The strategic importance of standardizing test parameters cannot be overstated. Defining severity classes and environmental conditions is fundamental to ensuring that test results are both reproducible across different test facilities and relevant to the equipment’s intended operational environment.

2.1 Test Severity Classes

The IEC standard provides different severity classes to cover various environmental conditions where the equipment may be installed. These classes correspond to environments that influence static generation, such as floor material and relative humidity. Class 3 is the normal test severity class for protection equipment intended for use in power plants, substations, and industrial plants. This class simulates an environment where discharge voltages are kept below 8 kV, for example, where floors are covered with synthetic material and the relative humidity is greater than 10%.

Table 1: Test Severity Classes

2.2 Environmental Conditions

All tests must be conducted in a laboratory under the environmental reference conditions as defined in the applicable clauses of IEC 255-6.

With the test parameters and environmental conditions established, the next step is to prepare the necessary equipment and assemble the physical test setup.