Arc flash analysis: Investigation, simulation and sensitive parameter exploration

This paper conducts an investigation on the sensitivity of incident energy to critical arc flash parameters. In order to perform such task, the authors explore the causes of arc flash by presenting the underlying concepts associated with short-circuit fault analysis, and use these concepts to model and simulate arc flash scenarios by employing IEEE 1584 standard. An electrical system representative of a small industrial plant is modeled and simulated using ETAP software. Then, arc flash analyses are performed on the system and the effect of incident energy on various parameters is presented and discussed. The results of this work could inform field personnel of the concepts and sensitive parameters associated with arc flash analyses with the intention of allowing them to quickly and safely recognize methods for incident energy mitigation.