Description of the EMC standards for surge tests

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Description of the EMC standards for surge tests

Surge waveforms and levels are defined in the IEC 61000-4-5 standard. The standard

defines the surge waveforms and the test levels separately: the surge voltage and current

waveforms have always the same shape and timings, while the voltage and current levels

depend on the test and the application specifications.

2.1

Voltage and current waveforms

The surge generator is specified in terms of open circuit voltage and short circuit current in

order to have the correct waveform.

Figure 4. EC61000-4-5 voltage setup circuit and waveform (1.2/50 µs)

Figure 5. IEC61000-4-5 current setup circuit and waveform (1.2/50 µs)

2.2

Power line communication EMC standards

In Europe, the requirements to be satisfied by PLC applications are stated in the

EN50065 2-x documents, all referring to IEC61000-4-5 standard for surge definition:

EN50065-2-1: for residential, commercial and light industrial environment (i.e. Home

Automation and similar)

EN50065-2-2: for industrial environments (i.e. industrial command & control)

EN50065-2-3: for use by electricity suppliers and distributors (i.e. AMR/AMI)

The most stringent requirements are set by the EN50065-2-3 part and ask for ±4 kV

1.2/50 µs (8/20 µs) withstanding in both differential and common-mode surge coupling.

However, to match higher requirements set by some applications and customers, ±6 kV

level has been applied.

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