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Ex Technical Information is sponsored by : 
(Just click on the logo to get their information)

Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas
Technical Information

MTL Australia Technical information - Some good technical papers here

MTL Luton UK Technical Information - You will have to register to get access- it is quick, easy and worth it!

Hazardous Area Installations - How to make 92% of sites safer without increasing the costs of compliance - From our valued sponsor Abhisam Software

How to Manage Hazardous Areas effectively by using Gas Monitors - Electrical equipment installed in hazardous areas, necessarily has to conform to the area classification for that area. However, frequently, practical problems arise, where the specified equipment may not be easily available. For example, an area classified as Zone 1 under the IEC system, theoretically can accept only Zone 1 equipment. However sometimes, especially in case of specialized equipment, Zone 1 certified equipment of that type may not be available. In such cases what could be done? This paper presents the background of such situations, possible solutions and current international practices regarding this issue - Thanks to our valued sponsor Abhisam Software.

Hazardous Areas Technical Guide- This excellent 70 page technical guide from ICEweb sponsor Weidmuller is a large pdf  download at 5 Megs, however it is worth the wait!

Intrinsic Safety, Barriers and Isolators - A full page of great links.

Australian Standards for Electrical Apparatus in Hazardous Areas -From ICEweb

Australian Standards for Gas Detection/Ex- Equipment -From ICEweb

Basics of Explosion Protection - from Stahl (http://www.rstahl.com)

Basics of Dust Explosion Protection - This is a document of 32 pages packed with good information- From electromach

Exd Immersion heaters - From our valued sponsor Grimwood Heating Pty Ltd
Over the years it has been difficult to source Exd Certified immersion heaters and often this has led to a certification nightmare for those engineers responsible for the associated equipment packages. These IEC certified heaters may provide the solution.

The following technical articles are provided thanks to our valued sponsor Inlec Engineering
Exd Weatherproofing Alert
- Including the Use of Denso tape - thanks to Alan Wallace of Inlec Engineering
Atex Markings
Continuous Supervision of HA equipment
EEHA Competency
Periodic Inspection of HA equipment
Process Fluid Migration along cables

The following papers and presentations are from the IDC Technologies "Hazardous Areas: Classifications and Equipment Conference 2007", these papers are recommended reading.
Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas - Field Inspections - Bill Rankin - This paper focuses on the problems which are directly related to the inspection process. It has been written from the perspective of the Ex inspection team who usually have no control over the design and installation process. It is acknowledged that the competency of the design and installation personnel will affect the quality of the installation that is to be inspected. The failure of Ex inspection campaigns can be attributed to four main areas:
- Poor planning of the Ex inspection activities
- Lack of competence of the Ex inspectors
- Lack of clarity of the inspectors’ roles
- Lack of clarity of the inspection scope
Ex Inspections—Potential Pitfalls - Alan Wallace- Inlec Engineering - Many, if not most, Ex inspection campaigns are grossly inefficient, and their
effectiveness is often questionable. This presentation discusses the four main reasons why Ex inspection campaigns fail to meet the clients’ expectations. It also offers recommendations to improve the quality and efficiency of Ex inspections.
The Application of Intrinsic Safety to Fieldbus Systems - Chris Towle Chairman: MTL Instruments Ltd - This excellent paper covers the technical aspects of FISCO, FNICO, Exe and Exi combination, Maintenance and Inspection along with Intrinsically Safe Ethernet.
Myths and Actual Practice with Industrial Data Communications and Hazardous Areas - Steve Mackay - IDC Technologies - This presentation covers Practical examination of data communications systems in hazardous areas for Ethernet, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus or RS-485 along with Practical guidelines for best practice in designing your next industrial data communications system in a hazardous area.
The Current State of the IEC Intrinsically Safe Standards - Chris Towle - Chairman: MTL Instruments Ltd - A candid discussion on the IEC IS standards which includes IEC Organisation, Intrinsic Safety Standards, An Analysis of the Change from ‘nL’ to ‘ic’ and advice to the First-time Designer.
Changes to Certification and its Impact on Manufacturers - Des McDonell CSE-Ex Pty Ltd - This presentation covers product certification in Australia.

