electrical engineering division Arc Flash Study Planning Kit Everything You Need To Ensure The Success of Your Arc Flash Project

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1 Arc Flash Study Planning Kit Everything You Need To Ensure The Success of Your Arc Flash Project

2 training institute WHAT IS AN ARC FLASH? An arc flash occurs when electric current passes through the air instead of its intended path. The result is extremely high heat that causes severe burns, blinding light, and an explosion causing hearing damage, bodily injury and can be fatal. CONTENTS 4 A Message for Managers 5 Before You Get Started 6 What s the Process 8 Making an Apples to Apples Bid Comparison 9 How to Identify Compliant Labels 10 Template for Soliciting Bids 10 Request Study & Label Samples 11 Arc Flash Questionnaire SHOCK risk assessment? NFPA 70E requires that a shock risk assessment be performed before beginning energized work. AVO includes shock boundries and glove class as part of its arc flash study and are printed on the labels. AVO places a high priority on electrical safety and oers a full package of electrical safety services. why use this kit? This Kit will help you plan and execute a successful Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis, by showing you how to: Build internal support for your analysis Identify the components necessary for compliance Compare bids equally and eectively who is this kit for Managers who are responsible for the safety of personnel in their facilities and OSHA compliance. Managers who are planning to complete an Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis and want to compare the scope of deliverables that assure a comprehensive project outcome. 2 Arc Flash Study Kit

3 what do you need for a successful arc flash risk assessment? The success of your Arc Flash Risk assessment depends on the support of people committed to protecting personnel from arc flash hazards. A narrow focus on costs or short cuts oered by some engineering firms typically comes at the expense of personnel safety. This Planning Kit, provides information to aid you in achieving the following goals: Get Support. From the CEO to the electricians helper, your entire team needs to understand the value of a comprehensive analysis. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Once people understand the injuries and fatalities this study can prevent and the significant financial liabilities, they are more likely to join you in supporting this project. Allocate Resources. Before, during and after. The ability to implement mitigation recommendations, scheduling training, and supporting a strong preventative maintenance program will all contribute to the success of your Analysis AVO Training Institute Arc Flash Study Kit 3

4 training institute Don t let it happen to you Multiple arc flash incidents occur in workplaces across the U.S. every day. The risk of an arc flash explosion occurring at your facility is not negligible. The ongoing trend towards increasing power usage combined with an aging electrical infrastructure actually forecasts greater risk in the near future. The Electrical Power Research Institute estimates direct and indirect costs to an employer from a fatal electrical accident in the millions. This includes: Medical costs Lost productivity Workers compensation Hiring and re-training Equipment replacement Facility repair Insurance premium increases OSHA citations Litigation and punitive damages And in the end, OSHA will enforce compliance, including performing an Arc Flash Risk Assessment, through a succession of inspections that can leave you scrambling. While every facility will have its own unique set of costs, it has been proven, without exception, it is far more expensive to allow one arc flash accident to occur than it is to prevent it. 4 Arc Flash Study Kit

5 before you get started Use this checklist as a guide to avoid Read the current edition of the NFPA Communicate the schedule and common mistakes that can sabotage your 70E. Attend a training course. purpose of the engineering analysis before it even starts. Share Arc Flash Risk Assessment plans with your electrical workers and ask technician who will be performing data collection to all facility personnel. for their feedback. Arrange for special access clearance, Collect existing one-line diagrams. Collect electrical equipment maintenance records. Collect any previous engineering study data - such as short circuit studies, protective device coordination or load flow studies. Confirm the loads are properly identified in the panel board directory to streamline the data gathering process. Select a plant electrician or technician familiar with equipment within the facility to accompany the engineering technician during data collection. as required, to reach areas with electrical equipment. Determine if there are acceptable conditions for the engineering technician to take photographs within your facility. Identify safety requirements specific to your facility that the engineering technician will need to follow during data collection. Select the person who will review the draft Arc Flash Incident Energy Report during the review period Enroll electrical personnel in a NFPA 70E safety course AVO Training Institute Arc Flash Study Kit 5

