ARC FLASH HAZZARDS ASSESMENT

Electrical short circuits and faults are extremely dangerous and are potentially fatal to personnel. Arc flash occurs when phase conductors are shorted and ionization of the air occurs. When this happens, the arc faults produce large amounts of heat that can severely burn human skin and even set clothing on fire. Also, molten metal is blasted from the fault location outward in a radial direction. The arcing faults also produce large shock waves that can blow personnel off their feet. Arc Flash Hazard Studies are performed to determine the risk to personnel, warn them of the hazards, and to instruct them as to what kind of personal protective equipment that they must wear. ARC Flash Study :- An Arc Flash Hazard Study is an analysis and assessment of the arc flash and shock hazards at a facility. The purpose of the study is to identify the appropriate level of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the personnel at various locations throughout the facility. These locations include switchgear, switchboards, substations, panelboards, motor control centers, and industrial control panels. The arc flash study is a combination of a short circuit study and protective device coordination study. Both of these studies must be completed before an Arc Flash Hazard Study can be completed. A} Data Required : The availability of the technical data is very important in case of System Studies. The data required for ARC Flash Study will be the results of Faults analysis & Devices Coordinations. The following data is required & availability of the same shall be checked for executing the Arc Flash Study ;
a)

Single Line Diagram for the Plants / Facility (showing details of Substations, Panels, PCCs, MCCs etc) Utility / Source Fault Levels. Protective Equipments Details (Technical Catalogues giving all details like Rating, Type, Make, settings options etc.) Short Circuit Currents at various buses ( 3 phase Bolted Fault Currents) Existing Settings of Various Protective Devices.(Tripping Timings)

b) c)

d) e)

f)

Options / margin available for varying the settings ( Tripping Times) of Protective Devices, if required Availability of Device Coordination curves. Drawings / General Arrangements Layout drawings of Various panels, PCCs, MCCs Switch boards giving details about internal arrangement of buses etc

g) h)

The ARC Flash Study will be performed based on above input data. The arc flash study will determine energy levels, boundary distances and assist the owner in complying with the NFPA guidelines. The results of the arc flash study will include: 1) Short Circuit Current Values 2) Protective Device Settings (Protective Device Coordination Study) 3) Arc Flash Incident Energy Levels 4) Boundary Distances for a) Arc Flash Protection b) Limited Approach c) Restricted Approach d) Prohibited Approach 5) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 6) Arc Flash and Shock Hazard Warning Labels (listing items #3 and #4a-d) for select equipment. 7) Complete report including ; a) Introduction b) Executive Summary c) Short Circuit Study d) Short Circuit Equipment Summary Sheets e) Protective Device Coordination Study f) Protective Device Setting Sheets g) Time Current Curves h) Arc Flash and Shock Hazard Study i) Arc Flash Calculations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------