Smarter safety: IEC low- and medium-voltage arc flash mitigation solutions for greater protection and productivity
ABB
An ABB application guide that groups arc-flash protection into passive, active and preventive measures and serves as a comparison table of mitigation options for main switchboards.
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Overview
Passive measures are arc-resistant construction and containment; active measures detect and clear the arc fast, or divert it; preventive measures are remote operation and predictive maintenance. The guide stresses that incident energy is directly proportional to arc current and arc duration, which is why clearing time is the main lever. The internal-arc test standards are IEC TR 61641 Ed.3 for LV switchgear (up to 0.5 s), IEC 62271-200 for MV switchgear (up to 1 s) and IEC 62271-202 for compact secondary substations (IAC AB up to 20 kA 1 s).
Without active mitigation the arc clearing time is typically 0.2-0.4 s; damage thresholds shown are about 0.1 s for a cable fire, 0.15 s for a copper fire and 0.2 s for a steel fire. Optical arc detection (TVOC-2, REA) operates in 1-2.5 ms, giving total clearing of 45-50 ms with an LV breaker and 50-100 ms with an MV breaker.
The Ultra-Fast Earthing Switch operates in about 1.5 ms, and combined with optical detection total arc duration is under 4 ms. Combining UFES with current-limiting fuses can reduce incident energy below 1 cal/cm2 (hazard risk category 0). The guide tabulates operating and total clearing times to compare the options; the figures belong to ABB products.
Key points
- Internal-arc tests: IEC TR 61641 Ed.3 for LV (up to 0.5 s), IEC 62271-200 for MV (up to 1 s), IEC 62271-202 for compact secondary substations (IAC AB up to 20 kA 1 s).
- Without active mitigation clearing time is typically 0.2-0.4 s; damage thresholds about 0.1 s cable fire, 0.15 s copper fire, 0.2 s steel fire.
- Optical arc detection (TVOC-2, REA) operates in 1-2.5 ms; total clearing 45-50 ms with an LV breaker, 50-100 ms with an MV breaker.
- The Ultra-Fast Earthing Switch operates in about 1.5 ms; with optical detection total arc duration is under 4 ms.
- UFES plus current-limiting fuses can cut incident energy below 1 cal/cm2 (risk category 0).
- Incident energy is directly proportional to arc current and duration; clearing time is the main lever.
Using it in design
- Keep internal-arc classification and test duration fields in the switchgear catalog, and arc-mitigation device type with operating time in the protection catalog.
- In the arc-flash estimate let the user pick a mitigation scheme and replace the protective device clearing time with the tabulated total clearing time.
- Warn when MV/LV main boards rely on breaker clearing times of 0.2-0.4 s without mitigation.
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Who should read it
Electrical designers and safety engineers comparing arc-flash mitigation options for main switchboards.
Related standards
- IEC TR 61641
- IEC 62271-200
- IEC 62271-202
- IEEE 1584-2018
Publication details
- Authors
- ABB
- Publisher
- ABB
- Year
- 2021
- Document number
- 1SFC170004B0201 rev D
- Document language
- English
- Source type
- Manufacturer
- Access
- Free to read
- Licence
- Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document
Citation
ABB (2021). Smarter safety: IEC low- and medium-voltage arc flash mitigation solutions for greater protection and productivity. ABB. 1SFC170004B0201 rev D. https://library.e.abb.com/public/53de1e8dfbed4e34a58d9aca1b288b00/1SFC170004B0201%20revD_Arc%20Flash%20Mitigation%20Solutions.pdf
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