Technology Electrical/Safety

Minimizing the risk of

arc flash incidents
Joseph Weigel, Square D Services, Nashville, TN, and Jonathan Clough, Square D Services, Spokane, WA

Key Concepts

Incident energy is the energy generated during an arc flash event that is
impressed on a surface such as a human body a specified distance
from the arc.

An arc flash can produce temperatures much greater than 5000 F at the
center of the arc.

The best way to avoid an arc flash incident is to prevent it.

tors. An arcing fault is current flowing through the

air. Because air offers impedance to electrical current flow, the arc fault current is always lower than
the bolted fault current. Arcing occurs in both types.
However, each behaves differently and requires different protection methods.
Arcing faults occur when electrical clearances are
reduced or compromised by deteriorating insulation
or human error, causing a conductive path among
phases or phase-to-ground. Bolted faults occur when
phases or phase-to-ground conductors are connected together. Generally, they are caused by mistakes
made during installation or maintenance.
The upstream overcurrent protection device for a
bolted fault opens quickly to protect the system. Arcing occurs inside the protective device as the contacts open. In circuit breakers, arcing and the resulting gases are vented through the arc chute to the
breaker's exterior.
Until recently, bolted fault current was the standard by which the effectiveness of
electrical protection devices was
measured. Now, extensive testing by
the Institute of Electrical Engineers
(IEEE) has quantified arc flash hazards in different types of equipment,
leading to a better understanding of
the difference between arc fault current and bolted fault current.

s employees work on or near energized equipment, movement near or contact with conductors or circuits, such as dropping a part or tool,
may cause a phase-to-ground or a phase-to-phase
fault. Also, an equipment failure that could produce
a spark or arc could trigger an arcing fault. The
resulting arc establishes plasma, which has a much
higher degree of electrical conductivity than air.
Once the arc plasma is established, it burns in air,
providing a current path that conducts as much energy as the electrical
power generation source can produce, and will continue to do so until
protective devices react. The electrical conduction through this plasma
creates a large amount of energy in a
short period of time. The arc burns,
vaporizing copper and other conductive materials, until an upstream
overcurrent protection device opens
The importance of time
to clear the fault.
The difference between arcing
This arc flash event is nearly Fig. 1. An arc flash incident creates an faults and bolted faults is important.
instantaneous, and always extremely enormous amount of energy that could
The time required to clear these
faults perhaps is even more impordangerous (Fig. 1). The energy pro- damage equipment and cause severe
tant. Traditionally, circuit breakers
duced by arc flash explosions has injury or loss of life.
and fuses have been designed to disbeen compared to that of dynamite.
An arc flash incident can produce temperatures connect very rapidly when the current reaches a spemuch greater than 5000 F at the arc center and gen- cific bolted fault value, while allowing a time delay
erate high pressures (arc blasts) that can destroy when current magnitude is at a lower value. But,
equipment and severely injure or kill anyone within since an arc flash occurs at a lower current level than
the bolted fault, it is possible for these protective
the arc flash protection boundary.
devices to allow greater arc flash incident energy at
Two types of shorts
lower current values than at higher values. Incident
Electrical short circuits are either bolted faults or energy is the energy dissipated during an arc fault,
arcing faults. A bolted fault is current flowing or arc flash event.
through bolted bus bars or other electrical conducThe knowledge about the difference in arcing

Technology Electrical/Safety

faults and bolted faults, as well as the importance of

the time required to clear them, is leading electrical
equipment makers to consider a different approach to
designing circuit protection systems that limit current at high values and interrupt current more rapidly at lower short-circuit current (arcing fault) values.
By limiting incident energy, new equipment designs
enable electrical workers to reduce the amount of
protective gear they must wear if it becomes necessary to work on energized equipment.

