Intelligent Power Today Magazine

Advanced approaches to addressing direct-current arcing faults

BY MICHAEL FURTAK & LEW SILECKY, Mersen

Let’s face it: there is not very much information available about direct current (DC) arc flashes. And, if you have searched in vain, well hopefully this feature will give you some insight into arc flash with relevance to DC circuits. Essentially, we want customers to be armed with information so that they can accurately determine the necessary level of protection required when working around these circuits.

In this feature, direct-current arcing fault incident energy calculations are presented to assess the level of risk involved when working...

Answering frequently asked questions about arc flash relays

BY BOB ZWEIFEL, Littelfuse

The dangers of an arc flash incident—burns, blast, molten metal ejected at ballistic speeds—are by now familiar to every electrical worker. Most electrical professionals have read about strategies to minimize arc flash hazards, including arc flash relays. Now many of them are seriously considering integrating arc flash relays, but they have many questions about how to install this unfamiliar technology and exactly what the benefits will be.

Electrical Source Magazine and Littelfuse, based on the company’s frequently asked questions, offer some insight on how to apply these valued...