Arc Flash Transient

[Davebones]

Some of the information on Arc Flash shows someone having a fault happen while they were taking voltage readings due to a transient on the system . I've never known of this happening to anyone while in the trade . Its always been a short caused by humane error of equipment failure . Just curious how if anyone has experienced a Arc Fault caused by a transient on the system ???

 

[ghostbuster]

Yes,it happened to me approx. 15 yrs ago.
It was a 480 volt delta system in a mfg. plant.
The plant had experienced a number of arcing ground situations.
I had a fluke meter and measuring the 480 volt on a wiedmueller terminal block.(and Yes I had flame retardent clothing on back then)
At that instant another arcing ground occurred on the system.
It flashed me off the block and tripped a 800 amp upstrem breaker.
I suffered minor flash burns,had hearing loss and vision problems for several months.
After researching this,it appears arcing grounds on a delta system(ungrounded) can produce several thousands of volts(capacitive voltage) onto this electrical system.It is common for insulation damage to occur on motor windings etc. during an arcing ground situation.