Reference ArcFlash

Power*Tools
for Windows
™
Arc Flash Reference Manual

Electrical Engineering Analysis Software
for Windows
Copyright © 2019, SKM Systems Analysis, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Arc Flash Reference Manual 1-1
Arc Flash Users Guide
This chapter examines the calculation procedures used in the PTW Arc Flash Study.
The Arc Flash Study module follows the guidelines and procedures outlined in the NFPA 70E-2018, IEEE
1584-2002/2004a, IEEE 1584-2018, NESC 2017, EPRI Report 2011, and CSA-Z462. It is recommended
that you purchase and reference these Standards and guidelines prior to performing and interpreting Arc
Flash Calculations.
This guide includes:
- Engineering Methodology
- Terminology and Symbols
- Assumptions and Equations
- PTW Applied Methodology
- Examples
SKM Power*Tools for Windows

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARC FLASH USERS GUIDE
1.1 Cautions and Disclaimers 3

1.2 What is an Arc Flash Study? 4
1.3 Introduction to Arc Flash Studies 5
1.3.1 Causes of Electrical Arc Flash Events 5
1.3.2 Why Perform Arc Flash Studies? 5
1.4 Engineering Methodology 5

1.4.1 IEEE Standard 1584 5
1.4.2 Arc Flash Report Definitions 6
1.4.3 Arc Flash Menu Options 16
1.4.4 Arc Flash Study Procedure 18
1.4.5 Arc Flash Modeling Assumptions 18
1.4.6 Arc Flash Equations 19
IEEE 1584 Standard – 2002 20
Doughty Neal (NFPA 70E) 22
NESC - 2017 23
EPRI Report 2011 35
DC Systems 49
1.4.7 Default Values 50
1.4.8 Determination of Grounded/Ungrounded Bus 50
1.4.9 Relationship Between 3-Phase Fault and Arcing Fault 50
1.5 PTW Applied Methodology 51

1.5.1 Running the Arc Flash Study 51
1.5.2 Arc Flash Study Options 52
1.5.3 Determining Trip Time 90
1.5.4 Current-Limiting Devices 92
1.5.5 Reports 98
1.5.6 PPE Table 117
1.5.7 Long Trip Times 119
1.5.8 Differential Protection 122
1.5.9 Arcing Fault Tolerances 124
1.5.10 Reducing Incident Energy 125
1.6 Application Example 126

1.6.1 Sample Arc Flash Study 126
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1.1 Cautions and Disclaimers

This Users Guide outlines methods for conducting an arc-flash hazard analysis. Following the
suggestions contained in this guide does not guarantee worker safety from arc flash events. Professional
judgment must be used in the development of the system model, interpretation of the results and the
selection of adequate PPE.
The information contained herein should be used in conjunction with NFPA 70E, IEEE 1584 and NESC
Standards and guidelines, regarding Arc Flash Analysis.
This guide does not imply that work on energized equipment with exposure to live parts is an acceptable
practice. OSHA 29 CRF Subpart S.1910.333 limits the situations in which work is performed near
energized equipment or circuits.
“Live parts to which an employee may be exposed shall be de-energized before the employee works on or
near them, unless the employer can demonstrate that de-energizing introduces additional or increased
hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations.”
Incident Energy is the result of short circuit current and clearing time under arcing fault conditions.
Small changes in arcing fault current and trip settings can significantly affect the amount of incident
energy.
This guide is based on technical data documented in the IEEE 1584 standard and is intended for use by
qualified personnel experienced in power system studies. The equations documented in the IEEE 1584
and referenced in this guide were generated from tests performed at multiple test labs. Differences in
environmental conditions between your facility and the test labs may affect the results. These equations
may not produce conservative results when applied to your facility. SKM Systems Analysis, Inc. makes
no warranty concerning the accuracy or application of the study results.

1.2 What is an Arc Flash Study?
Arc Flash Studies estimate incident energy exposure from potential arc sources. To understand the
purpose of an Arc Flash Study, it is important to understand the difference between a traditional fault and
an arcing fault. A bolted 3-phase, phase to phase, or phase to ground fault creates high current that flows
through the network and the current is contained within the network. Traditional fault studies are used to
select equipment that can withstand and interrupt these short circuit currents. Arcing faults occur when
the current passes through vapor between two conducting materials. These high-temperature arcs can
cause fatal burns even when standing several feet from the arc. The electrical arcs also shower droplets of
molten material in the surrounding area, causing further hazard. The arcing fault current is smaller than
a traditional bolted fault current because the vapor acts as impedance between the conducting materials.
The PTW Arc Flash

Study, herein referred to
as Arc Flash, follows the
NFPA 70E and IEEE
1584 methods for
determining the arc-flash
hazard distance and the
incident energy that
workers may be exposed to
when working on or near
electrical equipment.
Electrical arc burns
account for a large
percentage of electrical
injuries.
An arc flash study

combines short circuit
calculations, empirical equations and protective device operating times to estimate incident energy and
protective clothing requirements at typical working distances.
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1.3 Introduction to Arc Flash Studies

1.3.1 Causes of Electrical Arc Flash Events
- Contact with live parts typically from dropping tools or loose parts.
- Insulation failure
- Over-voltages
- Dust
- Corrosion
- Condensation
1.3.2 Why Perform Arc Flash Studies?

- Prevent worker injury or death
- Avoid litigation expense
- Minimize equipment damage
- Minimize system down time
- Comply with codes and safety regulations (OSHA, NFPA, NEC).
- Insurance requirements
1.4 Engineering Methodology

For Arc Flash calculations, a thorough understanding of the IEEE 1584 standard, fault analysis principles
and protective coordination is required.
1.4.1 IEEE Standard 1584

The IEEE 1584 standard provides a procedure to determine incident energy to which a worker may be
exposed. The equations used in the 1584 standard were developed from tests of arc flash incidents
initiated in a lab environment. While it’s not feasible to include every combination of environmental
factors in the tests, the tests and resulting empirical equations provide the best means of estimating arc
flash hazard levels available today. It’s still important to understand the limitations of the tests and use
engineering judgment when interpreting the calculations. Significant variations in incident energy can
result from relatively small changes in the power system model. It’s important to understand where these
sensitive areas exit and how to make changes that will provide more conservative results. Refer to the
IEEE 1584 standard and the following chapters to gain a better understanding of the assumptions,
limitations and application guidelines for arc flash analysis.
You should think of Arc Flash calculations as a sensitivity study rather than a single fixed calculation.
Since the incident energy is based on a combination fault current and trip time, it is not possible to predict
whether a higher fault current or a lower fault current will produce the worst-case incident energy. The
arcing fault current is often below the instantaneous trip setting and for these cases a lower fault current
will result in a longer trip time and more energy release.
The intent of this guide is to describe how the PTW Arc Flash module calculates and reports the incident
energy and flash boundary values, and to understand the terminology and assumptions used in the

software. This guide is a supplement and not a substitute for a complete understanding of the IEEE 1584
standard.
1.4.2 Arc Flash Report Definitions
From the above table, reading from left to right, the columns have the following definitions:
Bus Name
Fault location for bus report. For line side and load side report options the bus refers to the equipment
where the line side and load side protective devices are connected.
Protective Device Name

Refers to the protective device that clears the arcing fault or portion of the total arcing fault current.
Bus kV
Bus voltage at the fault location.
Bus Bolted Fault Current (kA)

The current flowing to a bus fault that occurs between two or more conductors or bus bars, where the
impedance between the conductors is zero.
Bus Arcing Fault

The calculated arcing current on the faulted bus
Protective Device Bolted Fault Current (kA)

The portion of the total bolted fault current, that flows through a given protective device.
Protective Device Arcing Fault Current (kA)

The arc current flowing through each protective device feeding the electric arc fault. Note that the total
arc fault current may flow through several parallel sources to the arc location.
Trip / Delay Time
The time required for the protective device to operate for the given fault condition. In the case of a relay,
the breaker opening time is entered separately from the relay trip time. For low voltage breakers and
fuses, the trip time is assumed to be the total clearing curve or high tolerance of the published trip curve.
Breaker Opening Time

The time required for a breaker to open after receiving a signal from the trip unit to operate. The
combination of the Trip/Delay time and the Breaker Opening time determines the total time required to
clear the fault. For low voltage circuit breakers, the total clearing time displayed on the Manufacturer’s
drawing is assumed to include the breaker opening time.
Ground
Indicates whether the fault location includes a path to ground. Systems with high-resistance grounds are
assumed to be ungrounded in the Arc Flash calculations. (Available for IEEE 1584 only)
Equip Type
Used only in the IEEE 1584 method to indicate whether the equipment is Switchgear, Panel, Cable or
Open Air. The equipment type provides a default Gap value and a distance exponent used in the IEEE
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incident energy equations. The equipment type provides a default Gap value and a distance exponent used
in the IEEE incident energy equations.
Gap
Used only in the IEEE 1584 method to define the spacing between bus bars or conductors at the arc
location.
Duration of Arc
The summation of Trip/Delay Time and Breaker Opening Time.
Arc Type
Identifies whether the fault location is in an enclosure or in open air. In open air the arc energy will
radiate in all directions whereas an enclosure will focus the energy toward the enclosure opening. The In
Box / Air selection is available when the NFPA 70E study option is selected. For the IEEE 1584 study
selection the In Box or In Air is determined automatically from the Equipment Type specification.
Arc Flash Boundary

The distance from exposed live parts within which a person could receive a 2nd degree burn.
Working Distance
The distance between the arc source and the worker’s face or chest.
Incident Energy
The amount of energy on a surface at a specific distance from a flash.
PPE Level
Indicates the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to prevent an incurable burn at the working
distance during an arcing fault.
Label #
This allows the user to specify the prefix character that will go on the "Label #" column in the Arc Flash
spreadsheet report. This field can help in sorting out (organizing) the label when they printed out.
User Notes
This allows the user to specify text notes for the associated bus. The "User Notes" information is entered
in the Arc Flash report under the "User Notes" columns for the associated bus. The "User Notes" column
does not require manual entry each time you run the Arc Flash module. It is saved with the Bus/Panel and
Protective Device. This information can also be shown in the data block and custom label. This field
column is new in V7.0 and is not displayed by default. The User Notes column can be displayed by
selecting it from the Report Data & Order dialog window in the Arc Flash Study Options.
Cable Length From Trip Device

Reports the total cable length from the protective device that trips to clear the fault to the faulted bus. If
there is no cable in between, nothing will be reported.
Incident Energy at Low Marginal

This will report an incident energy value of the bus, if the incident energy on the bus meets the low
marginal criteria value entered in the PPE.
Incident Energy at High Marginal

This will report an incident energy value of the bus, if the incident energy on the bus meets the high
marginal criteria value entered in the PPE.

If IEEE1584 – 2018 method is selected, the following column headers also appear:
Busbar Config
Electrode configuration of the equipment in which 5 types can be chosen from:
• VCB – Vertical electrodes inside a metal box enclosure.
• VCBB – Vertical electrodes terminated in a barrier inside a metal box enclosure.
• HCB – Horizontal electrodes inside a metal box enclosure.
• VOA – Vertical electrodes in open air.
• HOA – Horizontal electrodes in open air.
Note: Refer to the IEEE 1584-2018 for guidance on classification of the electrode configurations.
Box Width / Height / Depth
The dimensions of the metal box enclosure for VCB, VCBB, and HCB electrode configurations. Unlink
the field if custom dimensions are to be entered. Shallow enclosures has a depth of <= 8in while typical
enclosures are above 8in. Typical enclosure dimensions
are selected based on the bus voltage and equipment type. See Table 8 of the IEEE 1584-2018 for typical
enclosure sizes.
Equip Category
Enter an equipment subtype (Switchboard, Lighting, Power, XFMR, etc.) to have the program auto
populate the box dimensions, gap, and working distance.
If NESC 2017 method is selected, the following column headers also appear:
SLG Bolted Fault

Initial Symmetrical RMS single-line-to-ground fault current. (Reported by Comprehensive Short Circuit
Study.)
Duration of Arc (sec.)

The sum of the Trip/Delay Time and the Breaker Opening Time.
Altitude (feet or meter)

Altitude of the worksite where the arcing fault could potentially occur. The unit is in feet or meter
depending on the unit selection (English or Metric) in the arc flash study option window. This will affect
the minimum approach distance.
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3-Phase Multiplier
Specify here the 3-phase multiplier. This will affect the calculated incident energy. The calculated
incident energy from Table 410-1 to Table 410-3 of NESC 2012 is based single-phase system.
Gap
Distance of the arc gap
Type of Work
Specify here the type of work: Com (for communications) or Sup (for supply). This will affect the
minimum approach distance.
LL/LG
Specify here whether the work being done is on a line to line (phase-to-phase) or line to ground (phase-to-
ground) system. This will affect the minimum approach distance for supply type of work
Separation Distance
The distance at which the calculated incident energy from Table 410-1 to Table 410-3 of NESC 2012 is
based
Minimum Approach Distance

The distance from any exposed energized part within which an employee could approach.
Rubber Insulating Equipment Class

The class of rubber insulating sleeves the employee shall wear, in addition to the rubber insulating gloves.
If EPRI Report 2011 method is selected, the following column headers will appear in
the Arc Flash spread sheet report:
Equip Type
Indicate whether the equipment is Switchgear or Open Air. The equipment type field is for informational
purposes only and has no bearing on EPRI Report calculations.
Statistical Adjustment Factor (k)

EPRI equations are based on the averaged test results. A statistical adjustment factor (k) of 1.588 is used
to determine the expected “worst-case” incident energy. Refer to EPRI Report page 8-4 for more
information on use of other Statistical Adjustment Factors.
If DC Systems Arc Flash Evaluation method is selected, the following column

headers will appear in the Arc Flash spread sheet report:
Bus Name
Displays the bus fault location.

Refers to the protective device that clears the DC arcing fault or portion of the total arcing fault current.
Bus kV
Bus voltage at the bus fault location.
DC Bus Bolted Fault Current (kA)
The DC current flowing to a bus fault that occurs between two or more conductors or bus bars, where the
DC Arcing Bus Fault

The calculated DC arcing current on the faulted bus
Bus Equivalent Resistance (Ohms)

The calculated system resistance on the faulted bus
DC Bolted Protective Device Fault Current (kA)

The portion of the total DC bolted fault current that flows through a given protective device.
DC Protective Device Arcing Fault Current (kA)

The DC arc current flowing through each protective device feeding the electric arc fault. Note that the
total DC arc fault current may flow through several parallel sources to the arc location. The DC Protective
Device Arcing Fault Current is reported for the immediate branch connected to the bus so the actual
arcing fault current passing through the reported device might be different from the reported values if the
device is not directly connected to fault location or installed at different voltage level.
Trip / Delay Time

The time required for the protective device to operate for the given DC arcing fault condition. In the case
of a relay, the breaker opening time is entered separately from the relay trip time. For low voltage
breakers and fuses, the trip time is assumed to be the total clearing curve or high tolerance of the
published trip curve.
Breaker Opening Time

combination of the Trip/Delay time and the Breaker Opening time determines the total time required to
clear the fault. For low voltage circuit breakers, the total clearing time displayed on the Manufacturer’s
drawing is assumed to include the breaker opening time.
Duration of Arc
The summation of Trip/Delay Time and Breaker Opening Time.
Multiplier
Specify a safety multiplication factor here. This will affect the calculated incident energy. Actual
incident energy in enclosures could be higher than the calculated incident energy.
Working Distance
The distance between the arc source and the worker’s face or chest.
Arc Flash Boundary

The distance from live exposed parts where a person could receive a 2nd degree burn.
Incident Energy
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Arc Flash Reference Manual 1 - 11
Detail View versus Summary View
The detail view in the arc flash report lists all parallel contributions and the accumulated energy as each
contribution is cleared. The summary view lists only the last branch that clears the significant
contribution as defined by the "Cleared Fault Threshold" percentage specified.
In the Detail View, the program traces each connected branches to find the protective device that trips
first in the branch and lists it under the faulted bus. If the directly connected branch doesn’t have a
protective device, the program walks the branch until it finds one.
If standard NFPA is followed, the incident energy is calculated using the bolted bus fault current for all
protective devices listed under the bus without consider the reduction of fault current after some of the
devices have been tripped. If IEEE 1584 is followed, the incident energy is calculated by using the arcing
bus fault current left at the bus which consider the fact that some devices have tripped already and the one
that trips later doesn’t see as much current.
In the Summary View, only one device under each bus is listed, and that is the one after it’s tripping a
user defined percentage (ie… 80%) of the total fault current would have been cleared. The user can
define the percentage in the Arc Flash Study Options dialog (see section 1.5.2).
The data associated with the device listed in the summary view will be used in the Bus Detail report and
Arc Flash Label.
Scenarios…
This button brings up a window where the user can specify to report Arc Flash results based on the current
scenario opened; or if the project has multiple scenarios, the user can select Arc Flash results to report the
worst case (the one with the highest incident energy) out all of all the selected scenarios. Furthermore, the
user can also select Arc Flash result to report the "Best Case Scenario". The "Best Case Scenario" is the
one with the lowest incident energy out of all the selected scenarios.

