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Technologies
DSEAR in full force
Managing safety from fire and explosions is not just a case of using ATEX certified
products, the legislation controlling the use and operation in factories and sites came into
force in 2006 and must be observed.
Most of the focus on maintaining standards in flammable areas has been on the ATEX product
directive (94/9/EC), a trading directive ensuring European manufacturers had a level platform for
the standards of product used in these areas. However there is a second directive, known as ATEX
137, which sets out to improve the health & safety protection of all workers potentially at risk from
explosive atmospheres.
What is DSEAR?
The end user directive ATEX 137 is enforced in the UK by the Dangerous Substances and Explosive
Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR), which legislates on how factories with explosive atmospheres
should be classified and operated, and is controlled by the Health & Safety Executive.
This act reached the statue book in 2002 and complements the Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations 1999. The key date in the adoption of the user directive and compliance of DSEAR
was June 2003. Article 9 of the directive states where the workplaces which contain places where
explosive atmospheres may occur are already in use before the 30th June 2003 they shall comply
with the minimum requirements set out in the directive no later than 3 years after that date.
What this means is that all existing hazardous area work places in use before 30th June 2003 must
now comply with the appropriate minimum requirements of ATEX 137 and that the employer must
take the necessary steps to ensure all modifications to hazardous area workplaces after 30 June
2003 comply with the appropriate minimum requirements of ATEX 137.
What is a hazardous area?
Dangerous substances are those used or present that could, if not properly controlled, cause harm
to people as a result of fire or explosion. Potentially explosive atmospheres exist where there is a
risk of explosion due mixtures of gas/air, vapour/air, dust/air or other flammable combinations,
these include;
storage of fuel
flammable gases such
as acetylene for
welding
waste dusts in manufacturing processes, such
as sanding
work that can release naturally occurring gases
such as methane in coal mines
use of flammable solvents
storage of flammable goods such as paints
filling, storing and handling of aerosols with flammable propellants
manufacturing and distribution of powders, such as flour
In such areas is necessary to eliminate sources of ignition such as sparks, hot surfaces or static
electricity which may ignite these mixtures.
Classifications
To understand whether a product is right for your situation, you first need to identify the situation
you are working in, this includes assessing three criteria; zones, gas groups, surface temperature.
Zones
Process plants are divided into zones according to the likelihood of a potentially explosive
atmosphere being present.
Hazard
Hazard continuously
present
(>1000hrs per year)
Hazard present under
normal operation
(10-1000hrs per year)
Hazard only present
infrequently
(<10hrs per year)
Gases
Zone 0
Zone 1
Zone 2
Dusts
Zone 20
Zone 21
Zone 22
Equipment
category
Category
Zone
Zone 0
(gases)
1. High risk
Zone 20
(dusts)
2. Medium
risk
Zone 1
(gases)
Zone 21
(dusts)
Zone 2
(gases)
3. Low risk
Zone 22
(dusts)
Definition
An area where explosive mixture is continuously present for long
periods.
Example inside a petrol tanker
An area where an explosive mixture is likely to occur in normal
operation
Example where the nozzle of the petrol pump goes into your
car's tank
An area where an explosive mixture is not likely to occur under
normal operation and
if it occurs it will exist only for a short time. Example the petrol
station forecourt.
Gas groups
There are two main gas groups,
Group I is concerned only with underground mining where methane and coal dust are
present.
Group II gases occurring in surface industries. Sub-grouped according to their volatility, this
enables electrical equipment to be designed to less onerous tolerances if it is to be used
with the least volatile gases.
Temp. classification
Max. surface temp C
T1
T1
450
T2
T2
300
T2A
280
T2B
260
T2C
230
T2D
215
T3
T3
200
T3A
180
T3B
165
T3C
160
T4
T4
135
T4A
120
T5
T5
100
T6
T6
85
Surface temperature
To guard against the risk of hot surfaces igniting explosive atmospheres, all electrical equipment for
use in these zones must be classified by the max temperature it will reach in service, normally
based upon an ambient temperature of 40C. This classified temperature can be compared with the
ignition temperature (or flashpoint of the gases) in to which it will come in contact.
