The Component Compatibility Testing (CCT) Laboratory is responsible for several different types of Compatibility testing, as well as recording the test results and findings and reporting the data to the appropriate Client, Representative, or Certification Agency. The most common concerns addressed are whether Electrical Insulation Materials are compatible with each other, whether they are compatible in certain environments (refrigerant, oils, and soap/detergent) or if a refrigerant or oil will be affected by exposure to solid materials.
Most of the tests performed at ELTEK focus on the performance of materials, or Electrical Insulation Systems, generally in regard to thermal life. The main focus of Compatibility Testing is to determine how the interaction of materials with each other and their environment affects the performance of those materials. The materials in question will often be exposed to factors other than heat.
Material manufacturers use the compatibility data to market their products for specific applications, and purchasers of the materials use the data to ensure the product is right for the application in which they plan to use it. (Example: a washing machine manufacturer wants to change the materials their agitator is made from. They will look to material suppliers who have had their products tested for compatibility with soaps and detergents.)
The most common test for compatibility, the Sealed Tube Test, provides a way for manufacturers of Minor (not electrically stressed) materials to demonstrate that their products will not adversely affect an insulation system. This allows the use of their materials in an end product that uses the specific insulation system they were tested with. (Example: a microwave manufacturer wants to change some of the tapes and tie cords used in manufacturing but wants to ensure that doing so will not adversely affect the performance of transformer used in his microwave. Testing the new materials and those of the transformer together then comparing them to test results of the materials used only in the transformer will give some information on whether the new materials could affect performance.)
A sampling of some of the Component Compatibility Tests we perform at ELTEK Labs is below. See the CCT Test List for a more expansive accounting.
IEC 61858: Thermal evaluation of modifications to an established wire-wound EIS
UL 1446: Systems of Insulating Materials – General
- Section 14: Sealed Tube Testing
UL 984: Hermetic Refrigerant Motor – Compressors
- Section 41: Compatibility Test
UL 2157: Electric Clothes Washing Machines and Extractors
- Section 32 Polymeric Materials,
- Subsections.32.2.4 through 32.2.7
ASTM D5642: Standard Test Method for Sealed Tube Chemical Compatibility Test
ASTM D971: Standard Test Method for Interfacial Tension of Oil Against Water by the Ring Method
ASTM D2305: Standard Test Methods for Polymeric Film used for Electrical Insulation
- Sections 64 through 69
NEMA MW 1000: Magnet Wire
- Section 3.55: Refrigerant Extraction
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