For instance, if a project has four scenarios, in this window the user can select all of the scenarios and
select the "Worse Scenario" option button. When the user clicks on the "OK" button, what will be
reported by Arc Flash spreadsheet report for each bus is the incident energy from the scenario with the
highest value.
Similarly, if a project has four scenarios, in this window the user can select all of the scenarios and select
the "Best Scenario" option button. When the user clicks on the "OK" button, what will be reported by Arc
Flash spreadsheet report for each bus is the incident energy from the scenario with the lowest value.
Selecting worst case will greatly help in printing out the arc flash label for the worst case situation for
those scenarios selected.
Note that for the "Worst Case" or "Best Case" option to work, the scenario that is currently active must
included in one of the selection you make.
The user can also select which study setup setting to use for each scenario: "Each Individual Scenario" or
"Current Scenario."
If "Each Individual Scenario" option is selected, the software will use the arc flash setting for each
individual scenario. If "Current Scenario" option is selected, the software will use the arc flash setting
from the scenario that is currently active.
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In the Arc Flash Report, the scenario where the incident energy being reported came from is indicated by
(*S0), (*S1), (*S3), etc. depending on the scenario number.
Custom Label..
This button will bring up the custom label window where the user can specify the Page Size, Label Size,
Page Margins, Orientation, Rows and Columns of the labels and Spacing between labels (See section 1.5.5
for more information on custom label).
Work Permit
This button brings up the window to generates a work permit required for working on energized
equipment per NFPA 70E 2004
Re-Run Study
This button refreshes the Arc Flash display to reflect updated short circuit values caused by system
changes made since the last arc flash study was run.
Options…
This button will display Option menu for Arc Flash Study
PPE Table
This button will display PPE Table where Personal Protective Equipment descriptions are assigned to
ranges of incident energy. The PPE classes, descriptions and label color for each class are user-definable.
Notes Section
(*N1) - Out of IEEE 1584 or NFPA 70E Ranges. LEE equation is used in this case and applicable for
Open Air only.
(*N2) - Percentage of fault current cleared is less than the Cleared Fault Threshold specified in the study
options
(*N3) - Arcing Fault Current Low Tolerances Used.
(*N4a) - Equipment Specific Incident Energy and Flash Boundary Equations Used.
(*N4b) – Current-Limiting Fuse in Use. Fault in current-limiting range tripping in ½ or ¼ cycle.
(*N5) - Mis-coordinated, Upstream Device Tripped.
(*N6) - Special Instantaneous Protection in Use. Refer to Bus Equipment & Arc Flash subview.
(*N7) - Trip Time Unlinked with TCC.
(*N8) - Fault Current Unlinked with Fault Study results.

(*N9) - Max. Arcing Duration Reached. The time taken for the protective device to clear the fault is
longer than the Max. Arcing Duration is specified in the study options.
(*N10) - Fuse Cable Protector Modeled. Fuse Cable Protector Modeled is when the fuse is connected to a
cable with multiple conductors in parallel. The fault current and arcing fault through the fuse is divided
by the #parallel to read the trip time.
(*N11) - Out of IEEE 1584 Range, Lee Equation Used. Applicable for Open Air only. Existing
Equipment type is not Open Air. This shows only if data at the bus is out of the IEEE 1584 Range and
the selected equipment is not an Open Air type.
(*N12) - Out of IEEE 1584 Gap Range
(*N13) - PPE up one Category.
(*N14a) - INST Protection. User to define trip time.
(*N14b) - Zone Selective Interlock (ZSI) in Use. If one of the protective device directly
connected to the bus has a ZSI function, the bus will use the ZSI function curve for the trip time.
(*N15) – Fed by Transformer Size < 125 kVA, on bus voltage level <240V; Report as Level 0
(*N15b) –Bolted fault current < 2000A on bus voltage level <=240V; Report as Level 0
(*N16) - Trip Time Recalculated

(*N17) - Directional Function Operated
(*N17A) - Directional Function DID NOT Operate. Prot Dev Bolted and Arcing Fault are not reported.
When the direction of the fault is not compatible with selected direction in the Directional function, then
the Arc Flash study results will show this note indicating that arcing fault was not interrupted by
directional function.
(*N19) - Differential/Summation Function
(*N19A) - Differential/Summation Function DID NOT Operate. Prot Dev Bolted and Arcing Fault are not
reported. When the Differential/Summation Function do not operate, then the Arc Flash study results will
show this note indicating that arcing fault was not interrupted by this function.
(*N20a) - Equipment Evaluation Marginal for Protective Device
(*N20b) - Equipment Evaluation Marginal for Bus
(*N21a) - Equipment Evaluation Failed, OVERDUTIED PROTECTIVE DEVICE EQUIPMENT

FOUND-Inappropriate to provide arc flash risk results.
(*N21b) - Equipment Evaluation Failed, OVERDUTIED BUS EQUIPMENT FOUND Inappropriate to

provide arc flash risk results.
(*N22) – Main Device failed, use upstream device

(*N23) – Use Maintenance Mode Function
(*N24) – Non-3-Phase Bus
(*N25a) – IE VCB > VCBB. Indicates which electrode configuration has the worst case incident energy
(IE).
(*N25b) – IE VCB > HCB. Indicates which electrode configuration has the worst case incident energy
(IE).
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(*N25c) – IE VCBB >HCB. Indicates which electrode configuration has the worst case incident energy
(IE).
(*NESC1 to *NESC14) - NESC Notes, See Footnotes from NESC 2012 Table 410-1
(*NESC20) - Out of NESC Voltage Range for Incident Energy Table 410.
(*NESC21) - Out of NESC Fault Current Range
(*NESC22) - Out of NESC Max Clearing Range
(*NESC23) - Out of NESC Voltage Range for Min Approach Distance Table 431.
(*NESC24) - Out of NESC Altitude Range
(*NESC25) - Out of NESC Max Over Voltage Factor Range
(*NESC26) - NESC SLG Fault is Zero
(*N_kv) – Out of IEEE 1584 KV Range, Lee Equation Used. Consider NESC method to compare.
(Voltage out of range. Based on IEEE 1584-2018)
(*N_ka) – Out of IEEE 1584 KA Range, Lee Equation Used. (Bolted Fault Current out of range. Based on
IEEE 1584-2018)
(*N_gap) – Out of IEEE 1584 Gap Range, Lee Equation Used. (Gap out of range. Based on IEEE 1584-
2018)
(*N_box) – Out of IEEE 1584 Box Range, Lee Equation Used. (Box width < 4 x Gap. Based on IEEE
1584-2018)
(*EPRI1)-Out of EPRI 2011 Voltage Range
(*EPRI2a)-Out of EPRI 2011 Gap Range. Use NESC method for Gaps < 1ft
(*EPRI2b)-Out of EPRI 2011 Gap Range
(*EPRI3)-Out of EPRI 2011 Max Clearing Range
(*EPRI4)-Out of EPRI 2011 Working Distance Range
(*EPRI5)-Out of EPRI 2011 Fault Current Range
(*EPRI6)-EPRI 2011 SLG Fault is Zero
(*DCAF1) - Voltage above 1000 VDC. Per NPFA 70E 2012, Arc Flash DC equation applies to DC
systems rated up to 1000 VDC.
(*DCAF2) – DCAF Fault is zero
(*S0), (*S1),(*S2),..etc – Indicates which scenario the incident energy being reported came from.

1.4.3 Arc Flash Menu Options
The Arc Flash study module has several menu options. With the Arc Flash application window active, the
following menu items are available:
Bus Detail Generates a detailed label including the protective device settings,
arcing fault current, incident energy at multiple working distances,
and clothing class for the primary working distance. You can also
enter the client information and job #, etc. Bus Detail can be used on
a single bus or for a selected group of buses. The description
information entered will be re-used for all buses.
Standard Label The Bus Label provides a summary of the flash boundary, incident
energy and PPE classification at each bus. The NFPA shock hazard
Limited, Restricted and Prohibited Approach boundaries are also listed
based on the nominal system voltage at the bus.
Custom Label Displays the custom label window where the user can specify the Page
Size, Label Size, Page Margins, Orientation, Rows and Columns of the
labels and Spacing between labels
Work Permit Generates a work permit required for working on energized equipment
per NFPA 70E 2004.
Re-run Studies Refreshes the Arc Flash display to reflect updated short circuit values
caused by system changes made since the last arc flash study was run.
PPE Table Displays PPE Table where Personal Protective Equipment descriptions
are assigned to ranges of incident energy. The PPE classes,
descriptions and label color for each class are user-definable.
Auto Update Arc Flash Result When this is checked, the software will automatically update the arc
flash results whenever there is a change in the system model. For
instance, when user open up a tie-breaker or change the size of a
motor in the system model, the software will automatically update the
arc flash results based on those changes. The user would not need to
re-run the arc flash study.
Link/Unlink with Fault Study You can highlight a bus or multiple buses from the Arc Flash table
and select the Unlink with Fault Study option to allow you to enter
user-defined values for bolted fault current. Remember to re-link the
rows if you want fault currents to be updated from the project database.
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Link/Unlink with TCC You can highlight a bus or multiple buses from the Arc Flash table
and select the Unlink with TCC option to allow you to enter user-
defined Trip Times for the protective device. Remember to re-link the
rows if you want the trip times to be updated from the project database.
Link/Unlink with Ground You can highlight a bus or multiple buses from the Arc Flash table
and select the Unlink Ground option to allow you to enter “yes” or
“no” in Ground column.
Link/Unlink Gap You can highlight a bus or multiple buses from the Arc Flash table
and select the Unlink Gap option to allow you to enter user-defined
values for Gap.
Link/Unlink Equipment Type You can highlight a bus or multiple buses from the Arc Flash table
and select the Unlink Equipment Type option to allow you to select
your own equipment type from the list.
Link/Unlink Working Distance You can highlight a bus or multiple buses from the Arc Flash table
and select the working distance to allow you to enter user-defined
values for working distance.
Export to This selection allows users to export the result into excel, *.htm, or
*.ss3 file formats.
User defined Arc Flash Table This option selection displays the user “User defined Arc Flash Table”
where the user can enter any user-defined bus voltage, fault current,
and arcing duration and it will calculate the incident energy and flash
boundary results. You can also click on the “Custom Label” button it
will produce arc flash label based on those results.
Include non 3-phase system Includes non 3-phase system buses to the Arc Flash display and report
Study Options This option selection will display Option menu for Arc Flash Study
Study Options Report This option selection will display a window where the user can print
the options that have been selected in the Option menu for Arc Flash
Study
Font, Page Margin This option selection will display a window where the user can select
the type of font to use for the arc flash report
Print/Export Option This option selection will display a window where the user can change
page margin, and page number display for printing.

The same menu items are available by clicking the Right Mouse button.
1.4.4 Arc Flash Study Procedure

The Arc Flash study requires an accurate short circuit and coordination study for the different
modes in which the system may operate.
The general arc flash study procedure outlined in the IEEE 1584 standard includes:
1. Collect field data sufficient to perform a short-circuit and coordination study.

2. Identify the possible system operating modes including tie-breaker positions, parallel
generation, etc.
3. Calculate the bolted fault current at each fault location.
4. Calculate the arcing fault current flowing through each branch for each fault location.
5. Determine the time required to clear the arcing fault current using the protective device
settings and associated trip curves.
6. Select the working distances based on system voltage and equipment class.
7. Calculate the incident energy at each fault location.
8. Calculate the flash protection boundary at each fault location.
1.4.5 Arc Flash Modeling Assumptions

It’s important to understand the assumptions made by the PTW Arc Flash module.
The following assumptions are applied
- Arc Flash searches the entire system topology, starting from the faulted bus out, to find
the first protective device with an over-current trip curve. When the first device is
located, the search is discontinued (i.e. assumes coordination with upstream branches).
The next upstream protective device may be included in the search by selecting the
“Check upstream devices for mis-coordination” option. If there are multiple contributions
to the faulted bus, the search process will be repeated until each contribution is cleared by
it’s protective device, or the search reaches the end of the topology. Protection functions
with a name of “Ground”, “Earth”, or “AF_EX” will be excluded from the protective
device search and the next upstream device is used instead. Upstream refers to the flow of
power from the primary sources of power to the faulted location from the perspective of
standing at the fault location.
- The trip time is determined for all protective devices located in the branch that contains
the first trip device and the device with the fastest trip time for the given arcing fault
current is used.
- Worker is stationary during the entire arc flash incident (constant working distance).
- Induction motors contribute continuous sub-transient current until removed at user

specified time ‘x’, unless they are specifically excluded from the arc flash study.
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- When applying generic current-limiting fuse representation, the current-limiting range is

assumed to start where fuse clearing curve drops below 0.01 sec.
- When applying generic current-limiting fuse representation, fuses operating in the current
limiting range are assumed to clear in ½ cycle for currents 1 to 2 times the current where
the current-limiting range begins, and ¼ cycle for currents higher than 2 times the current
where the current-limiting range begins.
- Interrupting device is rated for the available short circuit current (no equipment damage is
considered).
- Upstream branch devices are properly coordinated with downstream branch devices. The
next upstream protective device may be included in the search by selecting the “Check
upstream devices for mis-coordination” option. The device that clears the arcing fault
fastest is used.
- Ground fault devices are not included.
- For multi-function protective devices, only the first f unction is used to determine the trip
time.
- Reports only the larger incident energy based on low or high tolerances applied to the
calculated arcing fault current.
- When the total fault current cleared is less than the threshold percent specified in the
study setup, or no protective device is found, the bus is labeled as Dangerous and the
incident energy and flash boundary are not reported.
- If the trip time obtained from the time current curve is larger than the maximum
protection trip time defined in the study setup, the maximum protection trip time is used.
- Any equations where 600V and below is used in the NFPA 70E standard, it is applied to 1
kV and below as well in the software. This is because in IEC standard, there is no 600V.
IEC standard classifies any voltage below 1 kV as low voltage.

1.4.6 Arc Flash Equations
IEEE 1584 Standard – 2002

Arcing Fault Current at the bus (Ia) and through each protective device (Ia br) for bus voltages less
than 1 kV and bolted fault current between 700Amps and 106,000 Amps.
lg (Ia) = K + 0.662 lg (IB) + 0.0966 V + 0.000526 G + 0.5588 V lg (IB) - 0.00304 G lg (IB)
lg is log10
Ia is arcing fault current at the bus in kA
K is -0.153 for open configuration and
is -0.097 for box configuration
IB is bolted fault current – 3phase sym rms kA at the bus
V is bus voltage in kV
G is bus bar gap between conductors in mm
Arcing Fault Current at the bus (Ia) and through each protective device (Ia br) for bus voltages
greater than or equal to 1 kV and bolted fault current between 700Amps and 106,000 Amps.
lg (Ia) =0.00402 + 0.983 lg (IB)
Therefore, Ia = 10 lg (Ia)
Ia br = Ia * IB br / IB
IB br is the Bolted Fault Current through each protective device in kA.
Ia br is the arcing fault current through each protective device in kA.
*Note: For IEEE 1584-2002 - Section 5.2, a second arcing fault current is calculated at 85% of the
original. The Trip Time and Incident Energy at both the 85% and 100% arcing fault currents are
calculated and the larger of the two Incident Energy values is displayed with the associated Trip
Time. PTW allows a user-defined arc fault tolerance. The default tolerance is -15% as described
in the IEEE 1584 - 2002 standard. For additional information refer to section 1.5.9.
Normalized Incident Energy
lg (En) = K1 + K2 + 1.081 lg (Ia) + 0.0011 G

En is incident energy (J/cm2) normalized for a arcing duration of 0.2s
and working distance of 610mm
K1 is -0.792 for open configuration and

is -0.555 for box configuration (switchgear, panel, cable)
K2 is 0 for ungrounded and high resistance grounded systems and

is -0.113 for grounded systems
G is the gap between bus bar conductors in mm
solve En = 10 ^ lg En
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Incident Energy converted from normalized:
E = 4.184 Cf En (t/0.2) (610^X / D^X)
E is incident energy (J/cm2)

Cf is 1.0 for voltage above 1 kV and
is 1.5 for voltage at or below 1 kV
t is arcing duration in seconds
D is the working distance in mm
x is the distance exponent
Default distance exponent x based on the voltage level and equipment type
x Equipment Type kV
1.473 Switchgear <1
1.641 Panel <1
0.973 Switchgear >1
2 all others
Arc Flash Boundary (DB)
DB = [ 4.184 Cf En (t/0.2) (610^X / EB) ] ^ 1/x
DB is the arc flash boundary in mm at incident energy of EB

EB is the limit for a second-degree bare skin burn. EB = 5.0 (J/cm2)
x is the distance exponent
Default distance exponent x based on the voltage level and equipment type
x Equipment Type kV
1.473 Switchgear <1
1.641 Panel < 1
0.973 Switchgear >1
2 all others

Doughty Neal Method (NFPA 70E)
The Doughty Neal method follows the same procedure as IEEE 1584 with the following
exceptions:
Flash Protection Boundary for buses less than 600 Volts:
Dc = [2.65 x MVAbf x t] ½
Dc = [53 x MVA x t] ½
Where
Dc = distance in feet from an arc source for a second-degree burn
MVAbf = bolted fault capacity available at bus in MVA
MVA = capacity rating of transformer. For transformers less than 0 .75 MVA,
multiply the transformer MVA by 1.25.
t = arc exposure in seconds.
Flash Protection Boundary for buses above 600 volts:
for Clearing Time of 0.1 second or less,

calculate boundary distance where incident energy = 1.5 cal/cm2
for Clearing Time longer than 0.1 second,

calculate boundary distance where incident energy = 1.2 cal/cms2
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NESC – 2017
When the user selects NESC 2017 as the standard, the software will do arc flash hazard analysis
based on the tables specified by NESC 2017.
The following tables are reprinted with permission from 2012 National Electrical Safety Code.

TABLE 410-1 Foonotes
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Note: For buses whose fault current is beyond the maximum fault in the table, the software uses
the following equation to interpolate the incident energy.
 IEtable 
IEnew = I result X  
 I max fault table 
 
Where,
Iresult is the bus SLG fault current that is beyond the table.
IEtable is the incident energy from NESC 20012 Table 410-2 or Table 410-3, corresponding to the
clearing time of the bus and maximum fault current of the table.
Imax fault table is the maximum fault current in the table.
For example, a 13.8 kV bus has a SLG fault current of 30 kA, with clearing time of 10 cycles.
Looking at the NESC Table 410-2, maximum fault current in the table is 20 kA. From the table,
for this current, the clearing time of 10 cycles corresponds to 8-cal system.
Therefore using the equation above, the interpolated incident energy for 30 kA is:
IEnew = 30 X (8/20) = 12 cal/cm2.

