A Beginners Guide to EMC

Presented by Andy Lawson

Technical Supervisor, Industry EMC, TÜV SÜD Product Service
• EMC Issues In The Real World

• What Actually is EMC?

• EMC Standards and Legislation

• The Need For EMC

• How EMC Problems Occur

• EMC Control Measures

• Some Basics Of EMC

 EMC Issues
In The Real World –
• Broadcast Interference
• Equipment Malfunction
What is EMC? The IEC definition

• EMC: Electromagnetic compatibility:

"The ability of an equipment or system to function
satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment
without introducing intolerable electromagnetic
disturbances to anything in that environment.“

(IEC defines the electromagnetic (EM) environment

as "the totality of electromagnetic EM phenomena
existing at a given location.")
The need for EMC

• limit interference to broadcast reception

and mobile radio services, and other users
of the mains supply
• immunity of safety- or user-critical systems
from environmental effects (especially
transport, medical and process control)
EMC LEGISLATION &
STANDARDS
Commercial EMC standards - structure

Product Product Generic

specific family
Examples Examples EN 61000-6-XX
EN 50199 EN 55011
EN 50293 EN 55022
EN 50270 EN 55024

Basic standards
Examples
EN 61000-3-XX
EN 61000-4-XX
The problems of EMC

• interference with radio reception

– household appliances can interfere with broadcast

– concern over proliferation of broadband

• interference from radio transmitters

– hospitals and aircraft prohibit use of cellphones

– "audio breakthrough" from nearby transmitters

• interference from transients

– ESD and switching operations disrupt controller
operation and cause hard-to-trace unreliability
Typical EMC tests

Emissions: Immunity:
– conducted RF on – conducted RF on
mains cable mains cable and
– conducted RF on other ports
other ports
– radiated RF – radiated RF
– LF power – supply voltage dips
disturbances and interruptions
– magnetic fields
– electrostatic
discharge
– fast transients
– surges
EMC Directive 2004/108/EC

One route to conformity for Apparatus

ANNEX IV EC Declaration of Conformity

ANNEX V CE Marking
Transposed Harmonised Standards

BS EN [reference number]

Prefix of Fully Retained throughout

national body harmonised Europe
standard
Example:

BS EN 55022  DIN EN 55022

 HOW DO EMC
PROBLEMS OCCUR?
EM fields from intentional radiators

V, kHz - GHz

• Radio and TV broadcast transmitters,

civilian and military radars (fixed and
mobile).
• Plastics welders, induction furnaces,
microwave ovens and dryers, etc.
• Cellphones, walkie-talkies,
wireless LANs, Local Communications
What distance from a ‘hand-held’ is equivalent to the immunity test levels?

!
Abcde fgh ijkl mn
opqrst uvw Abcde fgh
ijkl mn opqrst uvw
Abcde fgh ijkl mn
opqrst uvw Abcde fgh
ijkl mn opqrst uvw
Abcde fgh ijkl mn
opqrst uvw Abcde fgh

?
Typical type of transmitter For 3V/m For 10V/m
or radiator Domestic, commercial and Industrial generic,
light industrial generic, and and medical life
most medical equipment support equipment
Cellphone in strong
1.7 metres 0.5 metres
signal area, ‘intrinsically
safe’ walkie-talkie (5½ feet) (1½ feet)
RF power = 0.8 Watts
Cellphone in weak signal
2.5 metres 0.76 metres
area and standby mode
RF power = 2 Watts (8 feet) (2½ feet)
Walkie-talkie handset
3.7 metres 1.1 metres
RF power = 4 watts
(emergency services can be 10W) (12 feet) (3½ feet)
Vehicle mobile (e.g.
18 metres 5.5 metres
taxicab), Electro-Surgery
RF power = 100 Watts (59 feet) (18 feet)
(some ES are 400W or more)

Multiply distances by 2 for one constructive reflection

from a metal surface, by 3 for two reflections, etc.
EM fields caused by unintentional radiators

• Everything which uses electricity or electronics always ‘leaks’

and so emits some EM disturbances
– the higher the rate of change of voltage or current,
the worse the emissions tend to be

