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Engineers Newsletter volume 41 –2

Short-Circuit Current Rating Update

The issues surrounding short-circuit One objective of electrical distribution
Short-Circuit Current Rating current ratings were covered in an system design is to minimize the
(SCCR) is not a new topic, but effect of a fault, i.e., its extent and
earlier newsletter2 published in
recent changes to the Underwriters
August of 1998. Back then the rating duration, on the uninterrupted part of
Laboratories (UL) safety standard
for heating and cooling equipment, was called short-circuit withstand the system. Coordinating the sizes of
UL 19951, could result in a rating. Because the terminology can circuit breakers and fuses ensures
significant increase in SCCR design that these devices isolate only the
be confusing, let's start with a
issues. As of July 30, 2012, listed
review of the key terms surrounding affected circuits. Put simply, it
HVAC equipment with Maximum
Over-Current Protection (MOP) this issue: fault current, interrupt prevents a short at an outlet from
greater than 60 amps will include rating, short-circuit current rating, shutting down power to the entire
an SCCR on or near the nameplate, and current-limiting. Knowing what building.
making it much easier for code
officials to check compliance.
these terms mean and applying
them correctly is fundamental to Calculating the magnitude of the fault
This EN provides an overview of designing safe, reliable electrical current is prerequisite to selecting
industry terminology while offering distribution systems. appropriate breakers, fuses, and
practical solutions to SCCR design equipment. If the transformer and unit
challenges. are in close proximity, the calculation
Fault Current, n. Imagine a wiring can be simplified by ignoring the
error that inadvertently connects one impedance of the interconnecting
phase directly to another or a phase wiring—a simplification that errs on
to ground. When the circuit is the side of safety. We can also
energized, this mistake results in a assume that the source of the fault
potentially dangerous situation or has zero impedance, i.e., a “bolted”
“fault condition” caused by the low- short. Given these assumptions, the
impedance, phase-to-phase or only impedance left to consider is that
phase-to-ground connection—a of the transformer. (Impedance
“short circuit.” upstream of the transformer is usually
negligible.)
Fault current, also called “short-
circuit current” (Isc), describes Suppose a rooftop with a minimum
current flow during a short. It passes circuit ampacity (MCA) of 80 amps is
through all components in the supplied by a 500-kVA, 480-V
affected circuit. Fault current is transformer with an impedance of 2.5
generally very large and therefore percent. With this value and the
hazardous. Only the combined equation below, we can determine
impedance of the object responsible how much fault current a short circuit
for the short, the wire, and the will produce.
transformer limit its magnitude.

500 kVA  1000 -

I sc = --------------------------------------------------
480 V  1.73  0.025

=  24 100amps 

© 2012 Trane, a business of Ingersoll Rand. All rights reserved. 1

As you can see, a short-circuit would Short-Circuit Current Rating, n. between any circuit conductor and the
equipment grounding conductor(s)
force our wiring to carry more than Though often used as such, “interrupt
permitted in 250.118. Listed
20,000 amps (until the fault was rating” and “short-circuit current equipment applied in accordance with
cleared), when it was designed to rating” are not interchangeable terms. their listing shall be considered to
handle approximately 80 amps! Unlike the interrupt rating, which meet the requirements of this section.
defines the performance limit of an
Short-circuit current is often two orders overcurrent protection device (e.g., Commentary in the 2011 National
of magnitude greater than normal circuit breaker or fuse), the “short- Electrical Code Handbook4 further
operating current. Unless a circuit circuit current rating” identifies the explains Section 110-10:
breaker or fuse successfully interrupts maximum short-circuit amperage (fault Wire, bus structures, switching,
the fault, this enormous amperage current) a component, enclosure, or protection and disconnect devices,
rapidly heats components to unit can experience without injuring and distribution equipment all have
temperatures that destroy insulation, personnel or damaging the premises. limited short-circuit ratings and would
melt metal, start fires—even cause an be damaged or destroyed if those
short-circuit ratings were exceeded.
explosion if arcing occurs. The inherent UL defines the methods for
Merely providing overcurrent
likelihood of severe equipment and determining the short-circuit current protective devices with sufficient
property damage, as well as the risk of rating. A standard short-circuit current interrupting ratings would not ensure
personal injury or death, underscores rating can be determined if all of the adequate short-circuit protection for
the importance of sufficient electrical individual components in the power the system components. When the
available short-circuit current exceeds
distribution system protection. circuit have a short-circuit current the short-circuit current rating of an
rating. Essentially the component with electrical component, the overcurrent
Interrupt Rating, n. Determined the lowest rating sets the rating for the protective device must limit the let-
assembly. A higher rating can be given through energy to within the rating of
under standard conditions, the that electrical component.
“interrupt rating” specifies the by testing a current-limiting short-
maximum amount of current a circuit interrupt device (e.g., a current- Overcurrent protective devices (such
protective device can cut off safely— limiting breaker or fuse) in combination as fuses and circuit breakers) should
with the panel components or by using be selected to ensure that the short-
i.e., without harm to personnel,
pretested combinations of circuit current rating of the system
damage to equipment, the premises, components is not exceeded should a
or the device itself. For example, a components. Due to the high cost of short circuit or high-level ground fault
circuit breaker that trips “safely” testing HVAC equipment, occur.
successfully interrupts the fault, can be manufacturers commonly use
reset and will function properly pretested combinations to provide To comply with this section of the
afterward. To safely stop the fault higher short-circuit current ratings. NEC, the nameplate on our example
current calculated for our rooftop unit unit must have short-circuit current
Recall that when a fault occurs, all rating of at least 24,100 amps
scenario, the interrupt rating of the
components in the circuit experience indicating that the rooftop power circuit
circuit breaker or fuses selected must
the brunt of the short circuit until it's would be able to safely clear the fault
be at least 24,100 amps.
stopped. Therefore, it's important to and withstand the let-through current.
ensure that all components “at risk”
A common misconception. Before can withstand a fault condition without
leaving this topic, let's dispel a Current Limiting, n. All components
causing injury or damaging the and wiring in an electrical distribution
common misconception: “Using an surroundings. The 2011 National
overcurrent protection device with an system offer some degree of
Electrical Code® (NEC)3 states this resistance to current flow. Under
interrupt rating greater than the fault requirement in Section 110-10, “Circuit
current is all that is required to satisfy normal conditions, the heat produced
Impedance, Short-Circuit Current when current flows against this
the short-circuit code requirements.” Ratings, and Other Characteristics”:
Not so—not unless it's also a true resistance readily dissipates to the
current-limiting device as described in The overcurrent protective devices, surroundings. However, the enormous
the “Current Limiting” section of this the total impedance, the equipment current generated during a short circuit
short-circuit current ratings, and produces damaging heat at a much
newsletter. Even though the device
other characteristics of the circuit to faster rate than can be safely
successfully breaks the circuit, all be protected shall be selected and
components in the circuit will be coordinated to permit the circuit
dispersed. Interrupt the current and
exposed to the full magnitude of the protective devices used to clear a you stop adding heat to the system.
let-through current (as well as the fault to do so without extensive
damage to the electrical equipment of
severe thermal and magnetic stresses the circuit. This fault shall be
that accompany it) for the time it takes assumed to be either between two or
the device to clear the fault current. more of the circuit conductors or

