EN 61482

EN 61482-2

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AGAINST THERMAL HAZARDS FROM ARC FAULTS

The consequences of an arc fault for those affected are serious and can even be fatal in extreme cases. In the light column of the arc, the temperature briefly exceeds 9,000 degrees Celsius, which is almost twice as high as on the surface of the sun. The current reaches values of several kiloamperes (kA).

Even electric shocks of less than one hundred milliamperes (mA), as they come from a standard household socket, can be life-threatening for a person. The great heat and high currents are accompanied by a pressure wave that expands rapidly and can hurl all parts of the system and people away with its enormous force.

And the dangers don't stop there: The electromagnetic radiation from the arc fault can cause serious damage to the skin and eyes, and the toxic gases produced by the combustion can cause chemical burns and poisoning in humans.

Click here to go directly to PROTECTIVE CLOTHING ACCORDING TO EN 61482-2!

Description

Protective clothing that meets the requirements of this standard protects wearers against the thermal effects of a defined electric arc and prevents further burning.

The clothing also protects wearers from heat. The heat may be convective, radiant, liquid metal splash or a combination of these.

The tested protective clothing is not electrically insulating protective clothing, for example according to EN 50286:1999 "Electrically insulating protective clothing for low-voltage work". Full personal protection also requires additional suitable protective equipment such as hard hat/visor, protective gloves, etc.

Arc protection classes

Arc protection classes 1 and 2 represent safety requirements that cover actual potential risks from arc faults. The fireball resulting from the arc fault (flames, heat radiation and hot metal splashes) is only effective for a short time (0.5 s), but it can be very energetic and have a devastating effect. The flame temperature can reach up to 9,000 °C.

The tests are carried out in a low-voltage test circuit and can be carried out in two defined test classes. A distinction is made here according to the value of the short-circuit current.

Arc protection class 1 (APC) - 4 kA/0.5 s

Arc protection class 2 (APC) - 7 kA/0.5 s

Important test parameters in the box test:

Protection class 1:

0.5 seconds
Short-circuit current: 4 kA (kiloampere)
Electric arc energy: 158 kJ
Impact energy: 135 kJ/m²

Protection class 2:

0.5 seconds
Short-circuit current 7 kA (kiloampere)
Electric arc energy: 318 kJ
Impact energy: 423 kJ/m²

Protective effect

The effects of an arc fault accident are manifold and include much more than the obvious thermal effects. For example, an arc fault can also result in an electric shock. Sound and UV exposure are also very high. In addition, such an incident is often accompanied by subsequent psychological stress. The EN 61482-2 standard focuses on thermal hazards.