Modeling the Conversion of Electrical Energy to Acoustic Energy for Arcs and Applications for the Selection of PPE

Electric shock hazards have been addressed for 50 years, arc flash hazards for about 40 years, and acoustic hazards for about 30 years. There are two distinctly different types of acoustic injury, from sonic pressure waves and from supersonic blast waves. The type of acoustic hazard is a function of the nature of the release of energy by the arc source.This paper will cover acoustic hazards of arcs of batteries, low-voltage power, medium-voltage power, super capacitors and capacitors. The models currently in use to predict the hazard, and the types of injury from sonic and supersonic acoustic waves will be presented. The weaknesses and gaps in what is known, and how the acoustic hazard is currently being modeled will be presented.