Services
Arc Flash Incident Energy Analysis
An arc flash is an electrical explosion due to a fault condition, resulting in a possible injury or death.
WHERE & WHEN CAN AN ARC FLASH OCCUR?
An arc flash can occur in any electrical device with voltages above 50V and in which energy is high enough to sustain an arc. Common places for a fault to occur include:
Industrial control panels
Panel boards & switchboards
Motor control centers
Metal clad switchgear
Transformers
Motor starters
High voltage switching & grounding
Pad mount switchgear
Anywhere electrical equipment failure can occur
WHO IS MOST AT RISK?
Personnel who are typically affected by arc flash hazards are maintenance workers, electricians, equipment operators and HVAC technicians. Examples of tasks that require arc-rated clothing under NFPA-70E are:
Removing or installing circuit breakers or fuses
Low voltage testing
Working on control circuits with energized parts exposed
Applying safety grounds
Racking circuit breakers
Racking starters
Removing bolted covers
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF ARC FAULT?
The effects of an arcing fault can be devastating. The intense thermal energy can cause severe burns in just a fraction of a second. The temperature of an arc can reach approximately 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or about four times as hot as the surface of the sun. One of the major causes of electrical burns and death to workers is ignition of non-arc-rated clothing due to an arcing fault.
In the United States, 5 to 10 arc flash explosions occur in electrical equipment every day, while 100 - 300 fatalities are attributed to electrical hazards each year.
Our team has been performing turnkey Arc Flash Studies for clients in all types of industries & facilities since 2002.
ARC FLASH
An arc flash may occur at various types of electrical equipment, new or old, big or small. This is why our team is backed by Master and Journeyman Electricians who’s years in the field are extremely valuable when it comes to knowing the electrical equipment, inside and out. This enables us to relate the calculated arc flash hazards to practical real world scenarios.
ARC FLASH MITIGATION
We can also provide practical arc flash mitigation methods where warranted. Whether you have existing equipment with high arc flash ratings, or are looking to install new equipment with arc flash levels as low as possible, we can recommend the latest and most cost effective methods to reduce the arc flash incident energy levels that workers may be exposed to.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Pre-installation consultation to help lower the arc flash hazards
Custom arc flash label design with the customer
PPE Consultation
Arc Flash Mitigation
Infrared Scans
Create Electrical One-line only
Circuit tracing and updating panel schedules
Electrical Code compliance
Electrical Safety Audits
Assistance with Electrical Safety Programs
Assistance wit Lock-Out Tag-Out Programs
Substation Preventative Maintenance per NFPA-70B and electrical equipment maintenance program
OUR PROCESS TO A COMPLETE ARC FLASH INCIDENT ENERGY ANALYSIS
On-Site Data Collection & Field Verification
Collection necessary electrical equipment data by licensed journeyman or master electricians. We will conduct visual inspections, remove equipment covers when necessary, and collect additional documentation from the customer to ensure a complete understanding of their electrical system.
Electrical System Modeling
Create one-line diagrams of the electrical distribution system with the latest and most popular software on the market.
Perform Arc Flash Incident Energy Calculations
IEEE-1584-2018 calculations are used to determine the arc flash incident energy and arc flash boundary for all equipment on the one-line diagrams.
Arc Flash Mitigation
Identify equipment where incident energy can be lowered by various methods.
Recommend specific methods to reduce the hazards.
Project Closeout
Arc flash labels applied by Pieper Electric.
Review study findings with customer at project closeout meeting.
Provide project deliverables.
HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS
Our focus is at the top of the Hierarchy of Controls pyramid. A common mistake is overlooking all the steps ahead of PPE. We want to help you eliminate the hazards, if we cannot eliminate the hazard, we can help to reduce and engineer the hazard to a lesser severity. We look at PPE as being the last option, when all others have been exhausted.
