Short Circuit and Arc Flash Study on a Microgrid Facility
Konrad Erich Kork Schmitt *
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, 79409, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Cesar A. Negri
Wind and Science Engineering Department Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, 79409 Lubbock, TX, USA.
Saeed Daneshvardehnavi
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, 79409, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Stephen Bayne
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, 79409, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Michael Giesselmann
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, 79409, Lubbock, TX, USA.
Sandeep Nimmagadda
Global Laboratory for Energy Asset Management and Manufacturing Texas Tech University 2500 Broadway, 79409 Lubbock, TX, USA.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Arc flash is one of the main hazards when operating an electrical facility. Without correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the operator can be subjected to severe including fatal injuries. By code, facilities are required to properly label their electrical equipment that may be accessed by any operator. While energized, the operator’s proximity to the equipment can provide the necessary potential for an arc flash accident. The labels are mainly responsible to display the equipment’s short circuit and arc flash levels, as well as the minimum PPE level required to operate it. These electrical hazard aspects become more critical in testbed facilities, usually located inside research centers and universities, where the electrical equipment is more frequently accessed by students and researchers. This paper develops complete modeling of a real microgrid testbed facility to perform short circuit and arc flash studies with the main goal to label the devices accessed by the facility’s researchers.
Keywords: Leaf extracts, Arc flash, effect, Effect of Parthenium, electrical facility, Stomatal features, electrical hazards, microgrid, short circuit.