Explosion Proof Motor Classifications by
Hazardous Locations
Learn the commonly used terms and design criteria used to
qualify equipment
Explosion Proof Motor Classifications by
Hazardous Locations
Learn the commonly used terms and design criteria used to
qualify equipment
It is the responsibility of employers to protect employees
who may be exposed to the risk of explosive atmosphere
environments. The employer must assess the risk and
classify potentially dangerous areas. Equipment and
materials must also be suited for use in these dangerous
areas.
Explosion proof requirements for servo motors are dictated in
the United States by UL674 and in Europe under the acronym
of ATEX. The following will provide definition to the terms
that are commonly used within each of the directives. It will
also provide information on the design criteria used to qualify
equipment for use in these hazardous areas.
Jeff Nazzaro UL674
Based at the New Ulm facility, Jeff Nazzaro is product Hazardous locations are those areas where fire or explosion
manager for gearheads and motors in Parker’s hazards may exist due to the presence of substances that are
Electromechanical and Drives Division.
flammable, combustible, or ignitable. These locations are
broken down into Classes and Divisions, and further defined
by Groups and Temperature Classifications.
Class Definitions
Class I – Created by the presence of flammable gases or vapors in the air, or flammable liquids, in
sufficient quantities to be explosive or ignitable. Class I locations are further categorized by Division
(Refer to chart 1) and fall into Group A through D. (Refer to chart 2)
Class II – Created by the presence of combustible dust, suspended in the air, in sufficient quantities
to be explosive or ignitable. Class II locations are further categorized by Division (Refer to chart 1)
and fall into Group E through G. (Refer to chart 3)
Class III – Areas where there are easily ignitable fibers or flyings present. These include cotton lint,
flax, and rayon as examples. The fibers in a Class III area are not likely to be in the air, but can collect
around machinery or on lighting fixtures. A Class III location can be categorized as Division 1 or 2.
(Refer to chart 1)
Chart 1: Divisions
Division Definition
Normal conditions. Hazard is present in everyday production operations or
1
during frequent repair and maintenance activity.
Abnormal conditions. Hazard is confined in closed containers, or closed systems
2 (ventilation), and will be present only through accidental rupture, breakage, or
unusual faulty operation.
Chart 2: Gas, vapor, and liquid groups
Relate to the Minimum Ignition Energy of the flammable substance and the location where it is installed. The
lower the ignition energy required to ignite the gas, the more dangerous the environment.
Group Gas Minimum Ignition Energy Location
A Acetylene 17 µJ
B Hydrogen, etc. 17 µJ
Surface
C Ethylene, etc. 70 µJ
Industries
Hydrocarbons, Propane,
D 240 µJ
fuels, solvents, etc..
Chart 3: Dust groups
Group Dust Type
E Metal dust
F Coal, carbon dust
G Grain, sugar, plastic, or chemical dust
Temperature classification – “T-Codes”
The surface temperature or any part of the electrical equipment that may be exposed to the
hazardous atmosphere should be tested so that it does not exceed 80% of the auto-ignition
temperature of the specific gas, vapor or dust in the area where the equipment is intended to be
used.
The temperature classification on the electrical equipment label will be one of the following (in
degrees Celsius):
USA Degrees C Gas
T1 - 450 T3A - 180
T2 - 300 T3B - 165
T2A - 280 T3C - 160
T2B - 260 T4 - 135
T2C - 230 T4A - 120
T2D - 215 T5 - 100
T3 - 200 T6 - 85
ATEX
ATEX consists of two European (EU) directives. They are:
• The ATEX 95 equipment directive 94/9/EC, equipment and protective systems intended
for use in potentially explosive atmospheres;
• The ATEX 137 workplace directive 99/92/EC, minimum requirements for improving the
safety and health protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres
ATEX derives its name from the French title of the 94/9/EC directive. Appareils destinés à être
utilisés en ATmosphères EXplosibles. ATEX defines the hazards into subgroups which are defined
as zones, equipment groups, gas groups, dust groups and temperature classes. The following is a
definition of each.