Note: For buses whose clearing time is beyond the table, the software uses the following equation
to interpolate the incident energy.
 IEmax table 
IEnew = C result X  
 C max table 
 
Where,
Cresult is the bus clearing time that is beyond the table.
IE max table is the maximum incident energy from NESC 2012 Table 410-2 or Table 410-3
Cmax table is the maximum clearing time in the table corresponding to the fault current and
maximum indent energy.
Looking at the NESC Table 410-2, maximum incident energy in the table is 12-cal. Also, from the
table, this current and the 12-cal system corresponds to clearing time of 30.1 cycles.
IEnew = 50 X (12/30.1) = 19.93 cal/cm2. About 20 cal/cm2.
Note: For buses whose fault current and clearing time is beyond the table, the software uses the
following equation to interpolate the incident energy. We modify the incident energy by the fault
current ratio and trip time ratio.
 IEmax table   C result 

IEnew = I result X   X 
 I max fault table   C max table 
   
Or
 IEmax table 
IEnew = I result X C result X  
 I max fault table X C max table 
 
Where,
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Looking at the NESC Table 410-2, maximum incident energy in the table is 12-cal and the
maximum fault current is 20 kA. Also, from the table, this current and the 12-cal system
corresponds to clearing time of 19.5 cycles.
IEnew = 50 X (12/20) X (50/19.5) = 76.92 cal/cm2.
Note: For buses whose fault current is beyond the maximum fault in the table, the software uses
the following equation to interpolate the incident energy.
 IEtable 
IEnew = I result X  
 I max fault table 
 
Where,
IEtable is the incident energy from NESC 2012 Table 410-2 or Table 410-3, corresponding to the
clearing time of the bus and maximum fault current of the table.
Looking at the NESC Table 410-3, maximum fault current in the table is 50 kA. From the table,
for this current, the clearing time of 5 cycles corresponds to 8-cal system.
IEnew = 75 X (8/50) = 12 cal/cm2.
Note: For buses whose clearing time is beyond the table, the software uses the following equation
to interpolate the incident energy.
 IEmax table 
IEnew = C result X  
 C max table 
 
Where,

Looking at the NESC Table 410-3, maximum incident energy in the table is 12-cal. Also, from the
table, this current and the 12-cal system corresponds to clearing time of 11.3 cycles.
IEnew = 20 X (12/11.3) = 21.24 cal/cm2.
Note: For buses whose fault current and clearing time is beyond the table, the software uses the
following equation to interpolate the incident energy. We modify the incident energy by the fault
current ratio and trip time ratio.
 IEmax table   C result 

IEnew = I result X   X 
 I max fault table   C max table 
   
Or
 IEmax table 
IEnew = I result X C result X  
 I max fault table X C max table 
 
Where,
Looking at the NESC Table 410-3, maximum incident energy in the table is 12-cal and the
maximum fault current is 50 kA. Also, from the table, this current and the 12-cal system
corresponds to clearing time of 8.1 cycles.
IEnew = 75 X (12/50) X (12/8.1) = 26.67cal/cm2.
IEnew = 30 X (8/20) = 12 cal/cm2.
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NOTE: For 72.6 kV to 800 kV, the software will show values only from the without tools columns.

July 2019
EPRI Report 2011
Background
The EPRI Report provides a solution for arc flash hazard analysis of electric transmission and
distribution facilities operating at and above 1000 volts with Electrode Gap length between 1-5ft.
Laboratory testing and its subsequent data sets were used to empirically derive equations for the
calculation of incident energy and arc flash boundaries. Although EPRI lab experiments were
limited to open air line-to-ground faults, the model can be expanded to analyze enclosed
configurations along with 3 phase and line to line faults.
The EPRI Report can likely be used to satisfy the requirements of OSHA regulation 1910.269
Appendix E Table 3. According to OSHA, ARCPRO (developed by Kinectrics) calculations are
accepted for voltage level above 15kV. However, the EPRI Report states the following limitations
of ARCPRO:
“To date, the authors of ARCPRO are not aware of any test data upon which to verify ARCPRO
computations for 13.8 kV or above.”
“…ARCPRO tends to provide overestimates of incident thermal energy, at least for long gaps and
vertical arcs.”
“The verified range of the [ARCPRO] is mainly in the medium voltage range for arcs in vertical
air gaps and in gaps less than 1 ft in length.”
The EPRI Lab results and Report concludes:
“…it is reasonable to expect that incident thermal energy values for short gaps calculated with
ARCPRO would match the test data quite well for short gaps. However, as shown in the
comparison figures in this Section [8], the agreement between calculated and measured data falls
apart as gap length increases. For arcs in long gaps, comparisons show that ARCPRO tends to
predict much greater incident thermal energy levels than those measured in the tests.”

EPRI comparison with Gap lengths at 1, 2, 4, and 5ft. Notice that the ArcPro curve is further away
from the measured EPRI results as Gap length increases.
NESC 2017 is another standard in which was created from ARCPRO results with Gap length less
than 1ft. Therefore, the use of NESC 2017 can likely be used to satisfy OSHA requirements. To
summarize, NESC 2017 is a look up table based on phase-to-phase voltage, fault current, and
clearing time. These 3 parameters are then used to determine the incident energy. Refer to NESC
2017 software documentation on the use of this standard.
SKM’s recommendation is to use NESC 2017 for Gap less than 1ft and to use EPRI Report for
Gaps at 1ft or greater.
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Reprinted from OSHA regulation 1910.269 Appendix E
Range of EPRI Report model
From EPRI Report Table 5-18, these are the lab case test ranges.

EPRI Report 2011 Equations
The following are the simplified equations for incident thermal energy flux and incident thermal
energy as a function of working distance. Reprinted from EPRI Report 2011:
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July 2019
Using EPRI Report 2011 in Power*Tools for Windows
In the Arc Flash Study Options, select “15kV to 800kV Arc Fault Analysis – EPRI Report 2011”
when conducting the analysis.
The following arc flash result spreadsheet will be presented.
Bus Name
This is the Fault location.

Refers to the protective device that clears the arcing fault or portion of the total arcing fault
current.
Bus kV
Bus voltage at the fault location.
SLG Bus Bolted Fault (kA)

Initial Symmetrical RMS single-line-to-ground fault current. (Reported by the selected AC Short
Circuit Method.)
SLG ProtDev Bolted Fault (kA)

The portion of the total SLG bolted fault current, that flows through a given protective device.
Trip / Delay Time

The time required for the protective device to operate for the given fault condition. In the case of a
relay, the breaker opening time is entered separately from the relay trip time. For low voltage
breakers and fuses, the trip time is assumed to be the total clearing curve or high tolerance of the

published trip curve.
Breaker Opening Time/Tol (sec.)

combination of the Trip/Delay time and the Breaker Opening time determines the total time
required to clear the fault. For low voltage circuit breakers, the total clearing time displayed on the
Manufacturer’s drawing is assumed to include the breaker opening time.
Equip Type
Indicate whether the equipment is Switchgear or Open Air. The equipment type field is for
informational purposes only and has no bearing on EPRI Report calculations.
Statistical Adjustment Factor (k)

EPRI equations are based on the averaged test results. A statistical adjustment factor (k) of 1.588
is used to determine the expected “worst-case” incident energy. Refer to EPRI Report page 8-4 for
more information on use of other Statistical Adjustment Factors.
3-Phase Multiplier
EPRI was derived based on Line to Ground lab testing. Recommended 3-phase multiplier for open
air is 1.2 to 2.2. Recommended 3-phase multiplier for enclosed location is 3.7 to 6.5.
Gap
Used to define the spacing between bus bars or conductors at the arc location. Unlink to enter a
user-defined value. EPRI recommended and tested gap distances is between 1-5 feet.
Working Distance
The distance between the arc source and the worker’s face or chest. Unlink to enter a user-defined
value.
Arc Flash Boundary

The distance from exposed live parts within which a person could receive a 2nd degree burn.
Incident Energy
PPE Level/Notes (*N)

Indicates the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to prevent an incurable burn at the
working distance during an arcing fault.
Rubber Insulating Equipment Class

The class of rubber insulating sleeves the employee shall wear, in addition to the rubber insulating
gloves.
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EPRI Notes
When input data is outside of EPRI range is used in the calculations, the following notes will be
displayed under the PPE Notes (*N) column:
(*EPRI1)-Out of EPRI 2011 Voltage Range
(*EPRI2a)-Out of EPRI 2011 Gap Range. Use NESC method for Gaps < 1ft
(*EPRI2b)-Out of EPRI 2011 Gap Range
(*EPRI3)-Out of EPRI 2011 Max Clearing Range
(*EPRI4)-Out of EPRI 2011 Working Distance Range
(*EPRI5)-Out of EPRI 2011 Fault Current Range
(*EPRI6)-EPRI 2011 SLG Fault is Zero

PTW Results Comparison with EPRI Laboratory Results
A comparison between PTW results and the measured EPRI laboratory results was conducted to
ensure the accuracy of the PTW calculations. EPRI summary results from Appendix D was used in
the comparison, which includes varying Arc Current, Gap lengths, and Arc Duration. All cases
include a Statistical Adjustment Factor of 1.0. In some cases, a Statistical Adjustment Factor of
1.58 was also used to ensure that the calculated PTW incident energy covered all the measured
laboratory results.
As a reminder, a Statistical Adjustment Factor of 1.0 calculates an average expected incident

energy level. A Statistical Adjustment Factor of 1.58 determines the expected “worst-case” level.
When using Statistical Adj Factor of 1.0, the calculated PTW Incident Energy is within the range
of the measured EPRI results.
When using Statistical Adj Factor of 1.58, the calculated PTW Incident Energy is greater than all
the measured EPRI results.
Simplified PTW oneline diagram.
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EPRI Manual Calculations
July 2019

July 2019
Arc Flash Evaluation For DC Systems

The following equations are used for calculating DC arc flash incident energy and arcing current.
Iarc = 0.5 * Ibf
IEm = 0.01 * Vsys * Iarc * Tarc /D2
Where
Vsys = the system voltage, in volts
Ibf = the system bolted fault current, in amperes
Iarc = the arcing current, in amperes
Tarc = the arcing time in seconds
D = the working distance, in centimeters
IEm = the estimated DC arc flash incident energy at the maximum power point, in cal/cm2
The equations above apply to DC system rated up to 1000 VDC.
For exposures where the arc is in a box or enclosure, it would be prudent to use a 3× multiplying factor for the
resulting incident energy value.
The equations above are from Annex D.8.1.1 of the NFPA 70E, 2012.
More information on calculating DC arc flash incident energy and arcing current can also be found from the following
reference: "Arc Flash Calculations for Exposures to DC Systems", Doan, D.R., IEEE IAS Electrical Safety
Workshop, 2007, Record of Conference Papers, March 2007.

1.4.7 Default Values
Equipment Categories and Gap
Equipment Category contains Gap (mm) Equip Type kV
Switchgear 32 Panel <1
Cable 13 Cable <1
Air 32 Open Air <1
* all others 25 Panel <1
Cable 13 Cable 1-5
Air 102 Open Air 1-5
* all others 25 Switchgear 1-5
Cable 13 Cable >5
Air 153 Open Air >5
* all others 153 Switchgear >5
Working Distances
Default the working distance based on the voltage level and equipment type
Working Distance Equipment Type kV
24 inches (610mm) Switchgear <= 1
18 inches (455mm) Panel <=1
36 inches (910mm) Switchgear > 1 & < 35
72 inches (1829mm) Switchgear > 35
18 inches (455mm) all others
1.4.8 Determination of Grounded/Ungrounded Bus

The PTW Arc Flash study performs a calculation for both 3 phase and single-line-to-earth faults.
The single-line-to-earth fault is only used to determine whether the bus should be considered as
grounded or ungrounded. Since the IEEE 1584 standard includes resistance grounded conditions
as ungrounded, the PTW arc flash module compares the single-line-to-earth value with the three-
phase value to determine the grounded/ungrounded state. If the single-line-to-earth fault value is
less than 5% of the three-phase value, the fault bus is considered to be ungrounded. The 5%
threshold is a default value that can be adjusted.
1.4.9 Relationship Between 3-Phase Fault and Arcing Fault

The equations used to calculate the magnitude of an arcing fault are relative to the available 3-
phase bolted fault current. Single-line to ground and line-to-line faults are not directly considered
when calculating arcing fault or incident energy. While it’s recognized that many arcing faults are
initiated by a line to ground fault, the arc flash equations in the IEEE 1584 standard are relative to
the available bolted-3-phase fault current for the following reasons:
a) 3-phase faults give the highest possible short circuit energy in AC equipment.
b) Arcing faults that begin as line-to-line or line-to-ground faults quickly escalate into 3-phase
faults as the air ionizes across the phases. The high-speed video photography of arc flash tests
show the arc rotating between the phases and the metal box. The tests were performed on
grounded and ungrounded systems and the arc fault equation includes a grounded/ungrounded
variable.
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1.5 PTW Applied Methodology
1.5.1 Running the Arc Flash Study

You can run the Study from any screen in PTW, and it always runs on the active project.
To run the Arc Flash Study

1. From the Run menu, choose Arc Flash Evaluation.
The Arc Flash Study produces a display that the typically lists each bus in the system, protective
devices that clear the arcing fault, trip times, incident energy, flash boundary and PPE clothing
class. The items listed in this report are user-defined. They change be changed in the arc flash
study options window.

1.5.2 Arc Flash Study Options
The Arc Flash Options dialog box lets you select options for running the Study.
The Arc Flash Options dialog box is divided into 3 options tabs: Standard and Units, Fault
Current, and Report Options.
The descriptions of the options of each tab follows:
Standard and Units
Standard allows the choice of IEEE 1584, IEEE1584, Doughty Neal (NFPA70E), or NESC
methods. There are two IEEE 1584 versions available. If the IEEE 1584-2002 method is selected,
the equations published in the IEEE 1584 2002 and NFPA 70E – 2018 Annex D.4 will be used to
calculate the arcing fault current, incident energy, and flash boundary. The IEEE 1584-2018
method is based on the latest revision. NFPA 70E-2018 Annex D.4 encourages the user to consult
with the latest adopted version or amendment of IEEE 1584. Therefore, using the IEEE 1584-2018
method could be considered as compliance with NFPA 70E as well. If NFPA 70E method is
selected, the equations published in NFPA 70E – 2018 Annex D.3 will be used to calculate the
incident energy and flash boundary. If NESC 2017 method is selected, the tables from NESC 2017
are used to calculate the incident energy and minimum approach distance.
July 2019
Flash Boundary Calculation Adjustments - The Flash Boundary is normally calculated by

setting the incident energy to 1.2 cal/cm^2 and use the incident energy equation to reverse
calculate the flash boundary. An option to use 1.5 cal/cm^2 for equipments above 1 kV and
trip time < 0.1 seconds is provided here. This is recommended by NFPA 70E – 2012 (section
130.3 (a) page 70E-25).
An option to use equation: sqrt (2.65 * 3-Phase MVA * t) to calculate the flash boundary when
the voltage level is equal or below 1 kV is also provided. Refer to NFPA 70E – 2012 Article
130.3 for more detail.
Equipment Below 240 Volts Options:
Two separate list boxes are provided due to the difference in applicable voltage criteria to the
location of the arcing fault in addition to Bolted Fault magnitude or upstream Transformer
Size presented in IEEE 1584 and NFPA 70E standards.
- The list box provides the following options:
- Option1: Apply Exception if bolted fault current < 2000A. Refer to Section 4.3 of
IEEE 1584-2018 Std.
- Option2: Apply Exception for systems fed by Transformer < 125 kVA. Refer to
Section 9.3.2 IEEE 1584-2002 Std.
- Option3: Report Calculated Values From Equations. Use normal incident energy
calculation methodology. This is the default selection.
If option 1is selected, and the calculated incident energy is smaller than 1.2 cal/cm^2, the
calculated value will be reported and used to calculate the flash boundary. If the calculated
incident energy is greater than 1.2 cal/cm^2, it will be reported as <1.2 cal/cm^2.
English or Metric Units – For IEEE 1584, Doughty Neal, or NESC, we allow the choice of
English or Metric units.
If the English units option is selected, the incident energy is in Calories/cm2. The working
distance and flash boundary can then be in inches or feet.
If the Metric units option is selected the incident energy can then be in Joules/cm2 or
Calories/cm2. The working distances and flash boundary can then be in mm, cm, or m.

Fault Current
Maximum Arcing Time Duration allows you to specify a maximum (Trip Time + Breaker Time)
for the incident energy and flash boundary calculations. IEEE 1584 Annex B.1.2 stated that “If
the time is longer than two seconds, consider how long a person is likely to remain in the location
of the arc flash. It is likely that the person exposed to arc flash will move away quickly if it is
physically possible and two seconds is a reasonable maximum time for calculations. A person in a
bucket truck or a person who has crawled into equipment will need more time to move away.”
The default for the Maximum Arcing Duration in PTW is set to 2 seconds, if the Trip Time read
from the TCC plus the Breaker Time is bigger than the Maximum Arcing Duration, the Trip Time
will be set to the Maximum Arcing Duration – Breaker Time.
Sound engineering judgment is always required when making reasonable arc flash energy
estimates.
- Use Global Max Arcing Time: Allow user to enter different maximum arcing during for
system voltage > 240 Volts and system voltage <= 240 Volts.
- Enter for each bus: When this option is selected, the user can click on the “Max Arcing
Time for Each Bus” button, and “Maximum Arcing Duration for Each Bus” window will
come up. See picture below.
July 2019
In this window, the user can specify the maximum arcing duration for each buses in the system
modeled. For convenience, the user can also sort the window by bus name, bus voltage, or
maximum arcing duration by selection one of the available options button. Furthermore, user can
change the maximum arcing duration of all the buses globally by clicking on the “Global Change”
button. This helps in modeling your system accurately for arc flash study, since each bus location
you are analyzing may have different maximum arcing duration depending on the situation.
Arcing Fault Tolerances…

- For the IEEE 1584-2002 standard, specify a low and high tolerance for arcing fault current
calculations. For example, enter a –15% low and +10% high tolerances means the program will
calculate two incident energies one at 0.85* arcing fault current, and another at 1.1* arcing fault
current. For the NFPA 70E standard, specify the percentage of bolted fault current used to
calculate the second incident energy. For example, enter a 38% bolted fault current means the
program will calculate two incident energies one at 100% of the bolted fault current and another at
38% of the bolted fault current.

