Electromagnetic compatibility in electrical surface heating devices and associated control and monitoring equipment

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is the ability of a device, unit of equipment or system to function satisfactorily in its electromagnetic environment without introducing intolerable electromagnetic disturbances to anything else in that environment. On the 31 December 1995 the “New Approach” Directive, 89/336/EEC, came into effect through new UK EMC Regulations that had been put into place on 1 January 1992. This became mandatory on 1 January 1996, against Statutory Regulation 3180, with all electrical equipment being tested to Euronorms raised and issued by CENELEC or other adopted IEC or International Standards. Here, the relevance of this Directive to electric surface heating equipment is studied by the author