International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee Research Articles

Solar PV network installation standards and cost estimation guidelines for smart cities

For smart cities, the successful large-scale implementation of solar PV technology, Quality Certification and Standards are mandatory. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a global organization for standardization consisting of all IEC national committees. The IEC PV standards comprise IEC technical committee 82 solar PV Energy System (IEC TC82) which develops and adopts all Photovoltaic related standards. There are nearly 80 standards applicable to photovoltaic and five working groups in IEC TC82. For necessary safety requirements ‘Quality and Standards’ technologically need to be revised and up to date. This paper presents PV standards developed by various technical committees worldwide, mainly focusing on various IEC PV standards, gaps identified by them and the recommendations provided by the committee in recent times. The breakup costs of the various sub-systems of a PV installation with an illustrative example for India is also discussed. It is intended to provide a guideline for consumers and investors, opting for solar PV installations.

A Transformer Fault Diagnosis Method Based on Parameters Optimization of Hybrid Kernel Extreme Learning Machine

Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) is a widely used method for diagnosing internal transformer defects. The traditional single intelligent diagnostic method cannot efficiently process large amounts of incomplete defect information with DGA, which affects the accuracy of fault diagnosis. To this end, this paper proposes a transformer fault diagnosis method based on the optimization of kernel parameters and weight parameters of a kernel extreme learning machine (KELM). First, based on Mercer’s theorem, we combine the radial basis kernel function with the polynomial kernel function to construct a new hybrid kernel function. Then, the gray wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm and the differential evolution (DE) algorithm are combined to improve the diversity of the gray wolf population, enhance the searchability of GWO, and prevent GWO from falling into a local optimum during the iterative process. Finally, the kernel parameters and weight parameters of the hybrid kernel function are optimized by using the modified grey wolf optimization (MGWO) algorithm. The International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee (IEC TC) 10 transformer fault data and constructed hybrid feature set is used as the input set of the model, the model is simulated and analyzed, and the transformer fault data collected at a site are used for training and verification. The simulation results on the two sets of data show that the method can accurately and effectively diagnose transformer faults, and has a higher fault diagnosis accuracy rate than traditional methods.

IEC\/IEEE 60079-30 Standard, Parts 1 and 2: An Introduction to the Joint Standard for Trace Heating in Explosive Atmospheres

In 2015, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the IEEE released the jointly developed standard IEC/IEEE 60079-30, Parts 1 and 2 [1]. The IEE sponsor was the IEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) Petroleum and Chemical Industry Technical Conference (PCIC), and the IEC sponsor was IEC Technical Committee (TC) 31, Equipment for Explosive Atmospheres. The joint development combined the requirements and recommendations of IEEE 515 [2] with IEC 60079-30-1, 2007-01 [3] and IEC 60079-30-2, 2007-01 [4]. This joint development represented the complete harmonization of the international, IEC , and North American certification and design requirements for trace heating in explosive atmospheres. In addition to type tests for product certification, this standard has extensive requirements so that certifying bodies can determine the manufacturer's ability to predict maximum sheath temperatures for trace heaters in explosive atmospheres. This article provides a background for understanding the joint development process and provides an overview of the key technical requirements found in the standards.

Overview of International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 87 ultrasound organization and standards

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the world’s leading organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. It comprises Technical Committees (TCs) and Subcommittees (SCs) that oversee standards development in all areas of technology. Particular to ultrasound medical devices, TC 87, Ultrasonics, is responsible for preparing standards related to measurement methods, field characterization, and safety concerns, but excluding safety and essential performance standards for equipment and systems. Responsibility for the latter falls under TC 62, Electrical Equipment in Medical Practice. SC 62B in TC 62 is in charge of all diagnostic imaging equipment and related devices, including ultrasound, and SC 62D deals with all electromedical equipment used in medical practice other than diagnostic imaging, such as ultrasound therapeutic and surgical devices. This presentation will discuss the safety standards, measurement standards, maintenance/performance documents and structure and distribution of work in TC 87 and SC62B and SC62D as an introduction to the more specific talks following.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and ultrasonics