The arcing fault current magnitude is a function of the voltage and arc impedance. Since a small
change in arcing fault current can produce substantially different trip times and incident energy, it
is prudent to account for arcing fault current variability through reasonable tolerances. The IEEE
1584 standard uses a 15% low tolerance for arcing fault current calculations, and the NFPA 70E
suggests using a 38% bolted fault current. The incident energy is calculated at the low and high
tolerance specified and the largest incident energy is reported. For cases where both the low and
high tolerance values result in the same trip time, the high tolerance will always produce the
highest incident energy. For cases where the low tolerance results in longer trip times, which is
often the case, the incident energy is typically higher at the longer trip time. In the arc flash table,
the value is labeled with (*3) when the low tolerance arc fault value is used
Minimum Arcing Fault Calculation (IEEE 1584-2018 Only)
Three options are available on how the Minimum Arcing Fault will be utilized in determining the
Incident Energy and Flash Boundary.
Use Equations
The arcing current variation correction factor provided by the IEEE 1584 standard in
determining the Lower Bound Arcing Current will be used.
Table Method
The user-defined arcing tolerances to its corresponding voltage will be used. User can
add a voltage on the table and enter its tolerance. The program can also provide a
typical tolerance by using the Calc Table button. The typical tolerance is based on the
arcing current variation correction factor.
Utility and Impedance Tolerance…

This button brings up a dialog box that allows the user to specify the tolerances for utility and
impedances.
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Utility Voltage Tolerance
Regular
When the "Regular" option is selected, the load flow and short circuit comprehensive study
modules will not use the min and max voltage tolerance specified in the Utility Component Editor.
Minimum
When "Minimum" option is selected, the load flow and short circuit comprehensive study modules
will use the "Min" voltage tolerance value specified in the Utility Component Editor. For example,
if the Voltage per unit is 1.0 and the "Min" tolerance value is 20%, the value that will be used for
the load flow and short circuit studies is 0.8 pu or [1 pu x (1-0.2)].
Maximum
When "Maximum" option is selected, the load flow and short circuit comprehensive study modules
will use the "Max" voltage tolerance value specified in the Utility Component Editor. For
example, if the Voltage per unit is 1.0 and the Max value is 20%, the value that will be used for the
load flow and short circuit studies is 1.2 pu or [1 pu x (1+0.2)]
Utility Contribution Tolerance
Regular
When "Regular" option is selected, the load flow and short circuit comprehensive study modules
will not use the min. and max. utility contribution tolerance specified in the Utility Component
Editor.

Minimum
will use the "Min" utility contribution tolerance value specified in the Utility Component Editor for
both the Three Phase and Line to Ground Contribution. For example, if the "Min" utility
contribution is 20% and the utility has the following contributions:
3phase = 300 MVA
SLG = 100 MVA
The values that will be used for the load flow and short circuit comprehensive studies are the
following:
3phase = 300 MVA x (1-0.2) = 240 MVA
SLG = 100 MVA x (1-0.2) = 80 MVA
Maximum
will use the "Max" utility contribution tolerance value specified in the Utility Component Editor for
both the Three Phase and Line to Ground Contribution. For example, if the "Max" utility
contribution is 20% and the utility has the following contributions:
3phase = 300 MVA
SLG = 100 MVA
The values that will be used for the load flow and short circuit studies are the following:
3phase = 300 MVA x (1+0.2) = 360 MVA
SLG = 100 MVA x (1+0.2) = 120 MVA
Cable Impedance Tolerance
Regular
will not use the impedance tolerance specified in the cable impedance Component Editor.
Minimum
will use the "Min" impedance tolerance value specified in the cable impedance Component Editor.
For example, if the tolerance impedance is +/- 20% and the cable has the following impedance:
Positive = (R + jX) ohms/1000 Feet
Zero = (R + jX) ohms/1000 Feet
following:
Positive = (R + jX) x ( 1-0.2) ohms/1000 Feet = (R + jX) x 0.8 ohms/1000 Feet
Zero = (R + jX) ( 1-0.2) ohms/1000 Feet = (R + jX) x 0.8 ohms/1000 Feet
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Maximum
will use the "Max" impedance tolerance value specified in the cable impedance Component Editor.
For example, if the tolerance impedance is +/- 20% and the cable has the following impedance:
Positive = (R + jX) ohms/1000 Feet
Zero = (R + jX) ohms/1000 Feet
The values that will be used for the load flow and short circuit studies are the following:
Positive = (R + jX) x ( 1+0.2) ohms/1000 Feet = (R + jX) x 1.2 ohms/1000 Feet
Zero = (R + jX) ( 1+0.2) ohms/1000 Feet = (R + jX) x 1.2 ohms/1000 Feet
Transformer Impedance Tolerance
Regular
will not use the impedance tolerance specified in the transformer impedance Component Editor.
Minimum
will use the "Min" impedance tolerance value specified in the transformer impedance Component
Editor. For example, if the tolerance impedance is +/- 20% and the transformer has the following
impedance:
Positive = (%R + j%X)
Zero = (%R + j%X)
following:
Positive = (%R + j%X) x ( 1-0.2) = (%R + j%X) x 0.8
Zero = (%R + j%X) ( 1-0.2) = (%R + j%X) x 0.8
Maximum
When "Maximum" option is selected the load flow and short circuit comprehensive study modules
will use the "Max" impedance tolerance value specified in the transformer impedance Component
Editor. For example, if the tolerance impedance is +/- 20% and the transformer has the following
impedance:
Positive = (%R + j%X)
Zero = (%R + j%X)
following:

Positive = (%R + j%X) x ( 1+0.2) = (%R + j%X) x 1.2
Zero = (%R + j%X) ( 1+0.2) = (%R + j%X) x 1.2
Pre-Fault Voltage options…

This button allows the user to specify the pre-fault voltage options for the short circuit study.
Load Flow Results

If the Load Flow option is selected, the load flow voltage at each bus will be used to calculate the
bus and branch fault current when apply a fault to the bus.
PU Voltage for All Buses

If the PU Voltage for All Buses option is selected, the user can enter one single value for the per
unit pre-fault voltage to be used for all bus in the system.
PU Voltage Enter for Each Bus

If the PU Voltage Enter for Each Bus option is selected, the user can enter the per unit pre-fault
voltage to be used at each individual bus and the per unit voltage will be used to calculate the bus
and branch fault current when apply a fault to that bus.
No Load with Tap

If the No Load with Tap option is selected, the per unit pre-fault voltage is calculated by the
program starting from the Initial Operating Voltage from the utility or Swing Bus generator.
Transformer Tap and Phase Shift will be included in the calculation of the pre-fault voltage if the
options are checked in the Calculation Model. This is the default option.
Fixed or Movable for Each Bus…

This button brings up a window where the user can specify for each bus whether it is defined as
"Fixed" circuit part or "Movable" conductor. The will affect the shock limited approach boundary
reported by the arc flash label. A bus defined as "Movable" will have a higher limited approach
boundary than a "Fixed" bus. For convenience, the user can also sort the window by bus name, bus
voltage, or by "Fixed/Movable" selection options. Furthermore, the user can change the
Fixed/Movable" selection of all the buses globally by clicking on the "Global Change" button.
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Transformer Tap
If this box is unchecked, all transformers appear without the effect on any taps, and the pre-fault
voltage is relative to the swing bus voltage. By selecting Transformer Tap, PTW calculates the
system pre-fault no load voltage profile based on the swing bus voltage and transformer tap
settings. You must check this box to analyze transformer off nominal voltages properly.
Transformer Phase Shift

By default, PTW does not include Transformer Phase Shift, the transformer phase shift angle
remains at 0°, and the pre-fault voltage angles in each isolated area of the power system remain at
the swing bus voltage angle. To report unbalanced circuit branch flows, select the Transformer
Phase Shift check box. This option calculates each transformer phase shift in degrees based on the
transformer connection type; the pre-fault voltage angle includes all transformer phase shifting
relative to the swing bus.
Defined Ground as SLG/3P Fault in % - enter the single line to ground fault current / 3-phase
fault current at the bus in percentage. If the calculated SLG / 3P fault current at the bus is higher
than the value specified by the user, the bus is considered grounded. IEEE 1584 recommended
different incident energy equation parameters based on whether a bus is grounded or not.
Reduce Generator / Synchronous Motor Fault Contribution To – Generators and synchronous

motors do not supply the same amount of fault current after a certain number of cycles following
the fault. For example, the fault current may be reduced from the initial 1000% of the Rated
Current (10 per unit) to 300% after 10 cycles. Enter the percentage of the Rated Current and the
number of cycles after which to reduce the fault current to. PTW assumes a step change from the
initial fault current to the reduced value and incident energy will be calculated using the initial
fault current and the number of cycles specified, then accumulated with rest of the incident energy
calculated using the reduced fault current and the duration at which the protective device trips. The
Apply To Generator check box controls whether the reduction of contribution should be applied to
generators. If unchecked, generator contribution will be the same as the initial fault for the entire
arcing duration. Similarly, the Apply To Synchronous Motors check box controls whether
synchronous motor contribution should be reduced after the number of cycles.
Recalculate Trip Time using Reduced Current – use the decayed fault current from the
Generators and synchronous after the number of cycles to recalculate the trip time and calculate the
incident energy.
Below is description on how "Apply to Generators/Synchronous Motor” check boxes works in

conjunction with “Recalculate Trip Time Using Reduced Current” checkbox.
If "Apply to Generators/Synchronous Motor” check box is checked and the “Recalculate Trip Time
Using Reduced Current” is unchecked
 PTW uses the initial arcing fault current up to the specified number of cycles to
determine the first accumulation of incident energy.
 If the protective device protecting the generator did not operate, the current is reduced
using the new bolted fault current value that corresponds to 300% of the generators
FLAs.
 From that, a new arcing fault current is calculated and is used to determine the
second accumulation of the incident energy. Note that for this option, the
assumption is that protective device protecting the generator will start to operate at

the first current it sees. So the time used for the second portion of the accumulation is
the calculated trip time from the initial current minus the number of cycles specified.
 PTW adds the two incident energy values to get a total accumulated energy.
If " Apply to Generators/Synchronous Motor” check box is checked and the “Recalculate Trip
Time Using Reduced Current” is checked
 PTW uses the initial arcing fault current up to the specified number of cycles to determine
the first accumulation of incident energy.
 If the protective device protecting the generator did not operate, the current is reduced
using the new bolted fault current value that corresponds to 300% of the generators FLAs.
 From that, a new arcing fault current is calculated and is used to determine the new
tripping time. To determine the second accumulation of the incident energy, the new
arcing current is used along with the remaining time (new tripping time minus the
number of cycles specified).
 PTW adds the two incident energy values to get a total accumulated energy.
 This option assumes that the protective device protecting the generator did not operate on
the initial current.
Note also the following:
o Arc Flash Study Option "Apply To Generators" option is enabled only if there are
energized generators in the system.
o Arc Flash Study Option "Apply To Synchronous Motors" option is enabled only if there
are energized Synchronous Motors in the system.
o "Recalculate Trip Time Using Reduced Current" option will be enabled only if the "Apply
To Generators" and/or "Apply To Synchronous Motors" options are checked.
Induction Motor Fault Contribution – Specify the number of cycles to include the induction
motor contributions. PTW assumes a step change from the initial fault current with induction
motor contributions to the reduced fault current without induction motor contributions. To include
induction motors all the time, enter a large value as the cycles. To ignores all induction motor fault
contributions from the arcing fault current and the incident energy calculations, enter 0 cycles. You
can enter a specific induction motor hp size and check or uncheck the Exclude if <??? hp
independently to exclude motors less than the given hp.
Notice that while ignoring motor contributions reduces the fault current value, it may increase the
trip time and result in higher incident energy.
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Fuses treated as "All Current Limiting, All Standard Fuses, or Specified in Library"
When "All Standard Fuses" is selected, the arc duration is read from the total clearing curve at
the arcing fault current for all fuses in the project. If the fault current is above the 0.01sec crossing
point then 0.01 seconds is used as the trip time. The IEEE 1584 or NFPA 70E standard equation
and calculated tripping time are used to calculate incident energy.
When "All Current Limiting Fuses" is selected, the arc duration is read from the total clearing
curve when the arcing current is below the current-limiting threshold (below the 0.01sec crossing
point). When the arcing current exceeds the current-limiting threshold (above the 0.01sec crossing
point) the trip time is reduced to either ½ or ¼ cycle based on the amount of current.
When "Specified in Library" is selected, (recommended option) the software will check the
“Current Limiting” checkbox and “Use Arc Flash Equation” checkbox in the library to determine
if a device is current limiting or not. The incident energy calculation will be based on its findings.
If the "Use Equipment Specific Arc Flash Equation in Protective Device Library" check box is not
checked and/or no equation is entered in the Arc Flash page, then the IEEE 1584 or NFPA 70E
standard equation will be used with the trip time reduced to ½ or ¼ cycles.
Arc Flash Equations for Breakers and Fuses.

"Use Equipment Specific Arc Flash Equation in Protective Device Library"
If this check box is checked, all the devices that have:
• The " Use Arc Flash Equation " check box checked
• Manufacturer’s/tested equations entered in the Arc Flash tab of the specific library file
• Fault current is in the range of the equations
The software will calculate the incident energy based on these equations. Otherwise, for the case of
breakers, the IEEE 1584 or NFPA 70E standard equation will be used and calculated tripping time
are used to calculate incident energy. For the case of Fuses, the trip time will be reduced to ½ or ¼
cycles if current limiting conditions are satisfied. This option is not available if ‘All Standard’ is
chosen in the option above (Treat fuses as).

If the manufacturer’s equations are entered in the Arc Flash page, PTW will use these equations
instead of the standard incident energy equations from the IEEE 1584 or NFPA 70E. If no
manufacturer’s equipment-specific equations are entered or could be matched with the cartridge
and bolted fault current range, the fuse will be treated as a current limiting fuse without using the
manufacturer’s equations.
If the "Current Limiting…" check box in the library is unchecked and the "Specified in Library"
option is selected, the fuses will be treated as standard fuses without having the current limiting
feature.
For breakers, manufacturers could also provide equipment-specific equations to represent faster
trip time when the fault current reach a certain level, but they are not current limiting in nature.
For all current limiting fuses and breakers, if the trip time of the TCC clearing curve at the branch
arcing fault current is less than ½ cycles, and the curve is defined below 0.01 seconds, the defined
clearing time is used. Otherwise, the arcing fault current (Ia) is compared to the current (IL) where
the total clearing curve drops below 0.01 seconds, and the trip time is based on the following table:
Trip/Delay Time (Tr) Condition
Read from clearing curve Ia < IL

1/2 cycle IL < Ia < 2 IL
1/4 cycle Ia > 2 IL
For fuses with only the average melting time curve available, and the time read from the average
melting curve at the arcing fault current Trips less or equal to 0.03 seconds, add 15% to Tr. If Tr
is above 0.03 seconds, add 10% to determine the total clearing time. If the arcing fault current is
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above the total clearing time at the bottom of the curve (0.01 seconds), use 0.01 seconds for the
time. (IEEE_P1584/ 4.6 Step5)
The protective device library alternatively allows you to enter current limiting equations for fuses
at each bolted fault current range. Arc Flash uses these equations to calculate the Incident Energy
and Flash Boundary instead of the standard IEEE1584 equations.
Equipment-Specific Incident Energy Equations on the Arc Flash Tab - If manufacturers of low
voltage breakers have their equipment-specific incident energy equations published, these
equations can be entered in the Arc Flash tab of the Protective Device Library. The user must
check the "Use Equipment-Specific Incident Energy Equations on the Arc Flash Tab" check box in
order for the equations to be used in the Arc Flash calculations.
If the "Use Equipment-Specific Incident Energy Equations on the Arc Flash Tab" check box is
checked, but no equation on the Arc Flash tab has a bolted fault current range that covers the
calculated bolted fault current through the device, the Equipment-Specific equation will not be
used. Instead, the device will be treated as current limiting a the following way:
If the trip time of the TCC clearing curve at the branch arcing fault current is less than ½ cycles
and the curve is defined below 0.01 seconds, the defined clearing time is used. Otherwise, the
arcing fault current (Ia) is compared to the current (IL) where the total clearing curve drops below
0.01 seconds, and the trip time is based on the following table:
Trip/Delay Time Condition

Read from clearing curve Ia < IL
1/2 cycle IL < Ia < 2 IL
1/4 cycle Ia > 2 IL

Report Option
Five different report options are available. The report options are named Bus, Protective Load Side,
Protective Line Side, Bus +Protective Device Line Side, and Bus + Line Side + Load Side. The Bus
report is the normal selection however the load side and line side reports may be useful in specific
situations. Refer to the following diagram and descriptions.
UTIL-0001
R1
T1
Line Side
MCC X
Main Bkr
MCC
B1 B2 B3 B4 B5
Load Side
C1
M2 M3 M4 M5
M1-Bus
M1
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- Bus option – The bus report assumes that the fault occurs at the equipment bus. If the bus
has multiple contributions, the devices that trip each branch contribution will be listed in
the order they trip, and incident energy will be accumulated until a significant percentage
of the fault current has tripped. The significant portion is defined by the “Cleared Fault
Threshold” percentage you specify.
- Protective Device Load Side option – The load side report applies a fault at the load side
(To End) of each protective device whose line side (From End) is connected directly to a
bus without having an impedance device between the bus and the protective device. The
protective device being evaluated is the one that clears the fault. The fault current
through the device will be used to calculate the arcing fault current and obtain the trip
time from the TCC. You can then select to include Line + Load Sides Contributions (to
represent both ends hot) in calculating the incident energy, or to include Line Side
Contributions only in which case the load side contributions are not included (now
working as if the load side is disconnected).
- Protective Device Line Side option – The line side report applies a fault at the line side
(From End) of each protective device whose load side (To End) is connected directly to a
bus without having an impedance device between the bus and the protective device. You
can then selected to include Line + Load Sides Contributions or to include Line Side
Contributions only. The first case represent both ends hot, this occur if the main breaker
failed to open, and the next upstream device is the one that must clear the fault. If there is
more than one contribution when there is a fault at the line side, incident energy will be
accumulated up to the fault contribution percentage specified. If Line Side Contributions
Only is selected, the load side contributions are not included and it is now working as if
the load side is disconnected.
Note: In the above discussion of Load Side (To End) and Line Side (From End),we
assumed that the power flows from the From End to the To End. If the direction of power
is opposite to our assumption, the devices that would be listed in the Load Side report
under normal power flow direction will be listed in the Line Side report instead.
- Bus + Protective Device Line Side option – This option combines the bus report option
and the protective device line side report option into one report. Calculated result for the
bus and line side will be listed next to each other for easier comparison of worse case
scenario. A special custom label is supplied by PTW to put both bus and line side results
in one single label.
- Bus + Line Side + Load Side option – This option combines the bus report option, the
protective device line side report option, and the protective device load side report option
into one report. Calculated result for the bus, line side, and load side will be listed next to
each other for easy comparison of the worst case scenario.
Worst Case Only Checkbox
This checkbox is available if the (Bus + Line Side) or (Bus + Line Side + Load Side) option is
selected. If this check box is checked, the worst (the one with the highest incident energy) from
the Bus, Line, or Load side report will be shown in the report.

