Brainfiller DC Arc Flash Guide PDF
Brainfiller DC Arc Flash Guide PDF
Brainfiller DC Arc Flash Guide PDF
DC Arc Flash
Hazard
Calculations
With Calculation Worksheets and
Examples Based on Jim Phillips’
Book: Complete Guide to Arc Flash
Hazard Calculation Studies
800-874-8883 www.brainfiller.com
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Step by Step Approach – This book takes the entire AFCS process and breaks it
down into individual steps with one chapter for each step.
Calculation Work sheets – Solving complex equations such as those used for an
AFHCS can seem overwhelming. However, I take each arc flash equation and
breaks it down into simple steps laid out on a work sheet that you can use for
solving the problems.
Tricks and Traps – Many questions and potential problem areas are frequently
encountered when performing the AFHCS. I provides many tricks that can be used
for the study and also warnings about the potential traps that could be encountered.
You will also see how to successfully make assumptions and simplify the overall
process.
Order your copy at:
www.brainfiller.com
800.874.8883
www.brainfiller.com
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
www.ArcFlashForum.com
For over 30 years, Jim has been helping tens of thousands of people
around the world understand electrical power systems design,
safety, theory and applications. Having taught over 2000 seminars
during his career to people from all seven continents (Yes Antarctica
is included!), he has developed a reputation for being one of the
best trainers and public speakers in the industry. Jim does not just
talk about arc flash and electrical safety - he sees it from the inside
and holds key positions with the various standards organizations!
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
DC ArcHow
Flash Hazardan
to Perform Calculations
Arc Flash Calculation Study
Arc Flash Studies Based on IEEE 1584, NFPA 70E, NESC Standards, DC Research
and Jim Phillips’ Arc Flash Book and Guide
Index
1.0 Introduction
05-16-2016
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
DC Arc Flash
How Hazard an
to Perform Calculations
Arc Flash Calculation Study
Arc Flash Studies Based onJim Phillips,
IEEE P.E. 70E, NESC Standards, DC Research
1584, NFPA
and Jim Phillips’ Arc Flash Book and Guide
1.0 Introduction
At the present time, methods for calculating the DC arc flash hazard are not
directly addressed in any standard. IEEE 1584 -2002 – IEEE Guide for Arc
Flash Hazard Calculations only addresses the ac arc flash hazards.
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Calculating the incident energy for a dc arc flash begins with a simple
application of Ohm's law which states:
I = V/R
Where:
I = Current in amperes
V = Voltage in volts
R = Resistance in ohms
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
The DC Arc Models paper also refers to another important document titled
"Electric Arcs in Open Air" published in the Journal of Physics D: Applied
Physics in 1991 by A. D. Stokes and W. T. Oppenlander. The research
included in this document led to the development of the following equation for
arc resistance:
Where:
In order to calculate the arc resistance using this equation, the conductor gap
distance G and the dc arcing current must be known. The gap distance is
specified by the user however, in order to determine the dc arcing current, the
arc resistance must already be known. This creates an interesting dilemma
since the arcing current is needed to calculate the arc resistance and the arc
resistance is needed to calculate the arcing current.
To solve this problem, an iterative solution can be used. This requires making
an initial assumption of the dc arcing current. A reasonable assumption is that
the dc arcing short circuit current is 50% of the dc bolted short circuit current.
Once this initial assumption is made, the dc arc resistance can be calculated
which is then used to re-calculate the dc arcing current. The "new" dc arcing
current can then used to re-calculate the dc arc resistance. This process
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Begin by solving for the bolted dc short circuit current using the values Figure
2. For the bolted case, Rarc and the conductor gap distance are ignored and
only the resistance of the battery string and conductor are used.
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Step Two: Add the constant 20 to the result found in Step One
Step Three: Enter the arcing short circuit current, Idc arc and raise it to the
power of 0.88. Since the arcing short circuit current is not usually known, a
typical first approximation is to assume that Idc arc = 50% of Idc bolted.
Step Four: To obtain the dc arc resistance in ohms, divide Step Two by Step
Three. The following example illustrates how to calculate the value of the dc
arc resistance based on the initial assumption of the dc arcing short circuit
current
For this example an arc gap of 25 mm was used which is one of the "typical"
values given in IEEE 1584. Using the first approximation of 9524 A which was
calculated previously for the arcing short circuit current, the arc resistance Rarc
is calculated as 0.01051 Ω as shown in Figure 3.
