IEC 61010-2-011:2019

Overview

IEC 61010-2-011:2019 specifies particular safety requirements for refrigerating equipment that is part of electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use. It applies where the equipment (electrical test & measurement, industrial process-control, or laboratory/IVD equipment) incorporates a refrigerating system and the equipment directly controls that system. The standard covers refrigerant charges of flammable refrigerant up to 150 g per stage; larger charges require additional requirements outside this Part 2‑011 scope. This is Edition 2.0 (2019) and is used together with the latest IEC 61010‑1.

Key topics and technical requirements

IEC 61010-2-011 supplements IEC 61010‑1 by adding refrigerating‑specific rules. Main topics include:

• Scope and definitions for refrigerating systems and controlled/ambient temperatures (alignment with Part 1 and Part 2‑012).
• Tests: cooling performance tests, leakage and rupture assessments, and motor‑compressor temperature/pressure tests.
• Protection requirements: protection against electric shock, mechanical hazards, spread of fire, and HAZARDS from fluids and solid foreign objects.
• Temperature and heat resistance: maximum temperature limits for motor‑compressors and components.
• Gases and explosion: safeguards for liberated gases, flammability parameters and explosion/implosion risks (annexes provide guidance).
• Components and piping: requirements and parameters for pressure vessels, tubing and piping (incl. referenced parameters in informative annexes).
• Marking and documentation: required labels, information for equipment containing flammable refrigerants, and user/operator instructions.
• Safety interlocks and risk assessment: provisions for interlocks and guidance to perform RISK assessment for refrigerating systems.
• Annexes: informative and normative annexes cover leakage/rupture, hazards, component/piping requirements, and marking for flammable refrigerants.

Significant technical updates in the 2019 edition include alignment with Amendment 1 to IEC 61010‑1, clarified terminology, refined cooling tests, and standardized use of defined terms.

Practical applications and who uses this standard

IEC 61010-2-011 is used by:

• Manufacturers of laboratory equipment, environmental chambers, medical/IVD devices and test instruments that include refrigerating systems.
• Product safety engineers and compliance teams preparing CE/CB/other conformity evidence.
• Test labs and certification bodies performing safety testing and assessments for refrigerating equipment.
• Design engineers specifying compressors, piping and safety interlocks for small-charge systems (≤150 g flammable refrigerant per stage).

It helps ensure safe design, testing, marking, and documentation to mitigate electrical, mechanical, thermal and flammability hazards.

Related standards

• IEC 61010‑1 (general safety requirements for measurement, control and laboratory equipment) - Part 1 is normative and must be used in conjunction with Part 2‑011.
• IEC 61010‑2‑010 and IEC 61010‑2‑012 (related Part 2 standards for heating and combined heating/refrigerating systems).

Keywords: IEC 61010-2-011, refrigerating equipment safety, flammable refrigerant, laboratory equipment safety, refrigerating system requirements, IEC standard.