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Application Note 50532

Original Instructions

EMI Control in
Electronic Governing Systems
possible injury or death.
 DANGER—Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death
or serious injury.
DEFINITIONS  WARNING—Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in
death or serious injury.
 CAUTION—Indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in
minor or moderate injury.
 NOTICE—Indicates a hazard that could result in property damage only (including
damage to the control).
 IMPORTANT—Designates an operating tip or maintenance suggestion.

The engine, turbine, or other type of prime mover should be equipped with an
overspeed shutdown device to protect against runaway or damage to the prime
mover with possible personal injury, loss of life, or property damage.
The overspeed shutdown device must be totally independent of the prime mover
control system. An overtemperature or overpressure shutdown device may also
be needed for safety, as appropriate.

Read this entire manual and all other publications pertaining to the work to be performed before
installing, operating, or servicing this equipment. Practice all plant and safety instructions and
precautions. Failure to follow instructions can cause personal injury and/or property damage.

This publication may have been revised or updated since this copy was produced. To verify that
you have the latest revision, be sure to check the Woodward website:
The revision level is shown at the bottom of the front cover after the publication number. The latest
version of most publications is available at:
If your publication is not there, please contact your customer service representative to get the
latest copy.

Any unauthorized modifications to or use of this equipment outside its specified mechanical,
electrical, or other operating limits may cause personal injury and/or property damage, including
damage to the equipment. Any such unauthorized modifications: (i) constitute "misuse" and/or
"negligence" within the meaning of the product warranty thereby excluding warranty coverage
for any resulting damage, and (ii) invalidate product certifications or listings.

To prevent damage to a control system that uses an alternator or battery-charging

device, make sure the charging device is turned off before disconnecting the battery
from the system.

To prevent damage to electronic components caused by improper handling, read

and observe the precautions in Woodward manual 82715, Guide for Handling and
Protection of Electronic Controls, Printed Circuit Boards, and Modules.

Woodward Governor Company reserves the right to update any portion of this publication at any time. Information
provided by Woodward Governor Company is believed to be correct and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed
by Woodward Governor Company unless otherwise expressly undertaken.
© Woodward 1988
All Rights Reserved
Application Note 50532 EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems

EMI Control in
Electronic Governing Systems

Electronic governing systems are required to operate in proximity to other
electrical and electronic devices. Many of these devices emit electromagnetic
energy. The emissions may be incidental to the operation of the device, such as
from rectifiers (SCRs), motors, generators, relays, and switching power supplies.
The emissions may be deliberate, such as from communication transmitters,
radar, and navigation aids. When these emissions adversely affect another
device, it is called electromagnetic interference (EMI).

This application note covers some of the ways EMI occurs and some ways in
which interference can be prevented. Only the practical aspects of EMI in the
typical prime mover wiring installation are covered.

Interference Paths
These are two basic ways an interfering signal (noise) can be introduced into an
electronic device:
 When two or more devices share a common ground, current drawn by one
device creates a ground voltage seen by the other devices.
 Wires running through a noisy environment can pick up noise and conduct it
into the electronic circuits.

Methods of Noise Reduction

There are two primary ways of reducing interference:
 Grounding
 Shielding

The application of these techniques will prevent EMI in almost all systems
employing electronic governors.

There are two important reasons for grounding:
 To prevent a high voltage shock hazard from lightning or component failure.
 To provide a common reference to the system. The ground system can also
provide effective protection against EMI if properly designed.

Ground is defined as an equipotential point or plane used for the system
reference. Ground can be at earth potential, as required for safety grounds, or
floating with respect to earth. The important point of this definition is
equipotential. In the real world, all conductors have some impedance. When
carrying current, no two points on the conductor are at the same potential. A
good ground, then, is one in which the ground potentials and their effects are
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EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems Application Note 50532

Ground Systems
The objectives of a good ground system are:
 To prevent ground potential noise coupling caused by currents from two or
more circuits flowing through a common ground impedance.
 To avoid ground loops which are affected by magnetic fields and differences
in ground potentials.

The first step in proper grounding is to establish a separate signal ground for the
system electronics. A typical system will have a minimum of three separate
 Hardware Ground—This is for connecting enclosures, chassis, equipment
racks, etc. In ac power systems, this is where the green safety wires are
 Power Ground—This is the return for noisy equipment such as motors,
relays, and SCRs.
 Signal Ground—This serves as the reference for the electronic devices in
the system. Signal ground may be connected to the other grounds at a
single point near the primary ground point.

Figure 1 illustrates why a separate signal ground is important.

