Arc flash

Uncommon card · No. 132039

An arc flash is the light and heat produced as part of an arc fault (sometimes referred to as an electrical flashover), a type of electrical explosion or discharge that results from a connection through air to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system. Arc flash is different from the arc blast, which is the supersonic shockwave produced when the conductors and surrounding air are heated by the arc, becoming a rapidly expanding plasma. Both are part of the same arc fault, and are often referred to as simply an arc flash, but from a safety standpoint they are often treated separately. For example, personal protective equipment (PPE) can be used to effectively shield a worker from the radiation of an arc flash, but that same PPE may likely be ineffective against the flying objects, molten metal, and violent concussion that the arc blast can produce. (For example, category-4 arc-flash protection, similar to a bomb suit, is unlikely to protect a person from the concussion of a...

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