NOVEMBER 2008 - MARCH 2009

Introduction to IEC 61439: A new standard on

Switchgear & Controlgear Assemblies
- Mr. A P Rao; Mr. D A Chavan; Mr. P Patel; Mr. T N Shah
Switchgear Design & Development Center

Introduction: differently. One of the main features verified and options available for
of IEC 61439-1 is that the verification.
IEC 60439, the standard for low-voltage discrimination between Type Tested
switchgear and controlgear assemblies, Assemblies (TTA) and Partially Type Salient features of IEC 61439
was under restructuring from the last Tested Assemblies (PTTA) has been
decade. The new series of IEC 61439 1. Verification of temperature rise
eliminated by the verification approach.
standards were published in January  For multiple compartment
2009. This standard has brought The three different but equivalent types assembly, verification by
considerable clarity in technical of verification methods are introduced calculation can be done up to
interpretation. and these are; rated current of 1600 A only.
The new standard follows the a) Verification by Testing.  Assemblies, verified by design
philosophy of IEC 60947 series i.e. IEC b) Verification by Calculation/ rule from a similar tested
61439-1 is ‘General Rules’ standard to Measurement. assembly, should comply with
be referred to by subsidiary product parts c) Verification by Design rules. the following:
of IEC 61439 series. (Refer Table 1) The requirements regarding short circuit  Functional units shall
The IEC 60439 standards were performance, temperature rise, dielectric belong to the same group
ambiguous about how to assess properties and rated diversity factor as functional unit selected
compliance of partially type tested have been covered in more detail. for test.
assemblies. As a result manufacturers  Same type of construction.
and testing bodies often treated Verification of Requirements:
 Same or increased overall
partially type-tested assemblies Table 2 gives the characteristics to be
dimensions.
 Same or reduced internal
Table 1: Parts of IEC 61439 series separation.
IEC 61439-1 General rules  Same or reduced power
losses in the same section
IEC 61439-2 Power switchgear and control gear ASSEMBLIES of assembly.
(Replacing IEC 60439-1)  Same or reduced number
IEC 61439-3 Distribution boards (to supersede IEC 60439-3) of outgoing circuit for every
section.
IEC 61439-4 ASSEMBLIES for construction sites  Rated diversity factor (RDF) is
(to supersede IEC 60439-4) elaborated in more details with
IEC 61439-5 ASSEMBLIES for power distribution incoming and outgoing circuit
(to supersede IEC 60439-5) diagrams.
 The average ambient tempe-
IEC 61439-6 Busbar trunking systems rature for the duration of test
(to supersede IEC 60439-2) shall not exceed 35 C.
o
2. Short circuit withstand test
Verification of assembly by design
rules is permitted, if;
 Following requirements are greater
than or equal to reference design
 Cross-sectional dimensions of
the busbars and connections
 Spacing of the busbars and
connections
 SCPDs are equivalent, i.e. of
the same make with the same
or better I 2 t based on the
device manufacturer’s data
 Following requirements are less
than or equal to reference design
 Short circuit rating of each circuit
 Busbar supports spacing
Table-2
No. Characteristic
1 Degree of protection of enclosures
2 Clearance and creepage distances
3 Effectiveness of assembly
(protective circuit) for external faults
4 Incorporation of switching
devices and components
5 Internal electrical circuits
and connections
6 Terminals for external conductors
7 Impulse withstand voltage
8 Temperature rise limits
9 Short-circuit withstand strength
10 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
11 Effective continuity between the
exposed conductive parts of the
assembly and the protective circuit
12 Power frequency withstand voltage
13 Mechanical operation
The following characteristics are newly introduced in IEC 61439
14 Resistance to corrosion
15 Thermal stability of enclosure
16 Resistance of insulating material
to heat
17 Glow wire test
18 Resistance to UV radiation
19 Lifting
20 Mechanical impact test (IK)
21 Marking
 Length of unprotected live are reduced corresponding to rated
conductors of each non- insulation voltage (Refer Table 3)
protected circuit 4. Impulse voltage withstand test
 Following requirements are same  Verification is mandatory either
as that of reference design
by test or by design rules.
 Conductor material and its
properties  Test is not required when
clearances in the assembly are
 Enclosure design, type and 1.5 times the specified value
dimensions
in Table - 4.
 Compartment mechanical 5. Degree of protection
design and dimensions
 The IPX1 to IPX6 tests on an
If all the above requirements are
satisfied, then further verification by assembly are deemed to be
calculation or actual testing is not failure if water comes into
contact with electrical
required.
equipment housed within the
3. Power frequency withstand enclosure.
voltage
 Requirements for ‘empty
The values of dielectric test voltage enclosures for assemblies (IEC
62208)’ have been incorporated
in the standard.
Verification options 6. Mechanical operation
 Rated numbers of operating
Testing Calculation Design
cycles have been increased
rules
from 50 to 200.
   7. Protection provided by barriers
   The protection provided by horizontal
   top surfaces of easily accessible
barriers is changed from IPXXB (the
protection of person against access to
   hazardous parts with finger) to IPXXD
(the protection of person against
   access to hazardous parts with wire).
8. Cross-section area of neutral
    100% - for phase cross section
area upto 16 mm2
  
