Learn How to Choose the Best Arc Flash Mitigation Method with ETAP for Real-World Applications

We're going to present a real-life project, introduce the project background, the ETAP studies we have done, the challenges we're facing when giving Arc Flash mitigation recommendations, and our proposed solutions.
by Mr. Jiaji HU, Engineering Specialist at Mangan Inc.

Ensuring the safe startup of an electric motor is a crucial challenge that electrical designers must address. Multiple arc flash incident energy mitigation methods are available, but how does an engineer know which is best for their client? This presentation identifies an approach to select the most effective, practical, and feasible method for achieving realistic study results. With extensive experience with arc flash studies for many clients of all sizes, Mangan provides a real-world demonstration of a project for a refinery client. The interplay between motor starting and arc flash analysis was evaluated, and mitigation recommendations were customized for the system. The challenges encountered during mitigation are identified, and the proposed solution is analyzed using ETAP Load Flow, Short Circuit, Arc Flash, and Motor Acceleration Analysis. Safe motor operation, safe motor starting, and arc flash protection are provided through customized mitigation methods and thoughtful system design.

Mangan Incorporation is an engineering and automation service organization located in many states in the USA. Their staff of highly qualified Electrical, Mechanical, and Controls Engineers along with industry experts design and integrate solutions that meet the complex needs of their clients across the world. Their Functional Safety Experts and Engineers with decades of experience deliver the true power of a lifecycle approach to functional safety.

Location: Long Beach, California, USA

Year: 2025

Ensure safety start for electric motor 600 kW, 2.4kV, which should be connected to the existing grid

Challenges

  • Feasibility studies concerned different scenarios of motor starting under specific conditions set by the customer, especially mitigation of arc flash.
  • Power load analysis, short circuit analysis, and arc flash analysis to find the best and cheapest solution for the customer to safely start 600kW motor.
  • Choosing the right hardware option for connection of the motor to the existing grid, and to ensure the safe start.
  • Probability and prediction of events, related to the high incident arc flash energy.

Which solutions do they choose?

Selected applications

They chose the ETAP game of software with Load Flow, Short Circuit, Arc Flash, and Motor Acceleration Analysis to calculate, and compare different scenarios in the easy, and reliable method. 

ETAP ensured compliance with all needed electrical standards for designing and calculating the motor protection.

Why do they use Etap?

Main Customer Benefits

  • Easy digital modeling of the real grid system, with transformers, motors, busbars, and filters.
  • Easy management of different scenarios, by adding or deleting symbols representing real equipment.
  • Analysis of short circuit, arc flash, and power load by using only one workspace.
  • Possibility to use Fault Current Limiter symbol to promote the best solution, supported by accurate calculations.

What do they think about ETAP?

Opinions

As the ETAP users, we should know that ETAP is a very powerful software. Lots of Arc Flash mitigation can be smartly integrated into ETAP model. So, when we run the study, it can give us more realistic arc flash study results.
Mr. Jiaji HU, Engineering Specialist at Mangan Inc.

The solution we present balances the motor performance along with the arc flash mitigation. So, the key takeover here ensures safe motor operation, safe motor starting with arc flash protection through thoughtful system design.
Mr. Aditya Kale, Electrical Engineer at Mangan Inc.



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