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In an electric power system, a fault or fault current is any abnormal electric current. For example, a short circuit is a fault in which a live wire touches a neutral or ground wire. An open-circuit fault occurs if a circuit is interrupted by a failure of a current-carrying wire (phase or neutral) or a blown fuse or circuit breaker.
Discharge of electric current through an open space between conductors; may be produced intentionally as a source of intense light and heat, or may be a result of an electrical fault. electric charge The physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field. electric circuit
A transient fault is a loss of power typically caused by a fault on a power line, e.g. a short circuit or flashover. Power is automatically restored once the fault is cleared. A brownout is a drop in voltage in an electrical power supply. The term brownout comes from the dimming experienced by incandescent lighting when the voltage sags.
For example, the power-handling ability of a resistor may be greatly derated when applied in high-altitude aircraft to obtain adequate service life. A sudden fail-open fault can cause multiple secondary failures if it is fast and the circuit contains an inductance ; this causes large voltage spikes , which may exceed 500 volts.
Although usually the result of a fault, there are cases where short circuits are caused intentionally, for example, for the purpose of voltage-sensing crowbar circuit protectors. In circuit analysis, a short circuit is defined as a connection between two nodes that forces them to be at the same voltage. In an 'ideal' short circuit, this means ...
Sparks — Electrical breakdown of a medium that produces an ongoing plasma discharge, similar to the instant spark, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. Telluric currents — Extremely low frequency electric current that occurs naturally over large underground areas at or near the surface of the Earth.
An electric arc between two nails. An arc flash is the light and heat produced as part of an arc fault (sometimes referred to as an electrical flashover), a type of electrical explosion or discharge that results from a connection through air to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system.
Power system protection is a branch of electrical power engineering that deals with the protection of electrical power systems from faults [citation needed] through the disconnection of faulted parts from the rest of the electrical network. The objective of a protection scheme is to keep the power system stable by isolating only the components ...