Figure 1. Series Connected Single Point Ground System

The resistors shown represent the impedances of the ground conductors.

Currents from circuits 2 and 3 combine with the current from circuit 1 to develop
the ground potential

V1 = R1 (I1 +I2 + I3)

The potential at 2 is

V2 = R1 (I1 +I2 + I3) + R2 (I2 + I3)

and likewise

V3 = R1 (I1 +I2 + I3) + R2 (I2 + I3) + R3 I3

This is a commonly used ground system due to simplicity and low cost. It is also
the least desirable system from a noise standpoint. If this system must be used,
locate the electronics nearest to the primary ground point as the ground potential
will be lowest there.

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Application Note 50532 EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems
Figure 2 illustrates a properly designed ground system for low frequency noise.
Separate returns are provided for hardware, power, and signal grounds. Each
circuit sees only the ground potential generated by its own ground impedance
and current.

Figure 2. Parallel Connected Single Point Ground System

High Frequency Grounding

The above ground system is useful at frequencies below about 10 MHz.
Occasionally, prime mover systems may be located near high frequency
transmitters. In this case, a single point ground may not be appropriate due to the
excessive length of the ground conductors. For instance, 1 meter of 5 mm² (#10
AWG) wire has an impedance of 0.0033 Ω at 60 Hz and 225 Ω at 27 MHz.

Figure 3. Multipoint Ground System for High Frequency Grounding

For high frequency noise rejection, a multipoint ground system may be better.
Connect all common terminals to the chassis grounds directly. All chassis then
should be bonded together with heavy copper strapping. Enclosures should then
be strapped to a ground rod located as close as possible. It is still a good idea to
separate signal and power grounds by providing a non chassis return for power

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EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems Application Note 50532

Ground Loops
Ground loops can occur from two sources of noise:
 Ground potentials
 Electromagnetic fields

The previous section covered how ground potentials occur. Figure 4 illustrates
how a ground potential can cause interference to an electronic control system.

Figure 4. Common Ground Impedance Coupling

Ground current, IG, creates the ground potential, VG, through the common ground
impedance, ZG. This potential drives current through the loop formed by the
source and load wiring. This current creates an error voltage across the load

In a load sharing system, load imbalance is a result of dc ground potentials. Load

sharing instability or slow system response are a result of ac ground potentials.
Provide separate ground returns for electronic devices.

Electromagnetic fields also can induce current into a loop. Figure 5 shows a
ground loop formed by signal leads and circuit common. The field flux cuts
through the loop and induces current flow. (This is the same principle that applies
to generators.) The resulting voltage across the load causes an error in the

Figure 5. Ground Loop Coupling from an Electromagnetic Field

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Application Note 50532 EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems
The current induced into a loop is proportional to the field strength and area of the
loop. Reducing field strength and loop area are both effective reduction methods.
Loop area can be reduced by locating the electronics closer together and routing
interconnecting wires near signal ground. Field strength can be reduced by routing
wires as far from field sources as possible and orienting wiring at right angles to
field sources. Shielding can be placed between the field source and wires to
reduce the flux reaching the loop. This will be covered in the shielding section.

The most effective (and most expensive) solution to interference from ground
loops is to open them. Figure 6 shows the source floating with respect to ground,
so no loop is formed as in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 6. No Ground Loop with Circuit Grounded at One End Only

Ground loops may be broken with isolated power supplies on the source or
receiving circuits. For process signals such as 4–20 mA or 1–5 V, loop isolators
are available. Take care in such wiring to prevent grounding of isolated circuits,
usually via shields, which defeats the ground loop isolation.

Though not related to grounding, electromagnetic fields can also induce current
into loops formed by signal lines as in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Differential Mode Coupling into Loop Formed by Signal Lead Pair

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EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems Application Note 50532
Loop area and field strength reduction are again effective methods of reducing
interference. Loop area is reduced by using twisted pairs and minimizing the area
at terminations. Twisted pairs also offer a cancellation effect on low frequency

A properly designed ground system is the most effective EMI control method at
low frequencies. The design should consider using:
 Signal ground for electronics separate from power and safety ground to
prevent ground potentials.
 Minimum loop areas to reduce electromagnetic field coupling.
 Electronic wiring located as far as possible from sources of fields.
 Elimination of ground loops by single point grounds and isolation from

Shielding is the second primary method of reducing noise. Shielding techniques
depend on the frequency of the noise and if the field component is magnetic or
electric. The major field component is usually electric if the noise source is
separated from the susceptible circuits. Magnetic fields decrease proportional to
the cube of the distance, where the electric field decreases directly proportional
to the distance. High current alternating signals are good magnetic field sources,
and high voltage, low current circuits are electric field sources.

