General Project Arc Flash Studies

The objective of an Arc Flash Study is to identify the arc flash hazard level for all major electrical equipment on a service or system. A completed Arc Flash Study is issued to the client with Arc Flash Labels to be installed on pertinent electrical devices. The labels include information regarding arc flash energy and refers to NFPA 70E for minimum personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements. Excellence uses ETAP or SKM software to model power systems and to print the Arc Flash Labels.

Typically, Excellence will conduct a site visit to collect information required for the arc flash study which includes manufacturer and model data for protective devices, motor controls, power distribution equipment, wire and cable sizes and lengths, transformer data, and utility information.  A utility contact may be required to get available fault currents and other critical information for each service.

An electrical model for each facility using ETAP or SKM software will be created to perform the Arc Flash Study based on the information gathered during site visits.

After the model is completed and the results are analyzed by a qualified engineer, the completed Arc Flash Study Report for the facility is produced. The contents of a typical report include:

  • An Arc Flash Summary Report including Assumptions for the power study as well as Conclusions and Recommendations to the client
  • A printed copy of the electrical model; typically includes an Arc Flash One Line
  • Client-provided one-lines provided for the project
  • A Short Circuit Summary for the power system
  • Arc Flash warning labels to be placed on equipment as required by NFPA 70E. Labels will be water and smudge proof
  • Protective Device Settings