High Voltage Arc Flash Assessment and Applications

This paper explores the need for High Voltage Arc Flash (HVAF) Assessment for utility workers who are exposed to line to line voltages above 15kV. The regulatory requirements will be discussed including OSHA, NESC, and others, to get an understanding of how utilities consider HV Arc Flash. Furthermore, the methods for evaluating high voltage arc flash, key driving factors, and rule of thumbs, and HVAF personal protective equipment will be discussed and compared in great detail to aid in the selection of a thermal incident energy evaluation method. The paper includes an example application of High Voltage Arc Flash Assessment using various commercially-available software. This example illustrates the importance of performing a HV Arc Flash Assessment for utility applications and highlight the differences between thermal incident energy evaluation methods and how they can be conservatively applied for situations outside their intended application range.