• Power and signals in devices, printed circuit board (PCB)

traces, wires and cables leak EM waves

• Shielded enclosures leak EM waves from apertures, gaps and

joints
RF coupling: cables

disturbance generated by EUT operation creates common

mode cable currents which develop emitted fields

EUT

Incoming fields couple with cables to develop

common mode disturbance current at interfaces

Conducted disturbances pass in

or out via external connections
RF coupling: enclosures

disturbance currents generated by EUT

operation create emitted fields which
pass through gaps in the shield

EUT
Incoming disturbance fields
pass through gaps in shield
to induce unwanted currents
in the circuit structure
Electrical Fast Transients: sources

available voltage, peak = I L ∙(L/C stra y ) + V

VC

contact breakdown
characteristic
neighbouring
unsuppressed V C conductors

VC

suppressed VC IL
time
L
V
IL
Cstr ay RL
Lightning surge: generation

H-field
cloud to cloud

direct strike
to primary supply
direct strike ground strike
to LV supply
(esp. rural areas)

IG
substation

load

fault clearance
Electrostatic discharge: sources

+ +
kV kV
- -

• Movement or separation of surfaces causes a

charge differential to build up
• charge differential equates to kV between
different objects
• when one object approaches another, air gap
breaks down and discharge current flows
Voltage dips and interrupts

UT

0.4 x UT

Gradual voltage variations t (sec)

Voltage dips abrupt change at any phase angle

UT

UT = rated voltage Dip as % of UT , 5 cycles 100% dip, 1 cycle

Radiated magnetic field immunity

EUT

Induction
coil

Three
orthogonal
orientations
Coupling mechanisms

far-field radiated

conducted

near-field induced (capacitive or inductive)

A TYPICAL PROBLEM
Robotic paint booth installation example

• A major manufacturer of
automotive parts
commissioned a
series of robotic
paint booths
– to save cost, it was
agreed that the cabling
would be installed by
contractors
Robotic paint booth installation continued...

• The paint booths suffered random

(and sometimes dangerous) faults
• 80% of the shielded cables had to
be replaced
– this time using correct shield termination
methods
Robotic paint booth installation continued...

• The supplier had not provided

any instructions on the correct
termination of the
screened cables
– so, after protracted legal
arguments, he picked up $
the bill for the modifications
– and also had to pay the
penalty clauses in the contract
EMC CONTROL
MEASURES
EMC control measures

primary tertiary

secondary

 Primary: circuit design and PCB layout

 Secondary: interface filtering

 Tertiary: screening
Example of ‘layered’ EM mitigation (using shielding and filtering)

Rack cabinet Shielding

Chassis (rack) unit Example

of a cable

Printed
~
~
circuit ~ ~
board ~
~
~
~ Cable filtering
~
Example: Cutting holes in enclosures

• A single shielded/filtered enclosure could easily

achieve suppression of 80dB at 900MHz
• and is an easy item to purchase from numerous suppliers
– but cutting a single hole just 15mm in diameter (e.g. to
add an indicator lamp) would reduce it to 20dB at 900MHz
SOME BASICS OF EMC
What is current management?

ESD

Shielding Enclosure
Stray capacitance

Signal Circuit

‘unwanted’ currents ‘wanted’ currents

Filtering PS
ICM due to RF, surge,
transients etc

Mains

Managing
unwanted currents
Ground Managing wanted
currents
Capacitance

V
I
V Current and
voltage are
Dielectric
displacement 90°out
current of phase

Capacitance between plates = er  e0 

plate area
separation distance
-j
2pFC
Impedance Z ohms =
Inductance

• magnetic field around a wire carrying a current

Inductance L  length

• can be concentrated by coiling the wire

Inductance L  N2

V = - L  di/dt
• can be concentrated further by including a magnetically
Z = j  2p FL permeable material in the path of the field

Inductance L  µr
Bonding conductors
Single-point vs. multi-point grounds

Source Subsystem 1 Subsystem 2 Subsystem 3 Daisy chain

Source Subsystem 1 Subsystem 2 Subsystem 3 Single-point

Source Subsystem 1 Subsystem 2 Subsystem 3 Multi-point

Differential mode coupling

IDM

external ground

Differential mode in cables and PCBs

E
IDM

N L
PSU

Differential mode in mains circuits

Controlling differential mode coupling

Large loop area – high coupling

Uniform magnetic field

Small loop area – low coupling

Twisted pair – coupling is cancelled by alternate half-twists

Common mode coupling

ICM
external ground

ground impedance stray capacitance

Common mode in cables and PCBs

N L
PSU

ICM

Common mode in mains circuits

RF susceptibility: coupling to cables

A pair of signal wires in a cable ...

