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The purpose of this paper is to examine the application of low-voltage circuit breakers to control the energy released during an arc-flash occurrence. It contrasts arc-flash incident-energy values obtained by calculation with values obtained by direct testing. It examines values at low fault current levels where long duration events may be expected. It also reviews the protection afforded by current-limiting circuit breakers. This paper concludes with an overall discussion of circuit breaker applications for arc-flash energy reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) was commercially introduced in 1998, questions have arisen about how it detects arcs, whether it detects series and parallel arcs, and what types of AFCIs are available. Types other than the original branch/feeder AFCI are emerging. This paper is intended to provide an update regarding answers to those questions, following an earlier paper that introduced the basic functioning of the AFCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]