IEC 555 PART 2 - HARUONICS: BACKGROUND AND IMPLICATIONS

G S Finlay

Introduction

Standard IEC 555 1982, EN 60 555 1987, BS5406 1988, "Disturbances in supply
systems caused by household appliances and similar electrical equipment" is
in three parts:-

Part 1 Glossary of terms

2 Specification of harmonics
3 Voltage fluctuations

This standard is very important to electricity authorities and

manufacturers as it defines the low frequency conducted emission limits of
the domestic appliances which are responsible for voltage supply system
distortion associated with the domestic load curve.
2
In urban supply areas with load density in excess of 20MVA/Km there is a
trend towards increasing individual substation plant capacities for
economic and technical reasons. This has the effect of increasing system
fault levels which, in turn, usually improves the tolerance of the supply
system to disturbing loads. However, this advantage is being negated by
the effects of increased load factor resulting from changes of daily load
pattern. The creation of world markets and consequently 24 hour trading,
is increasing commercial load factors which results in an increase in the
overlap between domestic and commercial loads, and thereby an increase in
distortion. The load curves shown in Figure 1 Appendix 1 may be used to
simulate this effect.

Engineering Recommendations P281 , (voltage fluctuations) and G5/3 2 ,

(harmonics) are the supply authorities' planning standards in the UK; they
both use IEC 555 standards to facilitate the connection of small appliances
and obviate the need for supply system measurements. Only large loads or
equipment not complying with the standards are subjected to technical
assessment against the planning standards.

System planning standards assist supply authorities in the general design

of their systems. They recommend overall limits which relate to their
statutory obligations, and stages of assessment which proportion emissions
from new load, according to the actual distortion on the relevant supply
system or to their predicted contribution to the overall limits. Some
other useful standards and reports in general use are given in the
references as items 3, 4 and 5.

Manufacturers are able to use the planning standards in order to assess

generally whether or not connection of their equipment is likely to cause
undue interference to consumers connected to the same supply system. Such
interference is forbidden by the 1988 Electricity Supply Regulation Clause
27(1) which is a replacement of the original disturbance regulation in The
Electric Lighting Clause Act 1899 Clause 24.

G S Finlay ia The Planning Engineer a t the Electricity Association.

It was flicker interference due to arc-lamps that initiated the 1899
disturbance regulations. Today we are experiencing an explosion in the
application of electricity to low powered equipment, such as home
entertainment and energy saving lighting, whilst in the high powered
equipment field, marketing pressures are encouraging finer control and more
rapid response from heating elements. New load being connected to supply
systems is, therefore, becoming a mixture of equipment sensitive to
disturbances and equipment producing disturbances. Constant review of
electrical product standards is necessary if damaging interaction between
equipment is to be avoided.

2 Chaneine Role of IEC 555

With the establishment of the Single Market in 1992 there will be free
trade of goods within Europe and to achieve this situation Directives are
being issued by the Commission. The EMC Directive i s concerned with
radiated and conducted disturbances at high and low frequency and requires
apparatus which is placed on the market to be immune to its normal
environment and not to cause or emit disturbances which adversely affect
other apparatus in the same environment. Apparatus complying with an
appropriate published standard will comply with the Directive.

IEC 5 5 5 is a product family standard as it applies to all domestic

appliances and similar equipment. It should, in due course be enforced by
national legislation resulting from the EMC Directive to be applicable to
all relevant apparatus placed on the European market.

IEC TC 77A, whose working groups, one and two, are responsible for revising
IEC 5 5 5 . has proposed changing the scopes of parts two and three so that
they apply to all electrical equipment having a rated input current up to
and including 16A per phase and intended to be connected to public low
voltage supply systems. Two additional parts are proposed which will apply
to equipment having rated input currents in excess of 16A per phase.

As the revised scopes of the parts will cover professional equipment, the
standard will, in effect, become a generic emission standard as far as low
frequency conducted disturbances are considered for the residential,
commercial and light industrial environments.

