Published by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Titled

Componen
Published by the InstituteInformation

of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and titled "Guide to
Required
t
Performing Arc Flash Calculations," IEEE 1584 provides empirical formulas for determining
SC contribution
arcing fault current, flash protection boundaries, and incident energy. The formulas are
Utility
valid Initial
for systems voltage
ranging from 208 V to 15 kV. Theoretical formulas are provided for
X/R 3-phase
conditions outside this range.
Nominal kVA
IEEE 1584 Arc Flash Calculation Analysis
TransformePrimary Voltage
rs Secondary Voltage
Process %Z Impedance
Size (AWG)
IEEE 1584 establishes a nine-step process for gathering information and calculating arcflash
Length
hazards. The steps are:
Conductors Qty. per phase
Conductor material
Duct material
Model
Trip or sensor setting
The following information

Breakers is as it applies to the
particular breaker:
Plug, LTPU, LTD, STPU,
STD, and INST
Model
Fuses
Trip
Motors Nominal HP
1. Collect electrical system data

Collecting system data is the most difficult and time-intensive step in performing an arc
flash hazard analysis, but accurate information is vital to correctly calculating flash
boundaries. A relatively small error at this point can invalidate all further arc flash
calculations. An IEEE paper* lists the minimum information that should be gathered, as
shown in the table at right.
Information collected should be recorded on a one-line diagram of the facility's electrical

system. This diagram should be updated whenever modifications are made to the system.
2. Determine modes of operation

Many electrical systems, especially in smaller facilities, have only a single mode of operation.
In large facilities, however, it is common to find a number of operating modes, possibly
including: emergency modes in which only backup generators provide power; multiple utility
sources or generators that are switched in or out; and motors or portions of the system that
may start or cease operation. All of these different modes cause changes in current at
various points in the system, altering incident energy and flash boundaries.
3. Determine bolted fault currents

The bolted fault current is the current that would flow through a short circuit consisting of
two conductors bolted together. It is the maximum current available to flow through a short
circuit. This information is used to calculate the arc fault currents. Bolted fault currents
should be determined for each piece of equipment likely to require maintenance or
inspection while energized.
4. Determine arc fault currents

The current that flows through an arcing fault is usually significantly less than the bolted
fault current, due to greater resistance. Arc fault current calculations are based on voltage,
bolted fault current, conductor gap distance, and other factors. IEEE 1584 presents two
formulas for calculating arc fault currents, one for use with 0.208-1 kV systems, and the
other for systems between 1 and 15 kV.
For systems between 0.208 and 1 kV:
lg Ia = K + 0.662(lg Ibf) + 0.0966(V) + 0.000526(G) + 0.5588(V)(lg Ibf) - 0.00304(G)(lg Ibf)
For systems between 1 and 15 kV:
lg Ia = 0.00402 + 0.983(lg Ibf)
where Ia = arc fault current in kA; K = -0.153 for open-air arcs and -0.097 for enclosed arcs; Ibf
= 3-phase bolted fault current in kA; V = voltage in kV; G = conductor gap in mm
Get your Free Arc Flash Energy

Guide!
Calculating arc flash energy is complicated.
Great training resource!
5. Determine protective device characteristics and

duration of arcs
The time-current curves of upstream protective devices are the major factor in determining
how long an arc-fault will last. An effort should be made to determine the actual settings
rather than relying on standard values, as these may cause incident energy to vary greatly.
Another consideration when analyzing protective devices is that incident energy depends on
Typical bus
Equipment
both class
fault current and time. Since protective devices are slower at lower currents, minimum
distance, in mm
fault currents often pose the worst-case arc flash scenario.
Open air 10-40
Low-V switchgear 32
15 kV switchgear 152
5 kV switchgear 104
Low-V MCCs and
25
panel boards
Cable 13
6. Document voltages and equipment classes

Voltage and equipment class determine what equation should be used to find the flash
boundary, as well as the bus gap distances required by the equations. Systems operating at
<1 kV use a different equation than those operating between 1 kV and 15 kV. In addition,
IEEE 1584 recognizes six equipment classes, as shown in the table at the right. The bus
distances used to help determine the arcing fault current.
7. Establish working distances

The working distance is the distance from a potential arc source to a worker's face and
chest. It is a critical quantity in determining the flash hazard boundary, as even an increase
of a few inches in working distance can cause a significant drop in incident energy. 18 inches
is the working distance most commonly assumed in calculations, but efforts should be
made to determine actual working distances. Some usual working distances are shown in
the table at right.
Working
Equipment class
distance
Low-voltage switchgear 24"
15 kV/5 kV switchgear 36"
Low-voltage MCCs and
18"
panel boards
Cables 18"
8. Determine incident energies

Incident energy is defined in NFPA 70E as "the amount of energy impressed on a surface, a
certain distance from the source, generated during an electrical arc event." In an arc flash
hazard study, the "surface" is the worker's body at the assumed working distance. Incident
energy is expressed in calories/cm2. IEEE 1584 uses the following formulas:
(1) E = 4.184(Cf)(En)(t/0.2)(610x/Dx)
where E = incident energy in joules/cm2; Cf is a calculation factor (1.0 for voltages above 1 kV,
and 1.5 for voltages below 1 kV); En = normalized incident energy (from equation (2) below); t
= arc duration in seconds; D = distance from arc in mm; x = distance exponent (see table
below)
Equipment Type D (Distance Exponent)

Open air 2.0
Low-voltage (.208-1 kV) switchgear 1.473
High-voltage (1-15 kV) switchgear 0.973
Low-voltage MCCs and panels 1.641
Cables 2.0
(2) lg En = K1 + K2 + 1.081(lg Ia) + 0.0011(G)
where En = energy normalized for distance of 610 mm and arc duration of 0.2 seconds, in
joules/cm2; K1 = -0.792 for open-air arcs and -0.555 for enclosed arcs; K2 = 0 for
ungrounded/high-Z systems and -0.113 for grounded systems; G = arc gap in mm; Ia =
predicted 3-phase arc fault current in kA
9. Determine Flash Protection Boundary (FPB)

The FPB is the distance at which incident energy is 1.2 cal/cm2, which is the amount of heat
needed to cause second-degree burns. The IEEE formula for calculating FPB is
DB = [4.184(Cf)(En)(t/0.2)(610x/EB)]1/x
where EB is the desired incident energy at the boundary (usually 1.2 cal/cm2, but occasionally
set at a value matching proposed PPE rating), with other variables defined as for the
incident energy equations above.
* M. Gibbs, "Arc Flash Boundary Calculations Using Computer Software Tools," presented at
IEEE IAS Annual Meeting, Seattle, 2004.

Published by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Titled

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Published by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Titled

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Published by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Titled

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Componen

Published by the InstituteInformation

The following information

1. Collect electrical system data

Information collected should be recorded on a one-line diagram of the facility's electrical

2. Determine modes of operation

3. Determine bolted fault currents

4. Determine arc fault currents

For systems between 0.208 and 1 kV:

lg Ia = K + 0.662(lg Ibf) + 0.0966(V) + 0.000526(G) + 0.5588(V)(lg Ibf) - 0.00304(G)(lg Ibf)

For systems between 1 and 15 kV:

lg Ia = 0.00402 + 0.983(lg Ibf)

Get your Free Arc Flash Energy

5. Determine protective device characteristics and

6. Document voltages and equipment classes

7. Establish working distances

8. Determine incident energies

Equipment Type D (Distance Exponent)

(2) lg En = K1 + K2 + 1.081(lg Ia) + 0.0011(G)

9. Determine Flash Protection Boundary (FPB)

You might also like