TM

GE Arc Vault Protection System

By Mark Clapper variables are and the corresponding incident energy

calculations that help categorize them. A complete
GE Specification Engineer discussion on arc flash calculations can be found in
IEEE 1584 – “Guide for Performing Arc Flash
[1]
Hazard Calculations”.
Introduction
To address the increasing concerns and standards What Variables Contribute To An Arcing
around arcing faults, GE challenged our Global fault?
Research Center to develop a new, “active”
There are many items that can initiate an arcing
method of detecting & removing an arcing fault.
fault. Rather than focusing on what the ignition
The goal was to develop a technology that would,
sources can be, the system factors associated with
in simple terms, reduce the potential for injury and
how we quantify the arcing fault will be considered.
equipment damage. The result is an innovative
With the benefit of this information, mitigation
product called the Arc VaultTM Protection System.
techniques can be outlined and categorized. Figure
This article will outline some basic arc flash
1 illustrates some of the basic parameters that factor
mitigation techniques, and culminate with a
into an incident energy calculation that in turn leads
description of the new GE technology. It should be
to the Hazard Risk Category labeling.
noted from the onset that this technology is
currently in the prototype phase and that the
discussion covers applications of 600V and below.

Let’s start with the basic question of why is the

industry concerned with arcing faults? If the
reader is unfamiliar with arcing faults, please refer
to the newsletter article titled “Arc Flash Basics”
before continuing.

Arcing faults – Why the Industry Figure 1 – Incident Energy Calculation

Concern?
Clearly, there are many variables that factor into the
Simply put, the affects may result in serious injury,
incident energy calculation. Some are specific to
death, equipment damage, and downtime. Unlike
equipment types while others are tied to system
the bolted fault, an arcing fault uses ionized air as
parameters or maintenance practices. Each variable
the conductor. The cause of the fault normally
plays a particular role in how we categorize the arc
burns away during the initial flash and the arc is
flash hazard and each is briefly touched upon below:
sustained by the establishment of a highly
conductive, intensely hot plasma arc. The intense • Voltage – The ability to sustain the arc. Arcing
heat vaporizes conductors/ barriers and faults are generally limited to systems where the
superheats the surrounding air resulting in an bus voltage is greater than 120V.
explosive volume-metric increase within the space.
• Available bolted fault current - The punch behind
The consequence is an intense pressure wave,
the arc fault magnitude. Recall that the magnitude
deafening sound, blinding light, toxic gases,
of an arcing fault is approximately 43-57% of the
molten metal and shrapnel. This is often referred
bolted fault value. This implies that systems with
to as the arc blast. Unless action is taken to either
significant bolted fault currents will have elevated
quickly remove the fault or redirect the arc blast,
arcing current levels. The reverse is also true;
the brunt of these items will impact people,
lower bolted fault levels will lead to lower arcing
equipment or both. The magnitude of the arcing
fault energies. Items such as system impedance,
fault is only 43-57% of a bolted fault, so traditional
transformer sizing, utility, motor, and generator
overcurrent protection may not detect and clear
contributions establish the available fault current.
the fault before the full impact of the arc develops
and causes damage or injury. • Arc clearing time - This includes detection &
protective device operating time. It is tied to the
To gain a better understanding of how to deal with
operating characteristics of a specific protective
an arcing fault, let’s consider what the contributing

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device for a given level of arcing current. maintenance practices. The simplest example of
Reducing clearing time is critical to reducing the active mitigation is to not approach or work on live
impacts of arcing fault. electrical equipment. Figure 2 contains a list of
passive and active items.
• Conductor gap distance. Defines the distance
between conductors that an arc must cross.
Varies by equipment type and manufacturer, but Passive Active
is fixed for a specific piece of equipment.
Reduce exposure with Technology to reduce arcing
• Working distance. The distance from a potential equipment options time & incident energy
arc source to a worker’s face and chest.
• Insulated/ isolated bus • Arc Vault
TM
Typically assumed to be 18”. Items such as
• IR scanning windows • ZSI of instantaneous
remote monitoring and racking can be
• Closed door drawout of • Crow bar
implemented to remove the operator from the breakers • Bus differential (87B)
flash zone to for routine maintenance tasks. • Side section barriers • Maint settings (RELT)
• Current limiting devices
• System configuration. Solidly grounded, • Hinged vs. bolted doors
resistance grounded, etc. This category also • Heaters
takes into consideration whether the arc
Reduce exposure with Design practices to reduce
environment is enclosed or open. equipment types arcing time & incident energy
• Arc resistant structures • Consider fault currents
Given a basic understanding of what variables
• Transformer sizes
contribute to an incident energy calculation, the • Grounding
next logical question is to ask what the engineer • Single or double ended
can do to reduce this energy or exposure to it?
Since energy is a function of current, voltage and Others? Reduce exposure via
time, there are several strategies that can be maintenance practices
explored: • Follow NFPA 70E
• No live maintenance
• Reducing the available fault current • Remote switching
• Reducing the arcing time • Remote racking
• Transferring the energy into a less damaging • Remote monitoring
form or place quicker than it could otherwise be • Remove contaminants
• Training & labeling
interrupted. This is the basis of the GE Arc • Use of proper PPE
VaultTM Protection System

