Author: Victor L. Petrovic, Ph.D.

Use of arc suppression blankets can help reduce arc flash/blast injuries. When properly installed, arc suppression blankets absorb or deflect heat and blast energy emitted from an arc event, reducing the event’s impact on workers. Proper understanding of the elements involved in an arc flash is key to designing an installation. Heat is a major factor in an arc flash/blast event. Because of the intense heat generated in both radiation (ultraviolet and infrared) and the plasma arc (large fireball that can reach several thousand degrees), protection from this heat is the most important factor. An...