IEEE 1584 · Engineering
Arc Flash Study
Carelabs delivers arc flash hazard analysis for industrial and commercial facilities across Greece, identifying incident energy levels and PPE requirements in line with ELOT HD 384. Our engineers use ETAP modelling and the IEEE 1584 calculation method to map arc flash boundaries across your electrical distribution system.
Free ConsultationWhen the nameplate is gone
Older installations rarely arrive with complete data. Switchgear is repainted, labels are illegible, records were never transferred at sale. The study still has to produce a defensible number.
What We Deliver
Equipment identified from what remains
Where nameplates are missing, devices are identified from casting marks, frame dimensions, internal components and manufacturer archives. What cannot be established is stated as an assumption rather than quietly filled with a plausible value.
THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM
No data is not the same as no hazard
Undocumented installations are frequently left unassessed because the data gathering looks impossible. The energy is present regardless, and these are usually the installations where protection is slowest and the energy highest.
- Every assumption listed explicitly with its basis, so the report can be revised later if better information is recovered rather than being rebuilt.
- Conservative values chosen so results err toward over-protection, since an underestimate on an old board is the failure mode with real consequences.
- Fault current established by a short circuit study to IEC 60909, using the fault level obtained from the network operator for the point of supply.
- Clearing time verified by testing where device characteristics cannot be established from documentation, as it has more influence on the result than any other input.
- Installation findings referenced to ELOT HD 384, and equipment that cannot be assessed at all is identified as requiring replacement rather than left unreported.
DELIVERABLES
What you receive
A signed engineering report aligned to ELOT HD 384 and IEEE 1584, stating clearly which inputs were measured and which were assumed.
- 1Incident energy and arc flash boundary by equipment and working position
- 2A register of assumptions, each with its basis and the effect of it being wrong
- 3Equipment labels ready to apply, with a placement schedule
- 4Identification of any equipment that cannot be assessed and should be replaced on that basis alone
- 5The calibrated ETAP model, so recovered information can be incorporated without repeating the survey
How the study runs
Establish what is known
We audit the available records first, since the gap between what exists and what the calculation needs determines how much of the work is investigative.
Identify the equipment
Devices lacking legible data are identified from physical characteristics, internal components and manufacturer archives wherever those still exist.
Measure rather than assume
Cable runs, conductor sizes, enclosure dimensions and working distances are measured on site, because on an undocumented plant the drawings cannot be relied on.
Establish fault current and clearing time
Fault level is obtained from the network operator, and protection behaviour is verified by testing where its characteristic cannot be determined from records.
Calculate with assumptions declared
Energy and boundaries are determined per position, with every assumption recorded so the confidence behind each result is visible.
Label, report and prioritise
Labels are applied, findings are ranked, and equipment that cannot be properly assessed is flagged for replacement with that reasoning stated.