Earlier this week, the IEEE EMC Society Santa Clara Valley Chapter featured a presentation on “EMI in Electric Power Substations” by John Tengdin, a senior partner with OPUS Consulting Group. 

MET Labs’ James Bojorquez was in attendance and took these notes:

Much of the presentation recounted the history of how IEEE 1613-2003 “Standard Environmental and Testing Requirements for Communication Networking Devices in Electric Power Substations” was developed in 11 months.

This standard was developed with Class 1 & Class 2 specifications:

  • Class 1 devices are allowed to experience data errors, loss or delays when exposed to EMI stress
  • Class 2 devices must provide error-free operation when exposed to EMI stress

Neither class may experience any permanent damage under EMI stress.

Next is a Project Authorization Request (PAR) to extend the scope of IEEE 1613 to “In Electric Power Facilities” and add a communication profile for communications via RF to be underway during each of the four transient tests.

Tengdin was one of the U.S. members of IEC TC57 WG 10-11-12 that developed IEC 61850 “Communication Networks and Systems in Substations”.  According to a new industry report from GlobalData, the global market for IEC 61850 compliant routers and switches is at an introductory stage, with growth concentrated in specific regions. 

On a side note, MET Laboratories has experience testing to the three major requirements of IEC 61850-3: EMI, wide temperature, and shock and vibration resistance.

To learn more about EMI avoidance, register for one of these upcoming events:

About Compliance Today | By MET Labs

Through our educational resources, we keep you informed on essential regulatory requirements, changes, updates, and notices on a wide range of subjects across multiple industries, topics, and trends.Have a question about Standards Interpretations, Technical Specs, Applicability of Standards, Country-Specific Requirements? Subscribe to Compliance Today by .

Eurofins | MET Labs