Perhaps IEC 5 5 5 may become the first product family/basic standard.

3 IEC 555 Part 2 - Harmonics

Proposed revisions to this part of the standard have not resulted from new
technology as is the case with voltage fluctuations; it has been the
steady increase of harmonic distortion levels up to the compatibility
levels of public supply networks, and the introduction of new types of
energy saving devices having relatively high levels of harmonic emission
that have prompted change.

212
Public supply companies in many countries are experiencing total harmonic
voltage distortion at some points on their low voltage networks which are
very close to the compatibility level of 8% provided in Standard IEC
1000-2-2. There is a reluctance on the part of standard making committees
to increase compatibility levels, even though actual distortion levels are
increasing, because of the effect on immunity Limits in general and product
standards.

If harmonic compatibility levels are increased because of the failure of

small equipment emission standards to adequately control emissions, at
least two consequences will result:

1 existing equipment will suffer an increase in failure rate

because actual levels of distortion will approach the immunity
limit of that equipment.

2 the restrictions placed on the manufacturers of large equipment

will be more severe.

The general requirements given in the existing standard are now given a
classification CLASS 'A' in the proposed standard. The requirements for
television receivers are now referred to within CLASS ID'. Two new
classifications 'B' and 'C' are proposed. The definitions of CLASS " A , B,
C and D" are as follows and the applicable limits are to be found in the
tables comprising Appendix 2.

4.1 CLASS I
A , Limits

For CLASS 'A' it is proposed that the limits for dc power supplies
exceeding 500W and intended to be used for professional purposes will not
be applied until June 1994. This matter, like many others, is still under
consideration at the time of writing this paper. Table 1 limits may apply
to CLASS 'A' equipment.

4.2 CLASS 'B' Limits

Portable tools as CLASS 'B' equipment may be subject to 150% of the CLASS
'A' limits given in Table 1.
4.3 CLASS 'C' Limits

Lighting equipment as CLASS 'C' may be subject to the following limits.

EOUIPMENT CHARACTERISTICS APPLICABLE LIMITS

Input power 3 25W TABLE 2

Input power < 25W NO LIMITS

self ballasted
and no
3 -Phase luminaires NO NEUTRAL
CURRENT LIMIT

Independent dimming devices TABLE 1

Built in dimming devices,

input power 3 25W TABLE 2
input power < 25W TABLE 3

These special limits for lighting equipment are new to the standard and
represent a significant reduction in permissible emissions.

4.4 Class 'D' Limits

Equipment with a high current crest factor which falls into CLASS 'D' may
be subject to the limits given in Table 3 as from January 1995. The
relative limits may only be valid for equipment with a power consumption
between 75W and 300W, and there may be a relaxation of the 5th harmonic
limit to 175mA for equipment with a rating less than 75W. Limits for high
power professional equipment with consumptions in excess of 300 W or maybe
500W are under consideration but in the meantime Table 1 limits may apply
as from June 1991.

In order to determine the classification of a particular piece of equipment

one first considers if it is a portable tool or lighting equipment, in
which case it falls into CLASS B and CLASS C respectively.

If it is neither of these classes it is necessary to obtain the input

current wave shape for each half cycle and divide the instantaneous values
by the peak value of current. The resulting characteristic is then
compared to the standard envelope shown in Figure 2 . If the equipment
characteristic is within the envelope for 95% of the duration of each half
period it is deemed to be CLASS ID'; if it does not meet this criterion it
falls into the general classification of CLASS 'A'.

4.5 Other Considerations

There is a proposal to limit the power of half-wave rectifiers to 1OW for

equipment which is used for more than a few minutes, and an amendment which
increases the power limit to 1OOW.

