Explosive Atmospheres

Safety and Reliability

Motors | Automation | Energy | Transmission & Distribution | Coatings

Explosive Atmospheres
When it comes to hazardous areas, the utilisation of suitable products
and their proper maintenance are mandatory requirements in order to
comply with market standards and regulations. However, when we analyze
in more detail the importance of effective hazardous area management, it is
clear that this is essential for the conservation of your assets and, especially
the welfare of the personnel who contribute to and believe in your business.

WEG constantly invests in the development of its products, new

technologies and qualification of its employees.

We aim to inform industry of the changes that are taking place in the market
and highlighting the importance of hazardous area management as a
means to prevent irreversible damage to your Organisation.

2 Explosive Atmospheres
3 Explosive Atmospheres
Standards
In order to make the management of hazardous areas safer, the standards
and regulations for explosive atmospheres have been constantly updated.

The IEC 60079 series of standards establishes the requirements for

classification, design and repair of electrical equipment operating in
explosive atmospheres.

Any organisation undertaking service or repair of motors

operating in potentially explosive atmospheres, must comply with
these standards, in order to ensure the safety of your Company!
Electric motors may be a source of ignition when operating in hazardous
areas. In order to prevent such risk, they must incorporate special
characteristics which enable them to operate safely within these classified
areas.

Consequently, protection techniques have been conceived in order to

develop and apply constructional measures to electric motors which permit
them to operate in hazardous areas.

Flame retention system for

flameproof motors, comprised of
carefully designed tolerances on
gaps between components.

Explosive Atmospheres 5
What is an
Explosive Atmosphere ??
An explosive atmosphere is a mixture with air, under atmospheric conditions,
?
of flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or dusts which, after
ignition, permits self-sustaining propagation.

Electrical equipment installed in these environments must eliminate

or isolate the source of ignition, thus preventing the simultaneous
occurrence of the three components that form the fire triangle:
fuel, oxygen and an ignition source (heat).

Oxygen
O2

Explosion

Fuel Ignition Source (Heat)

Gases, vapours, Appliances/electrical
dusts installations or sources of heat

6 Explosive Atmospheres
Atmospheres favorable to an explosion can be found in many
industries, such as Petrochemical, Food, Sugar and Ethanol Plants,
Pharmaceuticals, Textiles, Paper and Cellulose, amongst others.

Explosive atmospheres 7
How to identify an ??
Explosive Atmosphere ?
Characteristics of the Flammable Gases and Vapours,
Combustible Dusts

In order to classify an industrial plant, it is necessary to determine

the type of flammable substance present in the environment, its
characteristics, the probability of such substance being released into the
surrounding area and the environmental conditions.

Verify which groups of flammable gases and vapours or

combustible dusts may be present in your industrial plant.

IEC designation for Gas IEC designation for Combustible

and flammable vapours dusts

Group IIA - Propane Group IIIA - Ignitable Dust

Group IIB - Ethylene Group IIIB - Non-conductive dust

Group IIC - Acetylene/Hydrogen Group IIIC - Conductive dust

8 Explosive Atmospheres
In order to prevent risk of explosion, the maximum surface
temperature of electric motors must always remain below the
auto-ignition temperature* of the explosive mixture.

IEC Temperature classes Maximum surface temperature (° C)

T1 450
T2 300
T3 200
T4 135
T5 100
T6 85
* The auto-ignition temperature is the lowest temperature at which the lowest temperature of a heated surface,
under specified conditions, will ignite a flammable substance in the form of a gas or vapor mixture with air.

Explosive atmospheres 9
Hazardous Area
Classification
Classification of the Zones for Explosive Atmospheres according
to the IEC 60050-426 standard

1. Flammable Gases and Vapours

Zone 0 - Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is present

continuously or for long periods or frequently.

Zone 1 - Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is likely to

occur in normal operation occasionally.

Zone 2 - Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is not

likely to occur in normal operation but, if it does occur, will
persist for a short period only.

Gases/Vapours

Zone 2
GAS

Zone 0

Zone 1 Zone 1

Zone 0

10 Explosive Atmospheres
2. Combustible Dusts

Zone 20 - Area in which an explosive atmosphere in form of

a cloud of combustible dust in the air is present frequently,
continuously or for long periods.

