[remy_martian]

A good article here on the topic

Do you know what an arc flash is? If not, keep reading, it's important. | EEP

An Arc Flash is an electrical explosion resulting from a low impedance connection to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system.

electrical-engineering-portal.com

With the voltages and currents we deal with in some of our projects, this awareness is necessary.

 

[vertigon]

so i have some welding background and can confidently say voltage has nothing to do with it, my cheapo unit from hazard freight works at about 25V. the current however, is absolutely there, and that IS what matters: my tiny 90amp unit will melt your face without a shield. even though its usually only a fraction of a second, an arc flash from an EV battery will definately leaving you blinking hard. like, worse than when you accidentally happen to glance at the sun or have it reflect directly off a mirror like from a car/whatever

 

[remy_martian]

You have a welding background...your "arc flash" at a dozen or two volts has nothing to do with a high voltage arc flash.

A high voltage arc flash is not a spark, as you describe.

Read the article & be informed - your posting shows you're clueless in this area and that you have not experienced arc flash conditions from your cheapass welder or your HV battery.

 

[vertigon]

You have a welding background...your "arc flash" at a dozen or two volts has nothing to do with a high voltage arc flash.

A high voltage arc flash is not a spark, as you describe.

Read the article & be informed - your posting shows you're clueless in this area and that you have not experienced arc flash conditions from your cheapass welder or your HV battery.

wow, could you be more toxic? its a plasma arc, the air gets ionized and carries high currents, it is in literal fact the same. in the same way that the static you get rubbing your socks on the carpet before touching someone is the same as a lightning strike: while technically true (also technically the same as the arc flashes we are talking about), the lightning is WAY more dangerous, so too is the HV battery WAY more dangerous than the arc from welding. i was trying to convey the seriousness of arc flashes of ANY kind. you're a jerk and make me want to delete my account to this forum

 

[remy_martian]

It's NOT a plasma arc - it's an explosion with copper vapor in it.

 

[cricketo]

It's NOT a plasma arc - it's an explosion with copper vapor in it.

In such case, let's use aluminum conductors! Problem solved! LOL

 

[cricketo]

so i have some welding background and can confidently say voltage has nothing to do with it, my cheapo unit from hazard freight works at about 25V. the current however, is absolutely there, and that IS what matters: my tiny 90amp unit will melt your face without a shield. even though its usually only a fraction of a second, an arc flash from an EV battery will definately leaving you blinking hard. like, worse than when you accidentally happen to glance at the sun or have it reflect directly off a mirror like from a car/whatever

Higher voltages will more readily ionize the air and bridge the gap between the conductors. There is a reason why most common wiring is labeled 600V - higher voltages will "escape" through the pores in insulation and create an arc. I had a problem with a laser cutter not so long ago - it was arcing to the chassis THROUGH the insulation. Special HV wires are used there, but there was a joint that wasn't insulated to the same standard. Milliamps at Kilovolt scale

 

[remy_martian]

The article talks about "low voltage", but that's in the context of switchgear...to them, "low voltage" is hundreds of volts, lol.