Press
Erlangen, March 11, 2016
light+building, Frankfurt/Main, 13 – 18 March 2016, Hall 11, Booth B56
New AFD units from Siemens for higher
currents
Siemens is expanding its range of arc-fault detection (AFD) units from the 5SM6
product line by adding a version for rated currents up to 40 amperes (A). The new
devices are used in electrical installations and protect against electrical fires. They
are ideal for circuits with larger electrical consumers, for instance with motors as
well as for applications in European countries with circuits larger than 16 A, such as
in Great Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. AFD units react to serial arcing faults
that can be caused by defects in electrical installations, and they safely disconnect
circuits within fractions of a second. Serial arcing faults can lead to cable fires and
are not detected by conventional protective devices such as residual current circuit
breakers and miniature circuit breakers. Protection against serial arcing faults was
recently recognized as state of the art and incorporated into the global IEC standard
as well as into DIN VDE 0100-420 applicable throughout Germany. Siemens has
offered AFD units for branch circuits up to 16 amperes since 2012.
The publication of the German standard DIN VDE 0100-420:2016-02 “Low voltage
electrical installations – Part 4-42: Protection for safety – Protection against thermal
effects” mandates the installation of AFD units in Germany for certain application
areas. These areas include woodworking companies, wooden houses, paper and
textile factories or laboratories, public buildings, railway stations and airports, and
bedrooms and living rooms of daycare centers and retirement homes.
Existing electrical installations can easily be retrofitted with 5SM6 AFD units in the
version up to 40 A. In developing the new versions, Siemens further improved the
use of the AFD units. The mechanical tripping lever was replaced by an LEDilluminated button, which serves as both a reset and a test button. The LED uses
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Reference number: PR2016030213EMEN
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Siemens AG
Press Release
different colors to indicate normal operation or a fault. The device automatically
conducts a self-test every eleven hours.
The AFD units from Siemens detect all types of arcing faults by capturing more than
just the current and voltage. In addition, the 5SM6 AFD units constantly measure the
high-frequency noise with regard to amount, stability, and duration. In conjunction
with intelligent software, integrated filters process, analyze, and evaluate these
signals in accordance with a wide range of criteria in order to determine, for
example, the total energy, arcing energy, the plateau of the arcing voltage, arcing
stability, and the appearance of flames. If the conditions of an arcing fault are met,
the connected circuit is disconnected within fractions of a second. This technology
makes it possible to detect and prevent fire hazards from the electrical wiring at an
early stage all the way to the terminal device.
Arcing faults in electrical wiring or systems are among the most frequent causes of
fire. A distinction should be made between serial and parallel arcing faults. Parallel
arcing faults occur between the phase conductors to ground or protective
conductors (PE), between two phase conductors, or between phase conductors and
neutral conductors. Serial arcing faults can occur when a conductor is interrupted or
as a result of loose contacts.
Some of the most frequent causes of serial arcing faults include damaged cable
insulation (due to nails, screws, or mounting clips, for example), crushed cabling
when installed through open doors and windows, cable breaks due to kinking, bent
connectors and cables due to lose contacts and connections in switches or outlets.
In addition, environmental influences such as heat, moisture, gases, and – in
outdoor areas – UV radiation and gnawing rodents can damage the cables, and
conductive contamination and condensation water can produce undesirable
contacts.
Under the motto “Make your building more livable” at the light+building trade show
from March 13 to 18, 2016, Siemens will show how commercial buildings can be
designed both for comfort and economical operation.
You can find more information on light+building at www.siemens.com/light-building
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Siemens AG
Press Release
Caption:
The new AFD unit from the 5SM6 product line for rated currents up to 40 amperes is
used in the electrical installation and protects against electrical fires.
This press release and a press photo are available at
www.siemens.com/press/PR2016030213EMEN
For more information on Siemens’ Energy Management Division, go to:
www.siemens.com/energy-management
Contact for journalists:
Heiko Jahr
Phone: +49 9131 7 295 75; E-mail: heiko.jahr@siemens.com
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/siemens_press
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence,
innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than
200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest
producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction,
a leading supplier of gas and steam turbines for power generation, a major provider of power transmission solutions
and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The
company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic
resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2015, which
ended on September 30, 2015, Siemens generated revenue of €75.6 billion and net income of €7.4 billion. At the
end of September 2015, the company had around 348,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available
on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
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