Case Study: Safe Arc Solutions improves arc flash study accuracy with ETAP

Safe Arc Solutions cuts arc flash incident energy from 44 cal/cm² to 3 cal/cm² with ETAP

Safe Arc Solutions, an electrical engineering consultancy based in Scotland, faced challenges with a client's outdated arc flash study from 2009. The legacy study used obsolete IEEE 1584-2002 standards and incomplete system data, resulting in a lack of confidence in its accuracy and incident energy results that exceeded available personal protective equipment (PPE). To address this, they turned to ETAP software to perform a new, more precise analysis.

Using ETAP's arc flash analysis module, Safe Arc Solutions built a detailed digital twin of the electrical system and ran simulations compliant with the latest IEEE 1584-2018 standard. The solution from ETAP provided highly accurate results, dramatically improving safety; in one example, incident energy was reduced from 44 cal/cm² to just 3 cal/cm² by adjusting protection settings. This gave the client greater confidence in their safety protocols and provided a reusable model for future studies.

Safe Arc Solutions