Electrical Arc Flash

Electrical Arc Flash

1.1.         Electrical Arc flash introduction

 An arc flash (also called a flashover), which is distinctly different from the arc blast, is part of an arc fault, a type of electrical explosion that results from a low-impedance connection to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system.

 An arc flash is the light and heat produced from an electric arc supplied with sufficient electrical energy to cause substantial damage, harm, fire, or injury. Electrical arcs experience negative incremental resistance, which causes the electrical to decrease as the arc temperature increases.

Therefore, as the arc develops and gets hotter the resistance drops, drawing more and more current (runaway) until some part of the system melts, trips, or evaporates, providing enough distance to break the circuit and extinguish the arc.

Electrical arcs, when well controlled and fed by limited energy, produce very bright light, and are used in arc lamps (enclosed, or with open electrodes), for welding, plasma, and other industrial applications. 

Arc flash temperatures can reach or exceed 35,000 °F (19,400 °C) at the arc terminals. The massive energy released in the fault rapidly vaporizes the metal conductors involved, blasting molten metal and expanding plasma outward with extraordinary force.

A typical arc flash incident can be inconsequential but could conceivably easily produce a more severe explosion (see calculation below). The result of the violent event can cause destruction of equipment involved, fire, and injury not only to an electrical worker but also to bystanders. During the arc flash, electrical energy vaporizes the metal, which changes from solid state to gas vapor, expanding it with explosive force. For example, when copper vaporizes it suddenly expands by a factor of 67,000 times in volume.

In addition to the explosive blast, called the arc blast of such a fault, destruction also arises from the intense radiant heat produced by the arc. The metal plasma arc produces tremendous amounts of light energy from far infrared to ultraviolet. Surfaces of nearby objects, including people, absorb this energy and are instantly heated to vaporizing temperatures. The effects of this can be seen on adjacent walls and equipment - they are often ablated and eroded from the radiant effects.

 Arc flash can be caused by many things including:

• Dust
• Dropping tools
• Accidental touching
• Condensation
• Material failure
• Corrosion
• Faulty Installation

Three factors determine the severity of an arc flash injury:

• Proximity of the worker to the hazard
• Temperature
• Time for circuit to break

Typical Results from an Arc Flash

• Burns (Non FR clothing can burn onto skin)
• Fire (could spread rapidly through building)
• Flying objects (often molten metal)
• Blast pressure (upwards of 2,000 lbs. / sq.ft)
• Sound Blast (noise can reach 140 dB – loud as a gun)
• Heat (upwards of 35,000 degrees F)

1.2.            Protecting personnel from Electrical Arc Flash

There are many methods of protecting personnel from electrical arc flash hazards. This can include

• Personnel wearing arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Modifying the design and configuration of electrical equipment.

The best way to remove the hazards of an arc flash is to de-energize electrical equipment when interacting with it, however de-energizing electrical equipment is in and of itself an arc flash hazard. In this case, one of the newest solutions is to allow the operator to stand far back from the electrical equipment by operating equipment remotely, this called remote racking

1.2.1.    Arc flash protection PPE

Any amount of heat delivered within a long enough time interval will have no impact on the fabrics' integrity while a limited amount of heat delivered within short enough time interval may ignite or melt the fabric.

With recent increased awareness of the dangers of arc flash, there have been many companies that offer arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE).

The materials are tested for their arc rating. The arc rating is the maximum incident energy resistance demonstrated by a material prior to breakopen (a hole in the material) or necessary to pass through and cause with 50% probability a second or third degree burn.

Arc rating is normally expressed in cal/cm2 (or small calories of heat energy per square centimeter). The tests for determining arc rating are defined in ASTM F1506 Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards.

 Selection of appropriate PPE, given a certain task to be performed, is normally handled in one of two possible ways.

 The first method is to consult a hazard category classification table, like that found in NFPA 70E. Table 130.7(C)(15)(a) lists a number of typical electrical tasks by various voltage levels and recommends the category of PPE that should be worn.

 The second method of selecting PPE is to perform an arc flash hazard calculation to determine the available incident arc energy. IEEE 1584 provides a guide to perform these calculations given that the maximum fault current, duration of faults, and other general equipment information is known. Once the incident energy is calculated the appropriate ensemble of PPE that offers protection greater than the energy available can be selected.

1.2.2.    Reducing hazard by design

Three key factors determine the intensity of an arc flash on personnel. These factors are the quantity of fault current available in a system, the time until an arc flash fault is cleared, and the distance an individual is from a fault arc. Various design and equipment configuration choices can be made to affect these factors and in turn reduce the arc flash hazard.

1.2.2.1.      Fault current

1.2.2.2.      Arcing time

1.2.2.3.      Distance

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