What is BS EN 61340-2-3‒ Electrostatic charge accumulation about?
BS EN 61340-2-3 is a part of an international standard that covers various aspects regarding electrostatics charge.
BS EN 61340-2-3 describes test methods for the determination of the electrical resistance and resistivity of solid materials used to avoid electrostatic charge accumulation, in which the measured resistance is in the range 104 Ω to 1012 Ω.
BS EN 61340-2-3 gives specifications such as Conditioning and test environment, selection of test method, resistance measurements for solid conductive materials, resistance measurements for solid insulating materials, resistance measurements for planar electrostatic dissipative materials, conversion to resistivity values, resistance measurements for non-planar materials, and products with small structures along with repeatability and reproducibility, etc., for measuring the electrical resistance and resistivity of solid materials.
Note 1: BS EN 61340-2-3 takes account of existing IEC/ISO standards and other published information and gives recommendations and guidelines on the appropriate method.
Who is BS EN 61340-2-3‒ Electrostatic charge accumulation for?
BS EN 61340-2-3 on electrostatic charge accumulation is useful for:
- Electrical power system engineer
- Researchers checking electrostatic charge accumulation
- Test houses/ test providers for checking electrostatic charge accumulation
Why should you use BS EN 61340-2-3‒ Electrostatic charge accumulation?
Electrostatic charges tend to accumulate on many solid conductive, non-conductive, plane, non-plane surfaces, especially at low humidity and in dry conditions. These accumulated static charges are difficult to melt away, thus, it is necessary to avoid the accumulation in the first place.
BS EN 61340-2-3 provides test methods that can be used for the measurement of resistances and related calculations of resistivities, to avoid the electrostatic charge accumulation on the materials. It also helps you with measurements of voltage and current of the materials, as the resistance and resistivity belong to the fundamental objectives of electrical measuring techniques.
BS EN 61340-2-3 covers resistance measurements for solid conductive materials and insulating materials, planar and non-planar materials, products with small structure, as well as the selection of test methods depending on the knowledge of the resistivity range for the solid materials, all at one place.
Users of BS EN 61340-2-3 could follow the test methods as required to prevent any mishaps such as shocks and sparks which may ignite a fire, caused due to high accumulation of electrostatic charge on any material. This helps in ensuring the safety of the electrical equipment and of the people operating the equipment.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 61340-2-3:2016 supersedes BS EN 61340-2-3:2000, which is withdrawn. BS EN 61340-2-3:2016 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
- A distinction has been introduced between instrumentation used for laboratory evaluations, instrumentation used for acceptance testing, and instrumentation used for compliance verification (periodic testing)
- An alternative electrode assembly is described, which can be used on non-planar products or when the dimensions of the product under test are too small to allow the larger electrode assembly to be used
- The formulae for calculating surface and volume resistivity have been modified to correspond with common industry practice in the main areas of application for the IEC 61340 series