I used EasyPower with my previous employer. The company I work for now has SKM as a standard, so that is what I am using.

Hi everyone- Can anyone name a software or share a procedure they have used for calulating the pressure and temperature effects due to an Arcing event? I am interested in knowing the temperature and pressure variation in the vicinity of the arcing region.

Please consider using Arc Flash Analytic software to calculate initial arc pressure. Arc Flash Analytic also factors in heat flux intensity (implicitly the arc temperature) when evaluating threshold incident energy level for a second degree burn and arc flash boundary.

Does any one experience with both EasyPower and ArcPro?

Thanks
Tho Tran

I use both depending on where the arc flash hazard is being analyzed. In the new Osha 1910.269, Table 3 in Appendix E, is summary of what methods Osha would find acceptable for an arc flash hazard analysis.

Is there more specifics to your question? Arc Pro would be used primarily for single phase, open air, vertical faults particularly above 15kV. EasyPower and other software that uses IEEE 1584 would be used in other situations, especially 3 phase arc in a box.

Barry,

You are right on what I am concerned. I 've been told that I need to have ArcPro due to the fact that OSHA specific spells out its name in the new OSHA 1910.269. Somehow, as I understand, ArcPro is only acceptable in 1 phase calculation and above 15kV 3 phase with conversion factor. On the other hand, software uses IEEE 1584 is more than likely accepted for all case below 15kV.

AFHCS is my newly duty and being told that I need to used ArcPro which I believe I need to have it for above 15kV. However, I don't think it is as sufficient as EasyPower for below 15kV.

Since you used both of them, can you give me some tips to start?

Thanks
Tho Tran

Yes ArcPro is mentioned in the new 1910.269 that was published on April 1, with employers having to "make reasonable estimates of incident energy" beginning on January 1, 2015. Now many utilities probably already have done this for overhead lines and such as the NESC had a requirement to be done by 2009?? but not as diligent in power plants, substation station service and dc systems. Appendix E to 1910.269 has Table 3 which lists incident energy calculation methods that are acceptable. ArcPro is the only software mentioned by name and it is recommended for single phase open air at all voltages. For multiphase and in a box arc at voltages up to 15kV, ArcPro is not recommended. Above 15kV it is with the ArcPro supplied multipliers.
For multiphase, in a box arc, IEEE 1584 is recommended.

As for tips:
1. Take a class on arc flash calculations. Jim Phillips offers a very good course as well as a book on how to perform arc flash calcs.
2. Determine what is the equipment you need to study to determine what method of analysis is appropriate. Sounds like you may have some open air eqpt like overhead lines and substations if you are looking at ArcPro.
3. If there is eqpt where IEEE 1584 is appropriate, look at software that uses that. Since I am a longtime EasyPower user, I am biased towards that but you may want to look at others such as SKM, EDSA, ETAP, etc. Whatever software you do get, take their training course.
4. If you are a utility, read the new OSHA 1910.269 and 1926 Subpart V.

Yes, I am working for utility and handling equipment with a large voltage range from 208 up to 345kV but mainly focus on Distribution level below 35kV. By the way, you mention about DC system; does EasyPower or any software work with it? We installed a Battery Storage behind the meter and I tended to use NFPA 70E - 2012 to calculate the Ei. The vendor provided a result Ei from AC model which is inappropriate to me.

I am pulled into the study group of OSHA 1910.269 just last week since I've been study Jim Phillips' book and reading this forum for a while. For OH, we use hose-line and rubber blanket; therefore, 3 phase fault probability is very low if not none. However, most of the study did not provide adequate result for my territory (underground Network's equipment, pad-mount switch-gear, low-voltage MTM...) I ordered IEEE 1584 last night but still havent' decided the analysis software. Several Vendors/Distributors provide training on EasyPower and Etap have contact me. I haven't checked ArcPro since it is a Canadian software.

Thanks
Tho Tran

EasyPower does have dc capability but I have not used it. I find it just as easy to do a worst case dc fault at battery terminals using NFPA 70E equation. So far I have not found the arc flash to be very high.

I tried to contact Kinectrics for ArcPro license but didn't receive any response from them. Is HP Electric company Kinectrics distributor who I need to deal with?

By the way, I received a quote from EasyPower which has several level bus limit [50, 100, 300, 100 and unlimited], each of them has 4 component [ANSI short circuit, Power Protector, ArcFlash,, SmartPDC] plus annual maintenance fee. Would you please suggest the best configuration?

For your convenience, I am working for a medium to large side utility and handling both OH and UG regarding to Arcflash study. Surely, I am going to get ArcPro and the second one between EasyPower or Etap.

Thanks
Tho Tran

I have found Kinectrics is not that fast on responses. Sometimes I have to send several emails before I get a response.
The number of buses will depend on how large a system you need to analyze.

Does any one experiences CYME software for Arc-flash study?

Thanks
Tho Tran

Power Analytic's DesignBase and it seems that i am in the minority.

My issue is i don't have a great working knowledge of the subject so applying the program is difficult. Was looking for a place that could help with that. Hopefully i can find that here. Need a community of users to bounce ideas off of.

Just curious - years ago I had to use EDSA but I don't seem to hear about it anymore. Does it still exist?

EDSA still exists to the best of my knowledge but it does seem that the two predominate ones are SKM and EasyPower.

We use SKM, ETAP and EZ Power. They all have things we like and dislike about them.

For DC arc flash modeling, you may also consider DCAFA V3.0 software taking into account system voltage, available fault current, circuit time constant, equipment configuration, working distance and protective device time-current characteristics adjusted for the time constant. DCAFA V3.0 calculation algorithm is published at http://arcadvisor.com/faq/dc-arc-flash-boundary-modeling

For a quick label on I use arc flash label calculator on iPhone. Use SKM for large studies.

After the light table and hand calculation days, I used a Bussman product that I believe was based on a limited SKM platform. I then started using CYME TCC because all the majors were in the DOS world.
I moved to Easypower because I believe itt was the first Windows SC program I found.
After a while, I stated using SKM since it then became integrated. I also used ETAP. Believe it or not in my major utility role some of the protection engineers would use the functionality of CAPE for some of the LV 15kV work!
So in summary they are all pretty good.
Jimmy

I think the big secret is that the best software is the stuff between your ears. No matter what the plant or what the software is, there will always be circumstances which the software is not and cannot ever address. The software is a tool, nothing more. You obviously have a grip on it. If you can't do it then you have no way of checking the results of the computer program and recognizing when it's wrong either. That's dangerous because it means it becomes magic and you have to trust the computer result without any way to verify if something is wrong.

The software all have their quirks and advantages and disadvantages. No competitor in the business can let a competitor get any kind of advantage or they lose market share not in terms of years but in months. So it forces them all to both innovate and "me too" every feature.