Application in Explosive Environments | • 1 |
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Ex-1 Application in Explosive Environments
Ex-1.1 Foreword
Today’s development shows that many chemical and petrochemical companies have production plants, production, and process automation machines in operation which use gas-air, vapor-air and dust-air mixtures which can be explosive. For this reason, the electrical components used in such plants and systems must not pose a risk of explosion resulting in injury to persons or damage to property. This is backed by law, directives or regulations, on a national and international scale. WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM 750 (electrical components) is designed for use in zone 2 explosive environments. The following basic explosion protection related terms have been defined.
Ex-1.2 Protective measures
Primarily, explosion protection describes how to prevent the formation of an explosive atmosphere. For instance by avoiding the use of combustible liquids, reducing the concentration levels, ventilation measures, to name but a few. But there are a large number of applications, which do not allow the implementation of primary protection measures. In such cases, the secondary explosion protection comes into play. Following is a detailed description of such secondary measures.
Ex-1.3 Classification meeting CENELEC and IEC
The specifications outlined here are valid for use in Europe and are based on the following standards: EN50... of CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation). On an international scale, these are reflected by the IEC 60079-... standards of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).
Ex-1.3.1 Divisions
Explosive environments are areas in which the atmosphere can potentially become explosive. The term explosive means a special mixture of ignitable substances existing in the form of air-borne gases, fumes, mist or dust under atmospheric conditions which, when heated beyond a tolerable temperature or subjected to an electric arc or sparks, can produce explosions. Explosive zones have been created to describe the concentrations level of an explosive atmosphere. This division based on the probability of an explosion occurring is of great importance both for technical safety and feasibility reasons, knowing that the demands placed on electrical components permanently employed in an explosive environment have to be much more stringent than those placed on electrical components that are only rarely and, if at all, for short periods, subject to a dangerous explosive environment.
WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM 750 Modular I/O-System
