IEEE 1584 · Engineering
Professional Arc Flash Risk Assessment
Carelabs delivers arc flash hazard analysis for industrial and commercial facilities across Vietnam, identifying incident energy levels and PPE requirements in line with TCVN 7447. Our engineers use ETAP modelling and the IEEE 1584 calculation method to map arc flash boundaries across your electrical distribution system.
Free ConsultationWhat the analysis determines
The study answers one question at every panel a worker may open: how much thermal energy would reach them if an arc started while they stood there.
What We Deliver
Incident energy at each working position
Energy is calculated in cal/cm² at the working distance that matches the equipment, using the IEEE 1584-2018 model with the electrode configuration, enclosure dimensions and gap that apply to the panel being assessed rather than a single generic assumption.
WHY IT MATTERS
The person hurt is rarely the person who caused it
An arc releases most of its energy in well under a second. The people injured are usually those who happened to be standing in front of the panel, and no inspection of a healthy installation reveals how much energy is waiting there.
- Arcing duration is taken from the protective device characteristic at the calculated arcing current, using the settings the relays actually hold rather than the settings on the schedule.
- Fault current comes from a short circuit study to IEC 60909, not from an assumed value — arc flash results are only as sound as the fault data underneath them.
- Both maximum and minimum source conditions are assessed, because a lower fault current can lengthen clearing time and raise incident energy rather than lower it.
- Arc-resistant switchgear is assessed on its rated conditions, which apply only with doors closed and latched, and not to a panel opened for testing.
- Locations above the practical limit of arc-rated clothing are flagged as design findings, since PPE addresses thermal energy and not the pressure wave.
DELIVERABLES
What you receive
The package is issued against TCVN 7447 and IEEE 1584 and signed by the engineer who carried out the site work.
- 1Incident energy table by equipment and working position, with the working distance stated for each
- 2Arc flash boundary and PPE category per assessed panel
- 3Printed labels ready to apply, bilingual where requested
- 4Mitigation options for every location above the practical PPE limit, with the clearing-time change each one depends on
- 5The calibrated ETAP model, so the study can be re-run when the network changes
How the analysis runs
Agree the assessed scope
We identify every panel that is opened or worked on while energised. Equipment never accessed live can be excluded, but that decision is recorded rather than assumed.
Site data capture
Nameplate data, enclosure dimensions, electrode configuration and working distances are recorded on site, since the IEEE 1584 model is sensitive to all four.
Fault current basis
EVN is asked for the fault level at the point of connection, and a short circuit study to IEC 60909 establishes bolted fault current at every bus.
Clearing time from protection
Relay and trip unit settings are read from the devices themselves, and clearing time is taken from the real characteristic at the arcing current.
Incident energy calculation
Energy and boundaries are calculated at each working position, across the source and switching configurations the site genuinely operates in.
Labels, report and briefing
Labels are applied, findings are ranked by consequence, and the engineering and safety teams are briefed on what the numbers mean in practice.
Frequently asked questions
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