usys + 0.000526 d G + 0.5588 Usys log(If ) 0.00304 d G log(If )

Forapplicationsabove1kV:

log(Ia ) = 0.00402 + 0.983 log(If )

Andgettingthevaluefromthelog10:

log(Ia )
Ia = 10

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where:
Iathearcfaultcurrent(kA),
Kfortheopenconfigurations(0.153),fortheclosed/boxedconfigurations(0.097),
Ifistheboltedfaultcurrentforthreephasefaults(symmetricalRMS)(kA),
Usysthesystemvoltage,
dGthegapbetweenconductors(mm).

Thesecondarccurrent(I2a)isequalto85%ofthefirstcurrent,or:
I2a = 0.85 Ia

Determinetheincidentenergy

Whenthearccurrentisknowntheincidentenergycouldbecalculated.Butfirsttheincidentenergynormalizedforthetimeanddistanceis
calculated:

log(En ) = K1 + K2 + 1.081 log(Ia ) + 0.0011 d G

log(E n )
En = 10

Nowtheincidentenergycanbecalculatedasfollows,forthesystemswherethevoltagedoesnotexceed15kV:
x
t 610
E = Cf En
x
0.2 D

Andforthelocationwherethevoltageexceeds15kVtheLeemethodisused:

t
5
E = 5.12 10 Usys If
2
D

Where:

Entheincidentenergynormalizedfortimeanddistance(cal/cm2),
K1fortheopenconfigurations(0.792),fortheclosed/boxedconfigurations(0.555),
K2fortheungroundedorhighresistancegroundedsystems(0),forgroundedsystems(0.113),
dGthegapbetweenconductors(mm),
Etheincidentenergy(cal/cm2),
Cfthevoltagefactor(1.0forUsys>1kV,1.5forUsys<=1kV),
tthearcdurationtime(s),
Dthedistancefromthepossiblearclocationtotheperson(mm),
xthedistancefactor(checktablebelow),
Ifistheboltedfaultcurrentforthreephasefaults(symmetricalRMS)(kA),
Usysthesystemvoltage.

Thearcdurationtimeistheclearingtimeforthesourcesideprotectingdevicethatclearsthefaultfirst.

Systemvoltage(kV) Equipmenttype Typicalgapbetweenconductors(mm) Distancefactor,x

Openair 1040 2.0
Switchgear 32 1.473
0.2081.0
MCCandpanels 25 1.641
Cable 13 2.0
Openair 1040 2.0
>1.05.0 Switchgear 13102 0.973
Cable 13 2.0
>5.015.0 Openair 1040 2.0
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Switchgear 153 0.973

Cable 13 2.0

Determinetheflashboundary

Theflashboundaryisthedistancefromanarcingfaultwheretheincidentenergyisequalto1.2cal/cm2.FortheIEEEStd.1584
empiricallyderivedmodelequationis:
x
t 610 1

DB = (Cf En ) x

0.2 EB

FortheLeemethod:

t
5
DB = 5.12 10 Usys If
EB

Where:

DBthedistanceoftheboundaryfromarcingpoint(mm),
Entheincidentenergy(cal/cm2)normalizedfortimeanddistance,
Cfthevoltagefactor(1.0forUsys>1kV,1.5forUsys<=1kV),
tthearcdurationtime(s),
EBtheincidentenergyincal/cm2attheboundarydistance,
xthedistancefactor(checktableabove),
Ifistheboltedfaultcurrentforthreephasefaults(symmetricalRMS)(kA),
Usysthesystemvoltage.

Othercalculationapproachesfortheincidentenergy

In2000,Doughty,Floyd,andNealpublished"PredictingIncidentEnergytoBetterManagetheElectricArcHazardon600VPower
DistributionSystems",whichdefinedincidentenergybasedonfaultduty,workingdistanceandclearingtimeforarcsinairorinan
enclosure.Foropeninstallations:
1.9593 2
EM A = 5271 D
A
tA [0.0016 I
f
0.0076 If + 0.8939]

Andforclosed/boxedinstallations:
1.4738 2
EM B = 1038.7 D tA [0.0093 I 0.3453 If + 5.9675]
B f

Where:
EMAincidentenergyforanarcinopenair(cal/cm2),
EMBincidentenergyforanarcinabox(size50cmor20inchesmaximum)(cal/cm2),
DA,DBdistancefromthearc,
Ifistheboltedfaultcurrentforthreephasefaults(symmetricalRMS)(kA),
tAthearcdurationtime(s).

CriticismofIEEE1584

Intheir2006paper,StokesandSweetingsuggestedthatIEEE1584hadfundamentalerrorsinthewayincidentenergywascalculated,
arguingthatitdidnotadequatelycapturethephysicsofthearcplasmacloud[5].

NPFA70E2004Application

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InApril2004.,theNFPAreleasedanupdatetoNFPA70EthatadoptedtheIEEEStd.15842002methodsfordeterminingtheincident
energy.ThestandardwasrenamedtoNFPA70EStandardforEmployeeSafetyintheWorkplace2004Edition.ItisdifferentfromIEEE
Std.1584withregardtoarcflashinthatitisusedtodeterminetheappropriatePPEbasedontheincidentenergycalculated.PPEisrated
bytheArcThermalPerformanceValue(ATPV)withunitsincal/cm2.TherequiredPPEisdeterminedbycomparingthecalculated
incidentenergytotheratingsforspecificcombinationsofPPE.AnexampleisgiveninNPFA70Easfollowsintablebelow:

Hazard/Risk RequiredMinimumArcRatingofPPE
TypicalProtectiveClothingSystems
Category (cal/cm2)
Nonmelting,flammablematerials(naturalortreatedmaterialswithat
0 N/A(1.2)
least4.5z/yd2)
1 FRpantsandFRshirt,orFRcoverall 4
2 CottonUnderwear,plusFRshirtandFRpants 8
3 CottonUnderwear,plusFRshirtandFRpantsandFRcoverall 25
CottonUnderwear,plusFRshirtandFRpantsandmultiplelayerflash
4 40
suit

WhereFRreferstotheflameresistantorflameretardant.

