How International Standards for electric motors are used and countries using IEC
Views: 133 Author: Rita Werle and Conrad Brunner Publish Time: 2015-01-26 Origin: Site
The IEC has developed an internationally applicable testing Standard IEC 60034-2-1 for electric motors and a classification scheme IEC 60034-30-1 with four levels of motor efficiency ("IE-code"):
IE1 Standard efficiency,
IE2 High efficiency,
IE3 Premium efficiency
IE4 Super premium efficiency.
The IE-code and its efficiency levels create a basic vocabulary for governments to determine the efficiency level for their minimum energy performance standards (MEPS).
The European Union sets motor MEPS levels (Directive 640/2009) at IE3 (or IE2 in combination with a variable frequency drive) from 2015 for smaller motors and from 2017 covering also larger motors (see Table 1 for details).
The USA was the first country in the world to set MEPS for motors. In 1997 (Energy Policy Act) the minimum required level was set at the equivalent of IE2. In 2007 (Energy Independence and Security Act) MEPS were raised to the equivalent of the IE3 level (NEMA Premium). NEMA Premium and IE3 are coordinated as efficiency levels, the USA currently recognizes in its legal requirements the national testing standard IEEE 112B and the Canadian test standard CSA390 but not yet the IEC test Standard IEC 60034-2-1 (the differences are minimal).
Australia and New Zealand set MEPS levels at IE2 in 2000 (AS/NZS 1359.5-2000), effective since 2001 based on the IEC test Standard IEC 61972 from 2002 (a predecessor of IEC 60034-2-1).
China decided in 2002 (GB 18693) for small and medium three-phase asynchronous motors to start with motor MEPS. The standard has been updated since in 2006 and 2012 to harmonize with IEC Standards and to move the MEPS level step by step from IE1 to IE2 and IE3.
Japan decided to harmonize its national JIS with IEC efficiency classes and to include electric motors at the IE2 and IE3 level in its Toprunner programme in 2014.
India has a comparative efficiency label since 2009 and a voluntary standard on IE2 level since 2012.
Many countries use their own national test standards while at the same time also reference the international test Standard IEC 60034-2-1.
