Thought leadership
White paper
Understanding current standards can
protect switchgear users from the risks
of internal arc flash events
Electrical workplace safety has always been a critical issue
for both manufacturers and users of electrical equipment.
It is only more recently, however, that one particular aspect
of safetyprotection from internal arc flash faultshas
been receiving the attention it deserves. Although the
probability of an internal arc fault is low, the impact of
an arc flash event is devastating. In todays market, where
safety and avoiding downtime are paramount, more users
value the importance of internal arc testing.
Example of one of the hazards of an arc flash event
Overview
In order to assist the users decision-making process when
assessing switchgear this paper looks at current IEC standards and
technical reports; IEC 61439 relates to electrical safety in general
and IEC/TR 61641 addresses arc flash testing in particular. It shows
how IEC/TR 61641 is limited in scope and is not mandatory. This
leads inevitably to manufacturer-specific interpretations. The paper
goes on to discuss how it is possible to allow for the limitations
and uncertainties of IEC/TR 61641 when specifying switchgear
or controlgear assemblies to meet the safety and downtime
expectations of manufacturing processes. In particular, we see how
the highest levels of protection come from a prevention is better
than cure approach used together with intelligence that is now
being embedded into switchgear. It also takes into consideration
the regional variations facing global purchasers.
Arc flash safety is absolutely essential for any organization using
switchgear to handle its electricity distribution. This is simply
because the consequences of an arc flash can be devastating
both for personnel and the entire business. Injuries can include
serious burns, concussion, collapsed lungs, hearing loss and
fractures, and in the worst case, injuries can be fatal. In addition,
the damage to equipment and associated loss of production can
be extremely costly. Awareness of the risk has risen in recent years,
partly driven by a growing dependence on electricity and changes
in general legislation related to protection of personnel.
We first look at the causes and nature of an arc flash event, before
considering the standards available to low voltage (LV) switchgear
manufacturers and users. From this, we discuss the practical ways
in which users can employ these standards, together with the best
available technology, to specify switchgear equipment that meets
their particular safety and downtime expectations.
Arc flash hazard
Internal free burning arcs in LV switchgear such as a motor control
center (MCC) arise when a short circuit occurs and causes a current
to flow through air inside the assembly. This current can flow
between phases, or between phases and the neutral or ground,
or through a combination of all these paths. The amount of energy
released depends on the strength of the current and the length
of time that it flows. The results can be catastrophicthe internal
explosion, consisting of expansion of copper to 67,000 times its
original volume, temperatures at 19,000 C, along with pressure
and sound waves can threaten human life.
Such arcs can result from unfavorable environmental conditions
leading to conductive deposits on isolating support elements. Other
causes can include vermin ingress or the growth of silver or tin
whiskers on exposed conductors. However, a far more likely cause
is human error; from tools or excess material left inside the system
after inspection, maintenance, or testing. In fact, an estimated
70% of arcs arise from human error. If an arc does occur, the most
obvious threat is to any maintenance or operating personnel in close
proximity to the arc event site. In addition to the human impact,
there are business impacts. In an arc event, all affected switchgear
is likely to be permanently damaged. This takes any connected
production equipment out of service even if it is fully operational.
Beyond loss of production, impacts can be felt in the form of
lawsuits, increased insurance costs and lowered common
stock values.
Safety is obviously the most critical issue, and for process industry
applications, downtime is unacceptable. Therefore, the prevention
of arc flash and its consequences is paramount. Every user must
understand all the factors that dictate their switchgears resilience
to arc flash during both operation and maintenance. A natural
reaction is to refer to any relevant standards available. However, this
approach cannot be relied on for a simple one size fits all solution.
Although electrical shock hazard protection is definitively covered by
IEC 61439, the issue of electric arc protection is addressed by IEC/
TR 61641and, as we shall see, this solution is open to
interpretation and is limited in scope.
Product standard IEC 61439
The product standard IEC 61439 is used in testing LV switchgear;
Part 1 (General rules) and Part 2 (Power switchgear and controlgear
assemblies) are applicable. It is a normative standard that focuses on
electrical touch safety and the mechanical ability to withstand short
circuit currents, and the dielectric properties and current tracking by
means of isolation and insulation of live parts
Technical Report IEC/TR 61641
Although IEC 61439 is a mandatory standard for LV switchgear
testing, it does not consider the effects of an arc flash. However,
IEC/TR 61641 is an addition to IEC 61439 that includes internal
arc testing for enclosed LV switchgear and controlgear assemblies
where doors and covers are closed and correctly secured. It
assesses safety for personnel and protection for the assembly itself.