214
Supply authorities' ne'tworks are very sensitive to even harmonic distortion
as it can cause dc type currents to flow in earthing systems. Such
currents are responsible for very rapid corrosion of earthing systems,
cable sheaths, plant casings and structural steelwork. Earthing is closely
related to public safety and therefore of prime importance to supply
authorities. Manufacturers have developed equipment which uses half wave
rectification on both halves of the cycle to supply equal loads thereby
eradicating dc emissions.

Specified test conditions have been extended in the new standard to include
audio amplifiers, video cassette recorders, lamps, luminaries, ballasts and
step-down converters, independent dimmers, vacuum cleaners, washing
machines, microwave ovens and personal computer systems.

Part 5 o f the standard, for loads in excess of 16A, is yet to drafted.

5.0 Concluding Statement

IEC 555 is a standard which is moving with the times and is Likely to be
very important in its role as a controller of electromagnetic conducted
emissions from all types of electrical apparatus. It is emphasised that
all limits and conditions relating to the new standard have not been
finalised and that the contents of this paper could be subject to
considerable change.

Supply authorities will appreciate the new approaches in the standard which
facilitate the connection of disturbing loads but may consider that the
harmonic emission limits are too low for the system compatibility levels
which have already been established in IEC Standard 1000-2-2for LV public
supply networks.

Lamp manufacturers may feel aggrieved that they are not receiving a fair
share of the harmonic cake whilst professional equipment manufacturers may
be upset to see some of their cake taken away.

Test houses, test departments and laboratories should welcome the

additional information provided in the standard which relates to test
conditions.

In its final form the standard should be a good compromise between the
interested parties bearing in mind that any changes to a document which
directly influences production or plant costs, are likely to have a poor
reception in some quarters, even though the technical reasons for change
are apparent and accepted by all.

6.0 References

1 P28 (1989) Planning limits for voltage fluctuations caused by

industrial, commercial and domestic equipment in the UK.

2 C5/3 (1976) Limits for harmonics in the UK electricity supply system.

215
3 P23 (1990) Customers' earth-fault protection for compliance with the
15th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations for Electrical
Installations.

4 P25 (1984) The short-circuit characteristics of Electricity Boards'

low voltage distribution networks and the co-ordination of
overcurrent protective devices on 240V single-phase
supplies up to 100A.

5 P26 (1985) The estimation of the maximum prospective short-circuit

current for three-phase 415V supplies.

7.0 Acknowledeement

This paper is based substantially on part of another paper, by the author,

which was presented at the ERA Technology Seminar (Heathrow) on 13 and
14 February 1991 and will be published as ERA Report 91/0028 Leatherhead.
APPENDIX 1 F I G U R E S

F I G U R E 1 T Y P I C A L WEEKDAY LOAD CURVE AT 32'F

oemanc ux
50.000

a.ooo

~ 30. 000

20.000

IO. 000

FIGURE 2 H I G H C R E S T FACTOR D E F I N I T I O N C H A R A C T E R I S T I C

0.
APPENDIX 2 HARMONIC EMISSION LIMIT TABLES

Table 1

1 Harmonic Order maximum permissible I'

n harmonic current
A

1 Odd Harmonics t
3 2.30
5 1.14
7 0.77
9 0.40
11 0.33

15
13
- - 39
n
0.215
0.15.
-
n

Even Harmonics

2 1.08
4 0.43
6 0.31
8-n-40 0.23.

Table 2

Harmonic Order Maximum value expressed as a

n percentage of the fundamental
input current of the luminaires

2 2
3 30 .I*
5 10
7 7

11 - -
9
n 39
5
3

* X i s the circuit power-factor.

218
 Table 3

Maximum permissible harmonic current

harmonic Order relative limits absolute limits

n mA/w A

Odd Harmonics

I -:
3 3.6 1-08
2.0 0.60
1.5 0.45
9 0.30 11
11 n - 39 l . O 11
0.6*
- o.ia*
-
n n

EVEN HARMONICS

2 1.0 0.3
4 0.5 0.15