Short Circuit Analysis - Volts Electrical Design Software

Short Circuit Analysis

Protect Your Equipment from Short Circuit Damage

All electrical systems are vulnerable to short circuits and the irregular current that they cause. Because of this vulnerability and the potential costs of repairing the damage that is done, it is extremely important to calculate short circuit currents before any problems can occur. Following IEEE Std. 141 and 242, Volts allows you to perform a per unit calculation on any system you are working with. Volts automatically converts the entire system (panel boards, transformers, generators, motorized items and cables) into a unique impedance unit from which you can obtain the rating of the short circuit current at any given point. The process is simple, efficient and will save you both money and time.

Short Circuit Functions in Volts:

IEEE standard computations of symmetrical
short circuit current for each panel board.
Asymmetrical short circuit current computations
using first article of decay formulation.
Computes contributions from generators, motors,
transformers with reductions from cables sensitive to definable ambient temperature.
All motor contribution LRA values are individually computed from the letter code rather than simplistic and inaccurate ratios.
Complete and entailed Utility Transformer Characterization.
Calculations for power distribution applications
are as quick and easy as a menu selection.

Verification and Accuracy

You'll know what you've got when Volts displays the short circuit values in a report or one line riser diagram. These reports will include every buss in the system and will be based on the input values of each entered device, transformer, generator and panel. Accuracy doesn't get any easier than that.

In addition, Volts checks every cable in the system, comparing the panel board's SCA capacity with the cable's SCA capacity to ensure that the insulation won't degrade. Volts makes it simple to know exactly what your system is going to do.

Volts' short circuit formulae and methods produce the most accurate short circuit results possible. This is important not only to ensure correct panel bracing and cable sizes but also to ensure accurate Arc Flash values for each panel board.

Other Short Circuit Related Features, Functions and Capabilities

Compute SCA with mixed phase systems
Compute motor LRA as contribution (sensitive to reduced voltage motors, not inaccurate ratios)
Adjustable ambient temperature in addition to IEEE standard 25°C for cable impedance reduction
Utilize UL 7.5% tolerance for transformer percentage of impedance (Z)
Utility Line Starting Power in MVA
Base Line Voltage in kV or Utility Transformer Primary Voltage
Base Transformer Power in kVA or Utility Transformer rated kVA
Volts includes the IEEE std. 141 Average Utility Transformer percent of impedance, XR ratio, Reactance and Resistance values
Infinite Buss computations based on either base values or utility transformer values