As a Technical Report (TR) rather than a standard, it is not a
mandatory test procedure, but only a guide for testing under arcing
conditions. It requires the users consent for the way the tests
should be performed and how the results should be interpreted.
Users want to be sure that their equipment is safe, reliable, and
has high availability. Proving these qualities requires uniform and
representative testing. Uniform refers to an internationally
recognized and standardized test method, while representative
means that the tests simulate the physical effects that would take
place during an internal fault in a real life application. However, the
test specimens required by the TR are fully equipped switchgear
assemblies, while actual applications comprise a wide variety of
configurations. Further variation is created if third-party hardware
is added to the switchgear, and also when application-specific
protection settings are added. Users must be aware of these issues
and confident that their test results sufficiently resemble those that
would be produced by the final configuration.
Another issue with IEC/TR 61641 is that it only applies to static
operating conditions, with all doors and covers closed and correctly
secured. In reality, most incidents occur while operating or as a
result of inspection or maintenance when door covers may be
open. The first five criteria of an IEC/TR 61641 recommended test
assesses the ability of an assembly to limit the risk of personal injury
caused by the mechanical and thermal effects of an internal arcing
fault.
2 EATON Thought leadership White paper
This is achieved if under testing conditions:
1. Doors, covers, or other access points do not open.
2. Parts do not fly off.
3. Arcing does not create holes in the external faces of
the enclosure.
4. Flammable indicators placed around the perimeter of the tested
equipment do not ignite
5. Protective circuits for accessible parts of the enclosure
are still effective.
The sixth and seventh criteria for an IEC/TR 61641 test address
assembly protection and suitability for continued limited operation,
which is achieved when:
6. The arc is confined to a defined area where it ignited, without
propagation to other areas within the assembly.
7. After clearing the fault, or after isolation or disassembly of the
affected functional units in the defined area, emergency
operation of the remaining assembly is possible.
The test takes some arc flashrelated dangers into consideration;
these include the effect of overpressure on doors and covers,
thermal effect on the enclosure, effect of ejected hot gases and
glowing particles, and electrical touch safety. However, it does not
cover damage to internal partitions or other effects that may
constitute a risk, such as toxic gases or noise.
As well as providing this guidance for assessing arc flash effects,
the TR also specifies the characteristics of the arc itself, in terms
of four different arc scenarios: 1) either the arc exists for the full
duration of the applied power, 2) the energy to the arc is interrupted
before the applied power is removed, 3) the arc dies through
self-extinction, or 4) initiating an arc is rendered impossible by
using an arc-free design.
The first scenario involves the maximum amount of energy and
potential for damage to the equipment. In the 300 ms typical of a
test, the complete switchgear assembly can be ruined, while its
supported processes come to a standstill. It must be noted that
complete destruction of the switchgear can be prevented by
adding to the design the capability to interrupt the short circuit
current as soon as possible after ignition, in an effort to limit the
destructive effects to the compartment of origin.
Various methods of achieving this interruption exist. The primary
method involves interrupting the short circuit current by using an
overcurrent protection device. The faster the device can act, the
lower the let through energy available to feed the damaging arc.
Circuit breakers and fuses offer differing levels of performance; a
molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) may take 315 ms to interrupt
the current, while an air circuit breaker (ACB) in instantaneous mode
requires 40 to 50 ms. While fuses act faster than MCCBs or ACBs,
especially with higher kA fault currents, there is no dedicated ms
range for current interruption.
Another interruption method involves arc-quenching devices that
react to the light of an arc flash and overcurrent in the main circuit
and switch the fault current to a controlled circuit. Their total reaction
time depends on the type of circuit breaker and the protective relay
used in the incoming circuit. It should be noted that the efficacy
of this method is entirely dependent on the health of each of its
numerous components.
Another approach is to place barriers and shields in a way that
arcs will self-extinguish within a few milliseconds. This can be
accomplished by placing insulating barriers and shields between
phases and between phases and ground. Arc tests will have to
verify this type of design.