 50 % - for phase cross section
   area above 16 mm2, with a
minimum of 16 mm2
  
 For conductor other than
   copper, the cross section
   should be greater than
equivalent copper conductor
9. Additional Tests in IEC 61439
    Resistance to corrosion Test
   Purpose:
To ensure that deterioration of
metallic component caused by
   corrosion shall not impair the
mechanical strength of
   switchboard.
   Procedure:
The test is carried out on a typical
   switchboard enclosure or on a
   representative sample showing the
same constructional details.
    6 cycles of 24 hr each to Damp
   Heat Cycling Test according to
o
IEC 60068-2-30 at (40±3) C &
   relative humidity of 95%.
 Table - 3 Table - 4
Rated insulation voltage (Ui) Dielectric test Dielectric test Rated impulse Minimum
(line to line a.c or d.c) voltage (a.c) r.m.s voltage (d.c) withstand voltage clearance
V V V Uimp (kV) mm
Ui ≤ 60 1000 (1000) 1415
≤ 2.5 1.5
60 < Ui ≤ 300 1500 (2000) 2120
4.0 3.0
300 < Ui ≤ 690 1890 (2500) 2670
6.0 5.5
690 < Ui ≤ 800 2000 (3000) 2830
800 < Ui ≤ 1000 2200 (3500) 3110 8.0 8.0

1000 < Ui ≤ 1500* — 3820 12.0 14.0

Note 1: * For d.c only.
Note 2: the values in parentheses are according to IEC 60439-1.
 2 cycles of 24 hr each to Salt
Mist test according to IEC
60068-2-11 at temperature of
o on the sample or flames/
(35±2) C.
Assessment Criteria:
 The mechanical integrity shall
not be impaired.
 Doors, hinges, locks, etc. shall
work without abnormal effects.
 Seals shall not damage.
 There shall be no iron-oxide,
cracking or other deterioration
more than that allowed by ISO
4628-3 for degree of rusting
Ri1.
 Verification of Thermal stability
Purpose:
To check the thermal properties of
the enclosure
Procedure:
 The specimen is kept in a
o
heating chamber at 70 C for 7
days.
 After that the sample is kept
at ambient temperature for 4
days.
Assessment criteria:
 The sample shall show no
cracks nor shall the material
become sticky or greasy
 Sample is pressed with the
forefinger wrapped in a dry cloth
with a force of 5 N; no traces
of cloth shall remain on the
sample.
 Verification of resistance of
insulating materials to heat
Purpose:
To ensure the properties of
insulating material to normal heat
Based on inhomogeneous field condition and
pollution degree 3.
Procedure:
 A ball pressure test apparatus
is used to verify the suitability
of insulating materials.
 The test shall be carried out
on an insulating material of
minimum 2 mm thickness.
 The test shall be made in a
heating cabinet at a
temperature as stated below:
v parts supporting live
o
components – 125 C
o use for enclosures.
v other parts – 70 C
 After 1 hr, the sample is
removed and cooled within 10
s to approx. room temperature
by immersion in cold water.
Assessment criteria:
 The diameter of the impression
caused by the ball shall be
measured and shall not exceed
2 mm.
 Resistance to abnormal heat &
fire (Glow Wire Test)
Purpose:
Glow wire test checks the
capability of insulation material to
handle thermal stresses produced
by sources of heat or ignition.
Procedure:
 Sample: Thinnest wall
thickness of the completed
application.

