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ArcFlashReview
SPARKLESS EVAP
Industryupdateonarcflashstudiesandproposedrevisionstosafetystandards AIR COOLER
BeckIreland Jun1,2010
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Industry update on arc flash studies and proposed revisions to safety standards Comfortable. Sealed
Components. ETL Certied.
OnApril16,SteveWoodring,chiefplantoperatorattheHarrisonvilleWastewater
TreatmentPlantinHarrisonville,Mo.,wasworkingintheplant'smainliftstation,which
containsasplitwetwellwithtwosubmersibledrywaterpumps.Normally,thesepumps
takecareoftheflowstothewetwell,butwhentheygettoohigh,theoverflowisdirected
intoalargerpumpgallery.Onthisday,thesplitwetwellwasflooded,andoneofthetwo
submersibledrypumpswasreadinginoperablethemonitoringsystemwaskeepingthe
30hpvariablefrequencydrive(VFD)fromstartingit.WhileWoodringwaitedforthe
ChasingGrowthvs.NurturingGrowth
pumprepairpeopletoarrive,hedecidedtotrytobypasstheVFDandengagethepump,
runningitforafewminutessohecouldhookthebail,whichhadcomedetachedfrom TipoftheWeek:TheNECandADA,AnnexJ
theropeusedtotrackit,totheboomtrucktodrawthewaterdown.Thecontrolson
JustShutThingsOff
thesepumpsareextremelytouchy,saysWoodring.Theslightestbitofmoistureor
varianceinohmreadingswillshowaproblem.It'snotuncommonforthissystemtocry Whatpercentageofyourcousinsand/or
wolf. extendedfamilyareintheskilledtradesor
engineering?

TipoftheWeek:AreYourPeopleCranky?

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CodeQuizofthe
Week:No.74
Takethisweeklyquizto
testyourknowledgeofthe
2014NationalElectrical
Code(NEC)requirements.

Join the Discussion on EC&M Talk

HotTopics Comments NewTopics
Standingrightinfrontoftheclosedcircuitbreakerenclosure,Woodringbentdownto
reachthebypassswitchandstartedtooperateitwhentherewasaloudnoiseinthe
ElectricServiceEntrance
cabinet,andthepowertotheplantshutoff.Justassoonasitbegantomakecontact,
lastreplybycwturmaninPowerDistribution
therewasahumongousbanginthatcabinetlikeashotgunwentoff,saysWoodring.

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Thisparticularstationdoesn'thaveskylights,sowhenthepowergoesoff,it'sdarkasa Passport,driver'slicense,id
dungeon.IttookmeacoupleofsecondstorealizeIwasallright. cards,IELTS,TOEFL(realdocumentationservices@gmail.com)certific
available
Therewasnoflash,nosmoke,andnosmell.Thegeneratorstartedup,restoringthe
lastreplybyjanem3024inPowerDistribution
lights,andtheworkingpumpsbegantooperate.Afterafewminutes,Woodring
performedanassessmentofthefacilities.Initially,nodamageswerefound.Heuseda Passport,driver'slicense,id
screwdrivertoopentheVFD,whichwascooltothetouch.Thereweren'tanydropped cards,IELTS,TOEFL(realdocumentationservices@gmail.com)certific

fuses.Afterafewminutes,heopenedthecabinet.Nosignsofodororsmokethereeither. available

Ididn'tevenlosealightbulb,hesays. lastreplybyjanem3024inGeneralElectricalTalk
Discussion

Acloserinspectionbythecity'selectricalcrewuncoveredthatthemain800Abreakerwas
replacingofDCmotor'sbreaker
tripped.Accordingtospecificationsforthisbreaker,at480V,itholdsaninterrupting
lastreplybyAndriiPopovinGeneralElectrical
ratingof65,000A.Thestationshouldhavebeendestroyed,andIshouldhavebeen
TalkDiscussion
killed,saysWoodring.
LogCabin
Hecreditsthebankofeightarrestersprimarilyinstalledasprotectionagainstlightning
lastreplybyDocDaveinQuestions&Helpfor
andgroundfaultincidentsatthisliftstationwithsavingtheplantaswellashislife.
Rookies
Noneofusplannedongivingthearrestersthisultimatetest,hesays.Itdidn'tjust
lessenthearcflash,itpreventedit.