Include Line + Load Sides Contributions
- If you select "Include Line + Load Sides Contributions", software will then include Line +
Load Sides Contributions (to represent both ends hot) in calculating the incident energy.
- If you select "Include Line Side Only", the software will include Line Side Contributions
only in which case the load side contributions are not included (now working as if the load
side is disconnected).
Report Last Trip Device vs. Report Main Device – This option is applicable for the Bus Report
option only and it affects the device reported in the Summary View, Bus Detail and Bus Label.
The last trip device is defined as the protective device that would trip last, when the percentage of
fault current cleared reaches the Cleared Fault Threshold. The “Main Device” is the one that
carries the biggest percentage of the fault current contributing to the bus.
• Report Last Trip Device

If this option is selected, in Detailed View, the highlighted device is the one that
meets the percent threshold (Last Trip Device). In Summary View, Bus Detail, and
Bus Label, this device, along with its corresponding values in the Detailed View will
be reported.
• Report Main Device

If this option is selected, in Summary View, the highlighted device is the one that
carries the biggest percentage of the fault current contributing to the bus (Main
Device). In the Summary View, Bus Detail, and Label this "Main Device" will be
reported. However, note that the incident energy and flash boundary reported is
based on the last trip device.
Color One-line
This option allows users to show Arc Flash category color on selected devices in the one-line (Bus,
Prot. Device, or both). If the Arc Flash Category color is toggled on in the one-line, users can now
show the arc flash category just on buses, just on the protective devices, or both buses and
protective devices in one-line drawings. To toggle the Arc Flash Category color on in the one-line,
click on the View > Arc Flash Category Color drop-down menu.
• If "Bus + Prot." option is selected, all buses and all protective devices in the one-line will
be colored the same as the AF Category color in the PPE table.
• If "Bus" option is selected, only the buses will be colored the same as the AF Category
color in the PPE table.
• If "Prot. Device" option is selected, only the protective devices will be colored the same as
the AF Category color in the PPE table.
Check Upstream devices for mis-coordination, evaluates trip times for backup protective devices
beyond the branch containing the first protective device. Two conditions must be satisfied for the
upstream backup protective device to be reported instead of the immediate protective device:
Condition 1: The immediate protective device must carry 5% or more of the Cleared Fault
Threshold value (default as 80%) multiplied by the total bus fault current.
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Condition 2: The upstream backup protective device must trip faster and carry a fault current that
is bigger or equal to the Cleared Fault Threshold value multiplied by the fault current through the
immediate device.
Upstream mis-coordination is checked by branch, all devices within the branch containing the
immediate protective device will be evaluated and the fastest one will be used to compare with the
fastest device in the upstream branch. If the first valid protective device is found in an upstream
branch and the trip time is slower than the immediate device, the search stops there and the
immediate device will be reported.
The definition of a valid device is one with a trip curve that is not a Ground Fault type and the
protection function name does not include "Ground", "Earth", "Neutral" or "AF_EX".
If the upstream mis-coordination is not checked, all devices within the branch containing the first
protective device will still be evaluated, and the one with the fastest trip time will be used in the
Arc Flash calculation.
Upstream Levels to Search

The number entered here determines the number of additional branches, consisting of a protective
device or a set of protective devices that are away from the first protective device protecting the
faulted bus, that the software will search for mis-coordination. This will greatly help when doing
coordination and arc flash study to see if any of the protective devices several braches away from
the fault are mis-coordinated with the protective device next to the faulted bus.
Mis-Coordination Ratio
The value entered here is used to determine if the upstream backup protective device qualifies to be
evaluated for mis-coordination in the arc flash study. Two conditions must be satisfied for the
upstream backup protective device to be reported instead of the immediate protective device:
Condition 1: The immediate protective device must carry 5% or more of the Cleared Fault
Threshold value (default as 80%) multiplied by the total bus fault current.
Condition 2: The upstream backup protective device must trip faster and carry a fault current that
is bigger or equal to the Mis-Coordination Ratio value multiplied by the fault current through the
immediate device.
Note: The "Mis-Coordination Ratio" is designed to provide some flexibility for cases where the
upstream bus (the bus above the immediate device) has induction and/or synchronous motors
connected to it and the upstream device is totally responsible in clearing the fault for the
downstream device after the motors decayed. It is recommended that a "Mis-Coordination Ratio"
very closed to the Cleared Fault Threshold be entered so that when the upstream device trips, the
fault current through the immediate device is mostly cleared.
Label Options
Default Label # Prefix - This allows the user to specify the default prefix character that will go on
the "Label #" column in the Arc Flash spreadsheet report. This field can help in sorting out
(organizing) the label when they printed out. Note that if a bus already has a label prefix assigned,
changing the default label prefix will not change the label prefix already assigned to that bus. The
Default Label # Prefix will only be assigned to buses newly created in the project.
Note: If the user wants to change the prefix of the label #, the user can go to the Arc Flash Study
Report option tab, and change the Default Label # Prefix value specified there. Then, in the "Label
#" column, in the Arc Flash spreadsheet Summary Report, select the column header of the Label#
and choose Global Change. Next, choose Program Default, this will renumber all label # with the
prefix.

Cleared Fault Threshold determines the portion of the Total Arcing Fault current at the Bus that
needs to be interrupted by protective devices to extinguish the arc. Therefore the remaining portion
of Arcing Fault current, if any, can not sustain the arc and will not be considered in the
accumulated incident energy. Enter a value in percent of the total bus fault current, the default
value is 80%, which means that the final arc fault trip time is based on when 80% or more of the
total fault current at the bus has been cleared. In the Summary View, the last device to trip that
reaches the cleared fault threshold is the only protective device that will be listed under the bus,
and the data from the device will be used in the Bus Detail report and Bus Label. The cleared fault
threshold value is also used to determine which branches are searched for mis-coordination.
There isn't any recommendation in the NFPA or IEEE1584 for the "Fault Clear Threshold". But
the assumption comes from the fact that when certain percentage of fault (like 80%) is interrupted
by the protective devices then the remaining bolted/arcing fault percentage/current can not sustain
the arc and naturally can not be added to the accumulated energy. Since the last 5% - 15% of the
contribution may take a very long time to trip (a small current takes a long delay time), then it is
not practical to accumulate the energy up to 100%, because the calculated incident energy would be
much bigger than reality. If the user is setting a "Maximum Protection Trip Time" in the Arc
Flash Options to a realistic number (2 second for example), then the "Fault Clear Threshold"
becomes less of an issue, the user could set it to 100% and we will only accumulate the energy up
to 2 seconds anyway.
Main Device Fail to operate, use upstream devices

If this checkbox is checked, the software will run arc flash based on the assumption that the Main
Device (the protective device with the most arcing current, when there are multiple contributions to
the faulted bus) connected to the bus did not operate. That is, the Main Device (the device with the
most current), will be excluded from the arc flash calculation. It will then automatically use the
upstream devices for the arc flash calculation instead.
Note that this option is disabled if the "Use Maintenance Mode function for main device" check
box is checked.
Use Maintenance Mode function for main device

If this checkbox is checked, the software will run arc flash evaluation based on the assumption that
the Main Device connected to the bus is in Maintenance Mode. (The Main device is the protective
device with the most arcing current, when there are multiple contributions to the faulted bus.)
For a device to be in Maintenance Mode, the "Maintenance Mode" check box has to be checked,
for one of the function name (such as ARMS), in the Protection Function window.
Note that only one function name in Maintenance Mode can be set at a time.
Also, note that for the "Maintenance Mode" check box to be available for a particular function
name, the function has to be assigned to a phase over-current device in the library by exiting and
setting it in the Component Editor/TCC dialog. Reopening the Protection Functions dialog box
will now show the check box to enable the Maintenance Mode.
Note that this option is disabled if the "Main Device fail to operate, use upstream devices" check
box is checked.
Auto Update Arc Flash Results

When this checkbox is checked, the software will automatically update the arc flash results
whenever there is a change in the system model. For instance, when user open up a tie-breaker or
change the size of a motor in the system model, the software will automatically update the arc flash
July 2019
results based on those changes. The user would not need to re-run the arc flash study.
Increase PPE Category by 1 for high marginal IE

When this checkbox is checked, the software will automatically increase the arc flash PEE category
results by 1 whenever the incident energy calculate is greater than the high marginal value set in
the PPE table.
Report PPE Others 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

If this checkbox is checked, additional PPE info in the Notes section of the Arc Flash report will be
added. This will show the information from the PPE Other 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 column from the PPE
table for the corresponding category.
Append Function Name for Multiple Functions

When this checkbox is checked, the "Prot Dev Name" column will report the name of the
protective device along with the name of the function, if the device has more than one function.
For VCBB, also run VCB and report Worst IE (IEEE 1584-2018 only)
Applicable for IEEE 1584-2018 method which allows to report the worst case incident energy (IE)
between VCBB and VCB without the use of scenarios. Enable the option to run as VCBB and VCB
for the same location when electrode config is set to VCBB. The result will then show the worst
case IE between the two electrodes. If the worst case is VCB, a note *N25 will be reported but will
not change the actual Electrode Configuration.
For HCB, also run VCB+VCBB and report Worst IE (IEEE 1584-2018 only)
Applicable for IEEE 1584-2018 method which allows to report the worst case incident energy
(IE) between HCB, VCBB, and VCB without the use of scenarios. Enable the option to run all
three configurations for the same location when electrode config is set to HCB. The result will
then show the worst case IE among the electrodes. A note *N25 will be reported to indicate
which configuration is worst case but will not change the actual Electrode Configuration.
Equip Default… – This button brings up the Equipment Default Data table that allows the user
to customize the enclosure dimensions, gap, working distance for various equipment type and
categories.
PPE Table… – This button brings up the PPE table that defines the Personal Protective
Equipment Categories and clothing descriptions used in the reports and labels.
Scenarios… – This button brings up the window where the user can specify to report Arc Flash
results based on the current scenario opened; or if the project has multiple scenarios, the user can
select Arc Flash results to report the worst case (the one with the highest incident energy) out of all
the selected scenarios.

Additional Incident Energy and Flash Boundary…
This button brings up a dialog box that allows the users to enter additional working distances for
PTW to calculate the incident energies.
This information could be used to determine the PPE required at the given additional working
distance. You can also specify five incident energies for PTW to calculate the flash boundaries.
This information could be used to determine the distance from exposed live parts within which a
person could receive a 2nd degree burn for the given additional incident energy.
The additional working distances and the calculated incident energies and PPE at each bus could
be displayed in the datablock and the data fields are available in the Custom Label Designer. The
incident energies entered and the calculated flash boundaries are also available in the datablock
and Arc Flash Label.
July 2019
The Custom Label Designer allows individual data fields to be selected and placed in the desired
locations.
Shock Approach Boundary…

This button brings up a window that will allow the user to customize the Shock approach boundary
table.

This window allows the user to customize the Shock approach boundary table. Note that the
voltage range is in unit of voltage and boundaries are in units of inches.
The Shock Approach Boundaries Table information is project specific. (It will look in the
information from the “ShockBoundary.ss6” file located in the project's directory).
For new projects created, it will copy and use the “ShockBoundary.ss6” file information from the
LIB directory (specified in the miscellaneous files options group).
If there is no “ShockBoundary.ss6” file existing in the project directory currently opened, it will
copy and use the ShockBoundary.ss6 information from the LIB directory (specified in the
miscellaneous files options group).
If there is no “ShockBoundary.ss6” file existing in the LIB directory, it will copy and use the
“ShockBoundary.ss6” file in the Bin directory of PTW32.
Add Row
This button lets you insert a row in the table.
Save As Default
If you had customized this table and want to keep the changes as your default, use the "Save As
User Default" button. This will save the changes you’ve made to the “ShockBoundary.ss6” file in
the LIB directory (specified in the miscellaneous files options group).
Reset Default
If you make changes to this table and don’t want to keep them, use the Reset button to re-store the
defaults from ShockBoundary.ss6 file in the LIB directory (specified in the miscellaneous files
options group).
Glove Class…
This button brings up a window that will allow the user to customize the Glove Class table.
July 2019
This table allows customization of the Glove Class Table. Note that the voltage range is in unit of
voltage. The default Glove Class table information comes from ASTM D 120-95.
Insert Row
This button inserts a row in the Glove Class table.
Save As Default
If the Glove Class table has been modified, use the "Save As Default" button to save the changes
and make the modified table as the default. The new default table will be used when a project is
created and when the “Reset Default” button is pressed in any existing projects.
Reset Default
If the Glove Class table has been changed, use the “Reset Default” button to restore the default
values if the changes are undesirable.
Report Data and Order…

This button brings up a window that will allow the user to specify which of the twenty available
fields will be displayed in the Arc Flash spreadsheet report. Furthermore, the user can also specify
the order in which they will appear in the Arc Flash spreadsheet report.
For instance, if you don’t want to show the equipment type, you can simply uncheck the display
checkbox next to that field. If you want the “Bus kV” field to show up on the first column, you can
just type in the number “1” in the column order next to that field and the bus voltage will them
show up on the first column of the report.

The following are the meaning of those fields:
Bus Name: Fault location for bus report. For line side and load side report
options the bus refers to the equipment where the line side and
load side protective devices are connected.
Protective Device Name: Refers to the protective device that clears portion or total of the
arcing fault current.
Bus kV: Bus voltage at the fault location.
Bus Bolted Fault: The current flowing to a bus fault that occurs between two or
more conductors or bus bars, where the impedance between the
conductors is zero.
Bus Arcing Fault: The calculated arcing current on the bus.
Prot Dev Bolted Fault: The portion or total of the bolted fault current, that flows
through a given protective device.
Prot Dev Arcing Fault: The portion or total of arcing current flowing through each
protective device feeding the electric arc fault. Note that the
total arc fault current may flow through several parallel sources
to the arc location.
Trip/Delay Time: The time required for the protective device to operate for the
given arcing fault condition. In the case of a relay, the breaker
July 2019
opening time is entered separately from the relay trip time. For
low voltage breakers and fuses, the trip time is assumed to be
the total clearing curve or high tolerance of the published trip
curve.
Breaker Opening Time: The time required for a breaker to open after receiving a signal
from the trip unit to operate. The combination of the
Trip/Delay time and the Breaker Opening time determines the
total time required to clear the fault. For low voltage circuit
breakers, the total clearing time displayed on the
Manufacturer’s drawing is assumed to include the breaker
opening time.
Ground: Indicates whether the fault location includes a path to ground.

Systems with high-resistance grounds are assumed to be
ungrounded in the Arc Flash calculations.
In Box: Identifies whether the fault location is in an enclosure or in

open air. In open air the arc energy will radiate in all
directions whereas an enclosure will focus the energy toward
the enclosure opening. The In Box / Air selection is available
when the NFPA 70E study option is selected. For the IEEE
1584 study selection the In Box or In Air is determined
automatically from the Equipment Type specification.
Equip Type: Used only in the IEEE 1584 method to indicate whether the
equipment is Switchgear, Panel, Cable or Open Air. The
equipment type provides a default Gap value and a distance
exponent used in the IEEE incident energy equations.
Gap: Defines the spacing between bus bars or conductors at the arc
location.
Arc Flash Boundary: The distance from exposed live parts within which a person
could receive a 2nd degree burn.
Working Distance: The distance between the arc source and the worker’s face or
chest.
Incident Energy: The amount of heat energy on a unit of surface at a specific

distance from the location of arc flash.
Required FR Clothing Category: Indicates the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to
prevent an incurable burn at the working distance during an
arcing fault.
Label #: This allows the user to specify the prefix character that will go
on the “Label #” column in the Arc Flash spreadsheet report.
This field can help in sorting out (organizing) the label when
they printed out.
Cable Length From Trip Device: Reports the total cable length from the protective device that
trips to clear the fault to the faulted bus. If there is no cable in
between, nothing will be reported.

Incident Energy at Low Marginal: This will report an incident energy value of the bus, if the
incident energy on the bus meets the low marginal criteria
value entered in the PPE.
Incident Energy at High Marginal: This will report an incident energy value of the bus, if the
incident energy on the bus meets the high marginal criteria
value entered in the PPE.
Re-arrange
The purpose of this button is to prevent user from having duplicate column number when they are
re-ordering the fields manually. Furthermore, it there is any missing columns (columns chose not
to be displayed) it will use the number after the missing column.
Reset
The purpose of this button is to reset the order of the table to its default setting.
Arc Flash Equipment Default Data
The IEEE 1584 2018 "Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations" provides greater
flexibility when analyzing enclosure sizes for various types of equipment. Enclosure sizes can
significantly affect the resulting incident energy and arc flash boundary calculations. Smaller
enclosures will have more concentrated energy that can be directed towards the worker. Larger
enclosures will have less of an effect. IEEE 1584 2018 provides typical enclosure sizes for
commonly manufactured enclosures. However, an automatic Correction Factor (as detailed in
1584 section 4.8) can be applied in the software when enclosure sizes differ from the IEEE 1584
2018 typical values.
In the SKM Power*Tools software, there is an Equipment Data table within the Arc Flash study
module that can be used to specify the enclosure sizes for all buses and protective devices. This
Equipment Data table is open for users to define their own custom enclosure sizes and is used for
all buses and protective devices in your project (globally). This table can also be used in other
projects.
July 2019
Methodology
The operation of the Equipment Data is simple. As long as the bus contains data, either typed in
or linked from the bus library, the software will refer to the
Equipment Data table to find a match and automatically populate the enclosure size.
• Required Bus data consists of the Voltage, Equipment Type (PNL, SWG, MCC), and
Equipment Category (Lighting, Power, Switchboard, etc.). When a match is located, the
Electrode Configuration (VCB, VCBB, HCB), Height, Width, Depth, Working Distance,
and Gap values are automatically populated for that bus when these parameters are linked.
• Custom enclosure sizes can also be specified in the Arc Flash spreadsheet where it may be
easier to view all buses and enclosure sizes together.
• The Equipment Category will be read-only in the Arc Flash spreadsheet if the bus is
linked to a model in the library.
• Equipment Type consists of SWG, PNL, CBL, AIR, and MCC, which are all taken
directly from IEEE 1584 2018. When linked, the software contains intelligence to
correctly select the appropriate Type based on the Equipment Category and Voltage. For
example, if the software sees certain keywords in the Equipment Category such as Panel
in the word Panelboard, PNL will be selected for the Equipment Type. Refer to IEEE
1584 2018 for a list of typical Equipment based on Voltage levels.
• The Equipment Category is taken from the Bus library model. Additional entries may
also be created by directly typing into this field in the library model.
• The Equipment Type and Equipment Category information may also be manually entered
directly in the Component Editor in lieu of selecting a Bus library model.
• The Equipment Data table is project specific, meaning that each project can have its own
Equipment Data table (AF_EquipDefault.ss6 & AF_EquipDefault_Metric.ss6). If these
files are missing, it will be copied from the Misc folder (Default C:\PTW32\Lib). Original
Equipment Data tables can be found in C:\PTW32\Bin and will be copied to the Misc
folder if these are missing.

