It should also be noted that National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) have mandated that facilities comply with proper workplace safety standards and conduct Arc Flash studies in order to determine the incident energy, protection boundaries and PPE levels needed to be worn by technicians. Unfortunately, conventional approaches/systems for performing such studies do not provide a reliable means for the real-time prediction of the potential energy released (in calories per centimeter squared) for an arc flash event. Moreover, no real-time system exists that can predict the required personal protective equipment (PPE) required to safely perform repairs as required by NFPA 70E and IEEE 1584.
When a fault in the system being monitored contains an arc, the heat released can damage equipment and cause personal injury. It is the latter concern that brought about the development of the heat exposure programs referred to above. The power dissipated in the arc radiates to the surrounding surfaces. The further away from the arc the surface is, the less the energy is received per unit area.