Insubsequentinvestigationsoftheincident,damagehasbeenfound.Onthedayofthe EC&M White Papers

incident,thepumprepairpeopleeventuallyarrivedandpulledtheinoperablepump. HotTopics:ArcRatings,FR,HeatStress,NFPA
Essentially,thepumpwasweldedtoitself.Itwasdead,saysWoodring.Itwasshorted 70EandMore
Industrytechnicalexpertsaddressquestionssurrounding
onallthreelegs.
hottopicssuchasarcratings,FR,heatstress,NFPA70E
andmore.Heresinformationyoushouldknowaboutkey
Inaddition,anelectriciancheckedouttheVFD,wiring,andcircuitbreakers.The
issuesthatimpactworkers....
contactswereweldedshut.Basically,thefaultcamebackward,saysWoodring.Itwent
throughtheinputside,andthearresterscutitoff.
More
Preventionfirst
VIEWMOREWHITEPAPERS
Onaverage,approximatelyfiveto10severearcflashexplosionsoccurinelectric
equipmenteverydayintheUnitedStates,sendingtheirvictimstoahospitalorspecial
burnunits,accordingtostatisticscompiledbyCapSchell,Inc.,aChicagobasedresearch EC&MWebinars
andconsultingfirmthatspecializesinpreventingworkplaceinjuriesanddeaths.Each
year,morethan2,000peoplearetreatedinburncenterswithseverearcflashinjuries.
NOV9,2016
Thisnumberdoesn'tincludecasesinwhichthevictimissenttoanoutpatientclinicfor
WEBINAR
medicaltreatmentorisunharmed,aswasthecasewithWoodring. TechnologyEnabled
DataCenterLife
Anarcflashisanelectriccurrentthatpassesthroughairwheninsulationorisolation CycleServices
betweenelectrifiedconductorsisnolongersufficienttowithstandtheappliedvoltage,
NOV2,2016
accordingtotheNationalFireProtectionAssociation(NFPA),Quincy,Mass.Arc
WEBINAR
temperaturescanreach35,000F,and,asaresult,cancausesevereburns.Anarcflash
ThereisMoretoa
alsogeneratesanenormousexplosiveforce.Evenarelativelysmall10,000Aarcat480V DataCenterthan
cancreateanexplosionequivalentto8MWofpower.Unlikeelectricalshockincidents,a WhiteSpaceA
HolisticApproachto
victimofanarcflashdoesnothavetotouchlivecomponentstosustainaninjury.Other FacilityMonitoringandControl
injuriesfromarcflashincludeblindness,hearingloss,nervedamage,andcardiacarrest.
VIEWMOREWEBINARS
AccordingtoastudyconductedbytheU.S.BureauofLaborStatistics,2,287U.S.workers
diedand32,807sustainedlosttimeinjuriesduetoelectricalshockorburninjuriesovera
7yrperiodstartingin1992.Thestudyshowedthatofthe32,807nonfatalinjuries EC&M TV
involvinglosttime,38%wereclassifiedaselectricalburns.Thereportconcludedthat:To IDEALPowerBlade
CableCutters 1
decreasethenumberandseverityofnonfatalelectricalburninjuries,directworker
Bigenoughforanyjob...
exposuretoelectricalarcenergymustbereduced.Inotherwords,mitigationstrategies
arekeytoreducingthenumberoftheseincidents.

