Arc Flash – IEEE 1584-2018, NFPA 70E 2018, & OSHA Final Rule Highlights and Arc Flash Mitigation Technologies

According to NFPA 70E, arc flash incidents occur five to ten times each day. The occurrence of an arc flash is the most serious fault within a power system. The destructive impacts of an arc flash event can lead to severe injuries of operating personnel, costly damage of the switchgear, and to long outages of the system. Active arc elimination systems can mitigate the above-named consequences. They extinguish an internal arc by redirecting the uncontrolled energy release into a defined and controlled bolted connection of all 3 phases to earth potential. Arc elimination devices are designed to detect and quench a of protection for personnel and equipment. This paper encompasses the highlights of OSHA's Final Rule (forecasted to save 20 lives annually) that became a law in July, 2014 and a general overview of different arc flash protection devices available on the market. The Final Rule introduced new language, methods of calculations, and deadlines. Also included are the highlights of the changes in IEEE 1584-2018 which is the Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations and NFPA 70E 2018 which is Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. A portion of this paper was presented at IEEE PCIC Technical Conference in 2017 at Calgary, Alberta.