Hazardous Area Terminology

Certification Standards
Expos products are certified to international standards for the installation and use of
electrical equipment in hazardous areas.
Worldwide: The IEC defines the most-widely adopted hazardous area standards. These
standards:

Classify hazards;

Areas (Zones) in which hazards may be present;

Protection used to prevent explosions in these areas (IEC 60079 series).

Many countries are replacing national standards and certification schemes, with IECEx
conformance and require IECEx certification:

Europe: Expos products are certified to EN IEC standards under the ATEX
scheme. We have full 3rd party approval under the relevant Directives and our
Manufacturers Declaration of Conformity to European Standards (CE marking).

Brazil: Expos products have INMETRO certification to IEC standards.

Australia & Singapore: IECEx certification is already mandatory.

North America: the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) is the primary agency for
the protection of installations from fire and explosion.

NFPA70 is the National Electrical Code (NEC). It describes permissible electrical

installations for residential, commercial and industrial uses.

Article 500, within the NEC. This categorizes hazardous locations & materials as
Divisions and Classes.

Article 505 is a later addition. This classifies hazardous locations into Zones &
Groups, following IEC guidelines.

NFPA496 is the Standard for Purged and Pressurized Enclosures for Electrical
Equipment.
Expo Technologies products are certified (listed) through approvals by cULus and FM to
NFPA496.
Hazardous Areas
Hazardous areas or locations are where the potential for fire or explosion exists because of
gases, dust, or easily ignitable fibers or filings in the atmosphere. Hazardous areas are
defined as

Zones under worldwide IEC standards;

Divisions under North American NEC standards.

North America: The level of safety equipment installed in each location, depends on:

Classes: the flammable materials in the atmosphere;

Divisions: the probability of the presence of flammable materials;


Groups: the flammable nature of the material.
In 1998 Canada introduced the Zone system for new hazardous area plants.
Worldwide: The classification of hazardous areas (locations) follows the IEC format:

Zones; define the probability of the presence of flammable materials;

Protection Types: denote the level of safety for the device;

Groups: classify the exact flammable nature of the material. NB. IEC groups are not
the same as the USAs NEC Groups.
T-Ratings
For both IEC and NEC, T-ratings indicate the apparatus maximum surface temperature
under normal operation and specified fault conditions. The equipments T-rating must be
lower than the hazardous materials ignition temperature in that location.
The surface temperature is based on 40C (104F) ambient. The

IEC has T1 (450C) through T6 (85C);

NEC uses the same principles, but has more subdivisions e.g. T3A, T3B, T3C.
Explosion Protection Techniques
The following describes explosion protection techniques to enable the use of electrical
equipment in hazardous areas.

National or international standards and codes of practice govern each technique and
define the equipments design and application.

National certifying (or approvals) authorities ensure design compliance.

National inspectorates (or insurance companies) vet and usually inspect each
installation.
Flameproof [Ex d] IEC/European Harmonized Standard 60079-1
An enclosure contains the equipment. This enclosure will:

Withstand an internal explosion of flammable gas or vapour that may enter it;

Without suffering damage;

Without communicating the internal flammation to the external explosive atmosphere

through any joints or structural openings.
The enclosure is designed for a particular gas grouping (I, IIA, IIB or IIC). Equipment using
this protection method is:

Marked Ex d;

Suitable for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.

Usually Ex d equipment is large and robust, which limits its application to components.
Intrinsic Safety Ex ia / Ex ib / Ex ic IEC/European Harmonized Standard 60079-11
This protection technique restricts the electrical energy within the equipment and
interconnecting wiring. The energy is so restricted that it cannot cause ignition by sparking
or heating.
Equipment in the hazardous area and the connected apparatus in the safe area must be
certified as intrinsically safe. Also the whole system including interconnecting wiring must be

assessed as safe. Certified independent bodies generally evaluate equipment. The user is
responsible for system assessment.
The sub-types a/b/c define the equipments suitability for Zone 0, Zone 1 or Zone 2. The
difference is performance under fault conditions:

Ex ia systems are safe even with 2 faults;

Ex ib systems are safe with 1 fault;

Ex ic systems are safe in normal operation (no fault).

Intrinsic safety is limited to low power circuits. It is mainly used for instrumentation and
exposed measurement devices.
Pressurization [Ex p] IEC/European Harmonized Standard 60079-2
This protection method uses the pressure of a protective gas to prevent explosive gases or
dust entering a space that might contain an ignition source. If that space contains
equipment that emits gas, it prevents an explosive atmosphere by using a continuous flow
of protective gas to dilute the atmosphere.
Equipment using this protection method is:

Marked Ex p;

Suitable for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.

Increased safety [Ex e] IEC/European Harmonized Standard 60079-7
This protection method applies additional measures to electrical apparatus, which reduce
the possibility of excessive temperatures or arcs and sparks.
Equipment using this protection method is:

Marked Ex e;

Suitable for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.

Oil immersion [Ex o] IEC/European Harmonized Standard 60079-6
This protection method immerses electrical apparatus in oil, so an explosive atmosphere
above the oil, or outside the enclosure, wont ignite.
Equipment using this protection method is:

Marked Ex o;

Suitable for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.