Typical gas/material
Gas group
Methane
Acetylene
IIC
Hydrogen
IIC
Ethylene
IIB
Propane
IIA
Metal dust
Coal dust
Grain dust
Methods of prevention of ignition
Different techniques are used to prevent electrical equipment from igniting explosive atmospheres.
There are restrictions on which zones these can be used in. (see table)
Technique
Area
of use
Flameproof enclosure an enclosure used to house electrical equipment,
which when subjected to an internal explosion will not ignite a
surrounding explosive atmosphere
Zone 1,
EExd
2
Intrinsic safety a technique whereby electrical energy islimited such
that any sparks or heat generated by electrrical equipment is sufficiently
low as to not ignite an explosive atmosphere
Zone 0,
EExi
1, 2
Increased Safety equipment so designed as to eliminate sparks or hot
surfaces capable of igniting an explosive atmosphere
Zone 1,
EExe
2
Designation
Purged and pressurised electrical equipment housed in an enclosure
which is initially purged to remove any explosive mixture, then
pressurised to prevent ingress of the surrounding atmosphere prior to
energisation.
Zone 1,
EExp
2
Encapsulation a method of exclusion of the explosive atmosphere by
fully encapsulating the electrical components in an approved material
Zone 1,
EExm
2
Oil immersion exclusion of electrical components from the explosive
atmosphere by immersion in oil
Zone 1,
EExo
2
Powder filling surrounding electrical components by a fine powder, e.g.
quartz, which does not allow the surrounding atmosphere to come into
contact with sparks or hot surfaces
Zone 1,
EExq
2
Non-sparking sparking contacts are sealed against ingress of the
surrounding atmosphere, hot surfaces are eliminated
Zone 1,
EExN
2
Note that only Intrinsically Safe products can be used in Zone 0 (the zone where there
is continuous risk of explosion. E.g. a level sensor inside a fuel tank)
ATEX marking
Once you know the requirement a piece of equipment must meet, the equipment can be selected
according to the category, groups, and zones, which is displayed as the classification and markings
on the product.
Employers' responsibility
As far as explosive atmospheres are concerned the DSEAR legislation means that employers must:
identify and classify/zone areas of the workplace where explosive atmospheres may occur
and avoid ignition sources (e.g. from unprotected equipment)in those areas
ensure that fully tested and ATEX approved electrical and mechanical equipment is used in
these areas to mitigate the explosion risks
identify entrances to zoned areas
before operation, verify overall explosion protection of installed systems within zones
To do this it is useful to consider some specific questions about your equipment and processes.
Questions to ask
Are your flammable materials labelled, identified and classified?
Have you conducted a fire and explosion risk assessment for the site process?
Are your zones identified, documented and appropriate for the risk? Is there evidence of
process intensification, elimination, reduction and substitution?
Are all personnel who work / have access to zoned areas trained and if necessary validated
to an appropriate level?
Do you carry out adequate and regular inspections? Do you have any environments subject
to dust that could lead to a potentially explosive atmosphere?
Have you risk assessed nonATEX equipment?
Maintenance
Long life and maintenance free equipment is causing serious concerns in hazardous areas. On the
face of it such equipment is every operator's dream however these types of equipment, such as
lighting, suffer from endoflife characteristics which are potentially serious. In some conditions the
element of a fluorescent tube can overheat and sometimes melt through the glass tube creating an
ignition source. Also equipment may come to the end of life through unnatural causes, accident or
severe weather. Such equipment can not be fitted and forgotten but should be visited regularly and
inspected for correct and safe operation as any other piece of equipment, as for any other piece of
equipment.