… illuminated by a radiated field ...

… creates a common mode current in each

wire of the pair, because the illumination is
equal for each
RF susceptibility: CM to DM conversion

When the cable is connected to a circuit ...

ICM VDM

… the common mode currents ICM create a

differential mode disturbance voltage VDM
because of the differing circuit impedances
RF emissions: coupling from cables

When a pair of signal wires are connected to a circuit ...

… intended differential mode currents radiate very little ...

… but the common mode

currents radiate a lot
Mode conversion at the interface

How does a circuit create common mode currents?

Common mode currents driven through

Equipment enclosure a poorly protected interface, may be
unrelated to intended signals on cable
interface

VN

Even a screen can carry

common mode currents if it is
connected to the wrong place

Unintentional noise voltage due to circuit operation

Cable screening

Skin depth d
There must be no common mode
potential between cable and Interference currents stay on the outside
chassis developed at the interface

Cross-section
through screen
Signal currents stay on the inside

connector interface must maintain

connector shells
360°coverage around the inner
conductors through the mating shells
cable screen
chassis
Filter mode

+
Differential choke

circuit
Differential
Differential capacitor mode filter
–

Common-mode choke

+
Common-mode
circuit
Common
capacitors
mode filter
–

GND
Parasitic reactances

stray capacitance capacitor

inductor stray inductance

Minimum stray capacitance and inductance

are required for best performance
0

Self-resonance
-20
Network
attenuation dB

-40
Frequency
Ferrites

halved ferrite over ribbon cable

Wire through ferrite sleeve

ferrite sleeve over multi-core cable

common mode currents
create magnetic field
and are attenuated No net magnetic field, so
differential mode currents
are unaffected
 Filtering and Suppression

Snap on Ferrite
Power Line Filter

Bulkhead
Filters
Shielding theory: reflection

thick wall barrier thin wall barrier

incident field

E
i

Er

reflected field same effect

regardless of wall
thickness
reflection at change
of impedance

Z Transmission line
W
equivalent
ZB
Shielding theory: absorption

thick wall barrier thin wall barrier

remanent
current on
far surface
impinging
field
current
amplitude transmitted
decays field
through
induced current on barrier
surface of barrier

current current
density density
8.6dB
through through
barrier reflection
one skin depth d
barrier
from far wall
Limitations on theory

• Real enclosures are not infinite in extent

• they have imperfections compared to a
perfect Faraday cage:
– they have apertures, seams and joints
– they are often an irregular shape
– there are enclosure resonances
– they include components with complex
internal layout
• unknown incident wave impedance
• unknown internal wave impedance
The effect of apertures

d d d
h

SE(dB) = 100 - 20log [d(mm) · F(MHz)] + 20log [1 + ln(d/h)] (for d < l/2, >> thickness)

100

80
d = 4cm d = 0.25mm
effectiveness dB

h = 2mm
Shieldingeffectiveness

60 0.25cm

40
2.5cm
Shielding

20
d = 25cm

0
10kHz 100kHz 1MHz 10MHz 100MHz 1GHz 10GHz
Shielding

Fix-Its – RF Enclosures & Shielding

RF Cabinet Knitted Mesh

Copper Tape
The EMC margin

dB µV/m V/m

140 10
Equipment
130 Immunity 3
120 1

EMC

74 5mV/m
66 2mV/m
Equipment
47 Emissions 224µV/m
30 32µV/m

V/m
NB dB µV/m = 20log
1µV/m
Andy Lawson
Technical Supervisor, Industry EMC, TÜV SÜD Product Service

Tel: +44(0)1489 558100

[email protected]
ww.tuvps.co.uk