ISA Interchange

Welcome to the official blog of the International Society of Automation (ISA).

This blog covers numerous topics on industrial automation such as operations & management, continuous & batch processing, connectivity, manufacturing & machine control, and Industry 4.0.

The material and information contained on this website is for general information purposes only. ISA blog posts may be authored by ISA staff and guest authors from the automation community. Views and opinions expressed by a guest author are solely their own, and do not necessarily represent those of ISA. Posts made by guest authors have been subject to peer review.

All Posts

AutoQuiz: Standard NFPA Wire Colors

AutoQuiz is edited by Joel Don, ISA's social media community manager.

Today's automation industry quiz question comes from the ISA Certified Automation Professional certification program. ISA CAP certification provides a non-biased, third-party, objective assessment and confirmation of an automation professional's skills. The CAP exam is focused on direction, definition, design, development/application, deployment, documentation, and support of systems, software, and equipment used in control systems, manufacturing information systems, systems integration, and operational consulting. Click this link for information about the CAP program. The following question comes from the CAP study guide, Performance Domain III, System Design: Design, specify, and procure the hardware/software used in the system.

 

According to the NFPA 79, the standard wire colors for line voltage, AC control currents, DC control circuits, and interlock circuits are respectively shown as:

a) black, red, blue, yellow
b) black, red, orange, yellow
c) brown, red, orange, yellow
d) brown, black, white, red
e) none of the above

Black, red, blue, yellow is the correct answer per NFPA-79: The Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery, which is in correspondence with article 670 in the National Electrical Code (NEC). This is located in section 14.2: Identification of Conduction.

NFPA is the National Fire Protection Association (established 1896) an independent, voluntary-membership, non-profit (tax-exempt) organization.

Incorporated in 1930 in Massachusetts, NFPA's mission is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating scientifically-based consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education.

NFPA's international headquarters is in Quincy, Mass.

The correct answer is A, black, red, blue, and yellow.

Reference: NFPA-79; Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery, NFPA, 2002

 

Joel Don
Joel Don
Joel Don is an independent content marketing, social media and public relations consultant. Prior to his work in marketing and PR, Joel served as an editor for regional newspapers and national magazines throughout the U.S. He earned a master's degree from the Medill School at Northwestern University with a focus on science, engineering and biomedical marketing communications, and a bachelor of science degree from UC San Diego.

Related Posts

How Did Automation Professionals Benefit from ISA in 2024?

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is proud to be the professional home of thousands of member...
Kara Phelps Dec 17, 2024 9:30:00 AM

Ensuring RCM or DCS Redundancy and Its Security in a Complex Industrial Environment

In industrial automation, remote control managers (RCM) or distributed control systems (DCS) are critical...
Ashraf Sainudeen Dec 13, 2024 10:00:00 AM

ISA Podcast Explores Automation and Smart Agriculture

The International Society of Automation (ISA) podcast, Podomation, curates and shares insightful discussi...
Kara Phelps Dec 10, 2024 11:00:00 AM