Projeto de um conjunto de calorímetros utilizando uma câmera termográfica para determinação da energia incidente de arcos elétricos

Abstract

An arc flash represents a risk factor for the worker exposed to this phenomenon, and the in cident energy is the central element for risk analysis. Its magnitude determines the class of personal protective equipment (PPE) that must be used by the worker. The incident energy value in electrical installations is estimated using the IEEE Std 1584 (2018) guide, which con tains the empirical equations obtained through laboratory tests. Another relevant parameter to be determined is Arc Rating, related to the base material of the protection equipment. Thus, it is necessary to use calorimeters to measure incident energy in laboratory tests to determine empirical equations and during tests to determine the Arc Rating of a material. The present work aims to design a set of calorimeters for use in the "Incident Energy Laboratory" of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). The design of calorimeters follow the standards on the subject (ASTM F1959, ISO 9151 and ABNT NBR IEC 61482-1-1), except for tempera ture sensing. The innovative proposal of this work consists of using a thermographic camera to measure temperature instead of a thermocouple, which is the sensor recommended by the standards. Besides that, the work presents the software developed to automatize the incident energy calculation. Ultimately, a calorimeter test was carried out using an oven and the results obtained validated the temperature measurement in the copper disc through the thermographic camera, as well as the performance of the developed software.