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The Nine Steps of Arc Flash Hazard Analysis

Section 4 of IEEE 1584-2002, Guide for Arc Flash

See also:
Electrical Safety/Arc Flash Arc Flash Training
Hazard Calculations, states that the results of the arc Arc Flash Protection
flash hazard analysis are used to "identify the flash- Training
arc flash home protection boundary and the incident energy at Arc Flash Calculator
assigned working distances throughout any position or
arc flash pages level in the overall electrical system."

Section 4 also suggests a nine-step approach to a short circuit coordination study:

nfpa 70e training
Collect system and installation data
electrical safety training Determine system modes of operation
Determine bolted fault currents
arc flash video Determine arc fault currents
Find protective device characteristics and duration of arcs
arc flash clothing Document system voltages and classes of equipment
Select working distances
arc flash injuries Determine incident energy for all equipment
Determine flash-protection boundary for all equipment
arc flash software
For information about
arc flash protection calculating short circuit
currents and performing
arc flash labels an overcurrent
protective device
arc flash calculator coordination study, (with
the intention of
arc flash ppe conducting a short
circuit calculation study)
the guide refers to the
Renewable Energy IEEE Red Book and
IEEE Buff Book.

Alternative Energy Step 1: Collect System

and Installation Data
The data needed for a
short circuit coordination
Wind Power study is similar to that
needed for a short
circuit and coordination study. It's essential to model the system in detail to get a

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reasonable assessment of the arc flash hazard. For many facilities, this will mean
collecting all the data needed to build an up-to-date one-line diagram.
For facilities with a recent short circuit study, it may mean:
Extending the existing study to include control equipment.
Refining a study that omits impedances to determine worst-case short
circuit currents. Worst-case arc flash energies may be achieved when lower
fault currents result in considerably longer clearing times for the overcurrent
protective device.
Suggested data collection forms are included in the IEEE guide, as are other useful
tips on collecting data from your system and your utility.
Step 2: Determine System Modes of Operation
The IEEE 1584 guide gives examples of different modes of operation, including
operation with more than one utility feed, tie breakers opened or closed, and
generators running. This information is important in determining the different short
circuit currents that might be available to each location for the different modes. As
noted in Step 1, the highest available fault current may not yield the worst-case arc
flash energy, since the worst-case energy also depends on the characteristics of
the overcurrent protection devices.
Step 3: Determine Bolted Fault Currents
Calculate the bolted fault currents from the data gathered in Step 1 and Step 2. The
typical method is to enter the data into a commercially available short circuit study
software program that allows you to model your system and easily switch between
modes of operation. Additional guidance on the calculation is given in the guide.
Step 4: Determine Arc Fault Currents
The bolted fault current calculated for each point in the system represents the
highest fault current expected to flow to any short circuit. In the case of an arcing
fault, the current flow to the fault will be less, due to the added impedance of the
arc. It's important to adequately predict these lower levels, especially if the
overcurrent protective devices are significantly slower at these reduced levels—
such situations have been known to provide worst-case arc fault hazards.
Step 5: Find Protective Device Characteristics and Duration of Arcs
IEEE 1584 offers guidance on using the time-current curves of overcurrent
protective devices in various scenarios—how to handle average-melt-time-only
curves, for example, and relay-operated circuit breakers. For special cases,
including certain types of current limiting fuses, time-current curves are not
required, because their characteristics have been incorporated into the final flash-
protection boundary and incident energy equations.
Step 6: Document System Voltages and Classes of Equipment
Factors such as bus gap and voltage affect arc energies and are required for IEEE
1584 short circuit study software equations. A table is provided with typical bus
gaps for various equipment up to 15kV.
Step 7: Select Working Distances
Typically, this is assumed to be the distance between the potential arc flash source
and the worker's body and face. Incident energy on a worker's hands and arms
would likely be higher in the event of an arcing fault because of their closer
proximity to the arc source. Typical working distances for various types of
equipment are suggested in a table.
Step 8: Determine Incident Energy for All Equipment
The electrical safety equipment engineer will need to choose equations based upon
voltage level and the overcurrent protective device and equipment.
In addition to the current-limiting fuse equations, the IEEE guide provides two
generic equations that call for the data described above. There are also generic
circuit breaker equations, similar to the fuse equations, to use when time-current
curves are not available. These calculations provide heat energy densities in either
cal/cm² or joules/cm², values useful in selecting appropriate PPE and fire retardant
clothing.
Because of the complexity and number of manual calculations possible, software is
recommended to complete this step. Most software gives you a choice of
equations, with selection depending on such factors as type of equipment, voltage
levels and protective devices.
A spreadsheet-type calculator is included with IEEE 1584 and can be useful for
simple calculations and small systems.
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 Page 3 of 3

Home Step 9: Determine Flash-Protection

Electricity Today Magazine Boundary for All Equipment
Electrical Source Maga
Instead of solving for cal/cm² at a given working distance, this equation solves for a
distance at which the incident heat energy density would be 1.2 cal/cm² (or 5.0
joules/cm²). Short circuit study software is also recommended for this calculation,
for the same reasons mentioned in Step 8.

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