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Eaton Arc Fault Protection System ARCON LV systems Protective Relays

Regards of all the preliminary protective measures you take, arc faults may still occur in electrical energy distribution systems. You therefore need to implement suitable measures to prevent the occurrence of these extremely serious events and the damage they may cause, for example by opting for ARCON®, Eaton's arc-fault protection system.

Rated short-time withstand current
Icw up to 150 kA/200 ms
arc mitigation time
≤ 2 ms
system integration compliant with
IEC/TS 63107:2020

Core features

  • ARCON® is suitable for low-voltage switchgear assemblies up to 690 V AC/50 Hz
  • Arc-fault mitigation time in an assembly (tmtA) acc.to IEC/TS 63107:2020 sub-clause 10.101.4 ≤ 2 ms (typically 1.5 ms)

  • At the lowest threshold setting, ARCON® protects against arcs at a pick-up level of Iarc = 7.5 kA / Ue = 230 VAC acc.to IEC/TS 63107:2020 sub-clause 10.101.2

  • Nuisance tripping criterion has been verified acc.to IEC/TS 63107:2020 sub-clause 10.101.3 – verification by test that unintended operation will not occur up to Icc = 105 kA / Ue = 415 VAC respectively Icc = 75 kA / Ue = 690 VAC

  • Rated short-time withstand current Icw of the quenching device (at operating voltage of 415 VAC):
    - 85 kA / 1 s
    - 105 kA / 500 ms
    - 150 kA / 200 ms
  • Integrated self-monitoring of the entire system to prevent unplanned downtime
  • Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assembly xEnergy with integrated ARCON® meets criteria 1-7 of IEC/TR 61641:2014 Ed.3 for personnel and assembly protection
  • Full personnel protection even if the doors are open, e.g. during maintenance
  • The arc quenching device (ARC-AT) has been tested and verified acc. to IEC 60947-9-1:2019 (latest standard for active arc-fault mitigation systems - arc quenching devices)

 

Work safe - safe solutions that go far beyond IEC standards

Available with Eaton's low-voltage distribution systems up to 7100 A for commercial and industrial buildings - protecting personnel and equipment.

ARCON 3G - third generation of Eaton's proven arc-fault protection system

The third generation convinces with new features, improved user friendliness as well as a modular approach which enables tailor-made solutions for every customer.

The 3rd generation of ARCON® is still the fastest internal arc-fault mitigation system (IAMS) available on the market, which has been integrated and tested acc. to IEC/TS 63107:2020 in PSC assemblies.

Reinhard Moerzinger, Product Manager ARCON®

Did you know that approximately 70% of arcs are due to human error?

The probability of an internal arc fault may be low, but the effects can be devastating, from personal injuries to massive damage to the switchgear, which can release enormous amounts of energy. Our research results indicate that ARCON® significantly reduces the risk of personal injuries.

Most common causes of an arc fault are:

  • Human error when working on the switchgear system
  • Bridging between conductors caused by rodents or conductive objects such as tools or metal parts
  • Dirt or condensation
  • Overvoltages
  • Incorrectly dimensioned switching devices

ARCON® also protects your system

The effects of an arc fault will put a low-voltage switchboard systems out of operation for several weeks. If a redundant power supply is not available, this will also result in unplanned downtime. The only solution is effective system protection to minimize the effects of an arc fault and get your system back up and running. ARCON® restricts the effects of the arc fault to its foot points, and after the cause of the fault has been rectified and the quenching device has been replaced, the system can be back up and running in the shortest possible time in order to ensure the required level of availability.

Electrical safety

Understanding the risk of arc-flash events in your switchgear assemblies is the first step towards protecting your people and your business. Find out how you can protect your staff, business and reputation from the risk of an arc flash.