The fourth scenario is based on a fundamentally different concept
centered on prevention rather than cure. Whereas the previous
methods are concerned with minimizing the effect of an arc if it
occurs, this conceptarc-free designexists instead to prevent
an arc from occurring in the first place.
A more recent approach is to build in arc prevention through arc-free
and arc-proof zones. In an arc-free zone, all live parts are fully
insulated, while in an arc-proof zone they are fully enclosed by
segregating barriers. When testing, it is not possible to apply a fuse
wire between any poles and earth to initiate an arc in an arc-free
zone without damaging the insulation system. Under the TRs
guidelines, arc-free zones do not require testing, but arc-proof
zones do.
A well-designed system ensures that the entire area, including
the bus connection and the power connection, all the way to the
breaker, is designed such that an arc will never happen. This paper
represents a very strong argument in favor of users demanding
insulated busbar in switchgear systems.
3
4 most modern systems to be designed with protection against
2
5 6
1 circuit and its resulting arc should trip to clear the fault. If an arc
Arc-free and arc-proof zones
Eatons philosophy is that the best way to mitigate the risks of internal
arcing is to prevent the arc from happening in the first place.
1 Arc-proof connection points and copper bars
2 Arc-free copper bars and connectors
3 Arc-free main busbar system
4 Arc-free distribution busbar system
5 lowest possible level. This is possible using trip units equipped with
Arc-free connection from vertical bus to protective device
6 Arc-proof functional unit
NNote: Zones 1 and 6 have been DEKRA witness tested for forced arc ignition
and passed in categories 1 to 7.
Interpretation of IEC/TR 61641
We have seen how the IEC standard provides a framework for
designing and testing for electrical safety in LV switchgear.
However, we have also seen how the TR has limitations,
with room for interpretation. So what are manufacturers
actually offering in todays market?
Currently, there are now two schools of thought. One embraces the
concept that arcs must be prevented from happening in the first
place, whether the system is in normal operation or under doors
open maintenance or inspection conditions. The other does not
invest heavily in absolute arc prevention, but assures safety through
mitigation techniques that minimize the effects should an arc occur.
With pressures to ensure safety and prevent downtime, process
industries will invest to reduce risk as much as available technology
will allow, and they likely share the view that:
Risk = Probability x Effect (or damage)
To minimize risk, companies will take every possible measure to
eliminate or minimize both its probability and effect. For this reason,
many favor the preventative approach as applied by Eatons new
Power Xpert CXH motor control and power distribution center. The
power path through the Power Xpert CXH MCC can be isolated by
routing it through arc-free and arc-proof zones as described above.
If the entire path is isolated in this way, the MCC becomes an
arc-proof assembly. This approach also has the advantage that it
does not introduce a risk of over-protection causing nuisance
tripping of protective devices.
Manufacturers offering systems that are arc-proof, not arc-free,
need to provide evidence through testing that the areas indicated as
arc-proof are, in fact, arc-proof. It is best for the user to specify that
evidence is needed that all arc-proof areas have been tested.
Safety during maintenance
Alongside the possibility of an arc during normal operation, arcs can
occur during or after maintenance. It is, however, possible for the
maintenance arcs that are often attributable to human error.
One problem for electrical maintenance personnel is that switchgear
maintenance is not covered in IEC/TR 61641, which only deals with
normal operation where the cabinet doors are closed. Another
problem is that when conducting maintenance, in an effort to
maintain production uptime, operators frequently dont want to
shut down an entire panel. This can present a potentially
dangerous situation where personnel may work on partially
energized equipment.
In modern systems, if an arc occurs, short circuit protection devices
shut the power off. These devices are cascaded from the main
incoming breaker on the main distribution board to incomers on
sub-distribution boards to MCCs and to individual outgoing circuits.
In a well-coordinated system, the circuit breaker closest to a short
occurs at the load side of a MCCB, the MCCB will trip within a few
milliseconds and limit the available energy. Systems like the Power
Xpert CXH are designed to withstand the let-through energy
and meet IEC/TR 61641 in normal operating conditions, with
closed doors.