More

BROWSEALLVIDEOS

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EC&MLearningCenter

Fiveto10severearcflashexplosionsoccurinelectric Understandingthe2014NEC,
equipmenteverydayintheUnitedStates. Volume1(Articles90to480)
Thisresourcehasprovenitselfinthe
fieldandintheexamroom.Thislatest
Ideally,thebestwaytopreventanarcflasheventistoworkonlyonorneardeenergized
editionwillprovideyouwitharocksolid
equipment,butsometimesthistypeofworkcan'tbeavoided.Onthedayoftheincident,
foundation...
Woodringwasawareofthedangersofarcflash.It'stheplant'spolicytodeenergize
equipmentbeforeworkingonitwhenpossible.However,therehavebeentimeswhen UnderstandingNECRequirements
forGroundingvsBonding
actualpracticegoesagainstthispolicy.I'vecheckedonsimplethings,likearelayora
Oneofthemostconfusingareasofthe
fuse,beforecallinganelectrician,confessesWoodring,who,onthoseoccasions,would
tradecontinuestobegroundingand
openupthecabinetandreenergizetocheckifpowerwasgoingtothefuseblock,for bonding,whichiswhythisbookneedsto
instance.Fusescanbecheckedwhenpowerisdown,ofcourse,admitsWoodring.But beinthehands...
therearejustsomeinstanceswheretherearethingstocheckwhenit'senergized.
ChangestoTheNEC2014
Anarcflashanalysismustbeperformedpriortoallowingpersonneltoworkonenergized Don'tletthescaleofthecodechanges

equipmentorevenwhenperformingavoltagechecktoconfirmdeenergization.The intimidateyou,thisbookwillgetyouup
tospeedonthemostessential...
analysisdefinestheflashprotectionboundarydistanceandthetypeofpersonal
protectiveequipment(PPE)required.OnthedayoftheincidentinHarrisonville,
WoodringwasnotwearinganyPPE.Thatshouldnothavebeenattemptedwithout BROWSEALLTITLES

properprotectivegearon,hesays.

Protectiverelaysthatdetectarcflashconditionsandsendatripsignaltoacircuitbreaker
tointerruptcurrentcanbeinstalledonelectricalsystems.Theyareofteninstalledin
facilitiesthatmustremainrunning24/7,suchaspowerplantsandindustrialplants.
Someofthesearcflashdetectiondevicesusethearc'sbrightflashagainstit.Whenthe
devices'fiberopticsensordetectstheflashoflightatthesametimeastheovercurrent,
therelayissuesatripsignaltothecircuitbreaker.Thatremovesthevoltageandcurrent
fromthecircuit,which,inturn,reducestheamountofinterimenergyfromthearcflash.

Thesedevicesdon'teliminatetheuseofPPE,buttheyreducethecategoryrequiredby
NFPA70E,StandardforElectricalSafetyintheWorkplace,whichiswidelycitedby
OSHAandcoverssafetyrelatedworkpractices,includingemployeetraining,hazard/risk
evaluation,establishingelectricallysafeworkconditions,establishingapproach
boundaries,andselectingandusingPPEandflameresistant(FR)clothing.AHazard
Category2requireslighterweightPPEthanaHazardCategory4.

WoodringisgoingtobeginrequiringmembersofhiscrewtoweartheproperPPEwhen
they'recheckingequipment.Evenifit'sjustoneset,weneedtohaveit,hesays.That
policywasjustnotinplacebefore,andthat'sunfortunate.PPEshouldbeusednomatter
howwellyouthinkthisisgoingtoworkorhowsecureyouthinkthesystemis.Ifthe
worstthingthathappensissomebodygetshotandsweatyfromhavingthegearon,that's
okay.

