Graphic Symbols for Air-Conditioning & Refrigerating Equipment

ARI Standard 130-88: Graphic Symbols for Air-Conditioning & Refrigerating Equipment

For engineers and designers working with air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, clear and consistent documentation is paramount. ARI Standard 130-88, "Graphic Symbols for Air-Conditioning & Refrigerating Equipment," provides an essential framework for achieving this clarity by standardizing the graphical representation of electrical and electronic components. This authoritative standard ensures that complex systems are accurately depicted, facilitating efficient design, installation, and maintenance.

What is ARI Standard 130-88?

ARI Standard 130-88, published by the Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute (AIR), establishes a comprehensive set of preferred graphic symbols for electrical and electronic parts commonly found in air-conditioning and refrigerating equipment. Its primary purpose is to enhance the understanding and interpretation of electrical wiring and schematic diagrams across the industry.

Scope & Purpose

This proven standard governs the graphical representation of electrical and electronic components within air-conditioning and refrigerating systems, including associated accessories and controls. It provides a standardized language for depicting the function and interconnection of these parts in diagrams. While it covers a broad range of components, it does not dictate the physical design of the equipment itself but rather its schematic representation.

Who Must Comply?

• • Primary audience: Electrical Engineers, Design Engineers, Technical Writers, Service Technicians, Installation Technicians, and Consulting Engineers.
• • Industries affected: HVAC Manufacturing, Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing, Electrical Equipment Manufacturing, and Controls Manufacturing.
• • Compliance nature: Voluntary but highly recommended for industry best practice and interoperability.
• • Enforcement: Compliance is typically driven by industry adoption, client specifications, and the need for clear, universally understood documentation.

Key Requirements Overview

• • The standard requires the use of specific, standardized graphic symbols to represent electrical and electronic components in diagrams.
• • Professionals must ensure that symbols accurately depict the function of the component within the circuit, regardless of its physical form.
• • Key provisions include standardized representations for fundamental items like resistors, capacitors, and batteries, as well as more complex components such as switches, relays, contactors, and semiconductor devices.
• • It mandates clear correlation between symbols and their corresponding parts lists or descriptions through designations.
• • The standard also provides guidance on the orientation, size, and line width of symbols to maintain diagram legibility and consistency.

Related Standards & References

ARI Standard 130-88 is often used in conjunction with other industry standards to create complete documentation packages. Complementary standards include those from ANSI (American National Standards Institute) for drafting practices, such as ANSI Y14.15 for electrical and electronics diagrams, which provides broader context for diagram creation. Additionally, standards like ANSI/IEEE 200 for reference designations are crucial for correlating symbols with specific components.