An electric arc flash is an extremely dangerous event in an electrical enclosure. ABB’s Arc Guard System TVOC-2 teamed up with ABB Emax 2 circuit breakers creates the foundation for an effective arc flash damage mitigation strategy for electrical installations.
Marco Carminati / ABB Electrification Products, Protection, and Connection
Bergamo, Italy, marco.carminati@it.abb.com
Andreas von-Lako / ABB Electrification Products, Protection, and Connection
Västerås, Sweden, andreas.von-lako@se.abb.com
Example positioning of detectors in the horizontal and vertical busbars system, and in the circuit breaker cubicle.
With temperatures of up to 20,000°C and violent overpressure waves, an electric arc flash is an extremely dangerous and undesirable event in an electrical enclosure. Arc flashes are usually caused by human error, a defective connection or failure to put measures in place to exclude the entry of small animals into the electrical enclosure.
Much work has been conducted over the years to mitigate the effects of arc flash and ABB has had effective countermeasure products on the market for some decades. The Arc Guard System TVOC-2 is ABB’s latest generation of such a product. By combining TVOC-2 with ABB’s Emax 2 circuit breakers, electrical designers can create a system that greatly diminishes the effects of arc flash.
The TVOC-2/ Emax 2 combination can be deployed in various ways so that not only are arc flash events contained, but facility downtime is minimized. Most arcing accidents in electrical equipment are caused by human error (65 percent occur with an operator working on the equipment), faulty connections or the intrusion of animals. Most often, the accident occurs when personnel are performing switchgear maintenance or installation and the cabinet door is open.
ABB’s Arc Guard System TVOC-2 teamed
up with ABB Emax 2 circuit breakers (shown)
creates the foundation for a very effective arc
flash damage mitigation strategy for electrical
installations.
With the door open, the frontline defense of arc-proofed switchgear design – strong doors – is neutralized. Fortunately, accidents are relatively rare but when they occur, injuries can be serious or even fatal and damage to equipment extensive. Replacing and repairing the equipment can lead to long downtimes, so an arc flash event can be expensive as well as tragic.
For this reason, it is essential to avoid arc flashes at all costs. If they cannot be avoided, their effects must be minimized. This makes an arc guard system a necessary part of a modern switchgear design. ABB’s Arc Guard TVOC-2 – the new version of a well-established arc guard system that has been protecting people and electrical equipment from dangerous electrical arcs for over 35 years – is a device that uses a configuration of optical sensors to detect an electric arc. The TVOC-2 interfaces perfectly with ABB Emax 2 circuit breakers to provide a fast-response active protection system that limits the effects of internal arcing.
For the rest of the article which starts on page 20: https://library.e.abb.com/public/cfb1bbba06a3402f9769ada257552732/ABB%20Review%201-2017_72dpi.pdf
Filed Under: News, O&M, Safety