2 Trane Engineers Newsletter volume 41–2 providing insights for today’s HVAC system designer
Figure 1.
both normal operation and fault
conditions.

Prospective available short-circuit current Occasionally, the calculated fault

100,000 that would flow when a fuse is not used.
current exceeds the short-circuit
current rating listed on the nameplate
of the equipment. Such cases require
adding an appropriate current limiting
device or redesigning the electrical
Current
system to reduce fault current.

The fault-current analysis in the rooftop

unit scenario consisted of a simplified,
Peak Fuse worst-case calculation. While this is
10,000 “Let-Through” often sufficient to select system
Current
0
components, a more detailed analysis
tc Time may be justified.

Total Fuse Clearing Time

To learn more, refer to The IEEE Buff
Book: Recommended Practice for
Protection and Coordination of
As Figure 1 suggests, time is a critical UL 1995 Requirements Industrial and Commercial Power
determinant of the amount of heat Systems5 published by The Institute of
Changed Electrical and Electronics Engineers,
(energy) added. An electrical short that
lasts three cycles, for example, adds Inc.
As of July 30, 2012, all equipment
six times the energy of one lasting just listed under UL 1995 is required to
one-half of a cycle. It's in this sense By Dave Guckelberger, applications engineer,
include an SCCR on the nameplate Trane. You can find this and previous issues of the
that all circuit breakers and fuses with the following exceptions as noted Engineers Newsletter at www.trane.com/
“limit” current. Figure 1 also shows in section 37.3 (y): engineersnewsletter. To comment, e-mail us at
the effect of a current-limiting device. [email protected].
To be truly current-limiting, the “Equipment intended for use in one-
interrupting device must open the and two-family dwellings, cord-and-
circuit within one-quarter cycle (1/240 attachment plug connected equipment,
second), i.e., before the fault current or equipment supplied from a branch References
peaks. circuit protected at 60 A or less is not
[1] Underwriters Laboratories Inc. 2011. UL 1995.
required to be marked with a short- Standard for Safety: Heating and Cooling
Remember our rooftop scenario? If circuit current rating.” Equipment. 4th ed. Northbrook, IL: UL.
there isn't a unit available with a short-
circuit current rating greater than Listed equipment cannot be assumed [2] Guckelberger, D. and Bradley, B. 1998.
24,100 amps, compliance with NEC to comply with the NEC SCCR “Protecting the Electrical Distribution
Section 110-10 requires that we either: System… Short-Circuit Withstand Ratings
requirement by virtue of its listing.
Demystified.” Trane Engineers Newsletter, 
• Add a current limiting device, i.e., Code compliance for all equipment not 27-3.
usually a fuse, but sometimes a specifically exempted above will
circuit breaker and fuse in series, require a fault current calculation and [3] National Fire Protection Association. 2010.
that the available fault current at the NFPA 70. National Electrical Code. 2011 ed.
that restricts the fault current to a Quincy, MA: NFPA.
value less than the unit's short- unit not exceed the nameplate SCCR.
circuit current rating. Or … [4] National Fire Protection Association. 2011.
NFPA 70. National Electrical Code Handbook.
• Redesign the electrical distribution 2011 ed. Quincy, MA: NFPA.
system to reduce the fault current.
Choosing this approach warrants a Summary [5] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers. 2001. IEEE Standard 242-2001. The
more detailed fault-current IEEE Buff Book: IEEE Recommended Practice
Protecting HVAC equipment is a critical
analysis. for Protection and Coordination of Industrial
element of electrical distribution
and Commercial Power Systems. New York,
system design. Proper selection and NY: IEEE.
coordination of overcurrent protection
devices should occur early in the
design process, and should address

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