6 training institute what s the process? start to finish: your arc flash risk assessment step 1 data collection power system modeling short circuit study step 1: data collection Qualified sta must gather data from all applicable electrical equipment. Required information includes: step 2 step 3 Incident Energy Analysis An Incident Energy Analysis is the foundation upon which an accurate Risk Assessment is built. Once you have the Incident Energy Analysis you can complete your Risk Assessment and provide proper PPE and work practices for your workers. Data from the utility, including available fault current, operating voltage, and specifics regarding the utility s protective equipment at the point of service Specifics for each protective device in the electrical system, including manufacturer, model, available time/current settings, and short-circuit interrupting rating Transformer impedance, tap settings and ratings Conductor specifics, including lengths, sizes, and types of all overhead lines, bus ducts, and cables AVO Electrical Engineering Division adheres to a standardized process in performing every Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis. This correlates with IEEE Standard 1584, Chapter 4 and IEEE Prior to beginning the actual study, we will hold a project meeting (via conference call or on site) with all personnel who will be involved, to establish roles, responsibilities and the plan for data gathering. A standard analysis will apply to three phase equipment rated 240 volts or greater and rated lower than 240 volts when served from a transformer 125 kva and larger.* You will need to determine if you want an expanded scope that includes all 208 volt or DC equipment, or if you want a single phase analysis. step 2: power system modeling One line diagrams must be developed or updated to show the current configuration and modes of operation for the power system. Accurate electrical system drawings are necessary to identify power sources, voltage levels, electrical equipment and protective devices. If you already have one-line diagrams, we will update the data and work from them, if possible. We use SKM Power Tools for Windows, ETAP, ARC Pro and other available engineering software. step 3: short circuit study A short circuit study is required to determine the magnitude of current flowing throughout the power system at critical points at various time intervals after a fault occurs. These calculations will be used to determine the bolted fault current, which is essential for the calculation of incident energy and interrupting ratings of your equipment. Comparison of equipment ratings with calculated short circuit and operating conditions will identify underrated equipment. We perform this study in accordance with ANSI Std. C37 and IEEE Std (Red Book). The entire project will be performed under the supervision of a Registered Professional Engineer (PE). * IEEE 1584 working group is considering changes for its next revision. 6 Arc Flash Study Kit

7 step 4 step 5 step 6 step 7 protective device coordination arc flash calculations reporting label installation step 4: protective device coordination A protective device coordination should be performed to ensure selection and arrangement of protective devices limits the eects of an overcurrent situation to the smallest area. Results will be used to make recommendations for mitigation of arc flash hazards. Although this is an optional study, arc flash mitigation cannot be performed without completing this step. We perform this study in accordance with IEEE Std (Bu Book). step 5: arc flash calculations These calculations are based on available short circuit current, protective device clearing time and distance from the arc. Calculations of incident energy levels and flash protection boundaries will be completed for all relevant equipment busses. The magnitude of arc hazards are determined using methods from NFPA 70E, IEEE 1584 or NESC Tables and 410 2, as applicable. step 6: reporting Upon completion of the calculations, we will prepare your Arc Flash Hazard Analysis Report. This will be supplied to you for a short review period, during which your team can review mitigation recommendations. At this point, we can hold a Management Summary meeting to interpret the report results. Upon approval, we will provide a final report and full sized one-line diagrams, stamped by our Registered PE. The drawings and report will also be supplied to you in a digital format. So how long is this going to take? Duration is aected by the type of equipment and other conditions, but through experience we have established the following Project Duration Formula: 3.2x 100 = y where x = the quantity of components in your power system (phase equipment rated 240 volts or greater and three phase equipment rated lower than 240 volts when served from a 125+ kva transformer) and where y = the estimated duration of the project (in days) step 7: label installation We will generate and install arc flash hazard warning labels. These labels identify incident energy and working distance, nominal system voltage, and the arc flash boundary. In addition to standard requirements, our labels also include Limited, Restricted and Prohibited approach boundaries, date, upstream protective device and recommended personal protection equipment. We can also provide bolted fault current if desired. We provide labels that are compliant with NFPA 70E 130.5(D), NEC and ANSI Z AVO Training Institute Arc Flash Study Kit 7