Peter Lanctot from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) will provide an overview of the international standardization activities related to IEC Technical Committee 87, Ultrasonics. Since 1955, the IEC has published international standards for a wide range of applications across virtually all business sectors including medicine, electronics, consumer products, food, manufacturing industries, and defence for ultrasonic technologies. As TC 87 is in charge of Ultrasonic Standardization activities within the IEC, Peter will provide a high level overview on their standards work oriented towards ultrasonic aspects of medical equipment and the safety of non-medical applications of ultrasonic fields. He will also touch upon the important platform that IEC TC 87 and other IEC technical committees offer to companies, industries, and governments for meeting, discussing, and developing the International Standards they require. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the International Electrotechnical Commission is the world’s leading organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

Modernizing Substation Automation Systems: Adopting IEC Standard 61850 for Modeling and Communication

There is demand for a substation automation system (SAS) that is simple to integrate and provides high performance and flexibility. The increasing application of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard 61850 capacities provides interoperability and advanced communications capabilities in substation protection, coordination, control, monitoring, metering, and testing. IEC 61850 is the result of the efforts of IEC Technical Committee 57 (TC57) to produce an open standard for substation modeling and communications. The standard has gained popularity and continues to spread throughout the world. In this article, we explore an IEC 61850 application in a typical SA and introduce a real-world SAS modernization case that highlights the benefit of the IEC 61850 in substation monitoring and operation.

Standardization Activities in International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 86 (Fiber Optics)

Standardization Activities in International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 86 (Fiber Optics)

Highlights of the New International Standard : Alarm Systems and Ventilators in Critical Care

Over twenty years ago, an international effort to address the problems relating to visual and auditory alarm signals in operating rooms and intensive care units began.1,2,3 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 121, Anaesthetic and Respiratory Equipment, Subcommittee 3, Lung Ventilators and Related Devices (ISO/TC121/ Subcommitee [SC] 3), chaired by John HedleyWhyte, MD, developed Anaesthesia and respiratory care alarm signals—Part 1: Visual alarm signals (ISO 9703-1:1992), Part 2: Auditory alarm signals (ISO 9703-2:1994), and Part 3: Guidance on application of alarms (ISO 9703-3:1998). Recognizing the need to harmonize alarm systems for all medical electrical equipment, in 1998, Hedley-Whyte and ISO/TC121/SC 3 Secretary David Osborn issued a call for experts in both the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 62A, Some Aspects of Electromedical Equipment (IEC TC/ SC62A) and ISO/TC121/SC3, and convened the ISO/TC121/SC3-IEC/TC/SC62A/Joint Working Group 2 on Medical Alarm Systems (JWG2). This joint working group held its first meeting at the British Standards Institution (BSI) in London in June of that year. The efforts of clinicians, engineers and regulatory authorities’ representatives culminated in publication of IEC 60601-1-8, Medical electrical equipment— Part 1-8: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance—Collateral Standard: General requirements, tests and guidance for alarm systems in medical electrical equipment and medical electrical systems, as an IEC-ISO dual logo standard in 2003.4 This standard was replaced by the second edition in 2006, which aligned it with the 2005 edition of IEC 60601-15 and made the clause numbering adhere to that specified in ISO/IEC Directives Part 2:2004.4,6 In 2010, JWG2 reconvened under the same leadership to revise IEC 60601-1-8 and further address distributed alarm systems, the electronic health record and related concerns. Early this year, ISO will publish the first edition of ISO 80601-2-12, Medical electrical equipment—Part 2-12: Particular requirements for About the Authors

Priorities for Standards and Measurements to Accelerate Innovations in Nano-Electrotechnologies: Analysis of the NIST-Energetics-IEC TC 113 Survey.

In 2008, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Energetics Incorporated collaborated with the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 113 (IEC TC 113) on nano-electrotechnologies to survey members of the international nanotechnologies community about priorities for standards and measurements to accelerate innovations in nano-electrotechnologies. In this paper, we analyze the 459 survey responses from 45 countries as one means to begin building a consensus on a framework leading to nano-electrotechnologies standards development by standards organizations and national measurement institutes. The distributions of priority rankings from all 459 respondents are such that there are perceived distinctions with statistical confidence between the relative international priorities for the several items ranked in each of the following five Survey category types: 1) Nano-electrotechnology Properties, 2) Nano-electrotechnology Taxonomy: Products, 3) Nano-electrotechnology Taxonomy: Cross-Cutting Technologies, 4) IEC General Discipline Areas, and 5) Stages of the Linear Economic Model. The global consensus prioritizations for ranked items in the above five category types suggest that the IEC TC 113 should focus initially on standards and measurements for electronic and electrical properties of sensors and fabrication tools that support performance assessments of nano-technology enabled sub-assemblies used in energy, medical, and computer products.

