Review on EMC Standards (9–500 kHz) for DC Microgrids to Support Arc Fault Detection & Power Line Communication and its Potential Application in Hybrid Ships

Hybrid ships that combine combustion engines with battery packs can benefit from DC shipboard electric systems. However, this increases the complexity and therefore they can benefit from improved Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements and protection systems, such as arc hazard detection. For a DC system there is an increased arc hazard risk and therefore this paper investigates these faults in typical microgrid circumstances. For this purpose, it also considered a Line Impedance Stabilization Network (LISN) with different line inductance in comparison to standards CISPR 16 and 25. Therefore conducted emissions of two exemplary DC loads are measured to show possible Electromagnetic Inference (EMI). Then, this paper further analyzes EMI on arc detection as an example of EMI. Existing EMC standards are reviewed to provide references for future EMC standards tailored to DC microgrids because they can support avoiding EMI on arc fault detection but also on narrow band Power Line Communication (PLC). A valuable reference for EMC requirements on ships is the respective IEC 60533 standard. This standard can support reliability of arc detection, however it adopts very restrictive limits of conducted emissions which would make PLC for ships challenging. Insights on relevant EMC standards for DC shipboard electric systems were discussed. This paper ends with conclusions, recommendations for updated standards and future work.