SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING PROTECTIVE DEVICE CLEARING TIMES USED FOR PROVIDING REAL-TIME PREDICTIONS ABOUT ARC FLASH EVENTS
First Claim
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1. A system for making real-time predictions about an arc flash event on an electrical system, comprising:
- a data acquisition component communicatively connected to a sensor configured to acquire real-time data output from the electrical system;
an analytics server communicatively connected to the data acquisition component, comprising, a virtual system modeling engine configured to generate predicted data output for the electrical system utilizing a virtual system model of the electrical system, an analytics engine configured to monitor the real-time data output and the predicted data output of the electrical system, the analytics engine further configured to initiate a calibration and synchronization operation to update the virtual system model when a difference between the real-time data output and the predicted data output exceeds a threshold, and an arc flash simulation engine configured to utilize the virtual system model to determine a clearing time for a protective device on the electrical system, wherein, the arc flash simulation engine is further configured to utilize the protective device clearing time to forecast an aspect of the arc flash event; and
a client terminal communicatively connected to the analytics server and configured to communicate the forecasted aspect.
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Abstract
A system for making real-time predictions about an arc flash event on an electrical system is disclosed. The system includes a data acquisition component, an analytics server and a client terminal. The data acquisition component is communicatively connected to a sensor configured to acquire real-time data output from the electrical system. The analytics server is communicatively connected to the data acquisition component and is comprised of a virtual system modeling engine, an analytics engine and an arc flash simulation engine.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A system for making real-time predictions about an arc flash event on an electrical system, comprising:
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a data acquisition component communicatively connected to a sensor configured to acquire real-time data output from the electrical system;
an analytics server communicatively connected to the data acquisition component, comprising, a virtual system modeling engine configured to generate predicted data output for the electrical system utilizing a virtual system model of the electrical system, an analytics engine configured to monitor the real-time data output and the predicted data output of the electrical system, the analytics engine further configured to initiate a calibration and synchronization operation to update the virtual system model when a difference between the real-time data output and the predicted data output exceeds a threshold, and an arc flash simulation engine configured to utilize the virtual system model to determine a clearing time for a protective device on the electrical system, wherein, the arc flash simulation engine is further configured to utilize the protective device clearing time to forecast an aspect of the arc flash event; and
a client terminal communicatively connected to the analytics server and configured to communicate the forecasted aspect. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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15. The system for making real-time predictions about an arc flash event on an electrical system, as recited in claim 15, wherein the quantity of incident energy released is measured as Cal/cm2.
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21. A method for making real-time predictions about an arc flash event on an electrical system, comprising:
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updating a virtual system model of the electrical system in response to real-time data;
simulating the arc flash event using the virtual system model, wherein, the simulation further includes, identifying all controlling paths for the electrical system using a pre-determined alternating current (AC) root mean square (RMS) branch current value for the simulation, and determining opening times for all protective devices on the controlling paths identified using a pre-determined branch current value for the simulation;
calculating a quantity of arc energy released by the arc flash event using results from the simulation; and
communicating a report that forecasts an aspect of the arc flash event based on the quantity of arc energy released. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method for determining a clearing time of an electrical system subjected to an arc flash event, comprising:
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identifying all controlling paths on the electrical system by using a pre-determined alternating current (AC) root mean square (RMS) branch current value to simulate the arc flash event;
detecting protective devices interfaced with the identified controlling paths;
determining whether any of the protective devices interfaced with the identified controlling paths have tripped;
determining tripping times for the tripped protective devices;
determining if the AC RMS branch current value exceeds a tripping current rating value of any protective device interfaced with the identified controlling paths;
identifying the clearing time for the electrical system based on the fastest protective device tripping time ascertained for the protective devices interfaced with the identified controlling paths; and
generating a report summarizing results of the arc flash event simulation. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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Specification