How the ETAP Arc Flash Calculator Helped Me Detect Significantly Flawed Arc-Flash Studies

As the name indicates, the ETAP Arc Flash Calculator calculates many critical outputs of an Arc Flash study without building a simulation, assuming you already know all the inputs. Hence, it is an excellent tool for checking the accuracy of studies when you have a PDF and cannot open the source file. Moreover, it is also a fantastic tool for visualizing how changes in input and parameters can affect the Incident Energy and Arc Flash Boundary. It is the ETAP Arc Flash calculator.
By Ms. Thierry Epassa, Director of Electrical Engineering at Epassa Electrical Engineering Company

In this presentation, we'll explore a practical example involving a Prolec transformer, where initial study results were significantly incorrect. We'll demonstrate how the ETAP Arc Flash tool helped uncover these errors and compare the results with the flawed studies. Furthermore, we'll explore the critical data points within an Arc Flash study that often contribute to labeling inaccuracies and discuss strategies for ensuring accuracy and compliance.

The EEEngineering LLC is a multi-state licensed engineering firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. They provide clients with deep expertise in electrical power studies, such as arc flash studies using the most current standards IEEE 1584 2018 and NFPA 70E 2021, load flow, reactive power, short circuit, protection, coordination studies, and other electrical calculations. They also perform all NERC studies and assist engineers with various troubleshooting issues related to power engineering.

Location: Houston, Texas, USA

Year: 2023

Ensuring high-quality Arc-Flash studies

Challenges

  • Identifying and learning the appropriate tool to create a high-quality Arc Flash Report that complies with industry standards.
  • Offering a report understandable to electrical and non-electrical audiences, facilitating decision-making to maintain security.
  • Adequately and confidently calculating boundaries, working distances, arcing current, incident energy, and other parameters depending on various inputs and factors, according to electrical standards.
  • Analyzing cases and impacts with clear visualizations of results.

Which solutions did they choose?

Selected applications

They chose ETAP Safety & Protection Products, ArcSafety, which provides electrical engineers with an all-in-one solution for performing AC and DC arc flash analysis on low, medium, and high-voltage systems. With unrivaled tools for arc flash analysis, risk assessment, and mitigation, this software enables engineers to ensure safety and minimize risks in electrical systems.

The ETAP solution ensures compatibility with actual standards, particularly with Arc Flash - IEEE 1584-2018 and Arc Flash - NFPA 70E 2024.

Why do they use Etap?

Main Customer Benefits

  • Detecting many unappropriated Arc Flash reports with incorrect calculations and results, potentially dangerous for maintenance electricians. During studies conducted across the United States, several facilities were examined, and unfortunately, significant flaws were identified, necessitating immediate corrections.  
  • Reducing the time required to complete the Arc Flash report and defining working distances, boundaries, and maintenance rules.
  • High-quality reporting, utilizing the video presentation method with online visibility and accessibility, was delivered.
  • It is possible to visualize how changes in input (like conductor gap) can affect the incident energy and boundary.
  • Excellent application architecture: The Input interface window on the left and Results window on the right give the user confidence. The calculation warnings are shown in the results window to help understand the process.
  • Possibility to calculate AC Arc Flash, DC Arc Flash, Power flow, and Arc Fault in the same application, giving the user a perspective to use one software for various types of electrical installations.
  • Possibility to check old calculations made in old software or manually, by using the existing input data in old reports. It is crucial for ensuring the safety and maintenance of old electrical installations, which are calculated according to outdated standards.

What do they think about ETAP?

Opinions

We will focus on using the ETAP Arc Flash calculator and demonstrating the incredible benefits of this tool. What is an Arc Flash study? We have experienced a safety incident known as an Arc Flash. When an Arc Flash occurs, a heat radius could fatally burn the worker. An Arc Flash study examines the entire electrical facility and determines the risk of an Arc Flash incident.
By Ms. Thierry Epassa, Director of Electrical Engineering at EEE company

An ETAP Arc Flash calculator helped me identify significantly flawed studies across several states in the United States. All the analyses were conducted across 15 states, and the PE stamping was completed. The Arc Flash labels were already installed.
By Ms. Thierry Epassa, Director of Electrical Engineering at EEE company


Videos

How ETAP Arc Flash Calculator helped me detect significantly flawed arc-flash studies

I categorize findings from arc flash study reports, noting errors in spelling, grammar, data input, and layout, but the most critical, like inconsistent results, demand attention; I rely on the ETAP arc flash calculator to detect significant inaccuracies, exemplified by a case with a GE Prolec transformer, emphasizing the need for meticulous data review to prevent mislabeling incidents.


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