IEC TS 61936-0:2023

IEC TS 61936-0
®

Edition 1.0 2023-05
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION



Power installations exceeding 1 kV AC and 1,5 kV DC –
Part 0: Principles to be observed in the design and erection of high voltage
installations – Safety of high voltage installations
IEC TS 61936-0:2023-05(en)

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IEC TS 61936-0

®


Edition 1.0 2023-05




TECHNICAL



SPECIFICATION



















Power installations exceeding 1 kV AC and 1,5 kV DC –

Part 0: Principles to be observed in the design and erection of high voltage

installations – Safety of high voltage installations

























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ICS 29.020; 29.080.01 ISBN 978-2-8322-6946-6




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– 2 – IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 General requirements for design, construction, operation and maintenance . 15
4.1 General . 15
4.2 Basic requirements during faults . 15
4.3 Danger signs and labelling . 15
4.4 Protection, automation, and auxiliary systems . 15
4.5 Considerations of design to ensure maintainability, constructability, and
operability . 15
5 Protection against electric shock . 16
5.1 General . 16
5.2 Normal conditions . 16
5.3 Single-fault conditions . 16
5.3.1 General . 16
5.3.2 Protection by independent protective provisions . 17
5.4 Protective provisions (elements of protective measures) . 17
5.4.1 General . 17
5.4.2 Basic protection (protection against direct contact) . 17
5.4.3 Provisions for fault protection (protection against indirect contact) . 19
5.5 Protective measures . 21
5.5.1 General . 21
5.5.2 Protection by manual disconnection of supply . 22
5.5.3 Protection by automatic disconnection of supply . 22
5.5.4 Protection by earthed protective equipotential bonding . 22
5.5.5 Protection by limiting touch voltage . 23
6 Protection against thermal hazards . 23
6.1 General . 23
6.2 Normal conditions . 23
6.2.1 General . 23
6.2.2 Protection against overload . 23
6.3 Single fault conditions . 24
6.3.1 General . 24
6.3.2 Protection against short circuit currents . 24
6.3.3 Protection against arc faults . 24
6.3.4 Protection against fire hazard . 25
7 Protection against mechanical hazards . 26
7.1 General . 26
7.2 Sources of mechanical stress/load . 26
7.2.1 General . 26
7.2.2 Load cases to be considered for design . 26
7.3 Withstand loads due to arc-faults and explosions . 27

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IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023 – 3 –
8 Protection against voltage and frequency deviations hazards . 27
8.1 Overvoltage withstand and protection . 27
8.2 Undervoltage protection . 28
8.3 Over- and underfrequency . 28
9 Induced potentials to telecommunication and other infrastructure . 28
10 Electric and magnetic fields . 28
Bibliography . 29

Figure 1 – Relationship of IEC 61936-0 to other IEC standards . 6

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– 4 – IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________

POWER INSTALLATIONS EXCEEDING 1 kV AC AND 1,5 kV DC –

Part 0: Principles to be observed in the design and erection of high
voltage installations – Safety of high voltage installations

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
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preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
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6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
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9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC TS 61936-0 has been prepared by technical committee 99: Insulation co-ordination and
system engineering of high voltage electrical power installations above 1,0 kV AC and
1,5 kV DC. It is a Technical Specification.
The text of this Technical Specification is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
99/375/DTS 99/404/RVDTS

Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this Technical Specification is English.

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IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023 – 5 –
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at https://www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC
are described in greater detail at https://www.iec.ch/standardsdev/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61936 series, published under the general title Power installations
exceeding 1 kV AC and 1,5 kV DC, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.

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– 6 – IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023
INTRODUCTION
The scope of TC 99 is the standardisation of insulation co-ordination for high voltage systems
and common rules and particular requirements for system engineering and erection of high
voltage electrical power installations for power generation, transmission, distribution, and
consumer premises, in both indoor and outdoor situations, with particular consideration of
safety aspects.
With the increasing development of electric power systems and renewable energy devices,
there is an increasing demand for Technical Committees to define installations, systems and
equipment at voltages above 1,0 kV AC and 1,5 kV DC. This requirement became evident during
the activities of TC 99 AhG6's discussions with TC 18 and TC 88 where a review of documents
prepared by these TCs showed that there was a need for a document which defines principles
to be observed in design and the erection of HV installations.
The objective of this document is to give the principles for TCs in how to define requirements
with respect to HV installations to ensure that safety of such systems is maintained and that a
consistent approach is taken by all TCs involved with HV installations with respect to design,
operation and maintenance of installation at voltages above 1,0 kV AC and 1,5 kV DC.
Figure 1 below describes the relationship of this document to other IEC standards:

Figure 1 – Relationship of IEC 61936-0 to other IEC standards

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IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023 – 7 –
POWER INSTALLATIONS EXCEEDING 1 kV AC AND 1,5 kV DC –

