EN IEC 60544 Electrical Insulating Materials - Determination of the Effects of Ionizing Radiation

The standard “EN IEC 60544 Electrical insulation materials - Determination of the effects of ionizing radiation”, which is based on a European standard and later published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), consists of a number of sub-sections published under the same title. Namely,

• The standard “IEC 60544-1 Part 1: Radiation interaction and dosimetry” deals in general with the issues to be taken into account in the assessment of the effects of ionizing radiation on all types of organic insulation materials. It also provides a guide to dosimetry terminology for X-rays, gamma rays and electrons, dose measurement methods, tests carried out in irradiation facilities, evaluation and testing of material characteristics and properties, and documentation of the irradiation process. However, dosimetry that can be carried out in the places of use of the material is not described in this standard.
• The standard "IEC 60544-2 Part 2: Irradiation and test procedures" describes the controls maintained over exposure conditions during and after irradiation of insulating materials with ionizing radiation before determining changes in radiation-induced physical or chemical properties. This standard specifies a number of potentially important irradiation conditions as well as various parameters that may influence radiation-induced reactions under these conditions.

The purpose of this standard is to emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate samples, exposure conditions and test methods to determine the effect of radiation on suitably selected properties. Since many materials are used in air or inert media, standard exposure conditions are recommended for both of these situations. Measurements performed during irradiation are not considered in this standard.

• The standard “IEC 60544-4 Part 4: Classification system for service in radiation environments” describes a classification system that serves as a guide for the selection and indexing of insulating materials intended for service in radiation environments of nuclear reactor facilities, reactor fuel processing facilities, irradiation facilities, particle accelerators and X-ray devices.

The classification system provides a set of parameters that define the utility of three types of polymeric materials, rigid plastics, flexible plastics and elastomers, for use in devices exposed to ionizing radiation. This standard forms the basis for a quantitative expression of the suitability of such materials for radiation environments and therefore provides a guide to material properties and supply agreements between suppliers and users.

• The standard “IEC 60544-5 Part 5: Procedures for the assessment of ageing in service” describes ageing assessment methods applicable to components based on polymeric materials (e.g. cable insulation and sheathing, elastomeric seals, polymeric coatings, dust covers) used in environments where they are exposed to radiation. The purpose of this standard is to provide methods for the assessment of ageing in service. The approaches discussed in this standard cover ageing assessment programs based on condition monitoring, the use of sample beds in harsh environments, and sampling of aged components in real time.

Several approaches to in-service ageing assessment are described in this standard. These are:

• Identification of components of concern to prioritize implementation of aging management programs
• Condition monitoring to assess the condition of aged materials over long periods in real-use environments
• Predictive modeling to use data from laboratory-based accelerated aging programs to predict aging under real-time aging conditions
• Sample storage to provide samples for measurement of aging under real-time aging conditions

In short, the EN IEC 60544 standard focuses on determining the effects of ionizing radiation (such as gamma rays, X-rays or high-energy electrons) on electrical insulating materials. The areas of application of this standard are: nuclear power plants, particle accelerators, spacecraft electronics and medical radiation equipment. The types of materials covered by this standard include polymers and composites used as insulating materials. The test procedures described specify how to prepare and irradiate test samples, how to measure changes and how to report the results.

If working with electrical insulating materials in an environment prone to radiation, the EN IEC 60544 standard is an important reference for ensuring long-term reliability and safety.

Our organization, which has been trying to support businesses from every sector with its testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies carried out in a wide range for years, has a strong staff that closely follows the developments in the world in the field of science and technology and constantly improves itself. In this context, testing services in accordance with the standard "EN IEC 60544 Electrical insulation materials - Determination of the effects of ionizing radiation" are also provided to businesses.