Calibration White Paper hazardous areas WORLD-CLASS CALIBRATION SOLUTIONS

BEAMEX Calibration White Paper Calibration in hazardous areas This article discusses calibration in hazardous areas and what everyone needs to be aware of before entering into a hazardous area with calibration equipment. Other topics covered are flammable and combustible liquids, definition of a hazardous area, the types of industries where hazardous areas are found, the different levels of hazardous zones, regulations, equipment classification and various other practical and related issues. source of ignition (or heat) and oxygen (air). The situation is often presented as a triangle; hence the...

BEAMEX Calibration White Paper Brief history Some of the first hazardous areas were discovered in the early coal mines. Being flammable substances, both the coal dust and the methane absorbed created a hazardous area. The lighting in early mines was produced by candles and torches, generating a source of ignition. This led to many accidents. Later, when miners began to use electrical equipment (lighting, tools), many accidents occurred due to sparking or heating. Eventually, design standards were developed to guide the design process to prevent the sparking and heating of electrical equipment....

BEAMEX Calibration White Paper environmental conditions to make a burnable mixture with air. Combustible liquids have a flashpoint way above normal environmental conditions, and therefore they have to be heated before they will ignite. Some examples of flashpoint and autoignition temperatures: Substance Autoignition temperature Diethyl ether Various protective techniques As mentioned earlier, in order to prevent an explosion, one of the three elements of the Explosion Triangle should be eliminated. In practice, eliminating the source of ignition would be the most sensible. There are various techniques...

BEAMEX Calibration White Paper areas and classification of the equipment used in hazardous areas. One is the International IEC standard and the ATEX directive used in International and European legislation. The second is the North American legislation. As there are some differences between these two, this article looks, first, at the two separately and then makes a comparison of them. International IEC standards, IECEx scheme and ATEX directive The international standard family of IEC 60079 defines the different standards for related regulations. The IECEx scheme involves international co-operation...

BEAMEX Calibration White Paper The relationship between the product categories/EPLs and hazardous zones: Can also Product EPL Hazardous Flammable be used in category marking zone substance hazardous label zone with an explosive gas atmosphere other than mines susceptible to firedamp. Electrical equipment in Group II is subdivided according to the nature of the explosive gas atmosphere for which it is intended. A product category 1/EPL a device (can be used in Zones 0, 1 and 2) is safe even in the event of two simultaneous faults in the device. This means that all protective safety circuits are...

BEAMEX Calibration White Paper important to take into account and assure that it matches with the flammable gas that may be present in the plant’s own hazardous area. The temperature classes and temperatures are the following: Temperature Class Maximum surface temperature Some equipment may also have a maximum surface temperature specified as a certain temperature being in between the classes. Depending on the type of flammable substance in a certain area, the flashpoint and auto-ignition temperatures will be different. The equipment selected to be used in that hazardous area must have a temperature...

BEAMEX Calibration White Paper North American That marking is also shown in the picture as it would be on the face of the device. The Ex marking code and what it indicates in practice: Ex-certified product Equipment group II (non-mining) Product category 1 (can be used in zone 0) Explosive atmosphere caused by gases Ex-certified product Intrinsically safe (i), level of protection ia Application above ground (II), Gas group C Temperature class EPL Equipment protection level Ga Safe operating temperature Environmental conditions Finally, it is important to ensure that the equipment is suitable...