Brochure/Catalogue

EX basics
Safety in hazardous areas
When operating electrical devices within hazardous areas,
you must comply with the requirements regulating their use
in such zones. Explosive atmospheres may be created from
mixtures of ammable gases, mists, vapours or dusts. If their
concentration is high enough in the surrounding air, any
source of ignition or spark could trigger an explosion. Such
explosions can cause death, serious injuries and signicant
property damages.
There are basically two strategies for reducing the risk of
explosion. Firstly, no dangerous materials should be released
into the air that could create an explosive atmosphere.
Secondly, there should be no mechanism present that could
create a spark.
Many explosions in the past could have been avoided if only
the international regulation governing the use of equipment
in hazardous areas had been observed.
But what are the most important global regulations
regarding the use of devices in hazardous areas?
In North America, the US National Electric Code (NEC)
regulations (Articles 500 to 505 and the Canadian CEC
(Canadian Electrical Code) Articles 18-000, -090, -100, -200
and -300 are all valid.
In Europe, both EU directives ATEX 95 (94/9/EG) and ATEX
137 (1992/92/EC) are relevant. They describe preparation
(ATEX 95) and usage (ATEX 137) for facilities in potential Ex
zones. Throughout the rest of the world, there is a mixture
of national regulations (in Eastern Europe) and international
IECEx conformity declarations (in Asia) that must be
followed. In certain Asian countries, the European ATEX
directives have been accepted and applied.
EX
America
v r
Europe In other countries
NEC 500 … 504 ATEX 95 + ATEX 137
Base safety -and health
requirements
CE
• Notification
of the production
• EG-confirmation
• Producer confirmation
(Zone 2)
IECEx certification
Further local
requirements with
national variations
IECEx-Certificate of
ConformityNEC
NEC 505
Class I
Gas
Zone 0-
Class I Class II Class III
Division 1 Ex--Ambience
Division 2 Ex--Ambience in fault cases
American approvals
i.e. UL 508 Industrial Control
Equipment, UL 1604 und
UL 60079-…
Approval bases: protection classes.
Zones
0
1
2
Use with
Approval bases: QM System, protection classes
Product Audit
QM-Audit
Mining (I) Non Mining (II)
A brief overview of regulations used throughout the world and their basic content.
W
Technical appendix/Glossary
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