Electromagnetic Radiation
 

Key Facts:

1. Whether electrical effects were the cause of this phenomena or not is difficult to determine due to the changeable operational environment.

2. Human tissue has no way of discriminating against electrical radiation whether sourced from 50 Hz power or radio transmitters.

3. In the home & workplace the sources are multiple & wide-ranging - from powerlines to electrical appliances & mobiles, to microwave and satellite installations etc.

Nufer & Associates consultancy services span the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum with capabilities for measurement and correlation with current legislation from ACMA, standards and recommendations of ARPANSA, WHO, and other industry bodies such as the ACIF.

The scope of our consultancy extends through the following aspects of this technology and include –

For more information contact us on  Phone 61(0)7 3273 1793,
Mobile 61(0)428 645 046, or Email consult@nufer.com.au.

Nufer & Associates Provides Design Assistance & Radiation Measurements for a Variety of Applications Including New Residential Developments and New Building Constructions.

 

EMR Due
Power Systems & ELF Sources

 

 

 

Key Facts:

1. All wires carrying current radiate a field  proportional to the current being carried.

2. Common practice is to run the to and from circuits in the same cable to enable field cancellation so at distance the field is nullified at distance and through aggregation of field components.

3. It is in the interest of the power industry to contain transformer radiation fields since these represent lost energy and therefore lost revenues.

As current flows through an electric wire, it generates a magnetic field around itself. This is the field of concern with regard to human health, and is usually contained by running the to and from circuits in the same cable or in close proximity.

In the case of appliances these conductors are often separated for a number of reasons, resulting in quite high fields in the immediate vicinity of the appliance as shown below.

Electrical power is used for nearly everything we have in our home and work environments and includes. For the most it is safe and operates well below the limits set by the authorities. Typical levels of radiation around the home include:

Appliance

@ 3 cm

@ 30 cm

@ 1 metre

Hair Dryer

60 - 20,000 mG

0.1 - 70 mG

0.1 - 0.3 mG

Shaver

150 - 15,000 mG

0.8 - 90 mG

0.1 - 0.3 mG

Desk Lamp

400 mG

5.6 mG

2.6 mG

Vacuum Cleaner

2,000 - 8,000 mG

20 - 200 mG

1.3 - 20 mG

Fluorescent Lamp

400 - 4,000 mG

   

Room Air conditioner

400 mG

38 mG

 

Microwave Oven#

730 - 2,000 mG

40 - 80 mG

2.5 - 6 mG

# Some devices also produce electromagnetic fields on radio frequencies.

1. Radiation fields are cumulative in that working in a kitchen where there are a number of active appliances may result in field contributions from a number of appliances (including lighting) according to its radiation characteristics and distance.

2. In addition to 50 Hz emissions some appliances such as microwave ovens, televisions (older CRT)  produce electromagnetic fields at radio frequencies also. These come under the a different set of measurement guidelines and standards.

3. Nufer & Associates provides the following services in respect of electromagnetic emissions from 50 Hz power infrastructure:

  • Measurement of radiation from any 50 Hz mains infrastructure;
  • Correlation of data against Australian/overseas standards;
  • Compilation of data for evidentiary purposes;
  • Recommendations regarding mitigation against 50Hz radiation;
  • Management of implementation steps to limit exposure;
  • Ongoing monitoring services;
  • Public information evenings (free).

4. A significant amount of work in this area concerns the radiation from powerlines in new residential areas.

Whilst many of these installations are undertaken with great care, there has recently been concerns of secondary effects such as the breakdown of pollution gasses by corona discharge into ions which then get ingested by nearby residents and animals.

For more information contact us on  Phone 61(0)7 3273 1793,
Mobile 61(0)428 645 046, or Email consult@nufer.com.au.

