Mitigating arc ash hazards

Designers must account for several special constraints when mitigating arc ash
hazards.
BY JOSEPH THORNAM, PE, STANLEY CONSULTANTS SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Learning objectives

Know the codes and standards as they apply to arc flash.

Learn about the various products and systems that can help mitigate arc flash.
Understand how arc-resistant switchgear can redirect energy away from
personnel.

We are all responsible for safety. Engineers, contractors, and facility operators must
do their part to minimize the risk electricity poses to personnel. Good installation, training, and maintenance
practices are indispensable, but engineers also can do a great deal to design for safety.

Arc flash is one of the major personnel hazards associated with electrical equipment. NFPA 70E: Standard
for Electrical Safety in the Workplace defines the arc flash hazard as, “A dangerous condition associated with
the possible release of energy caused by an electric arc.” This article aims to highlight some of the little-
known design peculiars that can plague the specification/application engineer during a design project.

Arc-resistant (AR) switchgear

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Redirecting energy produced by an arc flash away from personnel can be an important safety strategy. AR
switchgear can accomplish this. Manufacturers design this specialized equipment to contain and exhaust
arc blasts. This requires heavy-duty construction and other design features, which can lead to unique
limitations not present in conventional switchgear. Engineers
who specify and apply this equipment must be aware of these
limitations.

NFPA 70E
defines AR
switchgear as,
“Equipment
designed to
withstand the
effects of an
internal arcing
fault and that
directs the
internally
released energy
away from the employee. Arc-resistant switchgear provides protection from internal arcing faults when the
equipment is closed and operating normally.” AR equipment redirects energy away from personnel through
flaps in the roof (see Figure 1). The energy may either exhaust directly into the room where the gear resides
or into a plenum and ducting system to convey the blast out of the room. See Figure 2 for an example of a
switchgear, plenum, and ducting system.

To illustrate the inherent increase in safety provided by AR switchgear, consider a worker operating a circuit
breaker in a 5-kV switchgear lineup. If conventional, non-AR switchgear is used, NFPA 70E-2015 Table
130.7(C)(15)(A)(b) assigns arc flash PPE Category 4 to the task. According to NFPA 70E Table 130.7(C)(16),
this category requires 40 cal/cm2 arc-rated personal protective equipment (colloquially known as a “moon
suit”). Conversely, if the switchgear is AR, the task would not have an applicable arc flash PPE category. In
fact, NFPA 70E-2009 assigned a Hazard Risk Category 0 to this task, which required only limited PPE. Note,
however, NFPA 70E-2015 has removed references to Category 0.

IEEE Standard C37.20.7-2007: Guide for Testing Metal-Enclosed Switchgear Rated Up to 38 kV for Internal
Arcing Faults establishes testing requirements for AR switchgear. This standard assigns the “arc-resistant”
rating to specific switchgear designs. AR gear comes in two principal accessibility types: 1 and 2. Type 1 only
protects a worker if they are standing in front of the gear while Type 2 offers protection on the front, sides,
and rear. Type 2 has two further classifications: 2B and 2C. Type 2B offers protection when low-voltage
compartments are open and Type 2C offers protection when adjacent breaker compartments are open. Type
2B is the most common type of AR gear; some manufacturers do not offer Type 1. Currently, there is no
accepted testing procedure for arc-resistant low-voltage motor control centers, switchboards, or
panelboards.

Rating limitations. To meet the testing requirements in IEEE C37.20.7, manufacturers often are forced to
make compromises. When specifying AR switchgear, it is important to understand these compromises and
the resulting design restrictions. Specifically, AR gear may have reduced thermal capability, less short-circuit
capability, or layout restrictions relative to conventional counterparts.

First, consider thermal capability. Manufacturers design AR gear to contain gases produced by an arcing
fault. The heavy-duty construction intended to withstand an arc blast can impede the equipment’s ability to
rejectByheat
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under normal operating conditions. Therefore, certain components may need to be derated. For
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example one manufacturer derates its 2 000-amp circuit breakers to 1 750-amp in some medium-voltage
example, one manufacturer derates its 2,000 amp circuit breakers to 1,750 amp in some medium voltage
switchgear layouts. In other cases, manufacturers may reduce heat losses by using larger bus ratings than
otherwise required.

