IEC 62477-2-2018 PDF

Full title and description

Safety requirements for power electronic converter systems and equipment — Part 2: Power electronic converters from 1 000 V AC or 1 500 V DC up to 36 kV AC or 54 kV DC. This part of IEC 62477 specifies minimum safety requirements, tests and marking for power electronic converters and PECS (power electronic converter systems) operating at high system voltages, and is intended as a group safety publication for use by product committees and manufacturers.

Abstract

IEC 62477-2:2018 sets out safety requirements to reduce risks of electric shock, fire, thermal, energy and mechanical hazards for PECS and equipment whose rated system voltages lie between 1 000 V AC / 1 500 V DC and 36 kV AC / 54 kV DC. It establishes terminology and minimum coordination requirements for interrelated parts within PECS, specifies insulation, clearance/creepage, protection and testing provisions, and introduces an arc-fault rating label requirement and associated test instructions. The document is to be used in conjunction with IEC 62477-1 and can serve as a reference for product committees where no product standard exists.

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard; group safety publication).
• Publication date: 21 June 2018.
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
• ICS / categories: 29.200 (Rectifiers, converters, stabilised power supplies).
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (2018).
• Number of pages: 214.

Key bibliographic and status details above are based on the IEC publication record for IEC 62477-2:2018.

Scope

This part of IEC 62477 applies to power electronic converter systems (PECS) and equipment, and their components used for electronic power conversion and electronic power switching, including control, protection, monitoring and measurement means, where the rated system voltage is from 1 000 V AC or 1 500 V DC up to 36 kV AC or 54 kV DC. It provides minimum safety requirements for standalone converters, catalog open-type converter units and engineered converter solutions, and is intended to be used together with IEC 62477-1 (general part). Functional safety (as defined in IEC 61508) and application-specific installation rules are excluded.

Key topics and requirements

• Protection against electric shock: decisive voltage classes, basic and fault protection, insulation requirements and measures for operator/service access areas.
• Short-circuit and overload protection: input/output short-circuit withstand strength, coordination and backup protection requirements.
• Thermal, fire and energy hazard mitigation: temperature limits, fire resistance and flammability considerations, arc-fault rating and labelling with test instructions.
• Insulation coordination, clearance and creepage determinations including altitude corrections and pollution degree considerations.
• Requirements for pluggable and permanently connected equipment, including marking, instructions and information for safe installation, operation and maintenance.
• Tests and verification: type and routine test specifications to confirm conformity with protection, insulation and endurance requirements.

These topics reflect the core safety, coordination and testing requirements prescribed for high-voltage PECS.

Typical use and users

Used by standards writers (product committees), electrical equipment designers, test houses, certification bodies and manufacturers of power electronic converters and systems — in particular those designing high-voltage converters for transmission, grid-interface, HVDC, industrial power conversion, renewable-energy power plants, traction power and large-scale UPS or stabilized DC supplies. Product committees for drives, UPS and renewable-energy converters commonly reference this part where no dedicated product standard exists.

Related standards

IEC 62477-1 (Part 1: General) — the companion general requirements document; IEC 62103 (earlier family standard, replaced as a product family reference); and normative/bibliographic references commonly cited with this part include standards on insulation coordination and dielectric testing (IEC 60071 series), dielectric strength test methods (IEC 60243-1), IP/ingress protection (IEC 60529), semiconductor converter general requirements (IEC 60146 family) and other application-specific product standards (for example, IEC 61800 series for adjustable speed drives and IEC 62040 for UPS). These related references are listed in the bibliographic and normative references of IEC 62477-2.

Keywords

power electronic converters; PECS; high-voltage converters; safety requirements; electric shock protection; insulation coordination; clearance and creepage; short-circuit protection; arc-fault rating; testing and labelling; IEC 62477.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 62477-2:2018 is Part 2 of the IEC 62477 series — an international group safety publication that defines safety requirements and tests for power electronic converters with rated system voltages from 1 000 V AC / 1 500 V DC up to 36 kV AC / 54 kV DC.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers protection against hazards (electric shock, fire, thermal, mechanical and energy hazards), insulation and clearance/creepage requirements, short-circuit/overload coordination, arc-fault rating and labelling, marking and information requirements, and associated tests for high-voltage PECS. Functional safety per IEC 61508 and certain application-specific installation rules are excluded.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Standards committees, product designers and manufacturers of high-voltage power converters and systems, test laboratories and conformity assessment bodies use this standard to design, test and demonstrate that products meet minimum safety requirements. It is also used as a reference by product committees when developing product-specific standards.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The published edition is IEC 62477-2:2018 (Edition 1.0) and remains the current published version. Work on a second edition (drafting and ballot activity in 2025) has been recorded, so a revised edition is in development but had not replaced the 2018 publication at the time of the latest bibliographic records. Users should check the IEC webstore or national standards bodies for any publication of a new edition before relying on the standard for the latest regulatory or certification requirements.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 2 of the IEC 62477 series ("Safety requirements for power electronic converter systems and equipment"). Part 1 provides general requirements; other parts / related documents address different voltage ranges, applications or supporting topics.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Power electronic converter, PECS, high-voltage converter, safety, arc-fault, insulation coordination, clearance, creepage, short-circuit protection, IEC 62477.