Nfa 496
Nfa 496
Nfa 496
Nah pada saat power failure bulan lalu, kami pun mengalami
failure
di Power
generator sehingga Instrument Air Compressore pun fail untuk
menjaga
pressure di Instrument Air network kami. Secara procedural, kami
harus
men-switch IA air supply dengan Nitrogen Medium.
As professional HVAC Contractors we’re familiar with the code and have created a brief
overview below of the standards outlined in code 946. The official NFPA 496: Standard for
Purged and Pressurized Enclosures for Electrical Equipment can be purchased here.
NFPA 496 is a standard for addressing the safety and compliance of installing and properly
maintaining pressurizing equipment enclosures for electrical equipment, like industrial air
conditioning. These standards help prevent fires related to accidental introduction and
ignition of flammable gases and vapors into the atmosphere within the enclosures.
The Basics of NFPA code 496
The overall concept of NFPA code 496 is that the enclosures of industrial air conditioning
and heating systems often require purging and repressurization to maintain safety. The
potentially flammable gases need to be properly ventilated through positive-pressure
ventilation, to ensure safety from ignition.
Code 496 provides you safety guidelines that will prevent potential gas-related ignitions in
the room or enclosure surrounding your electrical equipment, including industrial air
conditioning.
Design
Location
The location of your control room must be chosen carefully to avoid the introduction
of flammable gases or vapors.
Attention must be paid to the direction of winds that could potentially enter the
control room.
If there are potential flammable gases and/or vapors near the control room then
adequate ventilation must be installed—that is, installed high enough for the intake
fan to be out of the way of potential dangers.
If no adequate source of non-contaminated air is available then ductwork will be
required for the air intake.
Positive pressure
Your control room must consistently maintain a positive air pressure of at least 25
Pascals.
When doors or other air sources are open you must have a minimum air velocity of 60
feet per minute to maintain the minimum air pressure guidelines.
X Equipment
Equipment types that include Class I and Division 1/Zone 1 require adequate air
purging via a type X purging system.
If your system has not been properly purged and your environment is not a positive-
pressure environment—then the power to this area must be cut off immediately.
Proper use of a type X purging system will reduce your hazards from Division I/Zone
1 to unclassified.
Should you have any planned disruptions to the air feeding of your control room you
will need to take the electrical power circuit for the positive-pressure equipment
offline.
If you’re questioning the safety of your system during regular or disruptive
periods you can use a combustible gas detector to find potentially-dangerous gases
and vapors.
An alternative safety measure would be to use an air-purge timer that can help prevent
systems being put back online before the necessary air pressurization.
Y and Z Equipment
When it comes to positive air pressure control rooms—safety is key. Not only is it the
paramount safety of your employees, but also for the equipment that is stored in your control
enclosure/room… which are likely some of the most expensive assets in your physical
environment.