• If a match cannot be found in the Equipment Data table, then the default enclosure
dimensions from IEEE 1584 2018 will be used instead. Again, the Equipment Category
and Voltage will be used to correctly select the values from IEEE 1584 2018.
Adding Equipment Data Entries
Enter new data on empty fields by manually typing information. Equipment Type and Electrode
Configuration can only be selected from the drop down selection. Copy/paste functionality is also
available on the table via right-click context menu. Entries are sorted by Voltage Level, Equipment
Type, and Equipment Category (in this order).
Removing Equipment Data Entries
Select the row or multiple rows to be removed then use Delete Row from the right-click context
menu. Use Delete or Cut to remove select cells from the table.
Restoring and Saving Equipment Table
Use Reset Default to restore the default table for the project. If the current table is desired to be
used for other projects, use Save As Default and the current table will be saved in the Misc folder.
Applying the Equipment Data
The Equipment Default table is simply a look-up table. Enter an Equipment Category in the Arc
Flash table of results for the desired Bus, Line Side, or Load Side location and the parameters will
be populated automatically when it finds a match on the default table. If the bus has an assigned
library, the user will not be able to modify the Equipment Category unless the library is unlinked.
The Equipment Category can also be entered in the Component Editor.
July 2019
Accumulated Energy
The concept of accumulated energy is based on conditions where parallel contributions feed a
single fault location. Referring to the following diagram, a fault at Bus MCC1 is fed from three
parallel contributions (Utility, Generator, Motor). Each contribution will trip at a different time
and the worker will be exposed to a varying amount of energy as each branch trips.
U1 G1
Utility Fuse Generator Fuse
Trips in 0.07 Sec Trips in 0.5 Sec.

(14kA Arcing Fault) (6kA Arcing Fault)
LVB1 LVB2
C1 C2
MCC1 Bus
LVB3
Fault Trips in 39 Seconds

Location (0.9 kA Arcing Fault)
C3
Motor Contribution
Decays within first
6 cycles
M1
For this example, the worker is exposed to all three contributions for the first 0.07 seconds, the
motor and generator for the next 0.03 seconds, and the generator contribution by itself for another
0.4 sec.

The Arc Flash study reports the accumulated energy from all three contributions. If the Utility had
been the only significant contribution, the energy would have been accumulated only for the first
0.07 seconds, the time when the utility contribution was cleared. In this case, the utility is 67% of
the total and the generator contribution was 28% of the total. Therefore both the utility and
generator were both determined to be significant contributions as defined by the 80% “Cleared
Fault Threshold” percentage specified. Both the Utility and the Generator must trip before the
80% Cleared Fault Threshold is reached.
July 2019
Detail View versus Summary View
The detail view in the arc flash report lists all parallel contributions and the accumulated energy as
each contribution is cleared. The summary view lists only the last branch that clears the
significant contribution as defined by the “Cleared Fault Threshold” percentage specified. In the
following example, 3 parallel branches contribute current to the fault.
UTIL
R-Util
GEN
TX1
R-Gen
Arcing Fault Arcing Fault

7.76 kA 2.24 kA
Gen-Bus
R-M1
Arcing Fault
0.67 kA
C1
M1
The Detail View for the bus report lists all 3 contributions, the trip time for each branch, and the
cumulative energy when each branch clears. For this example, the Utility Contribution clears in
0.234 seconds, the Generator Contribution clears in 1.12 seconds, and the Synchronous Motor
clears in 5.57 seconds (assuming no AC decay), but displays the 2 second maximum time specified
in the study setup. When the Utility branch clears, the incident energy is 2.83 cal/cm2 (Class 1).
When the Generator Branch clears 0.68 seconds later, the accumulated energy is 4.91 cal/cm2
(Class 1).
The Utility contribution is 73% and the generator is 21% of the total arcing fault current at Gen-
Bus. With the Cleared Fault Threshold option set to 80%, the Summary display and Labels will
report the energy accumulated up to the time when at least 80% of the total fault current is cleared.
This occurs when the Generator contribution is cleared. The Summary View lists only the
generator branch since when the generator trips, 94% of the fault current has cleared.

Selecting Buses for Display in Arc Flash Report
By default, all buses are displayed in the arc flash report. To display only selected buses, use the
Query or Go-To functions as described below:
Go-To-Arc Flash
From the one-line diagram, select the buses you want to display and use the Window > Go-To-Arc
Flash menu item (or use the Right Mouse Button menu). The Go-To-Arc Flash option will open
the Arc Flash report and list only the bus or buses selected on the one-line.
Query
Alternatively, you can display selected buses by using a query. For example, you can query on
buses where the voltage is equal to 480 Volts. To run a query, select the Run Query Menu. Refer
to the on-line help, PTW Tutorial or PTW Users Guide for more information on creating new
queries.
July 2019
Minimum and Maximum Faults
It’s important to consider both minimum and maximum fault conditions when performing arc flash
calculations. The reason why both are important is illustrated below:
C U R R E N T IN A M P E R E S
1000
100
Minimum arcing fault
current
10
TIME IN SECONDS
Trip time of 4.195 seconds for Min
Fault
P a n e l M a in
Maximum arcing
fault current
0 .1 0 Trip time of 0.05 seconds for Max

Fault
0 .0 1
0 .5 1 10 100 1K 10K 100K
tc c 3 . tc c R e f . V o lt a g e : 4 8 0 V C u r r e n t in A m p s x 1 @ 480 V tc c 3 . d r w
Notice on the TCC drawing above that for a maximum arcing fault that the trip time remains in
the instantaneous trip region (0.05 seconds). Using a smaller minimum fault current and lower
pre-fault voltage results in a lower fault current that takes slightly more than one second to trip
(4.195 seconds). Using the maximum fault current, the incident energy is 1.6 J/cm2 resulting in a
Class 0 FR Clothing Class. Using the minimum fault current, the incident energy is 110 J/cm2
resulting in a Class 4 FR Clothing Class. For this case, the lower fault current results in a longer

trip time producing higher incident energy exposure to the worker. Making conservative
assumptions regarding both the minimum and maximum fault currents will provide higher
certainty in specifying the proper clothing class and selecting conservative protective device
settings.
In the Arc Flash Module, users have the ability to show both the minimum and maximum fault
conditions current. To do this the users could select on the device they are interested in on the
TCC and then right-mouse click, and then select “Selected Device Setting” option. Select the
Arcing Fault and UDF Flags tab and a similar window will appear.
User Defined Arcing Fault
Arcing Fault Flag based on calculations
In this window, the user has two options to show the arcing fault flag on the TCC.
The first option is to show user-defined arcing fault current flags on the TCC by checking the
“Show User Defined Flags” check box and filling in current 1 and current 2 fields.
The second option is let the software automatically use the calculated arcing current from the study
based on a selected bus. Here, the user can check on the “Show Arcing Fault current for Worse
July 2019
case Incident energy” and/or ”Show None-Worse Case Arcing Fault Current ” check boxes. Also
make sure to select a bus that will be faulted for the calculation of the arcing fault currents.
If user-defined option is selected, the arcing fault current flags are represented by vertical dotted
lines.
If study result is selected as the flag, the fault arcing current for worse case incident energy
(normally 85% of calculated arcing current) is represented by a solid vertical line.
The other arcing fault current (normally 100% of the calculated arcing current) is represented by
dot-dashed line on the TCC.
If you select the “Show Worst Case Arcing Fault Label (amps, bus location)”, the arcing fault
information label will be plotted on the TCC. The label will show the arcing fault label in amps as
well as the selected faulted bus.
1000
P a n e l M a in
100
10
Worst Case (85%) arcing fault

current
1 TIME IN SECONDS
Other (100%)
arcing fault
current
0 .1 0
0 .0 1
0 .5 1 10 100 1K 10K 100K
tc c 3 . tc c R e f . V o lt a g e : 4 8 0 V C u r r e n t in A m p s x 1 @ 480 V tc c 3 .d rw
In the “Arcing Fault UDF Flag” tab, the user could also chose to plot the constant incident energy
line (C-Line) on the TCC. Constant incident energy line (C-Line) is a sloped line on a TCC that
describes the relationship of a finite series of time and current combinations for which energy
remains constant. For buses or system with single source of contribution, this C-Line can then be

used as an aid in overcurrent device coordination to demonstrate visually which setting regions
might be adjusted to reduce the arc flash hazard.
In this window, the user has two options to show constant incident energy line (C-Line) on the
TCC.
The first option is to show a user-defined C-line on the TCC by checking the “Show User Constant
Category Line or User Define C-line” check box. Here, the user can then enter in two line and
current points, and the software will plot the line between these two points to represent a C-line.
The second option is to let the software automatically draw C-lines representing PEE Category 0 to
Category 5. To do this, the user can simply check the “Category C-lines” check box.
July 2019
1000
P a n e l M a in
100
C a te g o ry 4
10 C a te g o ry 3
Worst Case (85%) arcing fault

current @ 4.195 seconds.
TIME IN SECONDS
C a te g o ry 2
C a te g o ry 1
1
C a te g o ry 0
0 .1 0
0 .0 1
0 .5 1 10 100 1K 10K 100K
tc c 3 .tc c R e f . V o lt a g e : 4 8 0 V C u r r e n t in A m p s x 1 @ 480 V tc c 3 .d rw
The C-lines on the example above represents the top incident energy range of each PPE category
per NFPA 70E standard PPE table. As can be seen from the plot above, the 4.195 seconds time at
the minimum fault current is above the Category 3 C-line. It falls between the Category 3 and
Category 4 C-line. Therefore, we can tell visually from the TCC that the resulting incident energy
will be in the PPE Category 4 region. Note that the constant category lines are accurate for buses
or system with single contribution only.

1.5.3 Determining Trip Time
The protective device arcing fault current is used to determine the trip time for both IEEE 1584
and NFPA 70E Methods within the specified range of voltage and available fault current.
Ground Fault devices are not included. For multi-function devices, only the trip time of the first
function is checked. Functions named Ground, Earth and AF_EX are excluded.
The clearing time is used for trip curves that have a tolerance.
CURRENT IN AMPERES
1000
R-Main
Arcing Fault
100
R-Main
F-Util
TIME IN SECONDS
10
Trip Time
For Fuse
1
Trip Time
For Relay
0.10
0.01
0.5 1 10 100 1K 10K
The trip time for all devices in a branch are checked. The device with the fastest trip time for the
arcing fault current is used.
July 2019
003-HV SWGR
Ground Fault
Relay is Not
Relay R3, Checked
R3
Breaker CB3,
and Fuse FTXC R3-G
are in the CB3
Same Branch and
are All Checked
for Trip Time.
C1
F TX C
004-TX B PRI
The trip time for the first upstream backup device is checked for primary contributions. Only the
first backup device is checked and only if the branch fault current is significant.
UTIL
F-Util Backup Protection Trip Time for Upstream Backup

Protection is checked when the arcing
fault current through the backup device
Util-Bus is at least the Cleared Fault Threshold %
of the current through the primary
device, and the arcing fault current
R-Main Primary Protection through the main protective device is at
least 50% of the Cleared Fault Threshold
% of the bus fault current.
GEN
For a Cleared Fault Threshold of 80%,
R-Main sees 7.76 kA (72% of the total)
TX1 R-Gen and F-Util sees 7.76 kA (100% of
R-Main). F-Util is checked for
Arcing Fault Arcing Fault mis-coordination with R-Main, since
7.76 kA 2.24 kA R-Main sees more than 40% (80%/2) of
the total and F-Util sees more than 80%
of the current in R-Main.
Gen-Bus
X Arc Fault 10.7 kA
3.9 Cal/cm^2
Fault
R-M1 @ 36 inches
Location
Class 1 PPE
Arcing Fault
0.67 kA
C1
M1
Note: In the above discussion, the checkbox “Check Upstream devices for mis-coordination” is
assumed unchecked, which is the default. If the checkbox “Check Upstream devices for mis-
coordination” is checked, the software will valuates trip times for backup protective devices beyond
the branch containing the first protective device. How far beyond is determine by the number
entered in the “Upstream Levels to Search” field.

1.5.4 Current-Limiting Devices
There are two common methods to approximate current-limiting devices in Arc Flash calculations:
1) Use faster clearing times to conservatively simulate current-limiting devices when the
arcing fault current is in the current-limiting range;
2) Use empirical equations from equipment tests to calculate incident energy and flash
boundaries.
Note that it is difficult to determine where the current-limiting range begins. Published data
assumes a specific X/R ratio, whereas your system X/R may be different. The dynamic X/R seen
under an Arcing Fault condition further complicates the issue. PTW assumes that the current
limiting range begins at X, where the clearing curve of the protective device crosses 0.01 seconds.
CURRENT IN AMPERES
1000
Fuse
100
TIME IN SECONDS
10
0.10
0.01
0.5 1 10 100 1K
X 2X
0.10
Clear Clear
in ½ in ¼
0.01 cycle cycle
0.5 1 10 100 1K 10K
Current
Limiting
Range
For arcing fault currents greater than X but less than 2X, the ½ cycle clearing time is used. For
arcing fault currents 2X and larger, a ¼ cycle clearing time is used.
Alternatively, the trip curves can be extended below the 0.01 second when data is published.
July 2019
For current-limiting devices with published empirical equations for incident energy and flash
boundary calculations, the equation parameters can be defined in the library as a function of bolted
fault current.
Note that in this window, the “Current From” column could be a function of kA, multiple of Frame
Size, or Multiple of Sensor/Trip size.
The Arc Flash Study Options menu controls how current-limiting fuses are treated in the
calculations. Current-limiting effects for circuit breakers must be defined in the library by
extending the clearing times below 0.01 seconds, or by entering the empirical equations for the
current-limiting device. A choice to represent all fuses as current-limiting, standard, or as
specified in the library is available.

CURRENT I N AMPERES
0 K
1 10 0 K 0
1 1 1
1000 1000 UTIL-0001
Isc 3P 1000 A
100 100
CBL-0001
Isc 3P 1000 A
10 10
TI
M
E
IN
SE
C PD-0001
PD-0001 O
N
D
S
1 1
BUS-0002
Isc 3P 1000 A
0. 10 0. 10
0. 01 0. 01
0. 5 1 10 0 K K
0
1 1 10
TCC: tcc1 Current Scale Ref. Voltage: 480V Current in Amps x 1 Reference Voltage: 480 May 7, 2008
Using the one-line and TCC above as an example, let us run Arc Flash with “Specified in Library”
options selected and checkbox “Use Equipment-Specific Arc Flash Equation in Protective Library”.
July 2019
Also, for simplicity, for this example, the data entered in the Arc Flash tab for the fuse is the
following:
From the TCC above, a fault current of 1000 Amp seen by the fuse would produce 0.92 kA arcing
current. Also, by visual inspection, the current limiting range (the current that crosses 0.01
seconds on the fuse curve) would start at around 3.0 kA. Since the arcing current for this case is
below the current limiting range, the trip time that would be used will be the one from the fuse
curve at around 46 seconds. The software will used 2.0 seconds, since 2.0 seconds is what is set as
the maximum arcing duration for this example. This would then result in 6.5 cal/cm^2 incident
energy. See arc flash result below.

Now, for the same case above if we increase the fault current on “Bus-0002” to 8.0 kA. The new
TCC and arc flash are now below.
CURRENT I N AMPERES
0 K
1 10 0 K 0
1 1 1
1000 1000 UTIL-0001
Isc 3P 8000 A
1 00 100
CBL-0001
Isc 3P 8000 A
10 10
TI
M
E
IN
SE PD-0001
C
O
N
D
PD-0001 S
1 1
BUS-0002
Isc 3P 8000 A
0. 10 0. 10
0. 01 0. 01
0. 5 1 10 0 K K
0
1 1 10
TCC: tcc1 Current Scale Ref. Voltage: 480V Current in Amps x 1 Reference Voltage: 480 May 7, 2008
For this case, at 8.0 kA bolted fault on “Bus-0002”, we are now above the current limiting range.
Since we are now above the current limiting range the tripping time for this fuse is now ½ cycle
(.0083 sec). Also, to calculate the incident energy we now have to use the equation defined in the
library.
From the fuse library, IE (cal/cm^2) = A2*Ibf^2 + A*Ibf + B

with A2 = 0, A = 0.5, B = 0.5, Ibf, = 8.0 kA
Therefore IE = 4.5 cal/cm^2. This matches PTW32 result.
July 2019
Now to demonstrate how the software handles current limiting fuse with incident energy
accumulation, let us add a 300hp motor on the previous sample system.
In the example, the total bolted fault current on the bus is now 10.12 kA. The first portion coming
from the utility seen by the fuse is 8.0 kA. The rest of the current (2.12 kA) is from the motor.
For the first portion, the current seen by the fuse is 8.0 kA. Since this is in the current limiting
range, the tripping time is ½ cycle (.0083 sec), which would produce 4.5 cal/cm^2 of incident
energy.
The second portion (2.12 kA) is from the motor. This current would last until the motor decays
for 5 cycles (.083 seconds). Therefore, the second portion would last for a time difference of (0.083
- 0.0083) 0.075 seconds. Base on this remaining current and time difference, this second portion
would produce an incident energy of 0.49 cal/cm^2. Below is the incident energy result of the
second portion using the user-defined arc flash table.
Summing up the incident energy from each portion of the source current, we get a total incident
energy of IE = 4.5 + 0.49 = 5.0 cal/cm^2.

