In-situ EMC testing using surface current sense wires

In-situ EMC testing is, for large fixed systems and installations within the scope of the European EMC Directive, not a primary requirement other than unintended RF emissions may not affect intended radio frequency communication services, like the requirements of IEC/EN 55011 outside the end-user's premises. Whatever happens on the premises of the industrial end-user is a matter of negotiations and agreements between the various system suppliers and the end-user, in particular when EMC is lacking between two or more (sub-) systems installed. A formal standardized method for verification is IEC CISPR/TR 16-2-5 Ed. 1.0, but one of the root problems is the usage of common EMC measurement antenna nearby a conductive object, when performing in-situ EMC investigations, which remains doubtful. In a pan-European TEMCA-2 (ended 2007) project several investigations have been carried out which have not (yet) resulted in a standardized test method but their results have been reported at several international symposia. In this paper, part of an adapted in-situ measurement approach is presented which minimizes the interaction with the local EM-environment even further by using surface current sense wires. This new test method has already been submitted as NP to the international standardization bodies concerned.