Powder filling (sand filling) [Ex q] IEC/European Harmonized Standard 60079-5
This protection method fills the enclosure surrounding the electrical apparatus, with granular
material, e.g. sand. Hence an arc wont ignite the explosive atmosphere.
Equipment using this protection method is:

Marked Ex q;

Suitable for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.

Encapsulation [Ex m] IEC/European Harmonized Standard 60079-18
The protection method encapsulates parts, that could create sparks or hot surfaces, with a
compound. The compound provides a barrier between the electrical apparatus and the
explosive atmosphere.
Equipment using this protection method is:

Marked Ex ma, and is suitable for Zone 0;


Marked Ex mb and is suitable for Zone 1.
Type N normally non-sparking and/or non-incendive circuits [Ex n] IEC/European
Harmonized Standard 60079-15
This protection means in normal operation, electrical apparatus wont ignite a surrounding
explosive atmosphere. In addition, a fault is unlikely to cause ignition.
There are four types of Ex n, appropriate for Zone 2 areas:

Ex nA: Non-Sparking apparatus;

Ex nC: Non-incendive, sealed, encapsulated apparatus;

Ex nL for Energy Limited apparatus;

Ex nR for Restrictive Breathing apparatus.

North America
In North America, hazardous areas classified into Classes, Divisions and Groups. The
classifications define the required safety level for equipment installed in these locations.
Classes define the flammable materials in the atmosphere:

Class I

Flammable gases or vapors are present in the air in quantities sufficient

to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures.

Class II

Combustible or conductive dusts are present.

Class III

Ignitable fibers or filings are present, but not likely to be in suspension in

sufficient quantities to produce ignitable mixtures. (Group classifications
are not applied to this class.)

Divisions define the probability of the presence of flammable materials:

Division 1

The substance referred to by class is present during normal conditions.

Division 2

The substance referred to by class is present only in abnormal conditions, such

as a container failure or system breakdown.

Groups classify the flammable the material:

Group A

Acetylene

Group B

Hydrogen (or gases of equivalent hazard)

Group C

Ethylene (or gases of equivalent hazard)

Group D

Gasoline (or gases of equivalent hazard)

Group E

Metal Dust

Group F

Coal Dust

Group G

Grain Dust

Apparatus Temperature classification (T class)

Maximum surface temperature

Temperature class

450C (842 F)

T1

300C (572 F)

T2

280C (536 F)

T2A

260C (500 F)

T2B

230C (446 F)

T2C

215C (419 F)

T2D

200C (392 F)

T3

180C (356 F)

T3A

165C (329 F)

T3B

160C (320 F)

T3C

135C (275 F)

T4

120C (248 F)

T4A

100C (212 F)

T5

85C (185 F)

T6

North America Hazardous Location Information

NEC Groups Gas & Dust, Nature of Hazardous Substances
Three Types of Purge (X-Y-Z)
CSA, cUL & cFM Certification, Purge/Pressurization MiniPurge
Europe / IEC
In Europe and IEC countries, hazardous areas are classified by Zones, Protection Types,
Groups and Temperature Classes.
Industrial plants are zoned according to the likelihood of a potentially explosive atmosphere
being present

Zone 0 (gases)
Zone 20 (dusts)

Flammable material present continuously or for long periods (typically

1000 hours or more per year)

Zone 1 (gases)
Zone 21 (dusts)

Flammable material present in normal operation (typically between 10

and 1000 hours per year)

Zone 2 (gases)
Zone 22 (dusts)

Flammable material present in abnormal conditions only (typically less

than 10 hours per year)

Explosion Groups

IEC 60079-0
EUROPEAN EN 60079-0

Typical gas hazard

Acetylene, Hydrogen

IIC

Ethylene

IIB

Propane

IIA

Apparatus temperature classification (T class)

Maximum surface temperature

IEC/EUROPEAN Temperature class

450C

T1

300C

T2

200C

T3

135C

T4

100C

T5

85C

T6

Protection Methods & Standards for Group II Electrical Apparatus for gas atmospheres

Protection
Method

Code
Ex

ATEX
CAT

General
Requirements
Oil Immersion

EN /
IEC

Permitted
Zone
0

Basic electrical & mechanical

requirements

60079-0

60079-6

Typical Applications
/Comments

Yes

Yes

Transformers, starting
resistors

Pressurized

60079-2

Yes

Switchgear and control

Yes cabinets, analyzers,
large motors

Powder filled

60079-5

Yes

Yes

Transformers, capacitors,
heating conductor terminals

Flameproof

60079-1

Yes

Switchgear and controlgear,

indicating equipment,
Yes
transformers, light fittings,
motors, heating equipment

Increased
safety

60079-7

Yes

Yes Terminal & connection boxes

Intrinsic safety
ia

ia

6007911

Yes

Yes

Yes

Safe with 2 faults. Level

measurement

Intrinsic safety
ib

ib

6007911

Yes

Safe with 1 fault.

Instrumentation and
Yes
communication technology,
sensors, actuators

Encapsulated

6007918

Yes

Yes

6007915

Type of
protection
n

Go back to overview

Solenoid valves. low power

switchgear, power supplies

Type of protection includes

Yes several methods of ignition
protection