Part 0: Principles to be observed in the design and erection of high
voltage installations – Safety of high voltage installations



1 Scope
This part of IEC 61936 provides principles to ensure the coherence amongst HV publications
to be observed necessary for the coordination of the design, selection of equipment, operation,
and maintenance activities for erection of electrical HV installations to ensure the safety of such
systems.
In the context of this document, "safety" relates to the safety of persons, domestic animals,
livestock and property.
This Technical Specification is intended for use by technical committees in the preparation of
standards with safety aspects which can be a part of an electrical high voltage installation.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
ISO/lEC Guide 51:2014, Safety aspects – Guidelines for their inclusion in standards
IEC 60068 (all parts), Environmental testing
IEC 60071 (all parts), Insulation co-ordination
IEC 60445, Basic and safety principles for man-machine interface, marking and identification –
Identification of equipment terminals, conductor terminations and conductors
IEC TR 60479-5, Effects of current on human beings and livestock – Part 5: Touch voltage
threshold values for physiological effects
IEC 60529, Degrees of protection provided by enclosure (IP Code)
IEC 60721 (all parts), Classification of environmental conditions
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/

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– 8 – IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023
3.1
arc
arcing
luminous discharge of electricity across an insulating medium, usually accompanied by the
partial volatilization of the electrodes
Note 1 to entry: A complete sinusoidal current half-cycle is not considered to be an arcing half-cycle.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-442:1998/AMD3:2019, 442-05-65]
3.2
arc fault
arcing fault
dangerous unintentional arc
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-442:1998/AMD3:2019, 442-05-66]
3.3
arm's reach
zone of accessibility to touch extending from any point on a surface where persons usually
stand or move about to the limits which a person can reach with the hand, in any direction,
without assistance
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-06-12, modified – The note has been removed.]
3.4
automatic disconnection of supply
interruption of one or more of the line conductors effected by the automatic operation of a
protective device in the event of a fault
Note 1 to entry: This does not necessarily mean an interruption in all conductors of the supply system.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-04-10, modified – “in the event of a fault” replaces “in
case of a fault” and Note 1 to entry added]
3.5
basic insulation
insulation that provides basic protection
Note 1 to entry: This concept does not apply to insulation used exclusively for functional purposes.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-06-06]
3.6
conditions
3.6.1
normal condition
condition in which all means of protection are intact
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-903:2013, 903-02-07, modified – “
has been added.]

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IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023 – 9 –
3.6.2
single fault condition
condition in which there is a fault of a single protection (but
not a reinforced protection) or of a single component or a device
Note 1 to entry: If a single fault condition results in one or more other fault conditions, all are considered as one
single fault condition.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-903:2013, 903-01-15 modified – “”
has been added.]
3.6.3
environmental condition
characteristic of the environment which may affect performance of a component, device or
equipment
Note 1 to entry: Examples of environmental conditions are external influences, characteristics of the power supply,
duty cycle or duty type.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-16-01 modified – The term “operating conditions” has
been replaced by “environmental condition”. It has also been replaced by “environmental
conditions” in Note 1 to entry.]
3.6.4
normal environmental condition
characteristic of the environment which may affect performance of a device or system, and
which is standardized as normal
Note 1 to entry: Examples of environmental conditions are pressure, temperature, humidity, radiation, vibration.
Note 2 to entry: Conditions which are normal as described in IEC Guide 111.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-16-03, modified – The words “and which is standardized
as normal” have been added.]
3.6.5
special environmental condition
characteristic of the environment which may affect performance of a device or system, and
which is standardized as special
Note 1 to entry: Examples of environmental conditions are pressure, temperature, humidity, radiation, vibration.
Note 2 to entry: Conditions which is special as described in IEC Guide 111.
Note 3 to entry: See 5.3 of IEC Guide 111:2004 for more information on special environmental conditions.
3.6.6
operating condition
state of a component, device, equipment or system characterized by one or more properties
3.6.7
normal operating condition
operating condition representing the range of intended use
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-903:2013/AMD1:2014, 903-01-21 modified – “as closely as possible” has
been removed, as well as ““that can reasonably be expected” and “normal use” has been
replaced by “intended use”.]