Reducing the risk of arc flash

The best way to avoid an arc flash incident is to
prevent it. Remove power and perform the necessary
testing to ensure that power is absolutely removed
from the area to be serviced by electrical workers.
Don't assume that a circuit is deenergized.
The following list offers guidelines to help avoid
an arc flash incident:
 Determine all possible sources of electrical
supply
 Open disconnecting devices for each source
 Where possible, visually verify device is open
 Apply lockout/tagout devices
 Test voltage on each conductor to verify that
it is deenergized
 Apply grounding devices where stored energy
or induced voltage could exist or where deenergized conductors could contact live parts.
However, it is not always possible or feasible to
remove power before working on a circuit. OSHA 29
CFR 1910.333 states, Live parts to which an
employee may be exposed shall be deenergized
before the employee works on or near them, unless
the employer can demonstrate that deenergizing
introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible.
NFPA 70E further clarifies the preceding OSHA
requirement. Examples of additional or increased
hazards include the interruption of life support systems, emergency alarm systems, or hazardous location ventilation. Examples of infeasible conditions
include startup testing, troubleshooting and diagnostics, or a continuous process segment.
NFPA 70E also offers guidelines for the level of
protective clothing to wear when an arc flash hazard
or potential is present. However, the guidelines do
not take all variables into consideration. The only
way to consider these variables, and possibly prevent
disaster, is to do an arc flash analysis. Performing an
arc flash analysis alerts you to the presence and location of potential hazards and provides accurate information regarding the minimum level of personal protection equipment (PPE) required.
NFPA 70E has developed workplace safety standards to minimize arc flash hazards and workplace

deaths and injuries. The important aspects of compliance are:

 Perform an arc flash hazard analysis on all
electrical equipment. A one-size-fits-all approach
can't work because each plant is different. Arc flash
analysis is an engineering study that determines the
amount of current that could flow at any point in an
electrical system, and the timing required for the
nearest circuit protective device to operate to clear a
fault.
 Label electrical equipment designating the
level of PPE a worker must wear when working
on energized equipment.
 Train workers and update work practice procedures to comply with the applicable standards.
 Deploy work place policies, procedures, methods, and products to limit arc flash hazards
whenever possible.

Equipment considerations
Fuses
Fused circuit breakers and fused switches using
current-limiting fuses have long been recognized as
a way to provide additional arc flash protection.
When used with a
circuit breaker, the
fuse protects the
breaker at fault
current
levels
above the breaker's interrupt rating. It provides
quick clearing
times during highlevel short circuits
and limits the
amount of current
available for the
arc flash event.
Fig. 2. This graph
In a fused switch, the fuse is the only overcur- compares the amount
rent protection device in the circuit. A current-lim- of incident energy of
iting fuse opens very rapidly at high current val- circuit breakers and
ues in its current-limiting mode. For continuous fuses at given fault
current ratings of 400 A and lower, both fuses and currents.
circuit breakers provide very effective limitation
of arc flash incident energy.
Fuses with current ratings of 400 A and below perform as well as circuit breakers. The incident energy
and bolted current become significant for ratings
from 400 A to more than 5000 A. The goal is to drive
incident energy values down, so if an arc fault does
occur, the level of heat and blast are minimized. For
higher current ratings, current-limiting circuit breakers perform significantly better than fuses at lower
current levels associated with arcing faults, and as
well as fuses designed to operate at very high faultcurrent levels.

Fig. 3. A blow-open
terminal is constructed with a reverse
current loop in the
moving arm. When
the current is high
enough, the force
pushes the contacts
open, resulting in a
faster opening time
than with blow-closed
circuit breakers. This
type of breaker limits
incident energy levels
and the duration of
an arc flash.