Inspection methods
Under DSEAR operators are obliged to keep and inventory and maintain records for all hazardous
area equipment, experts suggest that this maintenance falls into 3 categories;
Visual looking at the equipment to check if it is working and shows no signs of imminent
breakdown (emitting vapours, leaking liquids, vibrating or rattling)
Close inspection involves other senses, generally touch. Having completed a visual check,
then clean off the nameplate and find out exactly what the equipment is and record the
details, by touching the item it is more apparent if the machine is running hot or vibrating
excessively
Detailed inspection where the equipment is stopped, isolated and possibly dismantled to
complete the check, such as electrical testing. This intrusive inspection will disrupt
production, and will require a permit to work, whether or not equipment is removed from
the plant
If you have not already done so, the time is upon us to ensure that all the existing equipment in
service complies with the legislation and working practices are up to date. To help you comply with
ATEX RS has a wide range of over 600 products that have been ATEX approved. For the full range
visit the catalogue index at the back of each book and look up Hazardous Area or visit rswww.com/
automation.
Quick order
RS stock number
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08457 201201
Hazardous areas outside North America are classified by gas groups and zones.
Zones are used to define the probability of the presence of flammable materials.
Groups classify the exact flammable nature of the material.
Protection Types are used to denote the level of safety for the device. Equipment approved
receives a temperature code indicating the maximum surface temperature of the equipment.
Zones
The zone defines the probability of hazardous material being present in an ignitable
concentration in the surrounding atmosphere.
Zone 0
Area in which an explosive gas-air mixture is continuously present or present for long
periods.
Zone 1
Combustible or conductive dusts are present. Area in which an explosive gas-air mixture
is likely to occur for short periods in normal operation.
Zone 2
Area in which an explosive gas-air mixture is not likely to occur, and if it occurs it will
only exist for a very short time due to an abnormal condition.
Protection Types
Different protection techniques are used to address the hazardous zones.
Zone
Ex d
Flameproof (Explosion proof) Enclosure
1, 2
Ex e
Increased Safety
1, 2
Ex ia
Intrinsically Safe
0, 1, 2
Ex ib
Intrinsically Safe
1, 2
Ex o
Oil Immersion
Ex p
Pressurized Apparatus (Purged Apparatus)
1, 2
Ex q
Powder Filling (Sand Filling)
Ex m
Encapsulation
1, 2
Ex n or Ex N
Non incentive or/and normally no sparking circuits
Flameproof (Explosion proof) Enclosure
All electrical circuits are enclosed in a house strong enough to contain any explosion or fire
that may take place on the inside.
Increased Safety
Electrical circuits incorporates special measures to reduce the probability of excessive
temperatures and the occurrence of arcs and sparks in normal service.
Intrinsically Safety
The electrical energy available in circuits and equipment, is limited to a level to low to ignite
the most easily ignitable mixtures in a hazardous area.
Intrinsically safe barriers, as Zener, are installed in the circuit to limit current and voltage in
the hazardous areas to avoid sparks or hot spots under fault conditions.
Hazardous Area Types of Protection
Temperature Codes
A mixture of air and hazardous gases may ignite by coming in contact with a hot surface. An
ignition depends on surface area, temperature and the concentration of the gas.
Certified equipment are tested for maximum temperature ratings by approval agencies.
Equipment for Group II receives a temperature code indicating the maximum surface
temperature.
Temperature Code
T1
842
450
Temperature Code
T2
572
300
T3
392
200
T4
275
135
T5
212
100
T6
185
85
The coding is based on a 104 oF (40 oC) ambient temperature.
The automatic ignition temperature can be found in IEC 79-4.
Critical Temperature Parameters For Dust Explosions
Groups
Electrical equipment are divided into two groups where Group I covers equipment used in
mines and Group II covers all other applications. Group II is subdivided into three subgroups
where the specific hazardous materials within each group can be found in CENELEC EN
50014.
Group I
For application in below ground installations (mines) where methane (firedamp) and
coal dust may be present.
Group IIA
For application in above ground installation where hazards due to propane may
exist.
Group IIB
For application in above ground installations where hazards due to ethylene may
exist.
Group IIC
For application in above ground installations where hazards due to hydrogen or
acetylene may exist.
