Din Vde 0100-410:2018-10 Protection Against Electric Shock

In October 2018, the revised versions of DIN VDE 0100-410 (DIN VDE 0100-410:2018-10) and DIN VDE 530:2018-6 came into force. The transition period ended on July 7, 2020. Among other things, all final circuits up to 32 A (previously 20 A) must now be protected by a residual current device (RCD) . This means that RCDs are now mandatory in many circuits. Furthermore, the requirement for residual current protection now also extends to lighting circuits in residential buildings for the first time.

Levels of protection

The standard defines three levels of protection to protect against electric shock and thus to protect people:

Basic protection – protection against direct contact

As the name suggests, this prevents direct contact. This is achieved through an enclosure, e.g., a housing.

Error protection – protection against indirect contact

This is achieved through protective equipotential bonding* via the main earthing terminal. This connects all equipment, cables, and components to a protective conductor. Protection in the event of a fault is ensured by automatic disconnection of the power supply, for example, by an overcurrent or residual current device.

Additional protection – protection against direct contact

This brings us to the main point: This protective measure comes into play when the two previously mentioned protective measures fail. This protection is achieved by a residual current device (RCD)* with a rated residual current of ≤30 mA. Today, RCDs are mandatory in many electrical circuits.

Important changes to DIN VDE 0100-410:2018-10

All socket circuits up to a rated current of 32A must now be protected by a residual current device with a differential current of ≤30mA (previously up to 20A rated current).
Electrical equipment used outdoors with a rated current of up to 32A must still be protected by an RCD. The standard recommends the use of RCBOs (residual current circuit breakers with overload protection). This now also applies to permanently connected portable equipment.
Section 411.3.4 of VDE 0100-410:2018-10 mandates for the first time the use of RCDs for lighting circuits in residential buildings in TN and TT systems. These circuits must now also be protected by an RCD or RCBO ≤30mA.
Switch-off times now also apply to socket circuits with a rated current of up to 63A (previously 32A)

Supplementary requirement of DIN 18015 – Selective shutdown

DIN 18015 additionally requires the prevention of total power failures. "Residual current devices (RCDs) must be assigned to circuits in such a way that the tripping of one RCD does not lead to the failure of all circuits." This means that it is not sufficient to use one RCD for an entire sub-distribution board* . The circuits must always be distributed across multiple RCDs.

Important changes to DIN VDE 0100-530:2018-6

Part 500 of DIN VDE 0100 describes and regulates the selection and installation of electrical equipment and its design. Part 530 of the revised edition of the standard, published on June 1, 2018, contains a number of changes regarding the "Selection and installation of electrical equipment, switching and control devices".

Distribution of electrical circuits across multiple residual current circuit breakers (RCCBs) is mandatory.

The standard recommends protecting circuits with multiple RCDs to improve system availability and to better match the RCDs to the requirements of the equipment. For the first time, it also requires that distribution circuits be divided between at least two RCDs – meaning there must be at least two RCDs per distribution board* . Previously, this was only required by DIN 18015 and therefore not mandatory. It is not permissible for a single residual current device* to disconnect all final circuits supplied by a common distribution circuit.

Reduction of the tripping currents to 0.3 times the rated residual current

Previously, the limit for unwanted tripping due to operational leakage currents was set at 0.4 times the rated residual current. This limit has now been reduced to 0.3 times the rated residual current. Considering that DIN VDE 0701-0702 limits the maximum operational leakage current to 3.5 mA per electrical device, fewer devices than before may now be protected by a single RCD (rated residual current 30 mA x 0.3 = 9 mA max. leakage currents). In practice, this would mean that only six circuit breakers (divided into three phases) may be connected to each RCD.

Use of short-time delayed RCDs

The standard recommends the use of short-time delayed RCDs for certain applications. These trip with a time delay in certain operating situations, but still within the time range necessary for personal protection.

New inclusion of the residual current circuit breaker of type F

For the first time, Type F residual current devices (RCDs) are mandatory for certain applications. This is due to the expansion of the examples of electronic circuits in the standard, which necessitates a wider range of residual current protection devices. The use of frequency converters in AC motors, such as those found in modern washing machines, air conditioners, or heating pumps, can lead to fault currents superimposed on the 50 Hz mains frequency, which are not detected by Type A RCDs. Type F RCDs are sensitive to mixed currents and can detect these fault currents. Manufacturers typically specify in their product descriptions when a special type of RCD is required.