SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ARC FLASH HAZARD ASSESSMENT

摘要

An arc flash hazard assessment method includes storing electrical equipment data in memory, defining an arc flash model function based on the data, and estimating the model function based on a weighted average of interpolated and extrapolated values. The electrical equipment data may include an operating voltage, a fault current, and a clearing time. The model function is defined for at least three reference voltages V1, V2 and V3, with the interpolated value at operating voltage V, between voltages V1 and V2, and the extrapolated value from reference voltages V2 and V3. At the arc flash protection boundary, the estimated model function has a predefined incident energy value of 1.2 cal/cm2 (or about 5.02 J/cm2), or less.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method of arc flash hazard assessment, the method comprising:
storing field data in memory, the field data comprising at least an operating voltage, a fault current, and a clearing time for electrical equipment including a potential arc flash source; and with a computer processing system in signal communication with the memory:
defining an arc flash assessment model for an arc flash at the arc flash source based on the field data, the arc flash assessment model including an incident energy function determined for at least three reference voltages V1, V2 and V3;interpolating the incident energy function between reference voltages V1 and V2 to define an interpolated value at the operating voltage;extrapolating the incident energy function from reference voltages V2 and V3 to define an extrapolated value at the operating voltage;estimating a value of the incident energy function at a working distance from the arc flash source, based on a weighted average of the interpolated and extrapolated values; andoutputting the estimated value of the incident energy function to a user interface.