The paragraphs that follow will highlight several of Figure 2 – Arc Flash Mitigation Techniques
these strategies.
One clear distinction between the passive and active
Methods of Limiting Incident Energy methods is that the passive method does nothing in
and The Exposure to Arcing Faults the way of detecting or removing an arcing fault. It is
focused solely on containing the arc blast or
eliminating a potential starting point for an arc flash
Over the years, different methods to limit arc flash
via equipment options. One should not employ
exposure and incident energy have been
passive techniques without thinking through items
introduced and can be divided into two general
such as thermal scanning. Equipment options like
categories; active and passive. Passive mitigation insulated main bus and isolated phase bus are good
is defined to be an equipment option or type that preventative measures, however they present an
either contains and re-directs the arc blast or helps issue to performing thermal scans of items other
to eliminate the potential of a flash event (i.e. than load connections.
insulated main bus). This type of mitigation does
not require any actions or settings by an operator The active methods seek to attack on both fronts;
to implement. On the opposite end of the incident energy reduction and reduced exposure.
spectrum is active mitigation. Active mitigation The newest technology on the active side is the GE
takes a pro-active approach to reducing both Arc VaultTM Protection System. To highlight the
incident energy and the exposure to arcing faults application of theArc VaultTM , the following
through the active use of technology, design and

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paragraphs will contrast the Arc VaultTM vs. the

passive, arc resistant structure. The remaining Figure 3 – Arc Resistant Structure Categories
items are listed for reference and will not be To function properly, arc resistant structures have
covered in detail several distinguishing characteristics not found in
traditional gear.
LV Metal Enclosed Switchgear
• Reinforced construction is used to withstand &
Typical LV Metal Enclosed Switchgear is designed contain the pressure wave. Front & rear doors,
and tested to withstand the mechanical forces section barriers, etc may be reinforced and
associated with bolted faults (non arcing). It is not gasketed depending on the ANSI type.
constructed to contain and re-direct the arc blast • Exhaust chambers are employed within the
away from the operator. The standard structure to safely re-direct the arcing fault by
construction must be able to withstand (carry) the products away from the operator and toward the
bolted fault current from the line side of the main vent flaps.
breaker through the load terminations on the • Vent flaps that open due to increased pressure
feeders and is short circuit tested to ensure vent the arc blast. Typically out the top.
compliance with the applicable ANSI standards. • Figures 4 illustrates the re-direction and venting of
During a short circuit interruption, there may be the arcing fault.
some out gassing of arc by-products from the
breaker, but not to the violent extent of the arcing
fault.

An arc resistant line of LV switchgear is also

designed to withstand and interrupt a bolted fault,
however it provides a level of protection to arcing
faults that is not incorporated in the standard
design. Arc resistant structures have been around
for 30 plus years and can trace their roots back to
IEC standards. In North America, this type of Figure 4 – Illustration of Arc Resistant Venting
structure is tested & categorized to ANSI
C37.20.7, refer to figure 3. The word arc resistant Considerations – Arc Resistant
implies that no arc fault emissions/blast will occur Structures
in the areas described by each category. For
example, with a properly installed Type 1 design, The arc resistant structure does an excellent job of
an operator could approach the front of a protecting the operator from an arc flash event,
switchgear lineup and not be exposed to the arc however it is not a panacea. As noted earlier, this
blast if an arcing fault were to occur. If the passive technique seeks only to contain the arc
operator were standing to the side of this design, blast, but nothing to reduce incident energy or
the same protection would not be provided. remove the arcing fault, which can result in
substantial equipment damage and downtime. Like
all products, the application of arc resistant
ANSI Comments – arc resistant
Type construction applies to structures requires consideration and awareness of
items that are specific to the construction. Several
Type 1 The front only. items are listed below for consideration.

Type 1C The front, as well as between Equipment Damage / Downtime

compartments of the same or adjacent What type of downtime will the owner experience for
cells.
an arcing fault? It is reasonable to expect some
Type 2 The front, back and sides of the enclosure. structural damage that will require repair as a result
of the arc blast. Bus, doors, barriers are likely
Type 2C The front, back, sides as well as between candidates for repair. Are there other mitigations
compartments of the same or adjacent methods that can provide operator protection and
cells.
help reduce equipment damage at the same time?

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Maintenance/ Approaching Live Equipment parallel-connected containment dome, light sensors

The protection afforded by the arc resistant and a logic controller.
structure can be negated if a door is not properly
secured or if the maintenance task requires the Utility
operator to open a door or compartment. What 50/51
51G
are the impacts to operator safety, maintenance Trip
52
practices, etc?