ThisexampleshouldNOTbeusedforfinalcalculations.Foractual
applications,thecalculatedincidentenergymustbecomparedto
specificPPEcombinationsusedatthefacilitybeingevaluated.The
exceptiontothisistheupperlimitof40cal/cm2.WhilePPEis
availableinATPVvaluesof100cal/cm2ormore,valuesabove40are
consideredprohibitedduetothesound,pressureandconcussiveforces
present.Abovethisleveltheseforcesaremoresignificantthanthe
thermalvalues.

Methodsforreducingarcflashhazards
Figure5.Typicalarcflashwarninglabel
ReducingtheArcingCurrent:certainprotectivedevicesarecurrent
limitingindesign.Bylimitingthecurrentavailableforafaultthereisa
correspondingreductionintheincidentenergyforclearingtimesthatareshortinduration(13cycles).Faultdutiesatthesedevicesmust
beinthecurrentlimitingrangeforthemtobeeffective(typicallyatleast1015timesthedevicerating).

IncreasingtheWorkingDistance:sincetheincidentenergyisproportionaltothesquareofthedistance(inopenair),increasingthe
workingdistancewillsignificantlyreducetheincidentenergy.Workingdistancecanbeincreasedbyusingremoterackingdevices,remote
operatingdevices,andextensiontools(i.e.hotsticks).

ReducingtheClearingTime:traditionalmethodstoreduceclearingtimesinclude:lowereddevicesettings(permanentlyortemporarily),
busdifferentialprotection,andzoneselectiveinterlocking(typicallylowvoltageonly).Itshouldbenotedthatthecalculationsassumethat
theprotectivedevicesaresetinaccordancewiththestudy,andthatthedevicesoperateproperly.

ArcFlashDetectionPrinciples

Anarcflashfaulttypicallyresultsinanenormousandnearlyinstantaneousincreaseinlightintensityinthevicinityofthefault.Light
intensitylevelsoftenrisetoseveralthousandtimesnormalambientlightinglevels.Forthisreasonmost,ifnotall,arcflashdetecting
relaysrelyonopticalsensor(s)todetectthisrapidincreaseinlightintensity.Forsecurityreasons,theopticalsensinglogicistypically
furthersupervisedbyinstantaneousovercurrentelements(ANSIdevice50)operatingasafaultdetector.Arcflashdetectionrelaysare
capableofissuingatripsignalinaslittleas2.5msafterinitiationofthearcingfault.Arcflashrelayingcomplimentsexistingconventional
relaying.Thearcflashdetectionrelayrequiresarapidincreaseinlightintensitytooperateandisdesignedwiththesinglepurposeof
detectingverydangerousexplosivelikeconditionsresultingfromanarcflashfault.Itoperatesindependentlyanddoesnotneedtobe
coordinatedwithexistingrelayingschemes.

ResponsestoArcFlashFaults

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Oncethearcflashfaulthasbeendetected,thereareatleasttwodesignoptions.Oneoptioninvolvesdirectlytrippingtheupstreambus
breaker(s).Sincethearcflashdetectiontimeissoshort,overallclearingtimeisessentiallyreducedtotheoperatingtimeoftheupstream
breaker.Asecondoptioninvolvescreatinganintentionalthreephasebusfaultbyenergizingahighspeedgroundingswitch.This
approachshuntsthearcingenergythroughthehighspeedgroundingswitchandbothfaultsarethenclearedbyconventionalupstreambus
protection.Becausethegroundingswitchtypicallyclosesfasterthantheupstreambreakeropens,thisapproachwillresultinlower
incidentenergylevelsthanthefirstapproach.However,italsointroducesasecondthreephaseboltedfaultonthesystemanditrequires
thataseparatehighspeedgroundingswitchbeinstalledandoperational.Assumingthereisspaceavailablefortheadditionofthe
groundingswitch,thereisasignificantlyhighercostofimplementationinvolvedcomparedtothefirstapproach,andsomaynotbea
practicalalternative,especiallyforexistingswitchgearlineups.

ArcFlashCalculator
Also,wehaveprovidedafreearcflashcalculatorforandroidbasedsmartphonesArcFlashCalculator(https://play.google.com/store/apps/
details?id=com.openelectrical.arcflashcalculator&hl=en)

References
1.Neal,T.,Bingham,A.,Doughty,R.L,ProtectiveClothingforElectricArcExposure,IEEE,July/Aug1997
2.IEEEStd1584,ArcFlashHazardCalculations,2002
3.AS3439.1,LowvoltageswitchgearandcontrolgearassembliesPart1:Typetestedandpartiallytypetestedassemblies,2002
4."Arcflashhazardanalysisandmitigation",2004,ChristopherInshaw,RobertA.Wilson
5.Stokes,A.D.,Sweeting,D.K.,"Electricarcingburnhazards",IEEETransactionsonIndustryApplications,2006(http://ieeexplore.ie
ee.org/document/1583838/)
6.Arcadvisordata(http://www.arcadvisor.com/)

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