IEC 62590:2019

Overview

IEC 62590:2019 - "Railway applications - Fixed installations - Electronic power converters for substations" - specifies performance, rating and test requirements for fixed-installation electronic power converters used in traction power supply. This international standard covers converters employing controllable and non‑controllable electronic valves (controlled by current, voltage or light) and assumes non‑bistable devices operate in switched mode. It applies to railways and guided mass transit systems (tramways, light rail, elevated/underground railways, mountain railways, trolleybuses). Edition 2.0 (2019) cancels and replaces the 2010 edition and incorporates key updates including the addition of DC converters and corrections to clearance/withstand voltage rules.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and classifications: Types of traction converters, valve device classifications and purposes (rectification, inversion, DC conversion).
• Rated values and load capabilities: Definitions for current, voltage and duty classes; guidance for unsymmetrical loading of parallel converters.
• Service conditions: Environmental and electrical service conditions, cooling codes and standardized duty classes for rating equipment.
• Insulation coordination and clearances: Insulation levels and revised clearance/withstand voltage requirements (correction from prior edition).
• Thermal management: Cooling method codes, temperature-rise testing and calculation of the virtual junction temperature (Annex B) for semiconductor device current capability.
• Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and harmonic distortion requirements for traction converters.
• Line‑commutated converter specifics: Connections, calculation factors and direct voltage harmonic content.
• Testing and verification: Test schedule and procedures including insulation tests, light-load and full-load functional tests, power‑loss determination, temperature‑rise, protective device checks, short‑time withstand and EMC tests (see Clause 8 and Table 7).

Practical applications and users

IEC 62590:2019 is essential for:

• Substation equipment manufacturers designing and producing traction converters and DC link systems.
• System integrators and design engineers specifying converter performance, cooling and insulation coordination for fixed installations.
• Procurement teams and asset owners (railway operators, transit authorities) preparing technical specifications and acceptance tests.
• Testing laboratories and certification bodies performing acceptance and type tests per the standard.
• Maintenance and safety engineers assessing failure modes, thermal limits and EMC compliance.

Practical use cases include specifying converter ratings for new substations, validating supplier tenders, verifying insulation and EMC performance, and ensuring thermal margins for semiconductor devices.

Related standards

• Based on EN 50328 (harmonization reference).
• Refer to other IEC documents for complementary topics (insulation, EMC, electrotechnical vocabulary) as indicated in the normative references of IEC 62590.

Keywords: IEC 62590:2019, electronic power converters, railway substations, traction power supply, DC converters, insulation coordination, EMC, virtual junction temperature, converter testing.