Fuses have relatively for low-voltage power circuit breakers provide a techhigh thresholds of current nology upgrade with minimal downtime (Fig. 4).
limitation, compared with
Another upgrade option is retrofill, where the
the lower instantaneous existing switchgear cell is modified to accept the new
tripping levels of circuit low-voltage power circuit breaker. Each circuit
breakers. This characteris- breaker cell is reworked to allow installation of a curtic is valuable when fuses rent-limiting circuit breaker, cradle, racking mechaare used with current-lim- nism, and new cell door. A retrofill also provides a
iting circuit breakers. In technology upgrade. Usually, it requires a temporary
that case, the fuse is main bus outage, although circuits supporting critidesigned to not limit the cal loads can be retrofilled in sections and temporarfunctioning of the circuit breaker in low-level over- ily rerouted during the procedure.
current conditions. A 1600-A fuse-limiter, typically
used to protect 800-A circuit breakers, will not oper- Removing workers from the hazard
ate within the threshold of current limitation until
Infrared windows and remote racking systems help
about 32,000 A. But below that level, the fuse's open- keep workers out of the arc flash danger zone when
ing time is considerably longer than the 1/2-cycle time equipment is energized. An infrared window, availat which it was thought to open. The additional time able from many manufacturers as a kit, can be
increases the potential incident energy during an arc installed in both low-voltage and medium-voltage
distribution equipment to allow infrared inspections
flash event (Fig. 2).
without removing panels.
Circuit breakers
Thermography is a valuable tool for preventive mainLow-voltage power circuit breakers traditionally
have used magnetic forces within the circuit breaker tenance, allowing workers to determine load, connection, component fatigue, overheatto keep the contacts closed, allowing, or phase problems without
ing time for downstream overcurexposing themselves to hazardous
rent devices to open to clear a fault.
conditions. An infrared window
As current flow increases, this
allows infrared electrical inspecblow-closed design increases the
tions to be performed at any time
force keeping the contact assembly
without downtime or danger of elecclosed.
tric shock.
New current-limiting circuit
A significant percentage of arcbreaker designs operate in a reverse
ing faults involving medium voltmanner, blowing open the terminal
age circuit breakers occur during
to interrupt the circuit (Fig. 3). This
circuit breaker racking operations.
approach allows the circuit breaker
A remote racking system allows
to go into an accelerated opening
racking and testing operations to be
mode, comparable to limiting Fig. 4. The direct replacement option for lowautomatically controlled and monifuses. At a slightly higher current, voltage power circuit breakers provides an
tored without direct human contact.
the circuit breaker goes into a full upgrade in technology with minimal downtime.
A motorized racking mechanism
current-limiting mode.
The new circuit breaker designs also contain a fil- can be retrofitted into each medium voltage circuit
tered arc chute. An assembly of metallic grids and breaker cell. A programmable logic controller (PLC)
meshes significantly reduce the gases released during initiates the racking and testing process, allowing
interruption of current. The grids deionize and cool racking operations to be performed from a safe disthe emissions, reducing the volume of vented gas, and tance outside the equipment's arc flash danger zone.
The process of complying with the new NFPA 70E
absorbing up to 95% of the energy.
standards for minimizing arc flash incidents presents
an opportunity to reexamine your electrical system
Retrofit or retrofill
Most circuit breakers will last at least 20 yr. How- and procedures, gain a better understanding of potenever, older circuit breakers require closer mainte- tial weaknesses, and instill new work practices to betnance attention to ensure that they remain functional. ter protect employees and minimize financial P
E
As maintenance becomes more frequent on aging risks to your company.
equipment, the likelihood of incidents or equipment
failures that could cause an arc flash also increase.
More Info:
If there is an opportunity to upgrade equipment, If you have questions on arc flash, contact the authors. Joseph Weigel can be reached at
existing circuit breakers can be replaced with current- 615-844-8656 or weigelj@squared.com; Jonathan Clough, PE can be reached at 509-5353685 or cloughj@squared.com. Article edited by Jack Smith, Senior Editor, 630-288-8783,
limiting circuit breakers. Direct replacement options jsmith@reedbusiness.com.

Reprinted from Plant Engineering, Septemper 2003 by RSiCopyright Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, Inc.
All rights reserved. For reorders call RSiCopyright 651-582-3800. For subscription information call 303-470-4445.

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Facility Solutions
Every day there are 10 arc
flash incidents waiting
to happen.

Arc flashes are a danger to

the health and safety of
service personnel working
on energized equipment.
What kind of safety
precautions have
you established within
your plant? And are
they in line with the
standards set by
NFPA 70E?
Invite Square D/
Schneider Electric to
help you achieve a
safer workplace. Our
highly experienced team
will assess the potential
risk, train employees
on safety procedures
and retrofit your
equipment with the new
circuit breaker technology
from Square D/
Schneider Electric.
From then on, the only
incidents that will occur in your
plant will be your employees
finishing the job. For more information
call 1-888-SQUARED (778-2733) or
visit www.squared.com/arcflash.