The ABC of arc flash and mitigation techniques

Currently, the electrical industry has focused its efforts on matters of electrical safety. Industrial safety statistics show that the second cause of death and injuries after electrocution is the arc flash phenomenon. Arc flash is a phenomenon that can be voluntarily or involuntarily triggered, which results in a sudden release of energy, due to a sudden expansion of the air in the facility. During the energy release, temperatures of up to 35000 °F can be reached. This potential risk, regarding industrial electrical safety, is addressed and delimited by entities such as OSHA, NFPA and IEEE. The deep study of (electrical) arc flash is a special topic in the electrical engineering field, which requires a complete analysis of grounding systems, short circuit and protection coordination studies, among others. The article is not intended to be a deep analysis guide, the purpose is to generate a map, which allows you to view the necessary steps to conduct a study to distinguish the practical differences between the application of the rules, list techniques / procedures to mitigate arc energy electric and briefly explain the concept of energy reduction depending on the duration of the failure.