The next step in this process requires a series of iterations. The calculated
value of Rarc can now be added to the original circuit and the dc short circuit
current can be re-calculated as follows:
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Where:
The energy in the arc is a function of power and time. Therefore the energy in
the arc can be calculated by:
Where:
Earc = arc energy in watt·seconds or Joules
tarc = arc duration in seconds
The duration of the arc flash will either be dependent on the clearing time of an
upstream protective device operating or the reaction time of a person jumping
away from the hazard. IEEE 1584 presently suggests that a maximum time of
2 seconds may be used based on the reaction time and assuming there are
reasonable conditions for a person to escape.
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
According to the DC Arc Models paper, the incident energy for an arc flash in
open air at a specific distance can be calculated based on the following
equation:
A worksheet that is based on this equation and used to solve the arc flash in
open air example problem is shown as Figure 5. It breaks the calculation
process down into individual steps. A final step is added which converts the
units from J/mm2 to the more commonly used units of calories/centimeter2
(cal/cm2).
Step One: Enter Idc arc, Rarc and tarc obtained from the previous iterative
calculations. Square the Idc arc value and multiply by Rarc and tarc to determine
the energy in the arc, Earc in terms of watts-seconds or Joules.
Step Two: Enter the distance from the arc (working distance) in mm. Multiply d
by 4 x π or
12.56637
Step Three: Calculate Ei air by dividing Step 1 by Step 2. The result will be in
J/mm2
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Using the dc arcing short circuit current and arc resistance that was previously
calculated, the incident energy can be calculated. This requires knowing the
working distance from the prospective arcing location to the worker as well as
knowing the duration of the arc flash. For this calculation, a maximum arc
duration of 0.3 seconds was used. This value would normally be defined by
the characteristic of an upstream protective device. A working distance of 18
inches (457 mm) was used which is a "typical" value obtained from IEEE 1584.
Where:
Earc = arc energy in watt-seconds or Joules (J)
Ei air = incident energy from an open air arc at distance d in Joules/millimeter2
(J/mm2)
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Where:
A worksheet was developed for calculating the dc incident energy for an arc
flash in an enclosure/box. This worksheet is based on the box equation and
reduces the calculation into a series of simple steps.
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Step One: Enter Idc arc, Rarc and tarc obtained from the previous iterative
calculations. Square the Idc arc value and multiply by Rarc and tarc to determine
the energy in the arc in terms of watt-seconds or Joules.
Step Two: The value of a must be obtained from Table 2. The value of the
distance from the arc (working distance), d in mm must also be defined. Enter
each value in the appropriate space in Step Two. Square each value and add
the two terms together.
Step Three: Look up the value of k from Table 2 Multiply k and Earc from Step
One
Step Four: Divide Step Three by Step Two. The result will be the incident
energy in terms of J/mm2 at working distance d.
Step Five: To convert the units from J/mm2 to the more commonly used units
of cal/cm2, multiply the answer obtained in Step Four by 23.9
Using values that were previously calculated for Idc arc and Rarc, the incident
energy will now be calculated based on the arc flash occurring in a
box/enclosure. The enclosure is assumed to be a panelboard and the same
working distance and arc duration from the earlier example are used.
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Until then, since no standard presently exists for dc arc flash calculations, why
would anyone perform them? You don't have to look too far back in the history
of arc flash to find the answer. Even though IEEE 1584 was first published in
2002, some people were performing arc flash studies and calculations for ac
systems long before then. How could that be? By using the best known
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Caution: As with any analytical calculations or engineering study, only qualified persons
should perform them.
References:
"Arc Flash Calculations for Exposures to DC Systems by D. R. Doan - IEEE Transactions on
Industry Applications, Vol. 46, No. 5.
"Simple Improved Equations for Arc Flash Hazard Analysis" by R. Wilkins - IEEE Electrical
Safety Forum, August 30, 2004
"Complete Guide to Arc Flash Hazard Calculation Studies" by Jim. Phillips - Brainfiller, Inc.
2010.
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883
Your International Source for
Electrical Power Training
Brainfiller.com How
- Your resource for articles, guides,
to Perform an Arc Flash Calculation Study
videos,
Arc Flash training
Studies andonmore
Based by NFPA
IEEE 1584, Jim 70E,
Phillips, P.E. DC Research
NESC Standards,
and Jim Phillips’ Arc Flash Book and Guide
Stay Connected!
jphillips@brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com
www.brainfiller.com 800.874.8883
800-874-8883