Arc Flash Effects: A Comprehensive Review
##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.main##
Abstract
The electrical breakdown of a gas occurs when the voltage gradient applied is more than the standard voltage prescribed resulting in electric arc formation and subsequent electrical discharge of a gas (arc discharge) producing visible light called “arc” which glows intensely. This paper reviews Arcing effects and terms related to Arc such as Arc Flash and Arc Blast. As per National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E standards, arc flash hazards which are categorised into 5 hazard risk categories and the amount of incident energy released during an arc flash event is analysed under Arc Flash Metrics. The amount of intense light released during the arc discharge and sound effects which affect the personnel are discussed here. The arc flash calculations referred to as Fuse and Circuit Breaker are reviewed with reference to the flash protection boundary and the clearing time required for these equipment and Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) required for different hazard risk categories is considered with examples and results are comprehended.
##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.details##
References
- Clark CG. The basics of arc flash. GE Industrial Solutions website; 2016.
- Causes of electric flash. Shanghai C&G. https://www.cgprotection.com/faq/arcpro/p_1077.html
- Csanyi E. 10 common causes of arc-flash accidents. EEP Electrical Engineering Portal; 2017. Available from: https:// electrical-engineering-portal.com/10-common-causes-ofarcflash-and-other-electrical-accidents
- ARC flash study principles and procedures for below 15 kV AC Systems; 2024. Available from: https://cigre-usnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Wu-Arc-Flash-StudyPrinciples-Procedures-for-below-15-kV-AC-Systems.pdf
- Lang, Mike, Principal Field Engineer. Arc flash hazard analysis. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together; 2004.
- Lee WJ, Gammon T, Zhang Z, Johnson B, Beyreis J. Arc flash and electrical safety. In 2013 66th Annual Conference for Protective Relay Engineers; 2013. p. 24-35. https://doi.org/10.1109/CPRE.2013.6822024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/CPRE.2013.6822024
- Swencki SJ, James E. Smith DD. Roybal DD. Burns GE. Wetzel, Mohla DC. Electrical safety, arc flash hazards, and the standards, a comprehensive overview. In Record of Conference Papers Industry Applications Society 52nd Annual Petroleum and Chemical Industry Conference; 2005. p. 343-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/PCICON.2005.1524572
- Protection boundaries. Electrical Diagnostic Surveys Electrical Training and Safety; 2021. https://arcflashtraining.net/safety/protection-boundaries/
- Premkumar M, Sowmya R. Review on electric arc flash and electric arc blast impacts.
- Electrical safety hazards handbook - Los Alamos National Laboratory; 2024 https://www.lanl.gov/safety/electrical/ docs/arc-flash-safety.pdf
- Rubini B, Krishnakumar R. A review on arc flash analysis and calculation methods. In Fourth International Conference on Computing Methodologies and Communication (ICCMC), IEEE; 2020. p. 975-979. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCMC48092.2020.ICCMC-000181. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCMC48092.2020.ICCMC-000181
- Doan DR, Sweigart RA. A summary of arc flash energy calculations. In Record of Conference Papers. Industry Applications Society. Forty-Ninth Annual Conference. Petroleum and Chemical Industry Technical Conference; 2022. p. 285-90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/PCICON.2002.1045012