PD IEC/TS Standards Single-File Series Overview — A Compilation of 73 IEC Technical Specifications (IEC/TS) and Their Technical Points

PD IEC/TS is the British standard publication formed when the UK adopts the Technical Specification (TS) published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), published by BSI. IEC/TS is a document in the IEC standards system between a full International Standard (IS) and a technical report, used in fields that still need technical verification or urgently need unified technical reference, and its binding force differs from a full standard. This batch compiles 73 single-file PD IEC/TS standards covering high-voltage insulators and pollution tests, HVDC converter stations and earth electrodes, photovoltaic systems and modules, power system communication security, railway electronic equipment, avionics electronic components, therapeutic ultrasound and electric vehicle battery swapping.

These technical specifications provide unified test methods, design guidance and technical requirements for their respective fields, and are important documents in the IEC standards system. This article is organised into six parts: series overview, standard list, key technical requirements, representative standard interpretation, engineering practice and application, and frequently asked questions.

1. Series Overview 📌

IEC/TS technical specifications are developed by IEC technical committees to standardise technical requirements that are not yet mature or urgently need unification, and are often issued before the technical requirements are fully verified. Compared with a full IEC standard, IEC/TS does not require the full approval procedure, is published faster, and often serves as a precursor or supplement to full standards. The 73 technical specifications in this batch are adopted and published by BSI as the PD IEC/TS series.

By field distribution, this batch can be broadly divided into: high-voltage insulation and testing types (selection and dimensioning of insulators for polluted environments, artificial pollution tests for d.c. systems, measurement of hydrophobicity of insulator surfaces, definitions and tests for composite insulators, seismic qualification of bushings, partial discharge measurement by electromagnetic and acoustic methods), HVDC and conversion types (audible noise of HVDC substations, design of earth electrode stations, active infeed converters, reliability of line-commutated converters, EHV converters), photovoltaic types (PV array design, specifications for solar trackers, cyclic mechanical load testing, concentrator cell documentation, potential-induced degradation detection, low-voltage ride-through, increased confidence in design qualification), power system and communication security types (energy market communication framework, security for IEC 60870-5, customer energy management system interface architecture, smart grid facility interface) and railway, avionics and ultrasound types (train communication network, on-board multimedia and video surveillance, radio-based train control performance, aerospace qualified electronic components, therapeutic ultrasound field characterisation, pulse-echo scanner stability and performance testing, hearing aid high-frequency electroacoustic measurement).

This diversity reflects the wide use of IEC/TS as a rapid standardisation tool across technical fields.

2. Standard List and Technical Points 📋

3. Key Technical Requirements 🔧

In high-voltage insulation and testing, IEC TS 60815-4 specifies selection and dimensioning of high-voltage insulators for polluted environments, IEC TS 61245 specifies artificial pollution tests on high-voltage ceramic and glass insulators for d.c. systems, IEC TS 62073 specifies guidance on measurement of hydrophobicity of insulator surfaces, and IEC TS 62896 specifies definitions, test methods and acceptance criteria for composite insulators for a.c. and d.c. high-voltage applications.

In HVDC, IEC TS 61973 specifies methods for evaluating audible noise of HVDC substations, IEC TS 62344 provides general guidelines for design of earth electrode stations for HVDC links, and IEC TS 62672-1 specifies methods for evaluating reliability and availability of HVDC systems with line-commutated converters.

In photovoltaics, IEC TS 62548 specifies design requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays, IEC TS 62782 specifies cyclic (dynamic) mechanical load testing of PV modules, IEC TS 62804-1 specifies test methods for detection of potential-induced degradation (PID) of PV modules, and IEC TS 62910 specifies test procedures for low-voltage ride-through of PV inverters.

In power systems and communication security, IEC TS 62325-503 specifies guidelines for market data exchanges in energy market communications, IEC TS 62351-5 specifies security requirements for IEC 60870-5 and derivatives, and IEC TS 62746-3 specifies the architecture of the systems interface between customer energy management systems and power management systems.

In railway and avionics, IEC TS 61375-2-4 specifies application requirements of the train communication network, IEC TS 62580-2 specifies on-board multimedia and telematic subsystems (video surveillance/CCTV) for railways, and IEC TS 62564-1 and IEC TS 62686-1 specify general requirements for aerospace qualified electronic components and high-reliability integrated circuits.

