Introduction to Electromagnetic Interference and Compatibility (EMI/EMC) and Best Practices

Learn about Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), including best practices and a building-block approach with application-specific examples.

• Electrical engineers 
• Mechanical design engineers 
• System engineers 
• Project engineers 
• System integrators 
• Program managers 
• Technical leaders

Introduction – Examples of EMI/EMC Considerations

• Power electronic circuits (inverters and DC/DC converters)
• Hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles
• Appliances and computers

EMI/EMC Background

• Emissions and susceptibility
• Important electromagnetic laws

EMI Specifications and Standards

• Emission regulations (DO 160, FCC, CISPR)
• Susceptibility regulations (DO 160, IEC)

Path of Lowest Impedance

• Examples of high frequency current flow
• Review of current paths

Noise Coupling Mechanisms

• Four types of noise coupling

Common Impedance Coupling

• Circuits sharing electrical connections

Magnetic Coupling

• Meaning of Faraday’s Law
• Understanding magnetic fields
• Equivalent circuit of magnetic coupling

Electric Field Coupling

• Electric and magnetic field comparison
• Equivalent circuit for electric field coupling

System and Board Layout Issues

• Power bus decoupling
• Return (ground) planes
• Board layout priorities and board level concerns
• Common susceptibility problems

Electromagnetic Coupling (Radiation)

• Characteristics of radiation
• Dipole antenna characteristics
• Characteristics of unintentional radiators

Shielding

• H-field shielding and skin depth
• Electric field shielding

Bonding

• Seam bonding and faying surfaces
• Bonding methods

Grounding

• Signal grounds
• Single and multiple point grounds, hybrid grounds
• Signal reference subsystem
• Equipment and facility grounding

Lightning

• Specification
• Test methods
• Indirect and direct effects

Filtering

• Models
• Common mode filtering, differential mode filtering
• Low-pass, high-pass, band-pass filtering
• Signal filter design techniques
• Filter damping

Shielding Practical Considerations

• Cabinet and enclosure design
• Cables and connectors
• EMI gaskets
• Slots and seams

Antennas for EMC

• Antennas for emissions and for susceptibility
• Monopole and biconical antennas for EMI tests

Best Practices to Pass EMI Tests

• Design practices for passing EMI qualification tests
• Conducted and radiated emissions and susceptibility

System Issues Excited by AC Drive CM and DM voltages

• Motor over-voltages
• Bearing damage

Effect of High Frequency CM and DM on Application Hardware

• Sensors
• Plant equipment/protection
• Mitigation

Effect of High Frequency CM and DM on Control/Protection Components

• Drive sensor characteristics
• Current sensing

Influence of High Frequency on Power Device Switching Dynamics

• IGBT behavior and performance
• Voltage measurement/observers
• Mitigation

Neal Clements

Neal Clements currently works as an engineering consultant (Neal Clements Engineering LLC in Grygla Minnesota) where he specializes in power electronics design, electromagnetic compatibility engineering, drives, and motor control.  Dr. Clements has worked as a hands-on technical engineer for over 40 years in many areas of power electronics, pulsed power, vehicular electrical systems (aircraft, ship, and land based), automatic control systems and EMC among other areas.  Dr. Clements holds a PhD and an MSEE from the University of Wisconsin, an MSEE from the University of Cincinnati, and a BSEE from the University of Toledo. He is a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) and a certified EMC engineer (iNARTE).  Dr. Clements is a member of the IEEE, a member of the power electronics society of the IEEE (PELS), and a member of the EMC society of the IEEE.

Russel Kerkman

Dr. Kerkman is a Distinguished Engineering Fellow with Rockwell Automation. His career spans 32 years in power electronics and adjustable speed drives and his current interests include adaptive control applied to field-oriented induction machines, design of AC motors for adjustable speed applications, and EMI from PWM inverters. Dr. Kerkman received his BSEE, MSEE, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University.

Michael Schutten

Michael Schutten is presently self-employed as an EMC consultant. He is a power electronics engineer, specializing in the design and development of robust and ultra-low noise power converters for military, industrial, and consumer applications. His work involves using novel technologies to ensure EMI compliance for power converters and inverters ranging from low power up to several megawatts. He has developed many innovative technologies to diagnose, locate, and resolve EMI problems.

Michael Schutten received his PhD and Master’s degrees in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

He was previously a Principal Engineer at the General Electric Global Research Center in Niskayuna, New York. While there he developed advanced EMC technologies that enabled compact, EMI compliant power electronic systems. He has developed novel technologies for hard-switched and resonant power converters including advanced small-signal models and improved EMC solutions. He also developed advanced control and inverter technologies for X-ray and CT generators

His areas of expertise include electromagnetic compatibility, power electronics, RF electronics, nonlinear control theory, and analog electronics. Mike has 34 issued patents, with several additional pending. He has taught multiple short courses at universities, government laboratories, and at ten IEEE EMC and power electronics conferences. He has over 35 published technical and journal articles.

John Stanford

John Stanford, MSEE is an EMC consultant for Tork Technologies. John earned his MSEE degree from University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign and his BEE degree from University of Dayton.  John is a iNARTE Certified Design Engineer and has 32 years experience ranging from product design to system level EMC.  John has also designed high-level lightning simulators. His background is military and commercial aerospace EMC and is knowledgeable with MIL-STD-461, 464 and RTCA DO160 standards.

Bulent Sarlioglu

Bulent Sarlioglu is a Jean van Bladel Associate Professor at University of Wisconsin—Madison, and Associate Director, Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC). Dr. Sarlioglu spent more than 10 years at Honeywell International Inc.’s aerospace division. As a staff system engineer, he earned Honeywell’s technical achievement award and an outstanding engineer award. Dr. Sarlioglu contributed to multiple programs where high-speed electric machines and drives are used mainly for aerospace and ground vehicle applications. Dr. Sarlioglu is the inventor or co-inventor of 20 US patents and many other international patents. He published more than 200 journal and conference papers with his students. His research areas are motors and drives including high-speed electric machines, novel electric machines, and application of wide bandgap devices to power electronics to increase efficiency and power density. He received the NSF CAREER Award in 2016 and the 4^th Grand Nagamori Award from Nagamori Foundation, Japan in 2019. Dr. Sarlioglu became IEEE IAS Distinguished Lecturer in 2018.  He was the technical program co-chair for ECCE 2019 and was the general chair for ITEC 2018.  He is serving as a special session co-chair for ECCE 2020.