Subject 458

June 12, 2015

SUMMARY OF TOPICS

The following changes in requirements to the Standard for Power Converters/Inverters and
Power Converter/Inverter Systems for Land Vehicles and Marine Crafts, UL 458, are being
proposed:

1. Branch rated breakers in output circuit of inverter.

STP BALLOTS DUE: JULY 13, 2015

COMMENTS DUE: JULY 13, 2015

For your convenience in review, proposed additions to existing requirements are shown underlined and
proposed deletions are shown lined-out.

1. Branch rated breakers in output circuit of inverter.

RATIONALE

Proposal submitted by: Christopher Johnson, Sensata Technologies Maryland Inc.

This proposal is similar to the previously balloted proposal for UL 458 Ed. 5 which was opened on
12/12/2014, but differs by the following:

1. Emphasis that branch rated over-current protection is required in the complete circuit, but it
does not have to be located in the inverter.

2. Supplemental overcurrent breakers are suitable for inverter output overcurrent protection, due
to low available fault current.

3. Comparisons with NEC and UL 1741.

4. Includes a testing requirement to evaluate the chosen inverter output breaker.

5. Includes a clause to indicate in the user manual the overcurrent protection requirements.

Proposed Exception No’s. 1 & 2 to 20.2.3:

The National Electrical Code clause 551.32 states that sources of ac power are to be listed for use in
RV’s and installed per the requirements of the Listing. The sources of ac power are to be wired into the
RV per the requirements detailed in NEC article 551. The NEC does not dictate that an inverter must
have branch rated protection at its output. It stipulates that it must be installed with branch rated circuit
protection in the branch circuit. Since inverters are commonly installed in hard to access locations,
they are wired to breaker panels or panel boards containing branch rated protection. The installer of the
SUBJECT 458 -2- JUNE 12, 2015

inverter is ultimately responsible for verifying the entire system or branch circuit complies with the NEC.
Installing a supplementary breaker or fuse in the branch circuit may be considered an additional
(supplemental), but not necessary, circuit protective device in the inverter construction.

Many inverters can be or currently are dual listed to UL 458 and UL 1741. The Standard for Inverters,
Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System Equipment for Use with Distributed Energy
Resources, UL 1741, 30.1.7 (Overcurrent Protection – General) reads:

″30.1.7 An appliance protector used in the output circuit of an inverter in lieu of a branch-circuit
rated fuse or circuit breaker shall have a short-circuit interrupting rating not less than the
maximum fault current available from the inverter and shall comply with the requirements in the
Standard for Supplementary Protectors for Use in Electrical Equipment, UL 1077.″

The proposed exception states that the supplemental breaker or fuse must be on the secondary of a
transformer. The isolation transformer reduces the available short circuit fault current. This would allow
the interrupt rating of an appropriate supplemental breaker or fuse to be greater than the available
fault current which is a requirement for Exception Nos. 1 & 2 (item (e) for Exception No. 1). These
exceptions allow the UL 458 requirements to be similar to the requirements for UL 1741.

For a practical example regarding the interrupt rating of a breaker, take a 12 Vdc to 120 V, 4000 VA
inverter as an example. The internal transformer may have a typical 3% impedance, which would
equate to an available short circuit current of 1111.1 A. This value assumes an infinite source of power
which provides the worst case value. In an actual application the battery, cable, and inverter
impedances will reduce the available energy. A 40 A over-current supplemental breaker with a 2 kA
minimum interrupt rating would be more than sufficient to protect the output circuit.

A second example is of a more typical 12 Vdc to 120 Vac, 1500 VA inverter. The transformer in the
inverter may have an impedance of 2%. This transformer would limit the available fault current to 625 A.
A 15 A over-current supplemental breaker with an interrupt capacity of 1 kA would be sufficient to
protect the output circuit.

To validate that a product can meet the requirements, a short circuit test applied to the inverter output
circuit which includes the supplemental protector could be added.

Proposed Exception No. 3 to 20.2.3:

The National Electrical Code clause 551.32 states that sources of ac power are to be listed for use in
RV’s and installed per the requirements of the Listing. The sources of ac power are to be wired into the
RV per the requirements detailed in NEC article 551. The NEC does not dictate that an inverter must
have branch rated protection at its output. It stipulates that it must be installed with branch rated circuit
protection in the branch circuit. Since inverters are commonly installed in hard to access locations,
they are wired to breaker panels or panel boards containing branch rated protection. The consumer of
the inverter is ultimately responsible for verifying the entire system or branch circuit complies with the
NEC.

