Tripping with the Speed of Light: Arc Flash Protection

Reducing clearing time is a critical component in reducing arc flash incident energy levels. Additional benefits include reduced collateral damage, lower production downtime and potentially lower personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements. A novel method of fast arc flash detection utilizes long fiber optic light sensors to detect and initiate tripping faster than conventional relaying techniques. This paper discusses application examples as well as two documented arc flash events where this protection was implemented