Enhanced personnel protection

The ARCON® arc-fault protection system is used wherever enhanced personal protection is required that goes above and beyond the requirements of the relevant standards.
Specifications

4 steps to safely control arc faults:

ARCON Arc Fault Protection Systems - 4 Steps to Control Arc Faults Safely
1. Detection 
The arc fault is reliably detected by means of two separate tripping criteria. The arc fault produces an overcurrent which is detected by means of measuring current transformers. The second detection criterion is the extremely intense light emitted from an arc fault. This light is detected with fiber optic sensors. Some of this intense light emission enters the core of the fiber optic loop radially. Then this signal can be evaluated at the receiver side of the sensor. Any incorrect releases due to flashes or welding arcs are prevented by evaluating both signals together.
Eaton ARCON Arc Fault Protection
2. Evaluation 
The analog sensor signals are converted to digital ones in so-called detection modules and then passed on to the central evaluation unit (master). For this an internal communication bus has been developed which has the principal task of transferring any triggering information at ultra-high speed. The detection modules are also fed with power via this line. Each module has an independent address over the interlink assigned to one busbar section, the so-called protection zone. For monitoring two or more busbar sections, it is possible to build up complex arc protection systems via the “masterlink”.
ARCON Arc Fault Protection Systems - 4 Steps to Control Arc Faults Safely
3. Quenching
The arc quenching device ensures extremely fast mitigation times. A three-phase short-circuit is produced in less than 1 ms in order to remove energy from the arc fault. A pyrotechnically initiated actuator, as used in airbag systems, fires a copper bolt that penetrates an insulation plate to establish electrical contact.
ARCON Arc Fault Protection Systems - 4 Steps to Control Arc Faults Safely
4. Disconnection
The incoming circuit-breaker has the task of disconnecting the affected busbar section from the mains supply. This is initiated by the short-circuit release. Each incoming circuit-breaker on this busbar section is sent an additional command to the shunt release as a backup measure. Busbar sections that are not affected remain operational.

Next generation of arc sensing

Intelligent point sensor for detecting the light emitted by an arc fault. Due to a precise algorithm the sensor can distinguish between different light sources. As an example, it won't trip when there is some blow-out gas caused by a circuit breaker during standard switching operation. Moreover it's non-sensitive against other interfering lights like sun light, artificial lighting, photo flash, torch light, etc. This patented solution enables a far better and more efficient integration to the LV switchgear assembly, less time-consuming and much more user-friendly on site for the panel builder.

ARCON® Arc Fault Protection System

Regardless of all the preliminary protective measures you take, arc faults may still occur in electrical energy distribution systems. You therefore need to implement suitable measures to prevent the occurrence of these extremely serious events and the damage they may cause, for example by opting for ARCON®. 

 

Get to know the new features of ARCON® 3G - the third generation

Delivering performance

  • Two different system approaches enable tailor-made solutions for every customer.
    • Easy set-up to provide the lowest level of arc-fault protection / monitoring in low-voltage switchgear (ARC-LITE-3G)
    • Advanced arc protection to offer the highest level of personnel and equipment protection (ARC-MAIN-3G)
  • Both devices come with three high-speed tripping outputs with less than 1 ms contact switching time

Keeping our promises
 

  • With our proven quenching devices, the total arc mitigation time is less than 2 ms
  • The separate tripping module enables a high degree of flexibility for positioning the master / the graphical display independently from the main incomer section
  • High-quality industrial housings made of stainless steel provide for ideal EMC conditions
  • Internal communication lines of up to 100 m enable a high degree of flexibility during system set-up without the need for an additional power supply

Next Generation
 

  • Lower installation effort compared to panel-mounted devices thanks to DIN rail assembly
  • The low installation depth and a separate user interface ensure improved installation conditions inside the switchgear assembly
  • A separate software tool (APPT) for configuration and read-out of the system status increases ease of use
  • In addition to arc fault protection, the devices also offer voltage and current measurement for power calculations

Safety and risk in low-voltage electrical installations

Safety and risk in low-voltage electrical installations.

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