HAZARDOUS AREA ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS

Hi,

Get to know the enviroment, ask your client to ask the very-end-client, what is the most hazardous gas or material in terms of flash-point etcetera.

Get to know Zone 0, Zone 1 and Zone 2 classifications too and ask about "likely risk" of explosions etcetera.

Get in touch with PFP, Stahl and Legrand for advice on "Ex" rated products.

Legrand are particularly helpful, from my own experience in electrical wholesale. If i think of anyone else, i'll post it here.

Ask manufacturers about I.S. ( intrinsically safe ) test equipment and 2 way radios for use on chemical sites too. Try asking any electrical wholesalers in your area too.

Hawke and CMP and BICC Ex rated cable glands are worth a mention too.

See these websites;
http://www.pfp-elec.co.uk/

http://www.rstahl.com/index.asp

http://www.rstahl.co.uk/

http://www.legrand.co.uk/

Regards,

Dr M.

Start to know what Hazardous area equipment means.

Flame and explosion proof has nothing to do with it.

Start with the NEC and ATEX regulations (laws in USA and Europe). Then you can move on to the IEC (they create the standards that should reflect the laws). More and more local regulations and standards can be traced back to their work.

If you can prove that a part is OK according to a certain IEC standard, it is in most cases pretty simple to get a local approval.

Make friends with the certified bodies: they will guide you through the process, tell you what you need to measure, or what they want to measure. (depending on your knowledge and lab capability they can decide to accept your measurements, that is how we work) They are also allied with each other, opening doors in other markets.

Gwen