Experimental Characterization of Arc Flash-Related Plasmas From Pulsed Power Supplies

High-energy, fast rise time systems are widely used in applications such as electromagnetic launch systems, plasma generation, and particle accelerators. These systems rely on capacitor-based energy storage to rapidly deliver the stored energy exceeding many megajoules. At charge potentials of up to 8.5 kV, these pulsed power systems present challenging electrical safety hazards in the form of shock and arc flash. While the shock hazard is well-understood and manageable, the challenges posed from the arc flash hazard are not. Existing studies on arc flash primarily focus on ac systems leaving the energy dynamics poorly understood from pulsed power systems. While prior studies of these systems have characterized the pressure component, this work goes further to characterize the thermal energy, acoustic pressure, and visible radiant energy dispelled during 258 arc flash events with arc energies of 226 J–190 kJ. Measurements of thermal energy have been used to modify estimations from standards and in combination with measured acoustic pressure have been used to estimate safe approach distances for capacitor bank systems. These results provide the foundation for improving safety standards and protocols for high-energy pulsed power systems.