Installation Considerations
Where does the effluent go when it is vented from
the structure? Does the room size need to be
increased? Does a restricted area need to be SWGR
MAIN RELAY
Trip
developed and labeled? Is placement of the
structure limited to certain areas?

Activate
Cost & Size Impacts FDR1 FDR2

What are the cost & size impacts associated with Containment
Dome
the structure itself? Does the room size need to
MCC1 MCC2
be increased?

Existing Equipment
The arc resistant structure cannot be retrofit onto
existing equipment. Figure 5 - Architecture

The comments above are not meant to disparage The current sensor looks for the signature of an
the arc resistant design. Rather they are meant to arcing fault while the light sensor looks for a
highlight that with all products there are application simultaneous optical event. The combination of the
considerations that must be taken into account. two is fed into a logic controller which makes the
Items such as live maintenance, equipment decision on whether to engage the absorber or not.
damage, room size and venting are real concerns
that need to be thought through and contrasted At this point you may be thinking that GE has
against other mitigation techniques. created a crow bar. Rest assured, we have not,
please read on.
How is the GE Arc VaultTM Different?
The Arc Absorber has no moving parts and makes
The GE Arc VaultTM is an active mitigation use of a plasma gun and containment chamber.
technique and aspires to the same basic goal as When the logic controller activates the absorber, two
the arc resistant structure; to protect the operator. simultaneous actions take place. A trip signal is
However it does so in a much different fashion sent to the main breaker and the absorber is
than arc resistant structures. Instead of containing activated. When activated, the absorber triggers the
and venting the arc flash effluent, it seeks to limit plasma gun to break down the dielectric in the air
incident energy via the identification and removal gap within the absorption chamber. The resulting arc
of an arcing fault before it escalates into the creates a lower impedance, phase-to-phase path
signature arc blast and elevated hazard risk than the “in equipment” arcing fault presents to the
categories. The result is a solution that addresses system. This low impedance path is not a bolted
three key areas: fault and in turn re-directs/ absorbs fault current
originally flowing towards the arcing fault within the
• Reduction of the arc flash hazard. controlled environment of the containment chamber.
• Improved equipment uptime/ reduced damage. The arc within the containment chamber is then
• Ability to retrofit existing switchgear safely cooled and vented. The open air or “in
equipment” arc is extinguished as the bus voltage
The architecture for the absorber is depicted in decreases due to the low impedance path within the
figure 5 and consists of a current sensor, a absorber. The time required to quench the open-air
arc is 8ms. The event is brought to conclusion when

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the main protective device opens and eliminates No Effluent Ventilation

current flow within the absorption chamber. No need for increased ceiling heights or the creation
of restricted areas to avoid potential exposure to
It is important to note that since this system works redirected effluent.
at arcing fault current levels, as opposed to bolted
fault levels, there is a significant energy reduction.
The result is 63% less energy, and considerably
less stress on the system, when compared to
crowbar type systems. This energy reduction Conclusion
applies to not just the local switchgear, but also to
other system components like transformers. There are many techniques that can be employed to
help mitigate the damaging effects of arcing faults.
The prototype of the Arc VaultTM containment This article has introduced the concept of the Arc
dome is about the size of an 800AF breaker and is VaultTM as a feasible alternative to arc resistant
rated for applications of 100 kA at 480V. structures. The Arc VaultTM can at minimum offer the
same or similar Hazard Risk Category (HRC)
The GE Arc VaultTM protection system will contain protection as the arc resistant structure but far
an arc fault in less than 8ms with the circuit exceeds the structure in the areas of equipment
breaker compartment doors open during operation protection, uptime, re-use and others. GE presented
and maintenance. The incident energy in this concept on the arc absorber to the IEEE
accordance with IEEE 1584 at 24” from the arc Petroleum and Chemical Conference Technical
event will be less than 1.2cal/cm2, which is Conference in September of 2009.
equivalent to HRC0, for a 480V HRG system with
available fault currents up to 100kA. References

[1] IEEE 1584 – guide for performing arc flash hazard

In addition to incident energy/ HRC reduction, calculations
eliminating the arcing fault, reducing equipment [2] IEEE C37.20.7: “Guide for Testing Medium Voltage
damage, and eliminating arcing fault effluent. The Metal Enclosed Switchgear for Internal Arcing Faults.”
Arc VaultTM offers the following benefits not found
in traditional arc resistant structures:

New and retrofit applications

The Arc VaultTM can be implemented in new or
existing LV switchgear platforms while the arc
resistant structure is tied to new installations only.

Reuse
The Arc VaultTM will be reusable, with minor
maintenance or parts replacement, depending on
the available fault currents it is applied on. Arc
resistant structures will in all likelihood sustain
some form of damage and require repair to place it
back into service.

Maintenance Activities
The Arc VaultTM does not depend on doors being
closed to provide arc flash protection. Hence the
established Hazard Risk Category does not
change whether the doors are open or closed.

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