Collaborativeeffort

InJanuary2005,theInstituteofElectricalandElectronicsEngineers(IEEE),
Piscataway,N.J.,andtheNFPAformedtheArcFlashCollaborativeResearchProjectto
gaindeeperinsightintoarcflashphenomenaandthehazardstheyposeforthose

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workingonornearelectricalequipmentoperatingatorabove50V.Thiscollaborative
effortbringstogetherthetwoorganizationsthathavebeenattheforefrontofelectrical
safetyissuesand,moreimportantly,thatwillapplytheknowledgegainedtocreate
Signuptoreceiveourfreenewsletters
practicesandstandardsthatenhanceworkplacesafety.
eTrain(BiWeekly)ViewSample
The$6to$7millioninitiativesupportsresearchandadditionaltestingtoincreasethe
ProductNewsWire(Monthly)View
understandingofavarietyofissuesrelated,suchasheatandthermaleffects,blast Sample
pressure,sound,andlightintensity,whichneedfurtherresearchandtestingvalidationto
ElectricalZone(Weekly)ViewSample
providerelevantinformationthatcanbeusedtodevelopsafetystrategiesthatwillprotect
MROInsider(BiWeekly)ViewSample
workers,accordingtotheprogram'sprojectmanager,Dr.WeijenLee,Universityof
Texas,Arlington,andBenJohnson,cochairoftheprogram'sSteeringCommittee,IEEE PQNewsBeat(BiWeekly)View
Sample
LifeFellow,andVPofThermonIndustries,SanMarcos,Texas.
IlluminationInsider(BiWeekly)View
Sample
In2008,fourhighpowertest/laboratoryfacilitiesthreeindependenttestlaboratories
CodeWatch(BiWeekly)ViewSample
andonecorporatesponsoroftheprojectwereselected.Theprojectmanagementteam
identifiedthesethirdpartycertified,independenttestlaboratoriesforqualityassurance, GBiz(Varies)ViewSample

qualifiedpersonnel,previousexperience,andadequatefacilitiesforarcflashtesting.In ElectricalTesting(Monthly)View
Sample
February2010,afifthindependenttestlaboratorywasprequalifiedthroughasimilar
process.Thesetestlaboratorieswereinvitedtosubmittechnicalandcostproposalsfor ECMNECA2016ShowCoverage
(ShowDaily)
RFPsissuedforthearcflashcollaborativeresearchproject. ViewSample

Thefirstroundofscoutingtests,otherwiseknownasPhase1,wasdesignedtocheckthe EMAIL*

instrumentationfunctionality,sensitivity,overallmeasurementaccuracy,repeatabilityof COUNTRY* UnitedStates

experiments,andconsistencyoftestresultswithidenticaltestprotocolsand Enteryouremailabovetoreceivemessagesabout
offeringsbyPenton,itsbrands,affiliatesand/orthird
arrangementsindifferentenvironmentandindependenttestfacilities.Phase1testresults partypartners,consistentwithPentonsPrivacyPolicy.
onheatfluxandthermalenergymeasurementshavebeenverifiedforaccuracyand
conformityandjustified(orcompared)withthevarioustheoreticalmodels.Next,an
expandedsetofsimilartestsforPhaseIIwillfocusonquantifyingthesignificanceof
manyofthevariablesthatinfluencetheenergyofanarcfaultevent,suchasoperating
voltage,3phaseboltedfaultcurrentlevel,airgaplength,typeofenclosures,and
electrodeorientation.
ConnectWithUs
Inordertomaintainconsistency,theprojectmanagersworkedwiththetestfacilities
personneltoverifythetestsetupandwitnessthecalibrationprocedureandtheactual
tests.Itwastheintentionoftheproposedtestingtodiscuss,whenappropriate,withthe
testlaboratoriesinadvanceandensurethatallthetestingisdoneunderexactlysimilar
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LinkedRSS
testsetup.

