IEEE 1584-2002 arc modeling debate

Both the IEEE 1584-2002 statistical and Wilkins' semi- empirical arc models can accurately predict arc current and incident energies. The Wilkins model appears to be a better arc model because the formulation is based on physical observations, and the major parameters affecting arc current and incident energy are identified and quantified. The Wilkins model also predicts arc current and especially incident energy with less error than the IEEE 1584-2002 model. The IEEE 1584-2002 model demonstrates that accurate statistical models can be developed. A good application for statistical arc modeling lies in the development of simple, robust models. Statistics can be used to effectively develop models when they are formulated for subsets, such as the simple energy predictor, instead of universal application. Simple statistical models may also be a good choice when data patterns are somewhat chaotic.