Overview
IEC 60092-202:2016 (Edition 5.0) - part of the IEC 60092 series on Electrical installations in ships - defines the main requirements for system design and protection of shipboard electrical installations. This fifth edition (2016) is a full technical revision of the previous 1994 edition and sets out practices for protective system architecture, studies and device selection to achieve safety, reliability and continuity of service in marine electrical systems.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard covers practical and engineering topics central to marine electrical protection:
- Scope & general requirements
- Applicability to shipboard electrical protective systems and basic protection principles.
- Studies and calculations
- Electrical load studies and short‑circuit current calculations to define fault levels used in protection design.
- Requirements for coordination studies to ensure reliable operation under fault conditions.
- Protection discrimination (selectivity)
- Current selectivity and time‑current selectivity to maintain continuity of supply and isolate only the faulty section.
- Alternative protection schemes where full selectivity is not feasible.
- Protective device selection
- Guidance on choice and characteristics of circuit‑breakers, fuses and static switching devices with respect to short‑circuit breaking/making capacity and overload performance.
- Coordination of device ratings against fault currents and continuity-of-service needs.
- Application-specific protection
- Generator protection (including reverse power/reverse current considerations), transformer protection, motor protection, battery (accumulator) protection, and protection of meters, pilot lamps and control circuits.
- Voltage & frequency protection
- Undervoltage, overvoltage and under/over‑frequency protection approaches for AC and DC machines.
- Referenced standards
- Cross-references to IEC documents used for calculations and device performance (for example IEC 60909 series for short‑circuit calculations and IEC 60947‑2 for circuit‑breaker requirements).
Practical applications and users
IEC 60092-202 is used to design, verify and document protection systems on seagoing ships and offshore units. Typical users include:
- Ship electrical system designers and marine electrical engineers
- Shipyards and system integrators specifying protection equipment
- Classification societies and marine surveyors reviewing compliance
- Owners/operators defining continuity and essential services requirements
- Manufacturers of circuit-breakers, fuses and protective relays supplying marine-approved products
Practical uses include performing load and short‑circuit studies, specifying breaker/fuse ratings, developing protection coordination (selectivity) schemes, and ensuring generator/transformer protection aligned with ship safety and operational continuity requirements.
Related standards
Relevant cross-references in the document include:
- IEC 60909 (short‑circuit current calculations)
- IEC 60947‑2 (low‑voltage circuit‑breakers)
- Other parts of the IEC 60092 series for equipment and installation practices
Keywords: IEC 60092-202, electrical installations in ships, marine electrical protection, short‑circuit calculations, protection discrimination, generator protection, motor protection, shipboard switchgear.