AnalysesandvalidationoftestresultswereperformedbytheIEEE/NFPAresearchteam
toverifyandcomparewiththebasiccircuittheorymodel,inputoutputcharacteristics,
conservationofenergy,andenergytransfermechanismcomparewithavailable
theoreticaland/orempiricalmodelspublishedintheliteratureforsimilaroperatingand
testingconditionsandcomparetheresultsfromdifferentlaboratoriesforidenticaltests.
Afterpreliminarydataanalysis,theprojectteamhasobservedthatdifferentlabshave
yieldedrelativeconsistentresultswhenconfigurationsareidentical.

ThegoalofthePhaseIItestingistoprovidenewinformationregardingtypicaloperating
rangesamongtheindustry.Duetobudgetandtimeconstraints,itisdifficultifnot
impossibletoperformtestsforallpossibleoperatingconditions.Therefore,theproject
teamhasestablishedabalancedapproachtothedesignofthePhaseIItestplan.
Additionalspottestsmaybeperformedlatertoverify/clarify/confirmthe
results/conclusionofthedataanalysis.Thetestswillincludedifferentlevelsofbolted
faultcurrent,faultduration,andmeasurementdistances.Forinstance,thereare270
testsscheduledfor4,160Valone.Sincethedistancetothebackpanelisanothervariable
thatcanaffecttheincidentenergy,theprojectmanagementteamplanstoperform
selectiveteststoextractthecorrelationbetweentheincidentenergyandthedistanceto
thebackpanel.

Thetestresultsoftheprojectwillprovideinformationthatisexpectedtohelpmore
accuratelypredictthehazardsassociatedwithhighenergyarcingfaultsandthe
accompanyingarcblasts,therebyimprovingelectricalsafetystandardsandproviding
practicalsafeguardsforemployeesintheworkplace.Theproposedresearchandtesting
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planwillfocusonthedevelopmentofphysicsandengineeringbasedmodelingand
testingtovalidatethetheoryrelatedtoheattransferandthermaleffects,arcblast
pressure,sound,andlightintensity.Thiseffortwillincludeboththeopenairarchazard
andtheeffectofenclosurescommonlyfoundinelectricalsystems,suchasswitchgears,
motorcontrolcenters,andpowerpanels.

Thedataandinformationgeneratedbythisprojectwillstrengthenelectricalsafety
standards,IEEE1584,GuideforPerformingArcFlashHazardCalculationsandNFPA
70E.TheIEEE1584Committeewillbeabletousethenewinformationanddatato
expandthecurrentguidelines.ThiswillhelpIEEEprovideguidanceforreengineering
saferelectricalequipmentandsystemsthatreducethepotentialforarcflash,says
Johnson.

Inaddition,theNFPA70ETechnicalCommitteewillusethenewinformationanddata
toenhanceworkpracticerequirementsoutlinedinNFPA70E(NFPA70EProposed
Revisionsonpage26).Thisprogramshouldhaveahugepayoffinpreventing
injuries,saysJohnson.Itwillyieldstandardsfortheindustrial,commercial,andutility
electricpowerindustriesthatmorecloselyreflectarcflashandarcblastexperienceinthe
workplace.Theinformationprovidedbythesetestsandusedinrevisingthesestandards
willallowtheindustrytotakestepstopreventormitigatehazardsandhelpworkers
protectthemselvesagainstthepossibilityofinjury.

Upforadoption

Unfortunately,therearestillsomejurisdictionsintheUnitedStatesthathavenotadopted
codesthatincludereferencetoarcflashmitigation(Maponpage24).Unlessthe
authorityhavingjurisdiction(AHJ)isusingthe2005orlatereditionoftheNEC,you
cannotpushforarcflashprotection,saysLaurelC.Talbot,electricalinspectorand
owner,LightningSurgeProtectionCo.,AppletonCity,Mo.InversionsoftheCodeprior
to2005,arcflashisnotconsideredaproblem,sounlessthelocalmunicipalityacceptsthe
2005or2008NECasitsoperatingcode,facilitiesdon'thavetodoathingaboutarc
flash.