Other Technical Papers
Comprehensive global guide to hazardous locations -And boy is this comprehensive! It is an excellent technical resource from Cooper Crouse Hinds which includes virtually everything including: Basics of Explosion Protection, Area Classification, Methods of Explosion Protection, Equipment Selection, Installation & Wiring Practice.
Ex poster (inc  ATEX) -thanks to Endress + Hauser (http://www.endress.com/)
Flammable Risk- from Crowcon (http://www.crowcon.com)
Flammable Material Characteristics  - From hazareas.com (http://www.hazareas.com/hac_en.asp)
Hazardous Area Classification/ Flameproofing- From the UK Health and Safety Executive (http://www.hse.gov.uk)
Hazardous Area Classification & Selection of Electrical Equipment For Flammable Atmospheres for India- A power point presentation from author P.G. Sreejith
Hazardous Area reference - Classifications detailing ignition temperatures, materials and enclosure data - from pauluhn
Hazardous Area Reference Chart - From Crouse-Hinds ( http://www.crouse-hinds.com)
Installation of Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas - from Bentley Nevada
EXia Intrinsically Safe Mobile Phone-At last a mobile phone that can be used in Australian Hazardous Areas, from dca intrinsically safe products (http://www.dcaexpro.com/index.html)
Certification of Diesel Engines in Hazardous Areas - A useful technical information sheet from SIRA
The Safest Way to Calibrate - An introduction to intrinsically safe calibrators - There are industrial environments where calibrations should not only be made accurately and efficiently, but also safely. When safety becomes a top priority issue in calibration, intrinsically safe calibrators enter into the picture.
Frictional Ignition of Powders - Geoff Lunn - This is a comprehensive review -  Surveys of industrial incidents in powder and dust handling plant show that in a substantial percentage, friction and mechanical failure and flames and flaming material are known ignition sources - from www.safetynet.de .

ATEX 
The ATEX Directive- Its affect on Instrumentation in Hazardous areas-From MTL Instruments

 ABB’s ATEX jargon buster explains the terminology users are likely to encounter when purchasing equipment for hazardous areas.

ATEX Directives
Some useful links can be found here - from the Institution of Chemical Engineers in the UK.
ATEX 137- The use directive from SIRA
The European ATEX Directive - Ray Cardinal and BarryNurcombe- from Bentley Nevada

IECEx
The objective of the IECEx Scheme is to facilitate international trade in electrical equipment intended for use in explosive atmospheres (Ex equipment). The IECEx Scheme provides the means for manufacturers of Ex equipment to obtain certificates of conformity that will be accepted at national level in all participating countries.

IECEx 01 IEC Scheme for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx Scheme) – Basic Rules
IECEx 02 IEC Scheme for Certification to Standards for Electrical Equipment for Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx Scheme)- Rules of Procedure

Equipment Protection Levels (EPLs], which are the IEC equivalent of the ATEX categories, a discussion by MTL

IECEx Standards - The IECEx Scheme is based on the use of specific international IEC Standards for type of protection of Ex equipment.
The ExTR Database- This database provides an official listing of IECEx Ex Test Reports issued in accordance with the scheme rules, IECEx 02
The IECEx Scheme - Description from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association
Explosive atmospheres- A useful bulletin from IECex

Ex Training Courses are available via our sponsors INLEC ENGINEERING

E-learning course on Hazardous Area Instrumentation - From our valued sponsor Abhisam Software - Hazardous areas comprise a large portion of most petrochemical plants, refineries, oil tank farms and many chemical plants. The instrumentation, control systems and electrical systems used in these hazardous or classified locations is designed specially to prevent dangerous incidents. However, unfortunately, many people are unaware of the methods of area classification, methods of protection, maintenance & installation of this kind of equipment- this course addresses and covers;
  • Basic Concepts - History of  hazardous areas, Fire triangle, flash point, LEL & UEL
  • Classification (Area, Material, Temperature), concepts of area classification, material classification, national and International standards
  • Methods of Protection (Explosionproof, Intrinsic Safety, Increased safety, Pressurization and others) - How Protection Techniques like explosion proofing  & Intrinsic Safety actually work
  • Certification & Labeling- Symbols and correct Hazardous Area use of Ex Marked Equipment
  • Implementing Fieldbus  in Hazardous Areas, FISCO and FNICO in fieldbus systems.
  • Inspections & Maintenance- Details the requirements for ongoing inspection and maintenance

On Line Hazardous Areas Ex Newsletters and Journals

HazardEx: The Journal - A bi-monthly publication distributed to 8,500 readers in the months of January, March, May, July, September and November.

HazardEx & Hazardous Areas International (HAI): The eNewsletters - Hazard Ex is emailed to safety & hazardous area engineering specialists throughout the UK. HAI is distributed across EU & the Middle East; Includes legislation updates, comment, products & services round-up editorial.