Arc Flash & Shock Hazard

Analysis
By: Mahesh, HSE, TPCIL
What is Arc Flash?
Arc flash is the light and heat produced from an
electric arc supplied with sufficient electrical energy
to cause substantial damage, harm, fire, blast or injury

For whom Arc Flash Assessment is Relevant?

Users with more than one power source

like State Electricity with CPPs or DGs
User with HT lines as input
Users with 3 phase loads
How Arc Flash will get generate
in Electrical Lines?

Dust accumulation
Corrosion,
Dirt contamination
Dielectric Breakdown
Faulty Equipment
Poor Maintenance
Tool Dropped into an equipment
Careless removal or replacement cover and device
Entry of foreign bodies.
Misalignment of moving contacts
Switching etc..
What is the Danger of Arc
Flash?

Arc Temperature can reach 35,000F

Fatal burns can occur at distances over 10
ft.
Sound associated with these pressures can
exceed 160 dB where as above 80 dB is
alarming.
Energy liberated during an arc flash can lift
Space Shuttle weighing approximately 4.5
million Pounds to 27 feet
Expansion of metal into vapours like copper
will expand 67000 times in volume.
How Arc Flash Will Affect
Operator

Severe burns
Blindness
Blast injuries
Shrapnel wounds
Lung blast injuries
Ruptured eardrums
Pressure wave injuries
How Arc Flash Assessment will
benefit the operator?
This study will provide inputs on:

Safe Design
selection of suitable relays/CBs, its settings etc
Arcing Time
Mitigation to reduce the arcing time, such that as earliest arc can be
quench
Fault Current
Mitigation to reduce the Fault current
Operating Distance
Provide lables with working distance which are safe to operate
PPEs requirement
PPEs required with HRC levels
What is the Methodology of Arc
Flash Assessment?
Collect the system Installation and equipment data.
Determine the power systems modes of operation.
Determine the bolted fault currents.
Determine the arc fault currents.
From the protective device characteristics, Find the Arcing
Duration
Record the system voltages and equipment classes for each bus or
arc hazard location.
Determine the working distance
Determine the incident energy
Determine Flash protection boundary for all equipment.
Protective device coordination evaluation for bolted fault as well as
arcing fault.
Generate Arc Flash Hazard labels.
Which standards are guidelines for Arc
Flash Assessment ? Software used?

IEEE Std 1584-2002, IEEE Guide for

Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations
IEEE Std. 1584a-2004 (Amendment 1)
NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in
the Workplace 2012 Edition, 130.3(B).
How the Arc Flash Labels will look
like?
Thank You