8 making an apples to apples bid comparison training institute Comparing Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis bids can be confusing. If your prices are widely varied, very likely so are the deliverables you re getting with each. Use the following chart to compare SCOPE avo BID 2 BID 3 Field Data Collection * Analysis of Equipment Less Than 240v Available Power System Modeling Short Circuit Study Identify Underrated Equipment Protective Device Coordination Non-Commercial Mitigation Recommendations Determine Incident Energy Levels Determine Flash Protection Boundaries Arc Flash Report Draft Review Period Interim Review by Professional Engineer Print Arc Flash Labels Produce Full-sized One-Line Diagrams Final Report Stamped by Professional Engineer Installation of Arc Flash Labels * Final Report, One-lines and Digital Files Delivered ** * Data collection and installation of labels can be completed by your Qualified personnel or by AVO Electrical Engineering Division. ** You may also want to consider both AVO s NFPA 70E training and a Data Maintenance Plan. 8 Arc Flash Study Kit

9 how to identify compliant labels keeping compliant labels This is an example of an arc flash hazard warning label produced by AVO Engineering Division. Every characteristic of this label is intentional and serves a purpose. When selecting a provider, you should ensure the labels meet the following minimum compliance requirements. AVO Engineering Division provides the following optional information: inventory identifiers, bus numbers, bolted fault current, and approach boundaries. Labels can also be customized to reflect your internal Risk Assessment and PPE policies. Once your compliant labels are installed, it s not over. NFPA 70E requires that your labels be updated when you make major equipment or system changes and at a minimum of every 5 years. AVO Engineering Division oers a lowcost Data Maintenance Plan that will keep your labels in compliance. NFPA 70E 130.5(D) Requirements Nominal voltage ANSI Z535 Requirements Orange header with warning symbol WARNING text nec (A) Requirements (Optional) Maximum available fault current Arc Flash boundary Font and label size Date Hazard level indicator, only one of the following is necessary: Incident energy and working distance Clothing arc rating and required PPE Site specific levels of PPE White with black text (or reverse) Resistant to environment nec Requirements Label placement nfpa 70E Requirements Limited approach boundary Restricted approach boundary 2012 AVO Training Institute Arc Flash Study Kit 9

10 training institute A Template for Soliciting Bids An Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis is a complex project and we understand that you may need to compare multiple providers. Putting together a Request for Proposals can be time consuming. Based on our experience we ve developed a template to help you avoid known problems that arise from incomplete RFP s. This 14 page Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis Request for Proposal template includes the following sections: Project Objective Provider Qualifications & Experience Detailed Scope of Work with Deliverables Pricing Criteria Evaluation Criteria If you need assistance customizing this RFP or have any questions regarding the contents, please contact Leisa Foutch at leisa.foutch@avotraining.com or Download the Word document documents/avotraining/rfp.doc Request Report & Label Sample It is always a good idea to request samples of the Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis Report from each potential provider. While this Report is based on technical data, you need to ensure that the report uses language and formatting that will be easily understood by all relevant personnel. Besides the results from each part of the study, the report should include: An executive summary with concise findings and recommendations The methodology used The input data used, including any assumptions in calculations Protective device time current curves We consider samples of our reports and one-line diagrams propriety information. For this reason, we will want to speak with you about your project before sending you samples. Contact R. Dee Jones, PE Direct: Ext dee.jones@avotraining.com Fax Arc Flash Study Kit

11 Arc Flash Questionnaire The duration and cost of your arc flash project is directly related to the size and complexity of your power system. However, many facilities don t have up-to-date one line diagrams. We can use the following information to quote your project. Please complete this page for each facility you would like quoted. it to dee.jones@avotraining.com or fax it to to receive a proposal. Name: Facility: Company: Phone: Date: Download the Word document documents/avotraining/afq.doc 1. How many three phase transformers do you have with a 480 volt secondary rating? What is the kva size of each transformer? 5. How many motor control centers do you have? How many buckets do you have in the motor control centers? Do not include spares. 2. How many three phase transformers do you have with a 208 volt secondary rating? What is the kva size of each transformer? 6. How many three phase bus ducts do you have? 3. How many three phase 480 volt panelboards, switchboards, etc. do you have? On average, how many three phase breakers are in them? Don t include spares. 7. How many bus plugs do you have in the bus ducts? 4. How many three phase 208 volt panelboards, switchboards, etc. do you have? On average, how many three phase breakers are in them? Don t include spares. 8. How many power factor correction capacitors do you have? 2012 AVO Training Institute Arc Flash Study Kit 11

12 R. Dee Jones, pe AVO Engineering Division Manager , ext Fax