Next, there are instances where manufacturers cannot achieve the same short-circuit ratings with AR gear
as they can with conventional gear while continuing to satisfy the requirements of IEEE C37.20.7. For
example, another manufacturer’s low-voltage switchgear has an arcing short-circuit current rating of 85 kA
at 635 Vac in its AR line, but bus bracing ratings up to 200 kA in conventional switchgear.

Physical limitations. Electrical ratings are not the only restrictive aspects. Physical layout limitations also
exist in AR designs. For example, yet another manufacturer requires one 57-in. instrument compartment for
every two 2,000-amp circuit breakers. This can lead to larger lineups. Further, one manufacturer’s narrow and
front-accessible designs are not available with AR ratings. This can also cause AR switchgear to have a
larger footprint than can be achieved with non-AR switchgear.

Additionally, AR designs typically provide far less room to

locate relaying and metering equipment. Type 2B designs have
isolated instrument compartments that are segregated from
the circuit breaker compartments. These compartments
provide much less real estate relative to conventional designs,
which can accommodate relaying on the entire circuit breaker
cell door (see Figure 2). This lack of space may necessitate
additional sections or separate, externally mounted relay racks. See Figure 3 for an example of how limited
space for relaying can be in AR gear; conventional gear is on the left while AR gear is on the right.

Now, consider where the switchgear will be installed. It is important to know where the gear provides
protection, and where it doesn’t. For example, IEEE C37.20.7 requires Type 2 switchgear to provide protection
to personnel in the front, back, and sides, but does not provide protection above or below the switchgear.
This fact may be important if there are walkways above the switchgear or cable vaults below. Designers
should consider this when they are arranging the equipment.

Arc exhaust chamber (plenum) and duct. The most noticeable characteristic of AR gear is the arc blast
venting system. This system can include an arc exhaust chamber (also called a plenum) and an arc exhaust
duct. The plenum sits atop the gear while the duct channels the arc blast from the plenum to a safe location
(typically outside the room or building). Figure 2 shows an example of the duct. Where the plenum and duct
aren’t provided, the arc blast can be exhausted directly into the building. However, if exhausted directly into
the building, IEEE C37.20.7 requires that testing simulate the actual room conditions. This fact can push
users to favor the duct method.

The plenum and the duct come with a number of constraints that designers must consider when laying out
their equipment. First, one must consider the manufacturer-required clearance above the plenum.
Manufacturers recommend anywhere from 18 to 40 in. of installation clearance. Without this clearance, the
contractor will not be able to install the plenum and associated ductwork. This can result in as much as 13 ft
2 in. of ceiling height in the electrical room—a much greater ceiling height than what is required for
conventional switchgear, which can be as little as 9 ft 6 in. Even more restrictive, up to 10 ft of clearance may
be required above low-voltage switchgear designs without plenums. A manufacturer may require that this
area is to remain free of any obstruction including conduit, lighting, smoke alarms, cable trays, and HVAC
ductwork. This requirement can be quite onerous.

While AR gear is intended to contain the arc byproducts during an arc flash, heat from normal operation of
the switchgear must be vented. As stated above, this can be done with plenum vents that remain open
during normal
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manufacturer’s required clearance around these devices to allow for adequate ventilation under normal
 a u actu e s equ ed c ea a ce a ou d t ese de ces to a o o adequate e t at o u de o a
circumstances.