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– 10 – IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023
3.6.8
abnormal operating condition
operating condition that is not a normal operating condition and is not a single fault condition
of the equipment itself
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-903/AMD1:2014:2013, 903-01-22]
3.6.9
intended use
use of a product, process or service in accordance with the information for use
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-903:2014, 903-01-13, modified – The words “provided by the supplier”
have been removed.]
3.7
danger zone
in the case of HV, area limited by the minimum clearance around live-parts without complete
protection
Note 1 to entry: Entering the danger zone is considered the same as touching live-parts.
[SOURCE: IEC 61140:2016, 3.35, modified – In Note 1 to entry, “hazardous-live-parts” has
been replaced by “live-parts”.]
3.8
minimum clearance of danger zone
N
clearance which describes the area of danger zone around live-parts without complete
protection
[SOURCE: IEC 61936-1:2021, 3.5.6, modified – “hazardous” and “against direct contact” have
been removed, as well as the two notes]
3.9
vicinity zone
limited space outside the live working zone where specific precautions are taken to avoid
encroaching into the live working zone
Note 1 to entry: Encroaching into the live working zone will create an electrical hazard.
Note 2 to entry: The outer boundary of the vicinity zone and the specific precautions that apply are generally defined
by national or company regulations.
Note 3 to entry: This entry was numbered 651-01-07 in IEC 60050-651:1999. It has been modified as follows:
Greater detail is provided regarding the precautions to be taken when in the vicinity zone.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-651:2014, 651-21-04]
3.10
reference earth
reference ground, US
part of the Earth considered as conductive, the electric potential of which is conventionally
taken as zero, being outside the zone of influence of any earthing arrangement
Note 1 to entry: The concept “Earth” means the planet and all its physical matter.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-01-01]

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IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023 – 11 –
3.11
earth, verb
ground, verb (US)
to make an electrical connection between a conductive part and a local earth
Note 1 to entry: The connection to local earth can be:
– intentional; or
– unintentional or accidental
and can be permanent or temporary.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-01-08]
3.12
local earth
local ground (US)
part of the Earth which is in electric contact with an earth electrode and the electric potential of
not necessarily equal to zero
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-01-03]
3.13
earthing arrangement
grounding arrangement (US)
all the electrical means involved in the earthing of a system, installation or equipment
Note 1 to entry: Electric connection and devices used for earthing are examples of electrical means.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-02-20]
3.14
earthing conductor
grounding conductor (US)
conductor which forming a conductive path between a conductive part and an earth electrode
EXAMPLE A conductor connected between a main earthing terminal or busbar and an earth electrode.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-02-03]
3.15
earth electrode
ground electrode (US)
conductive part that is in electric contact with local earth, directly or through an intermediate
conductive medium
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-02-01]
3.16
earthed protective-equipotential-bonding
protective-equipotential-bonding connected to local earth
3.17
equipotential bonding
set of electric connections intended to achieve equipotentiality between conductive parts
Note 1 to entry: The effectiveness of the equipotential bonding may depend on the frequency of the current in the
bonding.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-01-10, modified – Note 1 to entry added]

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– 12 – IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023
3.18
exposed-conductive-part
conductive part of equipment that can be touched and which is not live under normal conditions,
but that can become live when basic insulation fails
Note 1 to entry: A conductive part of electrical equipment which can become live only through contact with an
exposed-conductive-part which has become live, is not considered to be an exposed-conductive-part itself.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-06-10 modified – Note 1 to entry added]
3.19
extraneous-conductive-part
conductive part not forming part of the electrical installation and that is likely to introduce an
electric potential, generally the electric potential of a local earth
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-06-11
3.20
instructed person
electrically instructed person
person adequately advised or supervised by electrically skilled persons to enable him or her to
perceive risks and to avoid hazards which electricity can create
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-04-02]
3.21
insulation
set of properties which characterize the ability of an insulation to provide its function
Note 1 to entry: Examples of relevant properties are: resistance, breakdown voltage.
Note 2 to entry: Insulation can be a solid, a liquid or a gas (e.g. air), or any combination.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-151:2001, 151-15-42, modified – Note 2 to entry has been added]
3.22
insulation coordination
selection of the dielectric strength of equipment in relation to the operating voltages and
overvoltages which can appear on the system for which the equipment is intended, and taking
into account the service environment and the characteristics of the available preventing and
protective devices
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-614:2016, 614-03-08]
3.23
live part
conductive part intended to be energized in normal operating conditions, including a neutral
conductor or mid-point conductor
Note 1 to entry: This concept does not necessarily imply a risk of electric shock.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-02-19, modified – “under normal operating conditions,
including the neutral conductor and mid-point conductor, but excluding the PEN conductor, PEM
conductor and PEL conductor” has been replaced with “normal operating conditions, including
a neutral conductor or mid-point conductor”. Note 1 to entry has been added.]”

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IEC TS 61936-0:2023 © IEC 2023 – 13 –
3.24
main contact
contact included in the main circuit of a mechanical switching device, intended to carry, in the
closed position, the current of the main circuit
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-441:1984, 441-15-07]
3.25
manual disconnection of supply
interruption of one or more of the line conductors effected by the manual operation of an
operating person in the event of a fault
3.26
ordinary person
person who is neither a skilled person nor an instructed person
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-195:2021, 195-04-03]
3.27
overvoltage
voltage:
– between one phase conductor and earth or across a longitudinal insulation having a peak
value exceeding the peak of the highest voltage of the AC-system divided by 3 or;
– between phase conductors having a peak value exceeding the amplitude of the highest
voltage of the AC-system
– voltage having a value exceeding the corresponding h
...