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[[GE ARC VAULT] [♪ techno music ♪]]
[[Narrator] The phenomena of arc flash presents an ever-present danger]
[in just about all electrical distribution equipment.]
[[Arc flash can cause serious injuries or fatalities.]]
[Arc flash and the associated arc blast are caused by an electrical short]
[that may occur while an operator is maintaining or inspecting equipment ]
[in a facility's electrical room.]
[[explosion] The heat generated from a switch gear arc flash can exceed 35,000 degrees,]
[and it can result in serious injuries or fatalities ]
[Here you can see the impact of a 12-cycle arc flash event.]
[Approaches to the problem of arc flash have had significant limitations.]
[These products either required personnel to wear cumbersome PPE]
[were not effective with switch gear doors open, caused significant stresses ]
[on the electrical system, or required an entire new lineup of switchgear.]
[Now, GE has developed a revolutionary solution that offers a different approach]
[Designed to increase protection for both personnel and equipment]
[ more effectively than ever.]
[The innovative GE Arc Vault protection system incorporates 4 main components--]
[the light sensors, a communications hub, a protective relay, and a containment dome. ]
[The heart of the system which differentiates it from other approaches]
[If an arc flash occurs, it is redirected inside this device and away from other equipment ]
[Let's take a look at how that works.]
[Imagine a wrench falling in an energized main bus, creating an arc flash.]
[With the GE arc vault protection system, light sensors detect the burst of light ]
[The light sensors send a signal through the communications hub to the protective relay.]
[A spike in current levels on the main bus confirms the arc flash.]
[The combination of the signal from the light sensors and the spike in current]
[causes the relay to do 2 things--to signal the containment dome, ]
[and to signal the main breaker to trip.]
[Inside the containment dome a plasma gun creates a second arc.]
[This new arc transfers the fault energy to the dome, containing it ]
[and eliminating the initial arc.]
[Of course, all of these steps happen almost instantly in about 8 milliseconds. ]
[The secondary arc fault will remained contained inside the dome ]
[until the main breaker clears and de-energizes the entire system.]
[Shown here is a side-by-side comparison of a 12-cycle arc flash event ]
[and a 1.5 cycle arc flash event, illustrating the difference in energy released.]
[By containing the arc flash in the dome, the GE Arc Vault protection system]
[reduces the risk to operators, thus reducing the level of PPE required.]
[Unlike other approaches to arc resistance, the GE Arc Vault protection system ]
[offers some protection, even if switch gear doors are open or panels are off,]
[and GE's Arc Vault protection system will work at arcing current levels ]
[that are well below bolted fault current levels ]
[This means there is less stress to the local switch gear equipment, ]
[as well as any upstream equipment such as transformers.]
[The high temperature of an arc flash can melt metal, ]
[damaging or even destroying equipment. ]
[With some systems, valuable time can be spent repairing or replacing equipment ]
[before getting the facility up and running again.]
[In contrast, because the GE Arc Vault protection system will redirect the arc]
[into the containment dome, the equipment is less likely to be damaged,]
[and the facility can be up and running again sooner, ]
[plus the GE Arc Vault protection system's use of an interior dome to contain the flash,]
[makes the system smaller and easier to install than systems which require venting]
[through a chimney or a plenum system to the outside.]
[The GE Arc Vault protection system can be installed on a retrofit basis ]
[onto GE switchgear models AKD-6, 8, 10, and 20 ]
[that contain AKR, WavePro or EntelliGuard series circuit breakers ]
[which covers over 30 years of installations. ]
[This allows you to gain an HRC zero rating on a 480-volt HRG system ]
[with fault currents up to 100 KA without the costly replacement of entire lineups]
[Thanks for taking the time to review GE's Arc Vault protection system,]
[an innovative new approach to arc flash protection.]
[For more information, please visit us at www.geelectrical.com/arcvault.]
