Electricity Forum Electricity Today Magazine Arc Flash Training
Intelligent Power Today Magazine
Archives

News and Trends

Latest News From The Industry

Illuminating Decisions: EPRI Lights the Way for Modern Lighting Adoption

Facility managers and operators understand the critical role lighting plays in their daily operations.  Accounting for roughly 30% of a commercial building's energy load, lighting significantly impacts energy consumption and associated maintenance costs.  However, focusing solely on the initial fixture cost misses a crucial aspect of responsible lighting management – the long-term perspective.

Visit Our Building Automation Study Course

 

Beyond the Sticker Price: Unveiling the True Cost of Light

Modern lighting solutions promise a...

Buyer's Guide

News & Trends

Counterfeiting Kills

Each year, the counterfeiting of well-known brands and products continues to rise, creating an even more threatening problem. Such well-known counterfeited brands, including consumer safety and critical electrical products, are estimated to be five to seven percent of world trade. The International...

Introducing Intelligent Power Today

Welcome to Intelligent Power Today Magazine, our publication that explores and explains the who, what, where, when, why and how of intelligent electrical devices, a collection of complex mechanical devices and sophisticated control systems used in industrial, commercial, and institutional...

Electrical Safety

Arc Flash Analysis in DC Power Systems

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...

Electrical Safety Lessons Learned

How to reduce electrical-related deaths and injuries to zero

BY JENIFER ROBERTSON, Electrical Safety Authority

Consider this scenario: An electrician is modifying an electrical circuit in a ceiling space at an educational institute. To perform the task, he de-energizes his specific circuit, but leaves the others in the same junction box energized.

While making the wiring modifications, the electrician makes incidental contact with a 347-volt, energized conductor with his right thumb and baby finger. He receives a shock.

Does this sound like a rarity? Well, it is not. In fact, this is a real-life incident that happened in Ontario—and it...

Popular Electrical Safety Articles

CSA Z462 and CSA Z463: A Powerful Combination

I recently viewed a destroyed 600-volt electrical panel board that had exploded when an operator reset an 800-ampere (A) breaker. His leather-palmed gloves had synthetic backs that ignited and seriously burned the back of his hands. His flame-resistant (FR) shirt was untucked and he was burned on...

Underestimating Arc Flash Hazards

While most discussions about arc flash involve the calculation methods and associated personal protective equipment (PPE), electricians have a number of ways to protect themselves and their gear, including arc-resistant equipment and remote actuation and racking systems that eliminate—rather than...

Calculating Incident Energy

Over the last few decades, arc-fl ash hazards have been a significant concern for many electrical workers and employers. Many methods have been developed through the years to assess incident energy.The most common is that of the IEEE 1584, Guide for Performing Arc-Flash Hazard Calculations. These...