BS IEC 60397 is the present international standard that applies to industrial electric batch furnaces with indirect resistance heating (rated temperature in the range from 400 °C to 1 800 °C), provided with an automatic temperature control system, with either a natural atmosphere or a special atmosphere composed of neutral gases.
BS IEC 60397 applies to batch chamber, bell, elevator, shaft, carriage furnaces, or to furnaces of any similar construction. These furnaces may be constructed either with forced air circulation or not.
BS IEC 60397 concerns furnaces of voltage classes 1 and 2 according to 4.2.2 of IEC 519- 1.
BS IEC 60397 does not contain a list of mandatory tests and is not restrictive. According to need, tests necessary for the assessment of a furnace can be chosen at will from those specified in the suggested list.
When needed, supplementary tests can also be made, in compliance with the standards in use in the countries concerned and agreement between manufacturer and user.
Note: Furnaces with controlled atmosphere or vacuum or continuous furnaces are under consideration.
BS IEC 60397 on batch furnaces with metallic heating resistors is useful for:
The purpose of the BS IEC 60397 is the standardization of test conditions and methods to determine the essential parameters and technical data of the furnaces.
BS IEC 60397 focuses on the kind of tests and general test conditions and the procedure to conduct recommended technical tests and measurements for testing batch furnaces with metallic heating resistors.
Adopting BS IEC 60397-compliant test methods for batch furnaces can ultimately assist you in accurately determining the performance of batch furnaces and evaluating whether they are fit for its intended purpose.
IEC 60397:1994
IEC 60397:1994/COR1:1999