An Initial Assessment of the Changes that will Appear in a Forthcoming (2012) Revision of EN 12101-3

E2 - Codes, Standards and Legislation

The standard EN12101-3:2002 defines the design criteria and testing methodologies necessary to verify that powered ventilators (fans) are capable of extracting smoke and hot gasses in the event of fire. It was developed, in response to a mandate from the European Commission, and enables emergency smoke control fans be tested and certified in accordance with the Construction Products Directive's conformance requirements for Fire Safety equipment. Not long after the official publication of EN12101-3, a working group was convened in May 2004 to review the standard. It had been noted that French and German translations were not always faithful to the original English text. Additionally, as the standard was being applied, technical problems, omissions and ambiguities became apparent. There was insufficient information for manufacturers and assessors regarding factory production control requirements and insufficient guidance given to test laboratories on test setups for various fan types and applications. The standard provided no practical information on the assessment of "minor changes" to approved products, making it difficult for test laboratories to decide if changes were "minor" with, no re-test required, or "major" with additional testing needed, to approve the change.

The working group was not convened to tighten certification requirements. The revision is intended to provide clarification and additional information that will ensure the uniform application of the standard by test laboratories throughout Europe and fully satisfy the requirements of the European Commission's mandate. The revision will significantly expand the guidance on the correct approach to factory production control for assessors, fan manufacturers and motor manufactures. Many technical issues and assessment procedures are addressed, including new items such as the setting up and testing of fans with Variable Speed Drives and Soft Starters.

A provisional draft of the revised standard was completed in May 2010 and issued for public comment. The working group intends to send the completed final draft to CEN before he end of May 2012. Once approved, the revised standard must be translated from English into French and German and its publication is anticipated to take place before the end of 2012.

This paper presents an initial assessment of the changes that will appear in the forthcoming (2012) revision of the standard EN 12101-3. The practical implications of the changes are considered for notified laboratories, fan and motor manufacturers. In so doing the paper clarifies the impact of the forthcoming revision.