History of Arcing Short Circuit Calculations – 1980’s to Now: One of the main variables used for incident energy and arc flash boundary calculations is the arcing short circuit current. How the arcing current is calculated has gone through an evolution beginning back in the 1980’s up through today. The…
Arc Flash, Second Degree Burns (My Wife and a Chili Cookoff): Yes, you read the title correctly – Second degree burns, my wife and a chili cookoff! And it all took place at home. But, before I get into that story, let me back up a bit. Standards such as NFPA…
125 kVA – Going, going, gone! After much speculation about the fate of the 125 kVA transformer “exception”, the 2018 Edition of IEEE 1584 – IEEE Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations has finally been published and made it official.
Don’t Automatically Reset a Circuit Breaker that Trips!: The circuit breaker just tripped. Production is down, alarms are sounding in the background. Panic time. For many, this scenario would mean quickly re-set the circuit breaker and “see what happens.” Not the best idea – the question needs to…
When the topic of incident energy above 40 calories per square centimeter (cal/cm^2) comes up, the discussion can be quite interesting. People will sometimes refer to the high values in terms of a bomb or some other sensationalized description. Although…
Almost half of the pages in the 2018 edition of NFPA 70E are devoted to 17 informative annexes. Even though technically the annexes are not part of the mandatory text, there is an incredible amount of additional information, examples and…
Global Use of IEEE 1584: IEEE 1584 – It’s a Small World The world’s electrical systems do not discriminate when it comes to electrical safety. Electric shock, electrocution and arc flash hazards can occur anywhere on the planet that has electricity. An interesting side note…
New Exception 130.5(H) Exception No. 2 – Arc Flash Hazard Label Information May Not Be Required. It is amazing how the requirements for arc flash labeling have evolved with each new edition of NFPA 70E. Known as Arc Flash Warning…
The 2018 Edition of NFPA 70 provides a new definition for the term “Condition of Maintenance” : BUY NOW: 2018 NFPA 70E Changes Part 1 The state of the electrical equipment considering the manufacturers’ instructions, manufacturers’ recommendations, and applicable industry…
Jim Phillips, P.E. One word. Deadly! If someone performs energized electrical work without being properly trained, the results can be catastrophic – and deadly! I have seen this play out regularly during accident investigations and legal cases. The victim was…
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