The Standard for Inverters, Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System Equipment for Use with
Distributed Energy Resources, UL 1741, 30.3.1 (Output ac power circuit overcurrent protection) allows
for an exception that reads:

″Exception: Overcurrent protection is not required to be provided with a unit having provision for
permanent wiring connection of the output circuit and the instruction manual indicates that the
overcurrent protection is to be provided by others. See 66.4(q).″
SUBJECT 458 -3- JUNE 12, 2015

Having the requirements for UL 458 be similar to the requirements for UL 1741 simplifies the
requirements for similar products. Many inverters on the market today comply with both UL 1741 and
UL 458 since they may be used in multiple applications.

Proposed 47.2.3 and 47.2.4:

Currently the output short-circuit tests in the Abnormal test section only describe tests for low voltage
outputs and input voltages in the range of 110 V – 230 V (from Table 31.1). These value ranges are
acceptable for a charger application. By modifying this section of clauses, proposed Exceptions Nos. 1
& 2 to 20.2.3 may be validated for an inverter application.

Proposed 58.4:

This paragraph is required to satisfy the Exceptions to 20.2.3 regarding additional instructions in the
user instruction manual.

PROPOSAL

20.2.3 If secondary output overcurrent protection is provided, the overcurrent-protective devices shall be
fuses or manually reset circuit breakers. The protective devices for alternating current output circuits of
recreational vehicle inverters shall be suitable for branch circuit protection. See 6.8 – 6.9.

Exception No. 1: An appliance protector complying with the requirements in the Standard for
Supplementary Protectors for Use in Electrical Equipment, UL 1077, may be used in the output circuit of
a unit supplied by a transformer in lieu of a branch circuit protection fuse or circuit breaker when all of the
following are met:

a) The protector is an overcurrent type or a shunt trip overcurrent type;

b) The protector tripping current rating is not greater than 135% of the protector amp rating;

c) The protector complies with the Standard for Supplementary Protectors for Use in Electrical
Equipment, UL 1077 short-circuit test conducted without series overcurrent protection;

d) The protector complies with the Standard for Supplementary Protectors for Use in Electrical
Equipment, UL 1077 recalibration test following short-circuit testing;

e) The protector short circuit current rating is not less than the maximum fault current available;
and

f) The instruction manual per 58.4, shall include an instruction indicating that branch rated
overcurrent protection is to be provided by others to comply with the National Electrical Code,
NFPA 70.

Exception No. 2: A fuse having a short-circuit interrupting rating not less than the maximum fault current
available from the unit and complying with the requirements in the Standard for Low-Voltage Fuses – Part
14: Supplemental Fuses, UL 248-14, may be used in the output circuit of a unit supplied by a transformer
in lieu of a branch circuit p rotection fuse or circuit breaker.

Exception No. 3: Overcurrent protection is not required to be provided with a unit having provision for
permanent wiring connection of the output circuit and provided with an instruction manual per 58.4,
indicating that the overcurrent protection is to be provided by others.
SUBJECT 458 -4- JUNE 12, 2015

47.2.3 If acceptable results are based on the opening of an overcurrent-protective device, the
overtemperature-protective device shall be operable at the conclusion of the tests.

47.2.3 The external output connections of an inverter are to be short-circuited and the unit is to be
connected to a source of supply adjusted to the inverter rated nominal input dc voltage. The source of
supply may be protected by a time-delay overcurrent-protective device rated no less than 150% of the
rated inverter input current at full rated load. During the test, the enclosure is to be connected directly to
earth ground. A protective device such as an accessible fuse or circuit breaker provided as part of the unit
is to remain in the circuit, and the largest fuse the fuse holder will accept is to be installed. When an
inverter circuit employs a microprocessor to shut down a unit due to an overload, that portion of the
software shall be disabled for this test.

47.2.4 For the test described in 47.2.1 and 47.2.3, if acceptable results are based on the opening of an
overcurrent-protective device, the overtemperature protective device shall be operable at the conclusion
of the tests.

58.4 If required by Exception No. 1 or Exception No. 3 to 20.2.3, the instruction manual shall include a
statement indicating that branch rated overcurrent protection for the ac output circuit is to be provided at
the time of installation.

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