Fire - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Fire

Safety Requirements, Standardization and Testing Electrical & Electronic EquipmentStatus and Trends

Presentation given at Tokyo, 9 September 2014

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide2

Fire Safety in Electrical Engineering & Electronics (E&E

) in Europe

In E&E, general safety requirements including fire safety are defined in the European

Low Voltage (LVD) and

the

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directives

Specific fire safety

requirements (in the EU: essential requirements) and flammability tests are contained in international standards (IEC, CENELEC for the EU), and the corresponding national standardsManufacturers set up Document of Conformity (DOC) based on Technical Files

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide3

Fire Safety in Electrical Engineering & Electronics (E&E)

The main flammability tests for E&E are the

Bunsen burner

based UL 94 tests and the

glow

wire

tests. They basically reflect primary, low energy ignition sources inside of E&E equipment External, candle-like ignition sources igniting E&E equipment from the outside have been considered for consumer and IT electronics. They have been introduced in EuropeFlammability requirements in E&E mainly apply for IT, audio/video, appliances, technical parts and lightingThe flammability test

requirements are basically UL 94 HB, V2 to V0. In addition the needle flame test may be used

For appliances, the glow wire tests are largely used in Europe

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide4

Course

of a

fire and small ignition sourcesSmall ignition sources are the cause of most fires. Preventing and delaying their impact

Is essential to avoid flashover

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide5

Fire Safety in Electrical Engineering & Electronics (E&E)

The main flammability tests for E&E are the

Bunsen burner based UL 94 tests and

the Needle Flame test

Needle Flame test to IEC 60695-11-5

Vertical test to IEC 60695-11-10

(UL 94 V0, V1, V2) 50 W flame

Test to IEC 60695-11-20(UL 94 , 5VA, 5VB) 500 W flameFire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide6

Appliances

Glow Wire Test

The European standard EN 60335-1 ”Household

and similar electrical appliances – Safety” addresses fire safety requirements in Section 30 “Resistance to Heat and Fire”

The most important flammability test for appliances in Europe is the glow wire test

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide7

Requirements to IEC 60695-2-11 to -13

Unattended Connection > 0.2 A

IEC/EN 60695-2-11

Flammability end products (GWT)

750

°C < 2 s required in IEC 335

if > 2 s Needle flame test to IEC 60695-11-5 or

Class V0 or V1 to IEC 60695-11-10 IEC/EN 60695-2-12 Flammability materials (GWFI) 850°C < 30 s IEC/EN 60695-2-13 Ignitability materials (GWIT) 775°C < 5 s

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide8

Glow Wire Standards to IEC 60695-2 revised in

2013

IEC/EN

60695-2-10 (VDE 0471-2-10) Glow wire

Apparatus and common test procedure

IEC/EN 60695-2-11 (VDE 0471-2-11) Glow wire

Flammability test for end products (GWT)IEC/EN 60695-2-12 (VDE 0471-2-12) Glow wire Flammability test for materials (GWFI)IEC/EN 60695-2-13 (VDE 0471-2-13) Glow wire Ignitability test for materials (GWIT)

No major changes in the revised standards

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide9

External ignition sources

External ignition sources for consumer electronics and IT equipment were developed in the technical specification

IEC/TS 62441 “Accidentally caused candle flame ignition” and foreseen to be introduced in the

IEC 60065 standard

The TS describes fire hazards from

external ignition sources

, requiring materials (> 300 g) to meet Class UL94 V1

However, its introduction has been rejected by an IEC vote in 2010, following an American NGO activists’ campaign against flame retardantsAt the same time, it has been taken over in the corresponding European EN 60065 standardFire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide10

Fire Safety in Electrical Engineering & Electronics (E&E)

The revision of the new standard

IEC 62368-1

“Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment - Part 1: Safety requirements” also considers external ignition sources

IEC 62368 is a

merger of

the standards

IEC 60065 for consumer electronics and IEC 60950-1 for IT equipment and will substitute themIn a new campaign, the same activists succeeded again to initiate a negative vote, so that the introduction of the external ignition sources in IEC 62368-1 has been rejected in May 2012These campaigns against flame retardants in general may may

dram reduce the fire safety levels of consumers and IT equipment

in the future and lead to increased threats to human life

and material damages

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide11

Fire Safety in Electrical Engineering & Electronics (E&E)

The

dramatic effects of external ignition sources on TV sets is shown in the following videos

Videos

(to be included into the presentation)

Test on

television 32 inch

Test on television 40 inch Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide12

Fire tests wire & cable

IEC 60332-1

: Tests on electric and optical fibre

cables under fire conditions - Part 1-2: Test for vertical flame propagation for a single insulated wire or cable - Procedure for 1 kW pre-mixed flame (IEC 60332-1-2:2004)

IEC 60332-2

. Part 2-2: Test for vertical flame propagation for a

single small insulated wire

or cable - Procedure for diffusion flame (IEC 60332-2-2:2004)IEC 60332-3. Tests on electric and optical fibre cables under fire conditions - Part 3: Test for vertical flame spread of vertically-mounted bunched wires or cables Modified IEC 60332-3 Test for construction products: EN 50265-2-1/2 with hood for measuring rate of heat release (Basis FIPEC) Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide13

Fire tests wire & cable

Flame propagation tests to IEC 60332-1 and -2

IEC 60332-1: Single insulated wire

IEC 60332

-2:

Single

small insulated

wire

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide14

Fire tests wire & cable

Modified IEC 60332-3 Test for construction products:

EN 50265-2-1/2

Flame propagation

Heat release (O

2

consumption)

CO

2

concentration

Smoke measurement

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide15

Photovoltaics: Problems for fire safety

Photovoltaics (PV): Generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct

current electricityLight is converted into electrical power by semi-conductors

Several inter-connected solar cells form a solar module

Although

fire safety problems

do not occur frequently,

they may take place more often in the future because of the increasing growth of this technologyFire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide16

In 2009, the

world largest photovoltaics roofing site took fire in Bürstadt

, Germany, destroying 80 m² of the solar modulesFire causes are frequently faulty electrical connections within the modules leading to

overheating and fire initiation

Photovoltaics: Problems for fire safety

Fire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide17

To date, only

limited experience of fire brigades in PV-equipment fires

Problem: Due to light radiation, solar modules and their components are virtually always live

with direct current voltage up to 1,000 V

This may lead to

deadly electrical shock during fire-fighting

To this end, guidelines and data sheets have been published. Standardization however, is still in its infancy

Photovoltaics: Problems for fire safetyFire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014Slide18

Conclusions

E&E ignition/

flammability tests address the beginning of an initiating fire

They have shown to prevent or delay fires

from E&E materials and end products

Fire tests

simulating open flames and malfunction of electrical parts (glow wire) have shown to be

very effective External open flame tests for consumer/IT devices help to improve fire safety Tests for wire & cable flame propagation contribute to fire safety in many applications for building/construction and transportationPhotovoltaics fire safety

is of growing importanceFire safety E&E Tokyo, September 2014