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> “Components” means any item essential to thesafe functioning of equipment and protective systems but with no autonomous function. > An “explosive atmosphere” is a mixture with air,under atmospheric condition, of flammable substances in the form of gases, vapours, mists, > “Protective systems” is the definition for designunits, which are intended to halt incipient explosions immediately and/or to limit the effective range of explosion flames and explosion pressures. Protective systems may be integrated into equipment separately and placed on the market for use as autonomous systems. Definitions > “Equipment” means machines, apparatus, fixed or mobile devices, control components and instrumentation thereof, and detection or prevention systems which, separately or jointly, are intended for the generation, transfer, storage, measurement, control, and conversion of energy for the processing of material and which are capable of causing an explosion through their own potential sources of ignition.

explosion protection

The basics of explosion protection - 9224 3.statutory regulations and standards

10 Equipment categories The manufacturer of equipment that includes their own potential ignition sources, and therefore can cause an explosion, have to ensure that the equipment undergoes an ignition hazard assess- ment procedure, and takes measures according to the essential safety requirements to exclude the risk of ignition. In the directive, Group II apparatus are divided into three categories with various levels of safety (for mines Group I has two cate- gories).The required protective measures suit the required level of safety (tables 3 and 4). or dusts in which, after ignition has occurred,combustion spreads to the entire unburned mixture. > A “potentially explosive atmosphere” is anatmosphere which could become explosive due to local and operational conditions. Scope The directive applies to equipment and pro- tective systems for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.Safety devices intended for use outside potentiallyexplosive atmospheres but required for or con- tributing to the safe functioning of equipment with respect to the risk of explosion are also covered by the scope of this Directive.The Directive does not include a reference to mandatory standards, whereas it specifies the essential health and safety requirements to be maintained, and which are mandatory for design and construction. Protection against other hazards (e.g. electric shock) that could be caused by this equipment, is also required as well.
Table 3: Categories of Group I: Surface and Underground Mining Systems in case ofDangerous Firedamp/Dust Category M1Category M2Very high degree of safetyHigh degree of safetySafe even when two faults Switch-off in case of the presence ofoccur independentlyexplosive atmosphere Table 4: Categories of Group II: Other Explosive Areas Category 1Category 2Category 3Very high degree of safety High degree of safetyNormal degree of safetySafe even when two faultsSafe even when aSafe during normal occur independentlyfault occursoperation R.STAHL explosion protection