Electro Magnetic Compatibility facility

Materials and equipment used in aerospace applications have to meet a wide range of special requirements, mainly due to the specific environment in which aircraft and spacecraft have to perform reliably and safely. NLR’s extensive capabilities and expertise in the field of airworthiness certification is complemented with state-of-art research infrastructure for aerospace systems performance and airworthiness compliance testing.

At the Electro Magnetic Compatibility facility (EMC facility), aerospace electronics (avionics) are assessed for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). This means that the avionics in question must not cause electromagnetic interference to other systems while at the same time being sufficiently immune to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) from the environment.

The EMC facility conducts electromagnetic emission measurements and immunity tests on various electronic systems. These EMC tests are usually conducted in the Semi-Anechoic Chamber (SAR). The SAR is equipped with radio frequency energy absorbers, high-quality filters for mains power, water supply and an exhaust extraction system.

Research facility for, among others, the verification of research projects:

Modelling, simulation and analysis of the EMC characteristics of cables (crosstalk and transmission impedance);
Analysis of potential electromagnetic interference on aircraft and airports.

EMC tests can also be conducted on the helicopter platform annex Open Area Test Site (OATS) at the NLR site or on the customer premises.

NLR’s EMC facility is listed in the Council for Accreditation (RvA) register for conducting EMC tests according to ISO-17025.

Main features

General

Immunity tests due to the (indirect) effects of lightning.
Immunity tests due to high field strengths caused by high-power transmitters such as radars (High Intensity Radiated Fields).
Emission measurements according to civil and military standards.
On-site EMC measurements and HIRF tests according to customer specifications.

Technical

Crosstalk measurements according to IEC 61935-1
Surface transfer impedance Triaxial method measurements according to CEI-IEC 62153-4-3
Surface transfer impedance Line injection method measurements according to CEI-IEC 62153-4-6
Shielded screening attenuation measurements according to CEI-IEC 62153-4-4
In-situ EMI test to customer specifications
Helicopter platform annex Open Area Test Site (OATS) for emission measurements and antenna calibrations
Variable frequency AC power source (9 kVA) for power quality tests.