Hi Kriss,
The ABYC recommendations for high voltage systems are all located in "TE-30 - ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS" (2009) which amends "ABYC E11, AC and DC Electrical Systems on Boats" for system voltages over 50 VDC and 300 VAC. TE-30 is a compilation of the key safety requirements of commonly used national and international standards related to voltages and frequencies in excess of those covered by E-11, as well as recommendations for the design, construction, and installation of electrical systems and components used in high voltage electric propulsion systems.
The recommendations are pretty straight forward, they include (but are not limited to):
It should be possible to break battery banks down into groups of no more than 48V banks (nominal) for servicing.
Battery disconnect devices should simultaneously disconnect the positive and negative terminals of the battery.
Ground Fault Monitor -A monitoring system should be installed to provide warning of the impedance of less than 500 ohms per volt, between the source of voltage and any conductive surface. (more common on AC circuits, I haven't yet seen one installed on a DC system)
The rest of TE-30 follows common safety practices, but I included the the items listed above because they are not often seen in low voltage systems that are ABYC E11 compliant.
I'm not aware that the USCG is enforcing these standards.... yet. But it is more likely that insurance companies will adopt these standards more quickly to limit their liabilities on high voltage electric powered vessels. And it has been my experience that anything that meets ABYC code will pass USCG inspection.
It is my personal opinion that many of the commercially built high voltage boats would not meet all of the ABYC TE-30 standards, but to be fair, many were built before ABYC published the document.
Fair winds,
Eric
Marina del Rey, CA
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, Femm <femmpaws@...> wrote:
>
> A number of posts back people were talking about using some very high voltages. Here in the US your boat needs to comply to US Coast Guard rules, when it comes to your wiring.
>
> The rules also change when you go over 50 volts! You can be fined because the wiring doesn't say USCG approved. I kid you not, been there. Their rule book is about the same size as the IRS's tax code! One place it says one thing somewhere else it says something else. And to top it all off it changes almost yearly.
>
> So if you live here in the States you will want to see what the USCG's codes and regs say about the voltages you are planing to use. Just because you live and boat inland doesn't say you are free from their rules. Friends over in Eastern Washington found out the hard way when the USCG splashed a boat and started doing safety checks on the lake they were on.
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> Kriss
>
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