o
Pre-treatment: 24 hours at 23 C
at 50% RH.
 Temperatures of glow wire:
550, 650, 750, 850 or 960
degrees C (depending on the
relevant specification).
 Force: 1 N
 Contact time: 30 s
Assessment criteria:
 There is no flame and glowing
glowing of the sample
extinguish within 30 s.
 The cotton or the paper
underlay doesn’t ignite or burn.
 Resistance to UV radiation
Purpose:
The UV radiation causes
deterioration of synthetic material
Procedure:
 UV Test according to ISO
4892 – 2 method A; 1000
cycles of 5 min of watering and
25 min. of dry period with
xenon lamp providing a total
test period of 500 hrs.
 The value of temperature and
humidity for the test are
o
(65±3) C and (65±5) %.
Assessment criteria:
 Adherence of synthetic
material (according to ISO
2409) shall have minimum 50%
retention.
 Sample shall not show cracks
or deterioration visible to
normal or corrected vision
without any additional
magnification.
 This test is not required if
synthetic material supplier
demonstrates that materials of
same thickness or thinner
comply with this requirement.
NOTE: This test is applicable only for
enclosures and external parts of
ASSEMBLIES intended to be installed
outdoors.
 Lifting:
Purpose:
To ensure that there should be no
damage to the panel during
transportation & installation.
Procedure:
 The test is carried out on a
sample having weight 1.25
times its maximum shipping
weight.
 From a standstill position, the
ASSEMBLY shall be raised
smoothly without jerking in a
vertical plane to a height of
(1±0.1) m and lowered in the
same manner to a standstill
position. This test is repeated
a further two times.
 After this the ASSEMBLY is
raised up and suspended for
30 min at a height of (1±0.1)
m without any movement.
 Following this test the
ASSEMBLY shall be raised
smoothly without jerking from
a standstill position to a height
of (1±0.1) m and moved
(10±0.5) m horizontally, then
lowered to a standstill position.
 This sequence shall be carried
out three times at uniform
speed, each sequence being
carried out within 1 min.
Assessment criteria:
 During the test, with the test
weights in place, the
ASSEMBLY shall show no
deflections and after the test
show no cracks or permanent
distortions visible to normal or
corrected vision without
additional magnification, which
could impair any of its
characteristics.
 Mechanical Impact Test
Purpose:
This test measures resistance of
an enclosure towards external
Mechanical Impact.
Relation between IK code & Impact energy.
IK IK IK IK IK IK IK IK IK IK IK IK
code 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Impact * 0.14 0.2 0.35 0.5 0.7 1 2 5 10 20
Energy
J
The degree of protection provided  The test is made by rubbing
by an enclosure against impacts the marking by hand for 15 s
is indicated by the letters IK with a piece of cloth soaked in
followed by two digits depending water and then for 15 s with a
on its ability to withstand the piece of cloth soaked with
impact (as per IEC 62262). petroleum spirit.
Procedure: Assessment criteria:
 Number of impacts on each  After the test the marking shall
exposed face shall be five be legible to normal or
unless otherwise specified in corrected vision without
relevant product standard. additional magnification.
 The impacts shall be evenly Validity of certificates as per
distributed on the faces of the
IEC 60439:
enclosure under test.
 At the surrounding of any point Where tests on the ASSEMBLY have
of enclosure, not more than been conducted in accordance with the
three impacts shall be applied. IEC 60439 series, prior to the
publication of relevant product standard
Assessment Criteria:
in the IEC 61439 series, and the test
 Structural integrity shall be results fulfill the requirements of the
maintained. relevant part of IEC 61439, the
verification of these requirements need
 Degree of protection (IP) shall not be repeated.
be unaffected.
 Functionality of electrical Conclusion:
products shall not be
hampered. The 4th edition of IEC 60439-1 was
published in 1999 with a subsequent
NOTE: Mechanical Impact test is not amendment in 2004. This standard did
applicable to low voltage power not mandate compliance to stringent
switchgear and controlgear (PSC) safety requirements (such as impulse
assemblies. withstand and resistance to abnormal
heat and fire i.e. glow wire) which are
 Marking: present in other LV product standards.
Purpose: In the new standard (IEC 61439-1)
To ensure that the markings are these safety requirements have been
legible. included in addition to others pertaining
to satisfactory performance under
Procedure: applicable environmental conditions.
 Marking made by moulding, Hence, with these additions IEC 61439
pressing, engraving or similar series becomes the most updated
shall not be submitted to the document from a technological
following test. perspective.

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