Is the thermal energy released during an arcing fault event directly proportional to the time it takes to interrupt the fault current?

The thermal energy released during an arcing fault event is not directly proportional to the time it takes to interrupt the fault current. The relationship between the duration of an arcing fault and the thermal energy produced is influenced by various factors, including the magnitude of the fault current and the physical properties of the materials involved.

When an arcing fault occurs, heat is generated by the resistance of the electrical path and the energy dissipated through the arc itself. While a longer duration can lead to greater heat accumulation, the situation is not straightforward because the arcing can cause rapid changes in current and temperature, which can complicate the heat generation process.

Additionally, the effectiveness of the protection devices in interrupting the fault plays a critical role. If the interrupting time is too long, it can increase thermal damage, but this does not establish a direct, proportional relationship between those two aspects. Hence, the correct understanding is that the thermal energy released is affected by the interaction of multiple parameters rather than being simply proportional to the time of interruption.