Focus on IEC TC 57 - power system reliability and profitability

This paper focuses on how the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee (IEC TC 57) standards can be used to address the needs related to power system reliability and profitability. It also provides a brief overview of the TC 57 Working Groups.

Precise surface resistance measurements of YBa 2Cu 3O y films with the dielectric resonator method

The surface resistance of high- T c superconducting films at microwave frequencies was carefully measured by the dielectric resonator method using two sapphire rods. The dielectric resonator method is appropriate for the standard measurement of surface resistance at microwave frequencies. In the present work, we focused on asymmetry in coupling and the parasitic coupling effect which cause error in this method and discussed the precision and accuracy of the measurements. Finally, we report on a round robin test in which the observed surface resistances in three institutes gave good agreement. These results were reflected in the working draft of the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 90 (IEC/TC90).

Precision and accuracy of surface resistance measurement with the dielectric resonator method

The surface resistance of high-T/sub c/ superconducting films at microwave frequencies was measured by the dielectric resonator method using two sapphire rods. The dielectric resonator method is appropriate for the standard measurement of surface resistance at microwave frequencies. We focused on several sources of error in this method, i.e., temperature inhomogeneity in the resonator, asymmetry in coupling and the parasitic coupling effect, and discussed the precision and accuracy of the measurements. It was found that parasitic coupling is the main source of measurement error and we proposed several types of resonators to eliminate the parasitic coupling. These results were reflected in the working draft of the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 90(IEC/TC90).

The single European market and its influence on measurement and specification standards for ultrasonics

The Single European Market and European Directives will have an enormous impact on all aspects of commercial activities worldwide. In acoustics, Directives dealing with noise at work, machinery noise, and medical devices will have greatest impact. In ultrasonics, the General Medical Device Directive will deal with medical ultrasonic equipment and will lay down comprehensive essential safety requirements that will require manufacturers to comply with standards published by the Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique (CENELEC), in most cases based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards. The initial thrust is to establish ‘‘horizontal’’ standards or ‘‘generic’’ standards that will apply to a wide range of equipment. At the specific product level, ‘‘vertical’’ standards will be required dealing with specific aspects of safety for a product type. For instance, standards will be prepared for diagnostic ultrasonic equipment, therapeutic ultrasonic equipment, and extracorporeal lithotripters. IEC Technical Committee 62: Electrical Equipment in Medical Practice is responsible for the preparation of these standards. These standards will themselves make reference to technical standards dealing with methods of measurement and characterization of ultrasonic fields prepared by Technical Committee 87: Ultrasonics. The current status of standards, either already published or being developed by Technical Committee 87, will be reviewed with particular emphasis on their applicability to the EC Medical Device Directive.

Engineering Acoustics Workshop on the Accuracy of Calibrating Underwater Sound Transducers

Measurement accuracy in the calibration, test, or evaluation of underwater sound transducers is a somewhat neglected subject. It is the purpose of this workshop to shed some light on the subject and the reasons for its neglect. A panel of four, representing three naval laboratories and an observer of European laboratories will address several questions. What do the laboratories claim for accuracy? What is meant by “accuracy”? What is the claim based on? Can more accurate measurements be made? What would it cost? Is there a need or demand for more accuracy? After a ten-minute informal presentation by each panel member, the floor will be open for comment and contributions by others who perform measurements, use the data, or are otherwise interested in the subject. Representatives of several industrial and university, as well as naval, organizations have been invited to comment. The panel members are: Joseph Blue, Underwater Sound Reference Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Orlando, Florida; Charles Green, Naval Undersea Center, San Diego, California; Joseph Navin, Naval Underwater Systems Center, New London, Connecticut; W. James Trott, Acoustics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D. C., and Chairman, Working Group on Hydrophones, International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee on Ultrasonics.

Recommendations of IEC technical committee no. 24 on electric and magnetic magnitudes and units

A MEETING of Technical Committee (TC) 24 on Electric and Magnetic Magnitudes and Units (EMMU) was held at Philadelphia, Pa., on September 10 and 11, 1954, during the Golden Jubilee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It should be understood that the recommendations made by this committee, and given in the following, have been referred to the national committees of the various countries for an official vote under the 6 months' rule. Thus they are not as yet official decisions. However, since each recommendation was approved by a large majority of the delegates present from the various countries, it seems reasonable to expect that they will be approved by the national committees.