Reports
The arc flash report options include a standard spreadsheet report, datablock report, Crystal report,
detailed label, summary label, and datablock display on one-line:
Standard Report: The standard report is generated directly from the main arc flash application
screen. You can use the Document>Print, or Document>Save-As menu functions.
Also, the field shown in the standard report above can also be modified. To do this the user can
click on the “Report Data and Order…” button in the Arc Flash report options screen and it will
bring up a window that will allow the user to specify which of the twenty available fields will be
displayed in the Arc Flash spreadsheet report. Furthermore, the user can also specify the order in
which they will appear in the Arc Flash spreadsheet report.
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For instance, if you don’t want to show the equipment type, you can simply uncheck the display
checkbox next to that field. If you want the “Bus kV” field to show up on the first column, you can
just type in the number “1” in the column order next to that field and the bus voltage will them
show up on the first column of the report.
With the settings above, once you click on the “OK” button you will see a window similar to the
one below. Here, notice that the equipment column is gone and the “Bus kV” field is on the first
column.

Bus Detail: The Bus Detail option generates a detailed label including a listing of the protective
device settings and energy at several different working distances. The Bus Detail label is generated
by clicking on the or Arc Flash>Bus Detail menu functions
In the Bus Detail, users can also type in different working distances and the software will calculate
the corresponding incident energy,
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Work Permit: The work permit button generates a work permit form required by NFPA 70E.
Standard tasks may be selected from the task list and the equipment location and flash hazard
study results are automatically displayed on the form.

Arc Flash Custom Label
PTW provides an Arc Flash Custom Label Designer for you to specify the Page Size, Label Size,
Page Margins, Orientation, Rows and Columns of the labels and Spacing between labels. The
available fields could be selected from the list, and the size and position of each field is defined in
the Field Layout Settings. You can also create your own Text field, Date field, or place a picture
anywhere in the label and specify the background color and font size for the user defined text fields
and input in your own local language.
Click on the “Custom Label” button on top of the Arc Flash spread sheet table to defined custom
label configurations.
The following window will appear:
Bus List - allows you to select or scroll through (using the arrow Up or Down keys) to preview the
final look of the label specific to the selected bus.
Style List - all custom labels created by SKM or by your own are listed here. The SKM labels have
a Style name of "_SKM Sample …" for those that are completely defined. The ones with "… -
Template" at the end of the style name only define the width and height of the label and leave the
rest for your customization.
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Print - allows you to select the buses to be printed. When the user clicks on the “Print” button a
“Group Print” window similar to the one below will show up.
In this window, the user will be able pick and choose which bus to print. By clicking on
the “Check Print” or “Uncheck Print” buttons, the user will be able to check all or uncheck
all the buses to print. Also, here the user will also be able to print multiple copies of the
same label when multiple labels are selected to print. Furthermore, “Sort” button will
allow the user to sort the “Bus Name”, “Bus kV”, etc. columns. The “Export” button
allows the user to export the contents of the “Group Print” window to an Excel file. A
common practice is to print to plain paper and laminate.
Preview - allows you to select to preview the buses to be printed. (See the print description above)
Designer - allows you modify and existing label or create and design a new one.
Keyword Table - allows you to map the standard keywords displayed on the label to your own
preference, or your own local language.
Single Label - allows you to pick label style that has arc flash bus report option result information.
If you pick a label that has both bus and line information, the label will not show any results on the
line side.
Dual Label (Bus and Bus + Line) – This option becomes available if the “Bus + Protective Device
Line Side” option is selected in the arc flash report options window. This allows the user to pick a
label style with both bus and line side information.
If you pick a bus from the bus list has both bus and line side report information; and you pick a
label that could show both the bus and line side report information, the label will show the
corresponding bus and line side report information.
If you then pick a bus with just a bus result and you pick a label that could show both the bus and
line side report information, the label will show just the corresponding bus report information.
The line side report of the label will not be filled in.
Dual Label Default Print Style – This options allow users to select as default their preferred single
or dual label from the style list.
To select a default single label, users need to select a single label from the style list and then click
on the “Bus” option button. Now, whenever the user selects a bus from the bus list drop-down
menu that has a bus report only result, the label style that will be selected will be the label style that
was selected as the default for the “bus” option.

To select a default dual label, users need to select a dual label from the style list then click on the
“bus + line” option button. Now, whenever the user selects a bus from the bus list drop-down
menu that has a bus and line report result, the label style that will be selected will be the one that
was selected as the default for the “bus + line” option.
Custom Label Sheet Design
Click on the “Designer” button show the “Custom Label Sheet Design” window.
The Arc Flash Custom Label layout page allow you to specify the Page Size, Label Size, Page
Margins, Orientation, Rows and Columns of labels and Spacing between labels.
The “Select” button allows you to select an existing custom label design.
The “Save” button allows you to save what you have modified to the same Style name, or overwrite
an existing Style, or save as an new Style name.
The “New” button allows you to create a new label style.
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Label Design Detail
Press the “Label Design Detail” button to view/modify the detail of a label.
The available fields are selected from the list on the left, and the size and position of each field is
defined in the Field Layout Settings. You can select any existing Arc Flash data field listed on the
left by clicking on the field. Check the box next to the field to display the field on the Label. In
order to see the field show up on the view area at the right hand side, make sure the field
coordinate is within the label area, and either of the width or height is not zero.
You can create you own Text field, Date field, or place a picture anywhere in the label. Enter the
X, Y positions and the width and height for the field, you can also specify the background color
and font size for the user defined text fields and input in your own local language.
Show Label Border - Display a thin line of rectangle border around the label area.
Show Unit - Select to display the unit along with the result value or not. This selection is only
available in some fields that have a unit to display.
X - The coordinate X of the top-left corner of the field
Y - The coordinate Y of the top-left corner of the field
Width - The width of the field
Height - The height of the field
Show Field Border - Draw a thin line of rectangle border around the field area.
Background Opaque - Select to apply background color to the field. If the user’s printer is B&W,
this function will not generate a good result.
Clothing Category Color - Background color use the pre-defined SKM Clothing Category Color
Table and it will be changed dynamically according to the result warning level. (Note: Red for the
dangerous Category and orange for the warning classes)

Copy & Paste button – This buttons allow users to copy and paste the X coordinate, Y coordinate,
and other parameters from the selected field. to another field.
Bus Side & Line Side button – These buttons filter the available fields that the user can pick to
show on the label.
Text Format
Font - Click the font button to bring up a font select dialog. Choose the font, font style, font size,
font effects, and the font color.
Vertical Alignment - Choose to display the text to locate on the top, center or bottom of the field
area.
Horizontal Alignment - choose to display the text to align on the left side, right side, or in the
horizontal center of the field area.
Text Wrapping - Wrap the text to next line when it hits the right end of the field area.
Text - The content of the text field. (This is only available to the regular text field.)
Picture Format - Available in picture field only.
Scale - The scaling of the picture.
Best Fit - the picture will be scratched to the exact size of the field area, in order to fit both of the
height and the width.
Actual Size - The picture will be shown in the exact number of pixels.
Fit to Width - The picture will be scratched to fit the width.
Fit to Height - The picture will be scratched to fit the height.
Path: the path of the picture file (BMP file only). User can use the browse button to select from a
file dialog, or type in manually. If a user chooses to type in manually, make sure the path is
correct.
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Custom Field Selections and Descriptions: Below are sample of some of the
fields availble.

Choose the fields from the left-hand-side field list to modified the specific field. Check the box
next to the field to display the field. In order to see the field show up on the view area at the right
hand side, make sure the field coordinate is within the label area, and either of the width or height
is not zero.
Bus Name The name of the equipment
Bus Name + (Desc) This is the name of the equipment bus and the bus
description entered in the component editor.
Prot Dev Name The name of the protective device after its tripping,
the "Fault Clear Threshold" percentage will be cleared
(if the Arc Flash Option is set to Report Last Trip
Device, or the name of the protective device that trips
the largest percentage of the fault contribution at the
bus (if the Report Main Device is the selected option).
Bus Name + Prot Dev Name The name of the equipment bus and the name of the
protective device.
Bus Name + (Desc) + Prot Dev Name The name of the equipment bus, the bus description,
and the name of the protective device.
PPE Category Indicates the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

required to prevent an incurable burn at the working
distance during an arcing fault.
PPE Category # Only Provides a PPE Class Number without the "PPE
Category" in front of the number to save space.
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PPE Description Provides a description of the clothing required to meet

the reported Clothing Category.
Flash Hazard / Incident Energy The amount of energy on a surface at a specific

distance from a flash
Flash Hazard Distance The distance between the arc source and the worker’s
face or chest
Flash Hazard Distance (in) The distance between the arc source and the worker’s
face or chest This field will show the value in inches
no matter what unit has been selected in the arc flash
option
Flash Hazard + Flash Hazard Distance The amount of energy on a surface and the flash
hazard distance
Flash Hazard Boundary The distance from an arcing fault within which
unprotected skin could receive a 2nd degree burn.
Generally considered the distance where the incident
energy equals 1.2 cal/cm2.
Flash Hazard Boundary (in) The distance from an arcing fault within which
unprotected skin could receive a 2nd degree burn.
Generally considered the distance where the incident
energy equals 1.2 cal/cm2. This field will show the
value in inches no matter what unit has been selected
in the arc flash option
Flash Hazard Range Displays the flash hazard range for the associated bus.
Glove Class Provides the glove class required based on the design
voltage at the fault location.
Glove Class Voltage Displays the globe class voltage range of the associated
bus.
Limited Approach An approach limit at a distance from an exposed live

part within which a shock hazard exists. Defined in
NFPA 70E based on design voltage at the fault
location.

Limited Approach (in) An approach limit at a distance from an exposed live
part within which a shock hazard exists. Defined in
NFPA 70E based on design voltage at the fault
location. This field will show the value in inches no
matter what unit has been selected in the arc flash
option
Prohibited Approach An approach limit at a distance from an exposed live

part within which work is considered the same as
making contact with the live part. Defined in NFPA
70E based on design voltage at the fault location.
Prohibited Approach (in) An approach limit at a distance from an exposed live

part within which work is considered the same as
making contact with the live part. Defined in NFPA
70E based on design voltage at the fault location. This
field will show the value in inches no matter what unit
has been selected in the arc flash option
Restricted Approach A shock protection boundary to be crossed by only

qualified persons (at a distance from a live part)
which, due to its proximity to a shock hazard, requires
the use of shock protection techniques and equipment
when crossed. Defined in NFPA 70E based on design
voltage at the fault location.
Restricted Approach (in) A shock protection boundary to be crossed by only

qualified persons (at a distance from a live part)
which, due to its proximity to a shock hazard, requires
the use of shock protection techniques and equipment
when crossed. Defined in NFPA 70E based on design
voltage at the fault location. This field will show the
value in inches no matter what unit has been selected
in the arc flash option
Shock Hazard (Voltage) Voltage level of shock causes the current flow through
the human body. This is the nominal system of the
bus.
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Bus Bolted Fault The current flowing to a bus fault that occurs between
two or more conductors or bus bars, where the
Bus Arcing Fault The calculated arcing current on the faulted bus
Arcing Duration Time that the arcing fault persisted
Bus Bar Gap Used only in the IEEE 1584 method to define the
spacing between bus bars or conductors at the arc
location
SKM Label Exclamation SKM supplied picture/sign for "Warning" or

"Danger". Note that the "Warning" can be modified
in the PPE and the "Danger" text can be modified in
the Keyword table.
SKM Label Title 1 SKM supplied text "WARNING" or "DANGER" can

be displayed on the printed labels.
SKM Label Title 2 SKM supplied text "Arc Flash and Shock Hazard" or
"NO PPE AVAILABLE" can be displayed on the
printed labels.
SKM Label Title 3 SKM supplied text "Appropriate PPE Required" or

"ENERGGIZED WORK PROHIBITED" can be
displayed on the printed labels.
Today’s Date A smart field that reads the system date from the
computer and displays it on the printed label.
Head & Eye & Hearing Protection Head & Eye & Hearing Protection from the PPE table
Hand & Arm Protection Hand & Arm Protection from the PPE table
Foot Protection Foot Protection from the PPE table

PPE Others 1 - PPE Others 5 Other notes or descriptions that can be associated with
a PPE category. These can be defined in the PPE
table.
Notes (PPE) This information comes from the Notes from the PPE
table
Label # Arc Flash label #
Notes (N*) This will display the Arc Flash Notes (*N1, *N2, etc)
for the associated bus.
Notes (User) This will display the "User Notes" information for the
associated bus. The "User Notes" information is
entered in the Arc Flash report under the "User Notes"
columns for the associated bus.
Line/Load Tag This will display the text tag "Line Side or "Load
Side" depending on how the device is being evaluated.
Line/Load Prot This will display the protective device name whose
line or load side is being evaluated.
PPE Pictures 1 – PPE Pictures 4 These fields are defined in the PPE table. In the PPE
table, there are four picture columns where the user
can specify different pictures or logos for each PPE
Category.
Project Title 1 – Project Title 5 Project Title fields are define from the Project Options
menu (menu Project >options)
Scenario Name This will display the scenario name.
Text1 – Text30 30 user-defined text fields that can be displayed on the

printed labels.
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Picture1 – Picture8 8 user-defined bit-map pictures that can be displayed

on the printed labels.
Additional Distance 1 – 4 User-define additional working distance. These fields

comes from the data entered in Arc Flash reports
options window (Additional Incident Energy and
Flash Boundary button)
Flash Hazard at Distance 1 – 4 Calculated incident energy at user-define flash hazard

distance
PPE Category at Distance 1 – 4 PPE Category required at calculated incident energy

based on the user-defined distance.
PPE Description at Distance 1 – 4 PPE Description required at calculated incident energy

based on the user-defined distance.
Hazard Range at Distance 1 – 4 Hazard Range for the PPE category required at
calculated incident energy based on the user-defined
distance.
Additional Flash Hazard 1 – 4 Additional user-defined flash hazard specified in the

study options
Flash Hazard Boundary 1 – 4 Flash Boundary at user-defined flash hazard incident

energy
ProtDev Feeds This field will show component that is fed or feeding
by the protective device that is tripping. For instance,
if the protective device tripping feeds a motor then it
will show the name of the motor. If the protective
device that is tripping is fed by a generator, then it
will show the name of the generator. If there is no
protective device on the bus or if the device tripping is
fed by or is feeding multiple then the bus name will be
show. If the bus is connect to a load schedule
component, it will show the component name of the
schedule.
ProtDev Manufacturer These fields are defined in the PPE table. In the PPE
table, there are four picture columns where the user
can specify different pictures or logos for each PPE
Category.

ProtDev Type This is the type description of the protective device
that is tripping.
ProtDev Description This is the description of the protective device that is

tripping.
ProtDev Frame/Rating This is the frame/rating of the protective device that is

tripping
ProtDev Sensor/Trip This is the frame/rating of the protective device that is

tripping
ProtDev LTPU This is the long time pick up setting of the protective
device that is tripping
ProtDev LTD This is the long time delay setting of the protective
ProtDev STPU This is the short time pick up setting of the protective
ProtDev STD This is the short time delay setting of the protective
ProtDev INST This is the instantaneous setting of the protective

ProtDev INST_Delay This is the instantaneous delay setting of the protective

ProtDev GFPU This is the ground fault pick up setting of the

protective device that is tripping
ProtDev GFD This is the ground fault delay setting of the protective
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Datablock Display: The datablock display is activated from the Run>Datablock Format menu
item. You can modify the datablock formats to include any combination of data fields including:
Incident Energy, Working Distance, PPE Class, Flash Boundary (as shown below), Arcing Fault,
Breaker Time, Gap, Grounded Indicator, PPE Description, Trip time, and Shock Boundaries. The
Arc Flash datablock, like any other datablock, can be applied to One-lines, TCCs and the
Component Editor.
009-TX C PRI
0.5 Cal/cm^2
@ 18 inches F TX 3
Class 0 PPE
FB 8 inches
TX3
B-SWBD1
LV DISTRIB
3.5 Cal/cm^2 SWBD 1

@ 18 inches
Class 2 PPE LVP1
FB 35 inches
C14
015-MCC 1A
0.6 Cal/cm^2
@ 18 inches
Class 0 PPE
FB 12 inches MCC 15A
Subfeed #1
018-RA
0.5 Cal/cm^2
@ 18 inches
Class 0 PPE
FB 11 inches
PANEL S1

Datablock Report: The datablock report can be generated from the Component Editor or the
One-line diagrams. As with a datablock display, any combination of fields can be reported. The
Datablock report may be printed, saved as a text file or saved as an Excel file.
1.5.5 Selecting Buses for Arc Flash Report

By default, all buses are included in the arc flash report. To limit the buses displayed in the arc
flash report, any of the following methods may be used:
- Bus Nodes versus Buses. Bus Nodes are excluded from the Arc Flash report
automatically.
- Query: A query can be used to customize the bus list. For example, you can query to only
display only above Class 2 PPE, above 208 Volts, or any other user-defined criteria.
- Go-To Selection: From the one-line, you can select the area of interest and use the Go-
To-Arc Flash option. Only the items selected on the one-line will be displayed in the Arc
Flash Table. The Go-To function is also available from TCC drawings and the
Component Editor. From the TCC, only the buses attached to the components on the
TCC will be displayed in the Arc Flash table. From the Component Editor, only the
selected bus will be displayed in the Arc Flash table.
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1.5.6 PPE Table

The PPE table defines the Personal Protective Equipment Categories and clothing descriptions
used in the reports and labels. Different label colors may be assigned for each PPE Category, the
Bus Detail and Arc Flash Label will apply the colors based on the PPE Categories calculated.
The PPE table defines the Personal Protective Equipment Categories and clothing descriptions
used in the reports and labels. Different label colors may be assigned for each PPE Category; the
Bus Detail and Arc Flash Label will apply the colors based on the PPE Categories calculated.
The data supplied as default is taken from NFPA 70E, 2012 edition, Annex H. Three default
Categories of FR Clothing are defined based on the applicable range of the incident energy.
Modify these values or add new Categories to this table if needed.
The Notes, Head & Eye Protection, Hand & Arm Protection, Foot Protection, PPE Others 1 to 5
provides user defined additional protections for each category. The Warning Label Text could be
user defined as well. All user defined additional protection fields are available in the Custom
Label.
You can also choose a background and a foreground color for each of the PPE Category. These
colors will be used as the background and foreground color for the SKM Label Title 1, 2, and 3 in
the Arc Flash Label.
A row is reserved in the PPE table for the Dangerous category. This allows the users the flexibility
to add descriptions for the Notes, Head & Eye Protection, Hand & Arm Protection, Foot Protection,
and other columns for the PPE Dangerous category.
The PPE Table information is project specific. (It will look in the information from the
FR_Clothing.ss3 or FR_Clothing_Metric.ss3 file located in the project's directory).
For new projects created, it will copy and use the PPE table file(s) information from the LIB
directory (specified in the miscellaneous files options group).
If there is no PPE table file(s) existing in the project directory currently opened, it will copy and
use the PPE table file information from the LIB directory (specified in the miscellaneous files
options group).

