Rosslyn, VA, December 4, 2003 -- NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, has published a series of ANSI-approved switchgear conformance assessment standards that were revised by the ANSI C37 accredited Standards Committee.

The sponsorship of ANSI C37 switchgear standards was modified in 2002; NEMA transferred custody and copyrights of thirteen C37 standards to the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers and retained sponsorship of eight conformance assessment standards, which were deemed highly important for manufacturers. Simultaneously, an accelerated effort was initiated to revise most of the conformance standards in order to align them with current state-of-the-art technology and testing procedures. Six of the eight standards have been revised, approved by ANSI, and published by NEMA:

• ANSI C37.54-2002, For Indoor Alternating Current High-Voltage Circuit Breakers Applied as Removable Elements in Metal-Enclosed Switchgear -- Conformance Test Procedures, may be viewed or purchased for $63 at www.nema.org/r/std/c37_54/.


• ANSI C37.55-2002, Medium Voltage Metal-Clad Assemblies -- Conformance Test Procedures, may be viewed or purchased for $57 at www.nema.org/r/std/c37_55/.


• ANSI C37.57-2003, Metal-Enclosed Interrupter Switchgear Assemblies -- Conformance Testing, may be viewed or purchased for $59 at www.nema.org/r/std/c37_57/.


• ANSI C37.58-2003, Conformance Test Procedures for Indoor AC Medium Voltage Switches for Use in Metal Enclosed Switchgear, may be viewed or purchased for $46 at www.nema.org/r/std/c37_58/.


• ANSI C37.85-2002, Alternating-Current High-Voltage Power Vacuum Interrupters -- Safety Requirements for X-Radiation Limits, may be viewed or purchased for $45 at www.nema.org/r/std/c37_85/.


• ANSI C37.51-2003, Metal-Enclosed Low-Voltage AC Power Circuit Breaker Switchgear Assemblies -- Conformance Test Procedures, may be viewed or purchased for $46 at www.nema.org/r/std/c37_51/.

Ted Olsen, chairman of the ASC C37 Accredited Standards Committee, spearheaded this effort. "The cooperation and effort contributed by the members of this committee, which includes delegations from IEEE, the electric lighting and power industry, and NEMA manufacturers, plus general interest and safety community participants, has been nothing short of impressive," he says.

All standards may be purchased by contacting Global Engineering Documents at 800-854-7179 (within the U.S.), 303-397-7956 (international), or 303-397-2740 (fax).