 

EMR Due
Mobile Radio
Microwave Radio
High Power RF
Transmitters

Nufer & Associates provides a range of consulting services in the:

  • Assessment;
  • Analysis;
  • Compliance;
  • OH&S Training:

of non-Ionising or radio frequency (RF) radiation. Our services leverage the guidelines of ACMA (previously the ACA) and ARPANSA in the delivery of reports and recommendation regarding acceptable compliance, based around review of compliance folder information for the site and/or actual measurements of radiation fields.

Nufer & Associates provides advice to organisations and government concerning the requirements to comply with EME (Electromagnetic Emission) Guidelines as described by ACMA on their web site. A booklet explaining the government framework can be downloaded here. Nufer & Associates consultancy services include:

  • Theoretical prediction of EME power from site configuration data;
  • Field measurement, analysis and plotting of data for evidentry purposes;
  • Audit of site configuration details w.r.t. licence information;
  • Development of site radiation folders.

Nufer & Associates conducts desktop studies and field measurement of high power radiation for other situations such as electromagnetic impacts on fuel and fuel vapour, such as the case with fuel loading and maintenance facilities.

In spite of media information to the contrary, fuel vapour at handling facilities can be subject to accidental ignition from spark energy. This can arise from poor battery connections on electrical equipment through to spark jumps across resonant metal structures - subject to high energy radio frequency emissions due to two-way radios, mobile phones, and RADAR transmissions.

For more information contact us on  Phone 61(0)7 3273 1793,
Mobile 61(0)428 645 046, or Email consult@nufer.com.au.

Microwave & Radio
Frequency (RF) Radiation

Hazard of Electromagnetic Radiation to Personnel

Hazard of Electromagnetic Radiation to Fuel

Electro-magnetic Compatibility (EMC)

 

Nufer & Associates offer clients pre-compliance testing and assessment of their products with the relevant Australian Standard. This assists in managing the cost of resolving compliance with the Australian Regulatory Framework by:

  • Identifying shortcomings before commencing designs;
  • EMC mitigation strategies;
  • Minimising formal lab re-testing.

Product

European

International

AS/NZS*

ISM equipment EN 55011 CISPR 11 CISPR 11#
Spark ignition engines   CISPR 12 CISPR 12
TV receivers and audio equipment EN 55013 CISPR 13 CISPR 13
Electrical motor-operated & thermal appliances, electric tools & similar apparatus EN 55014-1 CISPR 14-1 CISPR 14
Electrical lighting and similar equipment EN 55015 CISPR 15 CISPR 15
Information Technology EN 55022 CISPR 22 CISPR 22
Generic (residential, commercial and light industry) EN 50081.1 IEC 61000-6-3 4251.1
Generic (industrial environments) EN 50081-2 IEC 61000-6-4 4251.2
Arc welding equipment EN 50199   3652
Signalling on low-voltage electrical installations EN 50065-1 IEC 61000-3-8  
Uninterruptible power systems (UPS) EN 50091-2 IEC 62040-2 62040.2


Useful EMC Links

For more information contact us on  07 3273 1793,
Mobile 61(0)428 645 046, or Email consult@nufer.com.au.

Electromagnetic Compatibility

 

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

Despite the implementation of new management strategies by government and standards bodies the congestion of the RF (Radio Frequency) environment through the use of ever increasing wireless applications is becoming a major problem.

In addition, the problem of earth-loops and stray noise pick-up is never too far away due to the complexity and sensitivity of modern-day electronics in new applications. Nufer & Associates provides consulting services to designers, installation and maintenance personnel who need to resolve these types of problems quickly. Examples of client interference problems include:

  • Robot and fire protection system malfunction due to variable speed drives;
  • RFID tag reader unreliability;
  • Spurious bursting of Bit Error Rate on telecommunications links.

Phone: 61 (0)7 3273 1793,
Facsimile: 61 (0)7 3273 5493
Mobile: 61 (0) 428 645 046 (Principal Engineer), or
Email consult@nufer.com.au.

Electromagnetic Interference