Overview
ISO 19372:2015 - Microturbines applications - Safety provides safety requirements for stationary automated microturbine (micro gas turbine) engine-generator assemblies. The standard applies to individual units or subsystems with nominal supply voltages up to 1 000 V AC and 1 500 V DC, and ratings up to 500 kW per unit. It covers installation and use in industrial, commercial and residential settings, including ordinary and hazardous locations, as well as onshore and offshore sites (including floating production platforms). ISO 19372:2015 addresses safety for all cycle types (open, closed, semi-closed) and includes safety-related control, detection systems and essential auxiliaries.
Key Topics and Requirements
ISO 19372:2015 organizes safety guidance across system design, installation and operation. Key technical topics include:
- Risk assessment and lifecycle: hazard identification, foreseeable misuse, modifications, replacement parts and lifetime considerations.
- Mechanical safety: guarding, maintenance access, casing design, rotor/shaft loads, vibration, bearings, gearboxes, foreign object damage (FOD) protection and handling/stability.
- Air inlet and compressor: inlet contamination, icing prevention/monitoring, implosion/explosion protection, inlet ducting and recirculation concerns.
- Fuel systems: requirements for gas and liquid fuel supply, fuel quality and conditioning, pressure testing, heating, multi-fuel systems, purging and drainage.
- Combustion supervision: ignition safety, extinction safety time, combustion control and status indication.
- Exhaust and enclosure safety: exhaust stack design, flexible joint placement, enclosure structure, fire precautions, explosion prevention and area classification.
- Fire protection & detection: structural and hydrocarbon fire risk reduction, fire detection, extinguishing systems (including water-mist considerations), escape routes and extinguishant release protocols.
- Hazardous area management: area classification, ignition-source control, reduction of explosion effects and ventilation strategies.
- Environmental & operational controls: ventilation, cooling/heating, noise, hot surfaces and ambient storage/operating temperature limits.
Practical Applications & Who Uses This Standard
ISO 19372:2015 is intended for stakeholders involved with microturbine systems, including:
- Microturbine designers and manufacturers - to design compliant equipment and safety systems.
- System integrators and EPC contractors - for safe installation, enclosure and exhaust design.
- Safety, electrical and mechanical engineers - for risk assessments, guarding, ventilation and fire protection planning.
- Facility managers and operators - for operation, maintenance procedures and emergency preparedness.
- Certifiers, inspection bodies and regulatory authorities - as a reference for compliance in ordinary and hazardous locations, including offshore installations.
Using ISO 19372:2015 helps reduce operational risk, support regulatory compliance and guide safe selection of fuel systems, protections and controls for micro gas turbine installations.
Related Standards (applicable areas)
Complementary documents typically referenced alongside ISO 19372:2015 include standards for electrical safety and grounding, hazardous area/ATEX or IECEx guidance, fire protection codes and general machinery risk-assessment guidance. These allied standards inform implementation details such as electrical wiring, area classification and fire suppression system selection.