Forinstance,Missouridoesnotadoptanelectricalcodestatewide.Instead,itallowslocal
AHJstodecideonit.InHarrisonville,whereWoodringworks,the2005Codeisstandard.
However,forconstructionatthewastewatertreatmentplant,thefacilityhaschosento
adoptthe2008Code.We'reusingthe2008Code,eventhoughthecityhasadoptedthe
2005Code,Woodringexplains.

Theplanthasaheadworksbuilding,twoaerationbasins,twoclarifiers,andadigester.
Recently,Harrisonvillevotersapproveda$9.7millionbond,issuedtoupgradethe
Harrisonvillesewersystemanda5yrprogramofimprovements,whichissubstantially
complete.

There'sbeenquiteabitofdiscussionaboutarcflash,saysWoodring.Acoupleof
monthsago,evenourelectricsuperintendantsaidwe'regoingtohavetostartusingPPE.
Soeventhoughit'snotinfullforceatthistime,we'reverymuchintheknowandthat's
thedirectionwe'regoing.

Sidebar:NFPA70EProposedRevisions

Currently,proposalsforrevisiontoNFPA70E,StandardforElectricalSafetyinthe
Workplace,areunderconsideration.ProposedchangesacceptedintheReporton
Proposals(ROP)includeaddingcolumnstothehazard/riskcategoryclassificationstable
toprovidethemaximumavailableshortcircuitcurrentandovercurrentprotectivedevice
clearingtimeparametersforeverytaskassociatedwithallequipmentcurrentlycovered,
includingequipmentratedover600V.Acolumnwiththearcflashboundaryforevery
taskhasalsobeenadded.

Inaddition,arevisiontotheequipmentlabelingrequirementhasbeenaccepted.Under
theproposal,equipmentthatmayrequireserviceormaintenancewhileenergizedwould
befieldmarkedwithalabel,includingavailableincidentenergyortheminimumarc

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ratingofprotectiveclothing(butnotboth)aswellasthedateofthemostrecentarcflash
hazardanalysis,thenominalsystemvoltage,andthearcflashboundary.

Currently,NFPA70Edoesnotspecifythatitonlyappliestoalternatingcurrent(AC)
systems.Becauseofitspredominantuse,ACsystemswereusedasthebasisofmanyof
thestandard'srequirements,butproposedchangestothe2012editionofNFPA70Ewill
includethehazardsassociatedwithdirectcurrent(DC)systems.Includedintheaccepted
committeeactionsonDCsystemsafetyrequirementsareactionstoaddaDCapproach
boundarytablesimilartocurrentTable130.2(C)andaDCtasktablesimilartocurrent
Table130.7(C)(9).

RevisionstothedefinitionofaqualifiedpersonintheNationalElectricalCode(NEC)
willincludeDCsystems,particularlyrenewableenergysourcesandfuelcells.Aqualified
person,accordingtotheNEC,isonewhohasskillsandknowledgerelatedtothe
constructionandoperationoftheelectricalequipmentandinstallationsandhasreceived
safetytrainingtorecognizeandavoidthehazardsinvolved.Becausethearticlescovering
therenewableenergysourceshavemanyrequirementsrelatedtotheinstallationofDC
systems,workerswillhavetobetrainedinsafetyrelatedworkpracticesassociatedwith
thesesystems.

Thefirststepinprocessingthe2012editionofNFPA70E,StandardforElectricalSafety
intheWorkplace,hasbeencompleted.TheROPandadraftoftheproposedrevisions
willbeavailableathttp://www.nfpa.org/70EonoraroundJune25.Publiccommentson
thecommittee'sproposedactionsaredueSeptember3.Thereportoncomments(ROC)
willbepostedonoraroundFeb.25,2011,andROCmeetingwilltakeplacefromOctober
2529inSavannah,Ga.TheNoticeofIntenttoMakeaMotion(NITMAM)closingdateis
April8,2011,andthepostingdateisMay6,2011.

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