Duct routing. There is a great deal of detail in manufacturers’ application guides regarding the routing of the
arc venting ductwork. This ductwork is a unique aspect to AR designs that is not applicable to conventional
switchgear. The duct typically can exit from the front, sides, back, or
top of the gear’s plenum (see Figure 4). Ducts often need to make
elevation changes, which necessitates vertical portions, but it is
typically recommended that the duct terminate horizontally to prevent
weather ingress. If the switchgear room resides in a larger building,
the designer may want to route the duct vertically through the roof of
the switchgear room. Bends are permissible, and there usually isn’t a
length limit. Sometimes, it is advantageous to combine ducts from
multiple switchgear lineups. Although, when this method is used, a
blast from either could take both lineups out of service. This should be
considered during the design. Lastly, it is prudent to slope the duct
down and away from switchgear to avoid moisture ingress.
Manufacturers may want to approve the duct routing. In some cases,
consultants provide general room-layout details and let the
manufacturer design and furnish the duct.

After the routing of the ductwork has been determined, the engineer
must design its supports. Threaded rod and framing channel can be
used to support the ducts, but the manufacturer will provide specific
guidelines for the support system. Often, the ductwork is made from
11-ga steel and a single duct doesn’t usually weigh more than 75 lb/ft.
Note that in some cases, two parallel runs of arc duct are required depending on the switchgear lineup
section quantity. This will be dictated by the manufacturer.

Exhaust assembly. As mentioned above, it is preferred to route the duct horizontally through an exterior wall
so that arc byproducts are vented outside. This not only keeps the exhaust point away from personnel and
sensitive equipment, but it also vents the toxic arc byproduct outside the enclosed space. Because the
routing will penetrate an exterior wall, weatherproofing is important. A manufacturer’s standard system may
provide a wall-penetration kit, but be aware that these kits can have a maximum wall thickness. The engineer
must coordinate this with the building design.

It is surprising to some that the internal pressures during an arc fault can be reduced to less than 2 psi at the
exhaust duct cover or hinged flap. Because the cover must open in response to these low pressures, the
cover must be quite sensitive. To maintain this sensitivity, it is important to prevent the accumulation of ice.
Often, space heaters are employed to accomplish this. Further, manufacturers require clear zones around
the exhaust point ranging from 8 to 15 ft of horizontal distance. The application engineer may want to
consider chain-link fencing to keep this area clear of personnel. Lastly, avoid arranging the duct so an arc
blast exhausts into a hazardous/classified area.

Cabling and conduit. As discussed, many AR applications use an arc plenum on the top of the switchgear
lineup. This can dramatically reduce the area available for conduit penetrations and cable-tray routing. Some
manufacturers completely disallow top-entry power-cable penetration in AR designs. In these cases, the
designer must accommodate bottom entry. Even when bottom entry is used, it may be important to use
steel seal plates and/or cable glands to ensure no arc byproduct escapes through cable penetrations.
Additionally, when cabling passes between low-voltage and medium-voltage compartments, silicone sealant
or specialized boots may be required at the penetration locations. It also is worth noting that cable-
termination compartment doors in AR gear may slow down work due to the heavy-duty construction and the
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Cost impacts. One may be wondering what these safety features cost. It is estimated that AR switchgear can
carry a 10% to 15% premium over conventional metal-clad switchgear. Note that these figures do not include

the cost associated with any additional building height or floor that may be required. Those costs would
depend heavily on the specific application. Additionally, installation costs are not included above.

Reducing arc energy

While redirecting blast energy with AR switchgear can be an important safety strategy, there also is a
number of features the engineer can use to reduce the energy of the arc flash in the first place. NFPA 70-
2017: National Electrical Code (NEC) contains important requirements related to reducing the energy.
Specifically, NEC Article 240.87 requires arc energy to be reduced by one of the following methods:
differential protection, zone-selective interlocking (ZSI), maintenance-mode switches, active arc flash
mitigation systems, instantaneous protection, instantaneous overrides, and approved equivalent means.

