EasyPower^® Tutorial - Arc Flash Hazard Analysis

This tutorial demonstrates how to use several of EasyPower’s arc flash analysis features. EasyPower ArcFlashä is integrated with the program’s short circuit analysis feature, so the interfaces are similar.

Short Circuit Focus

To perform an arc flash analysis, you must be in the Short Circuit focus.

1. Open the Protection-1.dez file in your Samples directory.
2. Click Short Circuit to open the Short Circuit focus.

Tip: Hold down the mouse wheel while dragging to move the view of the one-line. You can roll the mouse wheel or use the zoom controls in the lower right side of the window to control how large the one-line items appear.

Calculating Arc Flash Hazards and Currents

1. Click Arc Flash.
2. Click Fault Bus(es). The program displays the arc flash boundaries (AFB), incident energies, and recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) for operation near the energized buses in the system. For example, a PPE requirement of three (3) is recommended (based on IEEE 1584) for any person working within 18 inches of energized SWG‑4.

Figure 1: Arc Flash Results on the One-line

Detailed Output and the Spreadsheet

1. Click SC Options in the ribbon. In the Short Circuit Options dialog box, select the Arc Flash Hazard tab.

   

   Figure 2: Short Circuit Options - Arc Flash Hazards

2. Under Worst Case Arc Flash Hazards, change the Output to Detailed, and then click OK.
3. Double-click on SWG-4 to fault the bus, and then click Arrange for Arc Flash or press F8 to view the Arc Flash Hazard Report. You can also select Arc Flash Hazard Report under the Window button to display the report.

   
   

   Figure 3: Arc Flash Hazard Spreadsheet Output

   A more detailed set of arc flash results is provided for the arcing fault. The results on the downstream feeder breakers represent the hazards one would incur when working just downstream of those breakers.

Now, try experimenting with the spreadsheet and arc flash options.

Note: To access the Short Circuit and Arc Flash Options, the one-line must be active. To activate the one-line, select Protection-1 from the Window button.

Arc Flash Hazard Labels

Printing Arc Flash Labels

You can print arc flash labels from the Arc Flash Hazard Report. Right-click on a spreadsheet row and select either Print Label for Current Device or Print Label for All Devices.

Note: This feature is not available in the Demo version.

For further details regarding arc flash hazard labels including label printing options and customizable label options, refer to the "Arc Flash Hazard Analysis" topic in Help.

Creating Energized Electrical Work Permits

You can create a work permit, as follows:

1. On the one-line, right-click on SWG-4 and select Arc Flash Work Permit.
2. In the Work Task Dialog, select the Work on Live Parts check box, and then click OK.

EasyPower opens Microsoft Word and displays a work permit with data based on calculated arc flash hazards and the selected work task.

Note: In the Demo version, you cannot select a work task, and only a sample work permit is created.

Some items to note:

• Work permits can be quickly created for each bus in EasyPower. You can automatically create a hyperlink for the work permit and associate it with the equipment item by selecting the check box in the Work Task Dialog. The hyperlink is available in the equipment's data dialog box on the Hyperlinks tab.
• You can customize the work permit template. The default template is named WPTemplate.docx and can be modified using Microsoft Word. You can create a custom template with a new name, if desired, and specify the new template in Tools > Options > File Locations. See "Editing Work Permits" in Help for more information.
• You can customize the Work Task Dialog information by modifying the Stdlib.mdb library in EasyPower.

Coordination Integration

To perform coordination integration, do the following:

1. Click Coordination.
2. Click SC Options, and select the Arc Flash Hazard tab.
3. In Arc Flash Hazard Options, under Worst Case Arc Flash Hazards, change Output to Including Main, and then click OK.
4. Click Open TCC. In the Open TCC dialog box, select TCC-1 and click Open.
5. Click Arc Flash. The arc flash results appear on the TCC one-line.
6. Drag the short-time delay of the purple BL-1 SST curve (on the right) up and down. (See figure below)

   
   

   Figure 4: Coordination Integration in EasyPower

   
   
7. Observe that the arc flash results automatically update at the lower section of the one-line. This provides a useful demonstration of the influence that the settings of protective devices have on arc flash hazards.
8. To close the TCC window, click on the lower on the top right corner of the window.

User-Defined Times

1. On the EasyPower one-line, click Database Edit to open the Database Edit focus. Double-click SWG-4. In the Bus Data dialog box, select the Arc Flash Hazard tab.
2. In the Trip Times for this Bus list, select User Defined Times.
3. Fill in the device clearing times. Up to four device clearing times can be user-specified for each bus.

4. Note: EasyPower strongly recommends that arc flash calculations be performed using the actual protective device clearing times. This is automatic if you own EasyPower’s coordination program PowerProtector™ and have entered protective device data for each device.

Conclusion

This has been a brief overview of EasyPower’s Arc Flash Hazard program. The EasyPower User Guide and Help system cover these and other arc flash features in greater depth.