Brian
>From "memory" of 60950 and the like, in view of the testing you have already
done, and because the filter is outside the fire enclosure, then, for Q1, an
HBF ("Horizontal Burning, Foam" IIRC) rating should be "adequate" to meet
the standard in the same way that a piece of external solid "trim" material
generally need only be HB, i.e. it will burn but only relatively slowly and
won't just flare up.
However, given your reservations, I would have thought that using a more
flame-retardant filter material would be a "very good idea"!
As for the customer replacing your filter by "something else" &/or it
getting clogged with flammable dust, I would cover those issues in the
manuals and training in the same way as all the other do's and don'ts that
are (hopefully!) already there - then, if he changes it to "something else"
or else does not change it when it is dirty, it is essentially his
responsibility. OTOH, a suitable warning notice beside the filter housing
might also be a good idea.
After all, as a piece of professional-use 61010-1 equipment, it is to be
expected that the people using/maintaining it will be relatively
"intelligent" and will suitably trained in how to perform those tasks
correctly, and that includes use of the correct replacement parts during
user maintenance.
John E Allen
W.London, UK
From: Kunde, Brian [mailto:brian_ku...@lecotc.com]
Sent: 19 September 2016 17:43
To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG
Subject: [PSES] Risk Assessment of Air Filter
I seek advice and opinions from fellow safety minded people.
Our typical product has a metal chassis which is constructed as a Fire
Enclosure (laboratory equipment 61010-1). On the back is a cutout for a
cooling fan/blower mounted in the cutout. The fan is 24Vdc, certified by
several safety agencies, and has a finger guard. This is typical
configuration on most electronics.
Now, our customers want us to install an externally changeable Air Filter on
the outside surface of our instrument where the fan is mounted to filter
dust particles from the incoming air. We already perform Blocked Vent and
Stalled Fan tests to insure no hazards are caused from the rise in internal
temperatures.
But what type of Fault Testing or Risk assessment needs to be done regarding
the filter? With the filter removed, the instrument passes the construction
requirements for a Fire Enclosure. But with the filter installed and because
of its close proximity to the fan/blower;
1. does this filter have to meet Flammability requirements? Does the
filters have to be certified (expensive)? UL 94 HF-1?, UL 94 HF-2?, UL 900?
How are these ratings/certifications viewed outside of North America? Will
they have to meet local requirements??
2. If the fan/blower is certified and limited energy circuit does the
filter have to have any kind of rating or certification? In other words,
with a certified fan/blower, do I have to consider the fault condition of
the fan failing in a way where it could catch the filter on fire?
3. How is a fault and/or risk assessment performed on an air filter?
4. Are we responsible to consider the hazards from a burning filter
when it is dirty? How would we know what type of contaminates might collect
in a filter?
5. If the filter we provide is UL 94 HF-1 and UL 900 rated/certified,
what would stop our customer from replacing it with whatever filter they
wanted? Are we responsible to include a warning label and statements in the
manual regarding this? Example, "Use only Air Filter part number XYZ".
6. Any other suggestions or issues that we are not considering?
Thanks in advance. Have a nice day.
The Other Brian
_____
LECO Corporation Notice: This communication may contain confidential
information intended for the named recipient(s) only. If you received this
by mistake, please destroy it and notify us of the error. Thank you.
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