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PE required in California?
https://brainfiller.com/arcflashforum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1569
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Author:  chris [ Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:33 pm ]
Post subject:  PE required in California?

Hi everyone,

I am a new poster, but have been lurking these boards for a while now. My question is whether or not I am required to have a PE perform an arc flash study at my power plant in the State of California. I have been looking all over the place online, but cannot seem to find a straight answer. Our company has access to ArcPro, but none of the engineers on staff have performed an arc flash study before.

On a separate note, does anyone know if there have been any developments in arc flash boundaries for HVDC? We have +/- 200 kV DC lines on-site, and there has been quite a bit of contention regarding what the appropriate boundaries are. Obviously ArcPro doesn't really work for HVDC, and I have seen a bit of head scratching when it comes to scaling up DC boundaries past 600V. Any help here on either topic is appreciated!

Author:  jghrist [ Fri Mar 04, 2011 6:44 am ]
Post subject: 

Check the California website for the PE licensing board. It probably has copies of relevant laws and regulations. Probably the answer is "yes, you do need a PE or must work under the supervision of a PE" because performing an arc flash study is practicing engineering, but there may be utility exemptions.

I don't thing that ARCPRO would be the appropriate method for most power plant calculations. ARCPRO is appropriate for open air Ø-grd arcs. It would be appropriate in the powerplant outdoor substation yard and connecting overhead lines. For enclosed equipment inside the plant, I believe IEEE 1584 calculations would be more appropriate.

Author:  wbd [ Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:40 am ]
Post subject: 

jghrist wrote:
I don't thing that ARCPRO would be the appropriate method for most power plant calculations. ARCPRO is appropriate for open air Ø-grd arcs. It would be appropriate in the powerplant outdoor substation yard and connecting overhead lines. For enclosed equipment inside the plant, I believe IEEE 1584 calculations would be more appropriate.



I agree that a software package that uses the IEEE 1584 calcs would be more appropriate for a power plant. When I was working at a utility I used EasyPower for inside the power plants as there was very little guidance in NESC for voltages less than 1000V, which covers the auxiliary systems in a power plant.

Author:  chris [ Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:01 pm ]
Post subject: 

Thanks for the replies. The information posted has definitely helped out.

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