Zone 21 - Area in which an explosive atmosphere in form of a

cloud of combustible dust in the air is likely to occur in normal
operation occasionally.

Zone 22 - Area in which an explosive atmosphere in form of

a cloud of combustible dust in the air is not likely to occur in
normal operation but, if it does occur, will persist for only a short
period.

Dust

Zone 22

Zone 21 Zone 21

Zone 20

Explosive Atmospheres 11
Equipment Protection
Levels - EPL
The Standard IEC 60079-0, published in 2011, introduced a new risk
assessment approach known as the “Equipment Protection Level”
that considers, besides the area classification itself, the likelihood of
equipment become a source of ignition. According the risk analysis,
under certain circumstances, a higher EPL is required or lower EPL
is permitted than that defined by relationship given between EPL and
zones.

The EPL designations are defined as follows:

g
First Indices
g
‘M’ - Mines
g
‘G’ - Gas
g
‘D’ - Dust
g
Second Indices
g
‘a’ - Equipment having a very high level of protection
g
‘b’ - Equipment having a high level of protection
g
‘c’ - Equipment having an enhanced high level of protection

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Relationship between Groups, Zones and EPL’s

Group Zone EPL

Ma
Group I -
Mb
0 Ga
Group II 1 Gb
2 Gc
20 Da
Group III 21 Db
22 Dc

Explosive atmospheres 13
How to Prevent an
Explosion ? ??
In order to avoid the potential occurrence of an explosive
atmosphere in the workplace, and the consequential risks to
the health and safety protection of personnel, specific duties
are placed upon employers to eliminate or control the threats
from dangerous substances in hazardous areas.

These involve identification and

classification of areas where explosive
atmospheres may occur, provision of
appropriate clothing, verifying overall
explosion safety of the workplace
and the selection and maintenance
of equipment intended for use in
classified areas.

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Motors | Automation | Energy | Transmission & Distribution | Coatings
Types of protection for motors that
operate in classified areas.

Flammable Gases and Vapours

Flameproof - Ex db / Ex db eb* (EPL Gb): enclosure in which the parts which can
ignite an explosive gas atmosphere are placed and which can withstand the pressure
developed during an internal explosion of an explosive mixture, and which prevents the
transmission of the explosion to the explosive gas atmosphere surrounding the enclosure.
Standard: IEC 60079-1 - Explosive Atmospheres - Part 1: Equipment Protection by
Flameproof Enclosures “db”.
* Motors Ex db with terminal box and terminals Ex eb.

Increased Safety: type of protection applied to electrical equipment or Ex Components

in which additional measures are applied to give increased security against the possibility
of excessive temperatures and against the occurrence of arcs and sparks.
Standard: IEC 60079-7 - Explosive Atmospheres - Part 7: Equipment Protection by
Increased Safety Ex eb - Zone 1 and Ex ec Zone 2.

Pressurized - Ex pxb / Ex pyb / Ex pzc (EPL Gb or Gc): type of protection in which

the equipment is manufactured to operate with positive internal pressure to avoid the
ingress of flammable gases and vapours into the enclosure, where there are parts which
may cause the ignition of an explosive atmosphere. Standard: IEC 60079-2 - Explosive
Atmospheres - Part 2: Equipment Protection by Pressurized Enclosures “pxb”, “pyb” and
“pzc”.

Combustible dusts
Protection by enclosure - Ex tb / Ex tc (EPL Db or Dc): type of protection for
explosive dust atmospheres where electrical equipment is provided with an enclosure
providing dust ingress protection and a means to limit surface temperatures.
Standard: IEC 60079-31 – Explosive Atmospheres - Part 31: Equipment Dust Ignition
Protection by Enclosure “tb” and “tc”.