4. Representative Standard Interpretations 🔍

PD IEC/TS 62548:2013 Photovoltaic (PV) arrays — Design requirements

Scope: This technical specification specifies design requirements for photovoltaic arrays, covering mechanical structure, electrical design, protection and installation, and is an important reference for PV system design.

Key points: The specification specifies requirements for determining series/parallel configurations of modules, matching of array voltage and current, support structure strength, earthing and lightning protection, cable routing and protection in array design, and provides safety and reliability considerations. Applicable to grid-connected and stand-alone PV systems, it helps designers ensure electrical and mechanical safety of arrays, preventing overvoltage, hot spots and mechanical failure.

PD IEC/TS 60815-4:2016 Selection and dimensioning of high-voltage insulators intended for use in polluted conditions — Part 4: D.C. systems

Scope: This technical specification specifies methods for selection and dimensioning of high-voltage insulators for d.c. systems in polluted environments, used to determine the creepage distance and configuration of insulators.

Key points: Based on pollution severity classification and withstand voltage requirements, the specification provides methods for determining the specific creepage distance of d.c. insulators, recommendations for insulator type selection and test verification requirements. Compared with a.c. systems, d.c. systems have polarity effects and more severe pollution accumulation, which the specification addresses specifically, providing a basis for insulator selection of d.c. transmission lines and substations.

PD IEC/TS 62804-1:2015 Photovoltaic (PV) modules — Test methods for the detection of potential-induced degradation — Part 1: Crystalline silicon

Scope: This technical specification specifies test methods for detecting potential-induced degradation (PID) of crystalline silicon PV modules, used to assess the risk of power degradation of modules under high voltage.

Key points: The specification specifies test conditions (temperature, humidity, voltage, duration), test apparatus and judgement criteria for PID testing, accelerating PID occurrence by applying high voltage between the negative terminal and the frame under specified temperature and humidity, and then assessing the degree of degradation through power measurement. PID is an important source of power loss in PV systems, and the specification provides a test basis for module selection and quality verification.

PD IEC/TS 62351-5:2013 Power systems management and associated information exchange — Data and communications security — Part 5: Security for IEC 60870-5 and derivatives

Scope: This technical specification specifies communication security requirements for IEC 60870-5 and derivative protocols (such as IEC 60870-5-101/104), used for information security protection of power control systems.

Key points: The specification introduces authentication, integrity checking and anti-replay mechanisms at the transport and application layers, specifies the use of message authentication codes (MAC), key management and timestamps, and considers compatibility and migration with legacy systems. With the increasing cyber threats to power control systems, the specification has become an important technical foundation for security protection of power automation systems.

PD IEC/TS 62580-2:2016 Electronic railway equipment — On-board multimedia and telematic subsystems for railways — Part 2: Video surveillance/CCTV services

Scope: This technical specification specifies functional requirements for on-board video surveillance (CCTV) subsystems of railway vehicles, covering functional architecture and data interfaces.

Key points: The specification defines the functional architecture of on-board CCTV systems, including camera configuration, recording and storage, viewing and playback functions, and interfaces with train data networks and remote monitoring centres. It emphasises compliance with privacy regulations in the design of video surveillance functions, providing a basis for development of railway CCTV systems.

5. Engineering Practice and Application 🛠️

In PV plant design, IEC TS 62548 is used for electrical and structural design of PV arrays, IEC TS 62782 for cyclic mechanical load testing of modules, and IEC TS 62804-1 for PID risk verification, together ensuring long-term reliability of the plant.

In d.c. transmission engineering, IEC TS 60815-4 is used for selection of d.c. insulators in polluted environments, IEC TS 62344 for design of earth electrode stations, and IEC TS 62672-1 for reliability and availability evaluation of the system.

In power information security, IEC TS 62351-5 is used to harden the security protection of IEC 60870-5 communication protocols, reducing the risk of remote control attacks.

In railway informatisation, IEC TS 62580-2 is used for functional design and interface standardisation of on-board video surveillance systems, supporting train security and operation management.

In insulator quality evaluation, IEC TS 62073 is used to measure the hydrophobicity of insulator surfaces, and IEC TS 62896 for acceptance tests of composite insulators, supporting condition assessment of transmission and transformation equipment.

6. Frequently Asked Questions ❓