IEC 62236-5:2018

Overview

IEC 62236-5:2018 - Railway applications - Electromagnetic compatibility - Part 5 - defines emission and immunity requirements for electrical and electronic apparatus and systems used in fixed railway power supply installations (for example substations, switching stations, autotransformers, booster transformers and power switchgear). The standard focuses on ensuring that traction and non-traction power equipment do not cause or suffer harmful electromagnetic disturbance across a very wide frequency range (DC up to 400 GHz) and is a part of the IEC 62236 EMC family.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope of applicability: equipment within substation boundaries, trackside items that control/regulate power, feeder conductors supplying substations and other non-traction railway power supplies.
• Emission requirements: limits for radiated and conducted emissions within substation boundaries and to the outside world. This edition extended emission requirements into the 1 GHz to 6 GHz range.
• Immunity requirements: defined immunity tests and performance criteria for various ports and enclosures (see tables in the standard). Immunity was extended in this edition into 5.1 GHz to 6 GHz.
• Port-based approach: separate immunity criteria for enclosure ports, signal/data ports, process/control ports, DC/AC power ports and earth ports (tables 1 to 6).
• Zoning and applicability: heightened immunity expectations for vital equipment, devices connected to traction conductors, apparatus inside a 3 m zone, ports with connections in the 3 m zone, and ports inside the 10 m zone with cables >30 m.
• Frequency and measurement guidance: frequency span considered DC–400 GHz; specific emission test bands and annexes provide measurement guidance (including switch operation emissions).
• Changes from previous edition: clarifications of scope, expanded emission and immunity frequency ranges, and removal of certain radiated H‑field limits in 9 kHz–150 kHz due to low reproducibility and limited outside-world impact.
• Use with other IEC documents: intended to be read alongside IEC 62236-1 and references IEC 61000 series test methods (e.g., IEC 61000-4-2 to -6).

Applications and who uses it

• Railway system designers and electrical engineers: to specify, design and validate power substations and trackside power equipment for EMC compliance.
• Equipment manufacturers: to develop power switchgear, protection and control apparatus that meet emission and immunity limits.
• EMC test laboratories and certifiers: to perform standardized emission and immunity testing for procurement and safety verification.
• System integrators and asset owners: to ensure interoperability, reliability and minimal electromagnetic disturbance across railway power installations.
• Procurement and regulatory bodies: to include EMC compliance criteria in contracts and safety demonstrations.

Related standards

• IEC 62236-1 (general EMC provisions for railway applications)
• IEC 61000‑4 series (EMC test methods)
• IEC 61000‑6 series (generic emission/immunity standards)

Keywords: IEC 62236-5:2018, railway EMC standard, emission and immunity, fixed power supply installations, railway substations EMC, EMC testing railway, radiated emissions, conducted immunity.