For all types of protection, the maximum surface temperature

indicated on the motor nameplate must be observed according
to the classified area in which it will operate.
Explosive atmospheres 15
Repair Shops Accredited for

Explosive Atmospheres
According to IEC 60079-19, Explosive Atmospheres: Equipment
repair, overhaul and reclamation, it is necessary for organisations
undertaking service and repair of electrical equipment in explosive
or flammable atmospheres to have in place:

g
A Responsible Person with the authority and responsibility to ensure that
overhauled / repaired equipment complied with the certification status
agreed with the user
g
A quality management system meeting requirements of ISO 9001
g
Competent professionals qualified to repair / overhaul Ex motors
g
Appropriate repair facilities, equipment and processes

After repair or overhaul, the electric motor must be marked with a legible and
durable label indicating the Repairer’s identity and that it has been subjected to
repair or overhaul. There are two kinds of marks indicated by IEC 60079-19:
g
‘R’ within a square: indicates that the motor repair / overhaul fully complies
with the Manufacturer’s certification documents and, where applicable,
genuine replacement parts from the manufacturer have been used in any
repair.
g
‘R’ within an inverted triangle: indicates that the motor repair / overhaul
complies with the repair standard and the standards for the type of
protection; however, it no longer complies with the manufacturers
certification documents.

R
R
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In cases where the repaired / overhauled motor no longer complies with the
requirements of IEC 60079-19 and the standards for the applicable type of
protection, it may no longer operate in a potentially explosive atmosphere.
In this case, it will not display the applicable repair mark, and the original
manufacturer’s label should be removed or changed to clearly indicate that
the equipment is not in compliance with the certification documentation
until a supplementary certificate is obtained to cover the repair or overhaul.
Additionally, it is the responsibility of the user to maintain a file containing
all documents relating to the motor, such as copies of certificates,
Manufacturers Declaration of Conformity, outline drawings and a record of
reports from previous repairs / overhauls.

Compliance with these obligations following repair or overhaul

is essential in order to ensure that the motor remains suitable to
operate safely in a hazardous area.

Explosive atmospheres 17
WEG motors for
Hazardous Areas

Conte com a WEG

W22Xdb
Flameproof motors which incorporate the same
innovative concepts of the general purpose
W22 line. They represent an evolution in the
market of products for classified areas, ensuring
high performance levels, energy savings,
reduced operating costs, longer service life, low
maintenance and, especially, safety! Suitable for
use in Zone 1 and Zone 2 classified areas, and
certified for Gas Groups IIA, IIB and IIC.

W22Xec
Increased Safety motors that are flexible to adapt
to different applications, can be used in Zone 2
and are ideal for installations where the presence
of flammable mixtures occurs infrequently, but
may present risks.

W22Xeb
Increased Safety motor with reduced surface
temperature that, under normal operating
conditions or at the start, will not produce arcs,
sparks or heat enough to cause the ignition of the
explosive atmosphere for which it was designed.
It is the ideal motor for application in places where
potentially explosive products are manufactured,
stored or transformed. They were designed for
operation in Zones 1 and 2, and feature Ex eb
protection.

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WEG develops innovative products for aggressive environments and
classified areas. Always focused on the customer’s needs, we offer
solutions for a wide variety of applications. WEG motors for classified
areas represent an evolution on the market, ensuring high performance
levels, low operating costs, long service life and, especially, safety!

W22Xtb / W22Xtc
Specially developed to maximize the safety and
quality of motors for areas classified as Zone
21 and Zone 22 (processing of grains, cereals,
textile fibers, powder coating, and polymers,
among others). Ensures reliability and safety in
the presence of conductive / non-conductive
combustible dusts in suspension or in layers (up
to 5 mm).

W22Xdb Medium Voltage

Flameproof medium voltage motors designed
to meet the latest market requirements and
certifications for Hazardous Areas. Suitable to
operate in the follow classifications:
- Group I (Mines)
- Group II (Gas - Groups IIB and IIC, Zone 1)
- Group III (Dust - Zone 21)
In terms of certification this is a flexible and
modular product, allowing the use of the motor
frame enclosure with different sizes and types of
terminal boxes.

Ex p
WEG pressurized machines (Ex p) have an
automatic pressurization system which detects
eventual variations on the internal pressure of the
equipment with automatic compensation, resulting
in increase or reduction of the protection gas flow.
These motors can operate in potentially explosive
atmospheres, zones 1 and 2.

Explosive atmospheres 19
 The values shown are subject to change without prior notice.
Cod: 50056895 | Rev: 03 | Date (m/y): 10/2019

WEG Group - Motors Business Unit

Jaraguá do Sul - SC - Brazil
Phone: +55 47 3276 4000
[email protected]
www.weg.net