Applying Arc Fault Standard Iec 62477-2 Annex Aa To High Voltage Adjustable Speed Drives

Abstract

Arc fault protection requirements are becoming more common for high voltage (HV) Adjustable Speed Drive (ASD) installations in the petrochemical industry in both on and offshore applications. IEC 62477-2 has been released as the first standard to introduce arc fault testing and labeling specifically for power electronic converter systems (PECS), of which an ASD is one type. The arc fault requirements of IEC 62477-2 Annex AA have been developed considering the requirements defined in existing switchgear standards and introduces new evaluation methods which include active arc fault mitigation. The paper will examine the benefits provided by the approach in IEC 62477-2 Annex AA including a detailed look at transferability of test results.