What is IEC 60079-0 - Explosive atmospheres about?
IEC 60079-0 on explosive atmospheres is the basis of the IEC 60079 series on explosive atmospheres. This is the 7th edition and it deals with general equipment requirements when working in explosive atmospheres.
Who is IEC 60079-0 - Explosive atmospheres for?
IEC 60079-0 on explosive atmospheres will be relevant to all professionals working in explosive atmospheres and using other standards in the series, but specifically, those working with electrical equipment, namely:
- Organizations manufacturing, testing, and certifying electrical equipment for use in explosive atmospheres
- Users of products that require ATEX and IECEx certification
- Electrical engineers
- Mechanical engineers
- Regulatory bodies
Relevant areas of use include:
- Manufacturers of Ex equipment
- Testing houses
- Certification bodies
- Gas works/distributors
- Chemical plants
- Offshore rigs
Why should you use IEC 60079-0 - Explosive atmospheres?
IEC 60079-0 on explosive atmospheres specifies the general requirements for construction, testing, and marking of equipment and Ex Components intended for use in explosive atmospheres.
The standard atmospheric conditions (relating to the explosion characteristics of the atmosphere) under which it may be assumed that equipment can be operated are:
- temperature –20 °C to +60 °C
- pressure 80 kPa (0,8 bar) to 110 kPa (1,1 bar)
- air with normal oxygen content, typically 21 % v/v
NOTE: IEC 60079-0 and others that supplement it specifies additional test requirements for equipment operating outside the standard temperature range, but further additional consideration and additional testing may be required for equipment operating outside the standard atmospheric pressure range and standard oxygen content, particularly with respect to types of protection that depend on quenching of a flame such as ‘flameproof enclosure “d”’ (IEC 60079-1) or limitation of energy, ‘intrinsic safety “i”’ (IEC 60079-11).
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN IEC 60079-0:2018 on explosive atmospheres contains a large number of major and minor technical changes and extensions, including (but not exclusively):
- Ultrasonic requirements updated based on latest research work
- Added requirements for EPL Gc and Dc
- New cell types and data added based on latest available data
- Additional instruction material for electric machines added
- Additional instruction material for cable glands added