Differential protection. This method works by comparing the

current entering and exiting a switchgear bus. If these two do
not match, the scheme believes there is a fault and it trips
circuit breakers. There are many different forms of differential
protection, but high-impedance differential protection often is
used in switchgear because of the large quantity of terminals
(or breakers). These schemes work by paralleling each circuit
breaker’s current transformers (CTs) with a known impedance
(see Figure 5). Current does not travel through this impedance
until there is a fault. When a fault occurs, the relay detects a
voltage across the impedance and operates. The relay
manufacturer typically recommends a minimum voltage
threshold that should establish a trip condition, at least
instantaneously. The CTs must be able to provide enough voltage to achieve this threshold. Because the
amount of voltage a CT can produce is roughly proportional to its size, achieving the voltage threshold can
require large CTs. This can be difficult in switchgear because of the physical space limitations. The
application engineer must consider these aspects.

ZSI. This technology provides the benefits of selective

coordination while reducing the time delay associated with
conventional schemes. Traditionally, selectively coordinated
systems delay upstream or main circuit breakers to give
downstream breakers time to operate. This delay gives rise to
a larger arc flash hazard. ZSI overcomes this problem with
communication connections between upstream and
downstream circuit breakers. To illustrate this, consider an
example where a fault occurs at Location A in . Both the main
breaker and Feeder Breaker 1 will see this fault. When ZSI is
used, the feeder breaker will send a restraint signal to the main
breaker, instructing it to wait to allow the feeder breaker to
operate. The feeder breaker will trip while the bus remains
operational. Conversely, if the upstream breaker sees the fault
and the downstream breaker does not (fault at Location B), the
feeder breaker does not send a restraint signal and the main
breaker trips quickly. This allows for faster tripping during
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coordination) hich are especiall ha ardo s to personnel In this a ZSI mimics the beha ior of
coordination), which are especially hazardous to personnel. In this way, ZSI mimics the behavior of
differential protection. However, it is cheaper because the differential CTs are not required. This scheme is
used in low-voltage systems more than medium-voltage. When ZSI is applied to low-voltage switchgear, ZSI-
capable trip units are used. These units are interconnected with communication links allowing signals to be
passed from downstream to upstream breakers. If the engineer wants to apply this scheme, it must be
considered when the trip units are specified.

Maintenance mode. An operator can enable maintenance mode by toggling a switch (typically on the circuit
breaker), which temporarily enables a more sensitive instantaneous overcurrent element. This allows the
system to achieve greater coordination under normal circumstances, but have reduced fault-clearing time
during maintenance. A problem with having the maintenance mode switch on the breaker itself is that the
worker must enter the limited-approach area to toggle the switch. This exposes the worker to the
“nonmaintenance mode” hazard during the approach. A possible solution for this problem is to locate the
switch to a location near the door of the electrical room.

An additional problem arises when the operator forgets to toggle the breaker out of maintenance mode after
the work is complete. This can dramatically impact the facility’s overcurrent coordination, which can turn
minor faults into a widespread outage. Potential solutions for this scenario could be audible alarms or
flashing lights triggered by timers. Alternatively, signals can be sent to the plant’s control system indicating
active maintenance mode.

Optical arc flash detection. These schemes detect the light from an arc flash and often are supervised by an
overcurrent element to avoid tripping from sunlight or camera flashes. The problem with this approach is
that the protected area is limited to the conductor downstream of CTs. If an arc flash occurs upstream of the
CTs, current will not be detected and the breakers will not trip. A possible solution to this problem is to use a
current-supervision signal from an upstream breaker. For example, if you had optical detection on a
switchgear’s feeder breaker, the main breaker could provide the overcurrent supervision. This would require
interconnection-control cabling. This problem becomes even more difficult on the main breaker. When a fault
occurs upstream, the main breaker cannot do anything to limit the incident energy. Devices even further
upstream must address the problem. Very high incident-energy values can exist at these locations.

Design for safety

Applying AR switchgear and energy-reduction measures comes with a fair amount of complications. A lot of
these aspects didn’t exist in the past, when conventional switchgear was the norm. These additional items
can sound intimidating at times, but specifying engineers shouldn’t let their trepidations prevent them from
using the safety features available to them. It is important that the engineer leverage the tools available to
design for safety.

Joseph Thornam is a senior electrical engineer at Stanley Consultants. 

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