An arc flash is a violent eruption of heat and light caused by an electrical explosion. Arc flashes can seriously injure electricians, with fierce burns posing a significant risk to life. Other hazards include shrapnel and a pressure wave (often called an arc blast). This application determines the minimum safe working distance from an arc flash, following the empirical methodology presented in IEEE 1584 - 2018. Specifically, the application calculates the

• intermediate average arcing current
• arcing current variation factor
• box size variation factor
• incident energy - amount of thermal energy on a surface at a specific distance
• arc flash boundary – the minimum distance from an arc flash to prevent 2nd degree burns

This is also available as a Maple Flow worksheet.