If there is no PPE table file(s) existing in the LIB directory, it will copy and use the PPE table
file(s) in the Bin directory of PTW32.
Four dynamic pictures for each PPE Category can also be specified. Switching pictures among the
categories is done automatically.
In the PPE table, there are now four new picture columns where the user can specify different
pictures or logos for each PPE Category. This allows the users the flexibility to add up to four
different pictures or logos for each PPE category in their custom arc flash label.
Add Row
This button lets you insert a row in the PPE table.
Save
If you had customized a PPE table and want to keep the changes to a file for future use, or to use
the file on a different project, use the "Save" button. This will save the changes you’ve made to a
*.ppe file in a directory chosen by the user (by default it is save in the directory of the project that
is currently open).
Load
If you had a customized PPE table and had saved it to *.ppe file and want to use it for the existing
project, use the "Load" button. This will load the contents of the selected *.ppe file to the current
PPE table.
Save As Default
If you had customized this table and want to keep the changes as your default, use the “Save As
User Default” button. This will save the changes you’ve made to the FR_Clothing.ss3 or
FR_Clothing_Metric.ss3 file in the LIB directory (specified in the miscellaneous files options
group).
Reset Default
If you make changes to this table and don’t want to keep them, use the Reset button to re-store the
defaults from the FR_Clothing.ss3 or FR_Clothing_Metric.ss3 file in the LIB directory (specified
in the miscellaneous files options group).
Print
Use the Print button to print out this table.
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Glove Class
The determination of the Glove Class is based on the voltage level. The following Glove Class
table comes from ASTM D 120-95.
Glove Class Voltage

00 500 V
0 1000 V
1 7500 V
2 17,000 V
3 26,500 V
4 36,000 V
1.5.7 Long Trip Times

Long trip times will result in high incident energy values. The IEEE 1584 equations do not
include a time limit or variable working distance. It’s important to understand why the trip time is
long and the behavior of the fault source. Often the trip time is long when the fault current is
relatively small. For these cases, if the workers are properly clothed to withstand the initial few
seconds of flash energy, it is likely they will be able to move further away from the arc source than
the stated working distance.
To evaluate the effect of faster trip times or limited arc duration for an existing system, use the
Maximum Arcing Duration field in the Arc Flash Study Options dialog.

The default for the Maximum Arcing Duration in PTW is set to 2 seconds, if the Trip Time read
from the TCC plus the Breaker Time is bigger than the Maximum Arcing Duration, the Trip Time
will be set to the Maximum Arcing Duration – Breaker Time.
Sound engineering judgment is always required when making reasonable arc flash energy
estimates.
- Use Global Max Arcing Time: Allow user to enter different maximum arcing during for
system voltage > 240 Volts and system voltage <= 240 Volts.
- Enter for each bus: When this option is selected, the user can click on the “Max Arcing
Time for Each Bus” button, and “Maximum Arcing Duration for Each Bus” window will
come up. See picture below.
July 2019
In this window, the user can specify the maximum arcing duration for each buses in the system
modeled. For convenience, the user can also sort the window by bus name, bus voltage, or
maximum arcing duration by selection one of the available options button. Furthermore, user can
change the maximum arcing duration of all the buses globally by clicking on the “Global Change”
button. This helps in modeling your system accurately for arc flash study, since each bus location
you are analyzing may have different maximum arcing duration depending on the situation.

1.5.8 Differential Protection
Differential Protection, and other special protection schemes, can be represented by entering a
Protection Category description for the Bus and checking the available check box.
The trip time for the Differential protection is entered directly in the Arc Flash table
The Special Instantaneous Protection specification can be used for differential, zone interlocking,
optical sensors, and other protection methods. If special protection is not defined for the bus, the
traditional time-over current protection method is used.
July 2019
The same method could also be applied to 2 winding and 3 winding transformers transformer
instantaneous protection for protective device Line Side calculations.
In the 2 and 3 winding transformer component editor, there is now an option checkbox to model
special instantaneous protection for protective device Line Side calculations. If the “INST
Protection” checkbox is checked, the report would then show the transformer name (INST
Protection) on the report, indicating that the transformer is being protective by a special device.
Also, the trip delay line field will be user-defined for the user to enter in their own tripping time.

1.5.9 Arcing Fault Tolerances
There is on-going discussion regarding the use of arcing fault tolerance in determining trip times
during an arcing fault. The IEEE 1584 2002 standard uses a 15% low tolerance for arcing fault
current due to variations found in the test results. We know that the arc current is greater than
zero and less than the bolted 3-phase fault, however variations in arc impedance due to
temperature, humidity, dust content, altitude or other factors may create some variability beyond
what was documented in the test results. To follow the IEEE 1584-2002 standard, a 15% low
tolerance should be used. If a higher degree of safety is desired, larger tolerances may be specified.
The low tolerance values may result in longer trip times and higher incident energy. If both the
low tolerance and high tolerance values result in the same trip time, the high tolerance value will
produce the highest incident energy. Separate tolerance values for low voltage and medium
voltage are available since variations in arc impedance will have more effect on arcing fault current
at lower voltages.
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1.5.10 Reducing Incident Energy

The following design modifications may be used to reduce incident energy from arc flash events:
1) Clear the arcing fault faster
a) Reduce Existing Pickup and Delay Settings wherever possible.
b) Enable Instantaneous Functions or Retro-fit with Instantaneous Functions
c) Reduce Fuse Sizes wherever possible.
d) Use Current-limiting breakers or fuses for high arcing fault currents
e) Add Differential Protection
f) Use Temporary Instantaneous Trip Settings when work is being performed
g) Add optical sensors to trip when flash occurs
2) Reduce the fault level*

a) Use Current-limiting breakers or fuses
b) Use Current-limiting reactors
c) Block paralleling capabilities
*Note that reducing the fault level results in reduced incident energy only when the reduced
current does not increase the trip time.

1.6 Application Example
1.6.1 Sample Arc Flash Study
The following example highlights the steps required for an arc flash study.
Step 1: Enter data sufficient to perform Short Circuit study. The required data includes component
connections, bus voltages, transformer impedance, cable impedance, and utility, generator, and
motor fault contributions.
July 2019
Step 2: Enter data sufficient to perform a time over-current coordination study. The required
information includes protective devices and their associated trip settings.
CURRENT IN AMPERES
1000
R-Util
M1A R1-A
TX 1A
C1-A TX 1A
R1-A
100 LVB 1A
BM1A
TIME IN SECONDS
10
R-Util
1
TX Inrush
0.10 C1-A
0.01
0.5 1 10 100 1K 10K
tcc1.tcc Ref. Voltage: 4160 Current Scale x10^0 1Line001.drw

Step 3: Identify Operating Modes. For this example, the operating modes include:
1) Maximum Utility fault of 300 MVA at a pre-fault voltage of 1.02 per unit.
2) Minimum Utility fault of 200 MVA at a pre-fault voltage of 0.98 per unit.
3) Tie breaker open and closed.
Using the Scenario Manager in PTW, the Base Project can be duplicated and the different
operating modes can be saved for comparison.
July 2019
A summary table comparing the 4 scenarios in the PTW Version Manager Data Visualizer follows:
From the summary table, the highest incident energy for each bus follows:
LV SWB A Minimum Fault with Closed Tie
LV SWB B Minimum Fault with Closed Tie
MCC 1A Maximum Fault with Closed Tie
MCC 1B Minimum Fault with Closed Tie
MV SWGR Maximum Fault
The important thing to note is that you can’t predict which operating scenario will result in the
highest incident energy without evaluating all of the scenarios. The highest incident energy at
some locations occurs with minimum fault and others with maximum fault, some with the tie
closed and others with the tie open. The incident energy is affected by both the fault current and
the trip time. The trip time is fixed for some levels of fault current and varies inversely at others.
Using the arcing fault current rather than the bolted fault current also makes general predictions
difficult.
In the software, the user can chose to make the arc flash report show worst-case condition out of all
the scenarios. To do this, the user can click on the “Scenarios…” button as show below.
When the user clicks on this button, a window similar to the one below will come up.

Here, the user can specify to report Arc Flash results based on the current scenario opened; or if the
project has multiple scenarios, the user can select the Arc Flash result to report the worst case (the
one with the highest incident energy) out all of all the selected scenarios.
The arc flash report based on the worst-case scenario should look like the window below.
Notice that now the arc flash spreadsheet report for each bus is the incident energy from the
scenario with the highest value. In the “Required Protective FR Clothing Category” column, the
(*S0), (*S1), (*S2), etc., indicate which scenario did the result come from.
Furthermore, you can also view the worst case arc flash result by applying the “Arc Flash Worst
Case” datablock format on the one-line.
July 2019
The “Arc Flash Worst Case” datablock format comes with the software and contains the following
attributes for the bus. AFWC_IncidentEnergy, AFWC_WorkingDistance, and AFWC_PPE
Category. Below are the definitions for those attributes.
AFWC_IncidentEnergy – This shows the worst case (the highest) incident energy value of the bus
from among the selected scenarios.
AFWC_WorkingDistance – This shows the corresponding working distance of the bus with the
highest incident energy from among the selected scenario.
AFWC_PPE Category – This shows the worst case PPE category of the bus from among the
selected scenarios.
Below is the one-line with the “Arc Flash Worst Case” datablock format applied on the one-line.
Utility Min 200 MVA at 0.98 pu V

Max 300 MVA at 1.02 pu V
R-Util
MV-SWGR
AFWC_IncidentEnergy 29.11 Cal/cm^2
AFWC_WorkingDistance @ 36 inches
AFWC_PPE Category 4
R1-A R1-B
P P
TX 1A TX 1B
S S
Tie Breaker
LV SWB A LV SWB B
AFWC_IncidentEnergy 57.35 Cal/cm^2 AFWC_IncidentEnergy 57.35 Cal/cm^2

AFWC_WorkingDistance @ 18 inches AFWC_WorkingDistance @ 18 inches
AFWC_PPE Category Dangerous! AFWC_PPE Category Dangerous!
LVB 1A LVB 1B
C1-A C1-B
MCC 1A MCC 1B
AFWC_PPE Category 1 AFWC_PPE Category 2
BM1A BM1B
M1A
M1B

For a better understanding, lets look at why the results are higher for MCC 1B than they are for
MCC 1A using the Maximum Fault with Bus Tie Open scenario.
Utility
R-Util
MV-SWGR
R1-A R1-B
P P
TX 1A TX 1A0
S S
Tie Breaker
Open
LV SWB A LV SWB B
SQUARE D SQUARE D
NT08N1 LVB 1B NT08N1
LVB 1A Sensor/Trip 800.0 A Sensor/Trip 800.0 A
Settings Settings
LTPU (A);LTD 0.4 (320A); 8 LTPU (A);LTD 0.4 (320A); 8
STPU 5 (1600A) STPU 5 (1600A)
STD 0.4 (I^2t Out) STD 0.4 (I^2t Out)
INST 4 (3200A) INST 4 (3200A)
C1-A C1-B InitSymRMS 3P Bus2 4343.97 A
InitSymRMS 3P Bus2 8401.25 A Length 350.0 ft
Length 100.0 ft
MCC 1A
MCC 1B
480 V 480 V
Isc 3P 8891 A Isc 3P 4748 A
BM1A AF_ArcingFault 5.931 kA AF_ArcingFault 3.471 kA
AF_IncidentEnergy 1.13 Cal/cm^2 BM1B AF_IncidentEnergy 4.94 Cal/cm^2
AF_TripTime 0.060 s AF_TripTime 0.500 s
M1A M1B
Reviewing the datablock display on the one-line, you can see that the primary protection has the
same settings for MCC 1A and MCC 1B. The only input difference is that cable C1-A is 100 feet
long, whereas cable C1-B is 350 feet long. The cable length difference results in a smaller fault
current at bus MCC 1B. Although the fault current is smaller, the incident energy is higher. To
understand this situation, review of the coordination drawing is required.
Viewing the arcing fault current values on the following coordination drawing indicates the
associated trip time for MCC 1A and MCC 1B. MCC 1A trips in 0.06 seconds, whereas MCC 1B
trip in 0.5 seconds. MCC 1B has less fault current but the longer trip time results in the release of
more energy.
Notice that the TCC curve identifies 5600 Amps which is the calculated arcing fault current
through breaker LVB 1A for a fault at MCC 1A. It also identifies 3180 Amps, which is the arcing
fault current through breaker LVB 1B for a fault at MCC 1B. 5600 Amps results in a trip time of
0.06 seconds, whereas 3480 Amps results in a trip time of 0.5 seconds. Due to variations in the
test data for arcing faults, the IEEE 1584 also recommends calculating the trip time and incident
energy using both 100% and 85% of the calculated arcing fault current. In this case the 100%
value produces a higher incident energy since the trip time for both 100% and 85% are the same.
Quite often, the 85% arc fault produces higher incident energy if the trip time is longer for the
lower fault current.
July 2019
Arcing Trip Incident

Fault Time Energy
The incident energy at bus MCC 1A is calculated to be about 1.2 Calories/cm2 whereas the
incident energy at bus MCC 1B is calculated to be 4.9 Calories/cm2. MCC1B has a lower arcing
fault current (3.18 kA versus 5.6 kA) but the longer trip time (0.5sec. versus 0.06 sec.) results in
higher incident energy.

The next step is to improve safety wherever possible. This means to clear the arcing faults as fast
as possible and to document appropriate clothing requirements.
By reducing the instantaneous settings for breakers LVB 1A and LVB 1B, and by reducing the
instantaneous time delay for relays R1-A and R1-B, as shown on the following TCC drawing, the
trip times for the arcing fault currents are reduced significantly.
Arc Flash summary results after adjustments to protective device settings.
Comparison of protective device settings before and after changes.
July 2019
BEFORE AFTER
Comparison of Arc Flash Results for all scenarios using the PTW Scenario Data Visualizer.
BEFORE
AFTER
Summary of Worst Case Before and After Protection Setting Changes
BEFORE AFTER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LV SWB A 57.4 cal/cm2 11.7 cal/cm2
LV SWB B 57.4 cal/cm2 11.7 cal/cm2
MCC 1A 1.6 cal/cm2 1.6 cal/cm2
MCC 1B 5.4 cal/cm2 0.7 cal/cm2
MV SWGR 29.1 cal/cm2 13.4 cal/cm2

After adjusting the protective device settings so that all of the devices operate in the instantaneous
region for all configurations, the largest incident energy now occurs for the Maximum Fault with
the Tie Closed, as expected.
Given the same arcing fault current, the faster you can clear the fault, the lower your incident
energy will be. This is why small changes in protective device settings can have a significant
impact on the incident energy values, and a tolerance is recommended for available fault current
and the estimated arcing fault values.
July 2019
Below is the one-line with the “Arc Flash Worst Case” datablock format applied on the one-line.
Utility Min 200 MVA at 0.98 pu V

Max 300 MVA at 1.02 pu V
R-Util
MV-SWGR
AFWC_IncidentEnergy 13.44 Cal/cm^2
AFWC_WorkingDistance @ 36 inches
AFWC_PPE Category 3
R1-A R1-B
P P
TX 1A TX 1B
S S
Tie Breaker
LV SWB A LV SWB B

LVB 1A LVB 1B
C1-A C1-B
MCC 1A MCC 1B
BM1A BM1B
M1A
M1B

Once you’re satisfied with the study results, you can print reports and labels.
You can print labels to plain paper or to label sheets in a variety of sizes. You can also print
multiple copies of the same label when multiple labels are selected to print in Custom Label Group
Print.
A common practice is to print to plain paper and laminate.
July 2019

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Power*Tools

Arc Flash Reference Manual

Arc Flash Users Guide

This guide includes:

- Terminology and Symbols

- Assumptions and Equations

- PTW Applied Methodology

SKM Power*Tools for Windows

ARC FLASH USERS GUIDE

1.1 Cautions and Disclaimers 3

1.4 Engineering Methodology 5

1.5 PTW Applied Methodology 51

1.6 Application Example 126

1.1 Cautions and Disclaimers

SKM Power*Tools for Windows

The PTW Arc Flash

An arc flash study

1.3 Introduction to Arc Flash Studies

1.3.2 Why Perform Arc Flash Studies?

1.4 Engineering Methodology

1.4.1 IEEE Standard 1584

SKM Power*Tools for Windows

1.4.2 Arc Flash Report Definitions

Protective Device Name

Bus Bolted Fault Current (kA)

Bus Arcing Fault

Protective Device Bolted Fault Current (kA)

Protective Device Arcing Fault Current (kA)

Breaker Opening Time

Arc Flash Boundary

Cable Length From Trip Device

Incident Energy at Low Marginal

Incident Energy at High Marginal

SKM Power*Tools for Windows

Electrode configuration of the equipment in which 5 types can be chosen from:

• VCB – Vertical electrodes inside a metal box enclosure.

• VCBB – Vertical electrodes terminated in a barrier inside a metal box enclosure.

• HCB – Horizontal electrodes inside a metal box enclosure.

• VOA – Vertical electrodes in open air.

• HOA – Horizontal electrodes in open air.

Box Width / Height / Depth

SLG Bolted Fault

Duration of Arc (sec.)

Altitude (feet or meter)

Minimum Approach Distance

Rubber Insulating Equipment Class

Statistical Adjustment Factor (k)

If DC Systems Arc Flash Evaluation method is selected, the following column

SKM Power*Tools for Windows

DC Arcing Bus Fault

Bus Equivalent Resistance (Ohms)

DC Bolted Protective Device Fault Current (kA)

DC Protective Device Arcing Fault Current (kA)

Trip / Delay Time

Breaker Opening Time

Arc Flash Boundary

Detail View versus Summary View

SKM Power*Tools for Windows

(*N3) - Arcing Fault Current Low Tolerances Used.

(*N4b) – Current-Limiting Fuse in Use. Fault in current-limiting range tripping in ½ or ¼ cycle.

(*N5) - Mis-coordinated, Upstream Device Tripped.

(*N7) - Trip Time Unlinked with TCC.

(*N8) - Fault Current Unlinked with Fault Study results.