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REA Arc ProtectionGeneral Presentation

ABB Oy Distribution Automation

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Contents:

Arcing incidents do happen!

Time is critical

Protect your assets

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Usual reasons for arc faults:

Accident or incorrect operation during work

Faulty device or bad insulators

Animal inside the switchgear

Tool or other foreign object left behind in the switchgear

Arc faults generally cause serious damage

Arcing incidents do happen

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Arcing incidents do happen

Fault characteristics

An arc arises when at least part of the current passes through a dielectric, usually air

Maximum peak power up to 40 MW

Arc temperature up to five times the surface temperature of the sun (20 000°C)

Light intensity more than 2000 times that of normal office light

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Hot gases, melt drops and thermal radiation may cause damage even farther away

A rapid temperature rise may lead to a violent explosion

Toxic chemical compounds may be formed at high temperatures

An uncontrolled arc causes

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Serious injuriesFractures, serious burns or even death. 75% of incidents happen when humans are present!

Repair costsCosts caused by replacing switchgear and other damaged equipment, even the whole station building might collapse

Production lossConsiderable costs due to lost production and delayed deliveries

The damage often results in...

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Protect yourself against serious arc incidents

REA Arc Protection System from ABB

Detects light by means of an optical fibre forming an extended light sensor

Arc fault verification through optional current measurement function

REA trips the circuit breaker providing rapid interruption of the fault current and extinction of the electric arc

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REA is equipped with solid-state outputs and is able to deliver a tripping signal within2.5 ms

To be compared to a selective overcurrent relay with tripping times up to 500 ms!

REA is the fastest arc protection system on the market

Time is critical

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40 ms No personal injuries or switchgear damage worth mentioning

100 ms No serious damage, cleaning and minor repair needed

500 ms Serious personal injuries and damage to switchgear

With the fast reaction from REA the effect of the arc can be wiped off with a wet towel!

Time is critical

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REA interrupts an arc at an early stage

Injury to people can be avoided

Damage to equipment can be minimized

Production losses limited to a minimum, damaged switchgear could take weeks to replace

REA, a reasonable investment to ensure security for investments and assets

Protect your assets

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More than 500 000 protection relays delivered around the globe

World-wide service and support network. Present in more than 70 countries.

ABB can provide anything from a single stand-alone relay to complex protection and control systems

When you invest in solutions from ABB you invest in the future

ABB is a global partner

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Arcing incidents do happen

Time is crucial

Every millisecond counts when an arc is burning

A small accident or component failure may cause considerable damage if you are not properly protected against arcs

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REA interrupts the fault current before the arc causes damage to equipment or, even worse, to people!

Protect your assets

ABB, a global partner

ABB’s superior network of authorized and competent service providers at your disposal

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REA Arc Protectionfrom ABB

Protect yourself against serious arc incidents