Arcing Persistency Measurement for IEC62606 Arc-Fault Detection Device Certification

Abstract

Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDD's) or Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI's) are mandatory electrical protection devices in panel boards all over the world, to mitigate the risk of fire due to hazardous electrical arc faults. By its nature, the arc fault is an erratic phenomenon, with variable temporal persistency and variable ability to ignite a fire. The two main standards for AFDD certification are UL1699 & IEC62606, which require similar arcing tests. However, there is no current requirement for a minimal arcing persistency during a standard series arc test, neither a clear guideline on how to measure the arcing temporal persistency and confirm the test yielded a successful series arc fault. This work aims to enhance the standards, by proposing a simple method to precisely determine the arcing persistency during a series arc fault test. Using only the arc current and arc voltage as inputs, a standard series arc signal can be accepted or rejected, based on the measured level of temporal arcing persistency.