If the arc is not on the load side of the MCCB, but on the line side,
the incoming air circuit breaker might be expected to trip much
more slowly (up to 500 ms), letting through much more destructive
energy. The damage that can be caused by the thermal energy of an
arc flash of 300 ms duration is comparable to the explosion of a
hand grenade.A
Modern switchgear is designed to provide additional means to deal
with these situations. As an example, during maintenance, a properly
equipped air circuit breaker can be set to trip faster than the
standard instantaneous setting and limit the let-through energy to its
an Arcflash Reduction Maintenance SystemE.
Arcflash Reduction Maintenance System
reduces available incident energy
A http://www.esfi.org/index.cfm/page/Arc-Flash-Awareness/pid/10862
EATON Thought leadership White paper 3
As operators will testify, while a system is being maintained, one With the C445 motor management relay, Eatons Power Xpert CXH
of the most critical moments is when an outgoing unit is being MCC can be integrated into plant-wide monitoring and control
re-inserted and connected to power. In this example, maximum schemes. The range of integration possibilities includes all varieties
safety can be achieved if the outgoing compartments are shielded of PLCs and DCS systems through networking protocols including
from one another so that an arc in one compartment does not travel ModbusT RTU, PROFIBUST, Modbus TCP, and EtherNet/IP.
to another.
Conclusions
IEC/TR 61641 criterion 6 allows switchgear manufacturers to specify
the defined area to which an arc must be contained. The very We have seen how IEC/TR 61641 provides the guidelines for testing
safest systems are designed so that a single functional compartment for arc flash protection, yet it does not provide a set of mandatory
(i.e., a withdrawable motor starter) is the defined area according or definitive tests. It also does not cover arc flashes that can occur
to IEC/TR 61641. Importantly, specifiers and operators need to be during open door maintenance operations. Instead, for the safety
aware that some systems may have an entire switchgear structure of their personnel and equipment, users must ensure that their
or section defined as its functional unit, which may not meet the equipment has been tested to the applicable standards.
expectations of the user.
Understanding current standards makes it possible to better
One other factor to consider is that the sealing of functional units specify equipment that meets or exceeds the requirements of IEC/
has a negative effect on thermal behavior. The more you seal, the TR 61641. Of course, real-world applications are subject to both
hotter the equipment becomes. To achieve the best combination of environmental and human interaction factors; therefore, it is difficult
thermal performance and safety, heat build-up and dissipation should to claim that the risk of an arc flash has been completely eliminated.
be considered from the design of the components to the design Nevertheless, this ideal state of zero risk can be approached by
of the system. Users should consider specifying defined areas for specifying the correct equipment. Users deserve equipment that has
confining arc faults while understanding what the implications are been subjected to suitable test procedures and carries the testing
on the thermal performance of the system. agency documentation to prove it.
The final point to consider related to safety and maintenance is that
the most critical moment after maintenance is when the functional
unit is reinstalled and powered up again. In conventional systems,
the operator has to open the functional unit compartment door in
order to insert the drawer. With the compartment door open,
electrical contact is made while the user is reinserting the drawer
and standing in front of the switchgear. If an arc occurs at that
moment, on the line side of the outgoing breaker, the arc explosion
can be catastrophic as the user is exposed to the full force of
the impact.
The best design for safety is to be able to insert the drawer with no
electrical contact, close and lock the door, and then rack the drawer
into its service position. The ability to rack behind a closed door
ensures the safest possible operation as it is only possible to make
electrical contact when the door is closed and locked. There are two
ways to reach the device, 1) with a hand-held specialized crank used
while standing at the system, or 2) a remote racking device that can
be actuated from a safe distance outside the threat area.

Intelligent switchgear components

Recent developments in embedded computing and communications
technologies are also allowing manufacturers to develop further tools
for driving down risk. Groundbreaking motor control center
technology is now embedding products such as Eatons Power
XpertT C445 electronic motor management relays. The ultimate
objective is to reduce the need for maintenance personnel to work
in electrical rooms on systems under live conditions. A much better
alternative is to display essential diagnostics and maintenance
information on user interface displays installed in safe areas. This
can be easily done via industry standard communication protocols
and infrastructure.
Eatons C445 motor management relay measures electrical
parameters and provides them to the user either via an interface
on the door of the drawer, or via a network connection for remote
access. In-depth data analysis can be done via PC software
connected via USB.

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