Arc Flash Calculations for a 1.3-MW Photovoltaic System

Author

Doan, Daniel R. ; Derer, Richard M.

Author_Institution

DuPont Eng., Wilmington, DE, USA

Volume

51

Issue

1

fYear

2015

fDate

Jan.-Feb. 2015

Firstpage

62

Lastpage

68

Abstract

When planning for the installation of a 1.3-MW photovoltaic (PV) system and its integration into an existing facility´s electrical system, an arc flash study was performed to determine the best protective device settings to minimize the arc flash energy in the PV system and to determine the effect of the additional short-circuit current on arc flash calculations for the existing system. The existing system has distribution at 13.8 kV and two 10-MVA transformers to a 2.4-kV feeder system. The PV system adds the hazard of 500-Vdc subarray collection wiring and terminations. The dc arc flash exposure of PV systems, including those in the inverter enclosures, can be complicated, and this paper outlines the basic data collected for the study, the steps taken to complete the calculations, the methodology used, the results, and the team´s learnings.

Keywords

arcs (electric); electrical installation; hazards; invertors; photovoltaic power systems; power transformers; short-circuit currents; wiring; apparent power 10 MVA; arc flash calculations; arc flash energy; dc arc flash exposure; electrical system; feeder system; hazard; installation planning; inverter enclosures; photovoltaic system; power 1.3 MW; power transformers; protective device settings; short circuit current; subarray collection terminations; subarray collection wiring; voltage 13.8 kV; voltage 2.4 kV; Arc discharges; Circuit faults; Fuses; Hazards; Inverters; Photovoltaic systems; Short-circuit currents; Arc flash hazard; dc systems; inverters; photovoltaics (PVs);

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Industry Applications, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-9994

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TIA.2014.2347236

Filename

6878425