Electric Field Shielding

Electric fields are relatively easy to protect against. Two basic rules apply:
 Minimize the exposed wire beyond the shield.
 Provide a good ground for the shield.

Wire extending beyond the shield should be limited to 50 mm (2”) or less. Avoid
unnecessary breakouts. A terminal block in a cable run exposes a considerable
length of wire.

For low frequency electric fields, a single point ground connection is preferred to
prevent ground loops. Where this single ground connection is made is important.
In most cases, the shield must be grounded at the receiver end of the wires. In a
properly designed ground system, this is signal ground, not chassis or safety
ground. Figure 8 shows a shield terminated to chassis ground when a separate
signal ground is provided. Due to impedances around the loop, noise currents
cause a common mode voltage between the shield and wires. This noise voltage
can couple capacitively into the circuits. The results can be worse than no shield
at all.

In a circuit that is floating, the shields must be connected to circuit common. If the
shield is connected to chassis ground, it has no meaning.

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Application Note 50532 EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems

Figure 8. Chassis Grounded Shield for a Circuit with Separate Signal Ground

Occasionally there are exceptions to grounding shields at the receiving end of

the circuit. When grounded thermocouples with a floating amplifier are used, the
shield should be grounded at the thermocouple end. Load sharing lines are
another exception. Both ends of the lines are transmitters and receivers of
signals. For controls with non-isolated circuits, the shields should be broken near
the middle of the circuit. For controls with isolated power supplies, the shields
may be connected at both ends to circuit common—providing there are no other
connections between the controls to create a ground loop.

Shielding for high frequencies is different than for low frequencies. When the
shield length exceeds approximately one-twentieth of a wave length of the noise,
the shield on twisted pair wires is no longer effective. At 60 Hz, the wave length
is about 5000 km (over 3000 miles). At the 27 MHz band, the wave length is 11
m (37 ft). A shield over 60 cm (2 ft) is electrically long at 27 MHz. Single point
grounding of shielded twisted pair wires is effective at low frequencies only.
Grounding the shields every 60 cm (2 ft) can be cumbersome and can also
create ground loops. To effectively shield at high frequencies, solid conduit,
continuously grounded, should be used. Fortunately, high frequency noise in
great enough amplitude to cause interference is not common. Equipment
cabinets typically shield the electronics sufficiently to prevent problems.

Magnetic Field Shielding

Shielding against magnetic fields is more difficult than for electric fields. Magnetic
fields induce current into loops. To shield a loop effectively, the entire loop must
be shielded. Figure 9 shows a ground loop area and induced current. Note that
the shielded cable does not affect the ground loop. Electric field shielding is not
effective for magnetic fields.

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EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems Application Note 50532

Figure 9. Ground Loop with Shield Terminated at One End—No Shielding of

Magnetic Field Occurs

Grounding the shield at both ends as in Figure 10 will remove the ground loop
from the signal wires. However, the large ground loop current in the shield circuit
will induce noise into the wires anyway.

The most effective ways of shielding against magnetic fields is to decrease the
loop area, reduce field strength, and isolate power supplies to eliminate the

Since grounding shields at both ends does reduce magnetic field strength, place
the shield around the field source. Use a magnetic material such as steel to
enclose magnetic field sources completely. The induced ground currents can be
quite high, so cabinets and doors should be well grounded to prevent arcing.
Sensitive electronics and wiring should not be placed in these cabinets.

Figure 10. Ground Loop with Shield Terminated at Both Ends

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Application Note 50532 EMI Control in Electronic Governing Systems

Electric fields are easy to guard against:
 Single point grounds for low frequencies
 Minimum exposed wires at shield ends

Magnetic field shielding involves:

 Reducing or eliminating loop areas
 Shield magnetic fields at their source

Economics of EMI Control

Noise suppression should be considered at the system design stage. Proper
attention to grounding and shielding will prevent almost all EMI problems. When
EMI occurs during system test, the problems can be very difficult and expensive
to solve. For example, by separating sensitive wiring from noisy wiring, many
problems can be prevented at almost no cost. Rewiring a system to fix it can
entail considerable expense and production delays.

The elimination of noise at the source should always be given priority. An

unsuppressed relay coil can generate noise that can interfere with several other
devices in the system.

Effective design requires minimizing noise generation and preventing the

remainder from reaching sensitive electronics.

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