Zones – Broken into gas and dust groups. Zones 0, 1, and 2 relate to gas, and zones 20, 21, and 22
relate to dust.
Zone 0 – A place in which explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture with air of
flammable substances in the form of gas, vapor, or mist is present continuously or for long
periods, or frequently.
Zone 1 - A place in which explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture with air of flammable
substances in the form of gas, vapor, or mist is likely to occur in normal operation
occasionally.
Zone 2 - A place in which explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture with air of flammable
substances in the form of gas, vapor, or mist is not likely to occur, but if it does occur, will
persist for a short period only.
Zone 20 – A place in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible
dust is present continuously, or for long periods, or frequently.
Zone 21 - A place in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible
dust is likely to occur in normal operation occasionally.
Zone 22 - A place in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible
dust is not likely to occur in normal operation, but if it does occur, will persist for a short
period only .
Equipment Groups – Broken into group I and II and further broken down by category. The category definition
is based on equipment design for protection which will be discussed later.
Group I – Intended for use in underground mines as well as those parts of surface
installations of such mines that are endangered by fire and/or combustible dust.
• Category M1 – Ensures a very high level of protection
• Category M2 – Ensures a high level of protection
Group II – Intended for use in surface equipment that is, or can be exposed to hazardous
conditions (fire or explosion).
• Category 1 – Ensure a very high level of protection against gas, vapor, mists, and
dust that are present continuously, frequently, or for long periods.
• Category 2 – Ensures a high level of protection for use in areas in which explosive
atmospheres caused by gas, vapor, mists and dusts are likely to occur.
• Category 3 – Ensures a normal level of protection for use in areas in which
explosive atmospheres caused by gas, vapor, mists, and dusts are unlikely to
occur, or would happen infrequently.
Temperature Classes - Temperature classes relate to a flammable substance and its Auto Ignition
Temperature.
Auto-ignition classes and Classes and temperatures for
temperatures for gas suspended dust particle combustion
o
o Soot 810 (T1)
700 o
700
o o
Hydrogen 560 (T1) PVC 700 (T1)
600o 600 o
o
o Aluminum 590 (T1)
Methane 537 (T1)
o 500o o 500o o
Corn dust 510 (T1)
T1 450 o T1 450
Ethylene 425 (T2)
o
400o 400o Sugar 490 (T1)
o o
o Acetylene 305 (T2) o Flour 490 (T1)
T2 300 o T2 300 o
300 300 o
o o Methyl cellulose 420 (T2)
T3 200 o Kerosene 210 (T3) o
T3 200
o
200
o
200o o
Polyethylene 420 (T2)
T4 135 T4 135
o o o o
T5 100
o 100o Ethyl Ether 160 (T4) T5 100
o 100o Carbon dust 380 (T2)
T6 85 T6 85
o
Carbon disulphide 95 (T6)
Design Characteristics for Explosion Proof Equipment (UL674 and ATEX)
There are various design criteria that the manufacturer can incorporate into their design. What
is chosen will dictate the hazardous environment that the equipment can be used in. There are 4
“General Principles” of protection against explosion. They include:
• Explosion Containment - Allows the explosion to occur but confines it to a defined area.
Structure cannot fail from the explosion
Interstice
Length of junction
• Segregation - A method that attempts to separate or isolate the electrical parts from the
explosive mixture. Practices include pressurization, encapsulation, oil immersion, and
powder filling.
Steel vessel
Electrical equipment
Oil bath
• Prevention - A method that limits the energy, both electrical and thermal, to safe levels
under both normal and fault conditions. Practices include Increased Safety, Intrinsic
Safety, Non-Incendive (simplified) and Special Protection.
• Increased Safety – Must prevent the possibility of having excessive temperature
or generations of arcs or sparks inside or outside the apparatus during normal
operation. Accomplished by incorporating an elevated safety factor to all
components that make up the apparatus (connections, wiring, degree of
protection of enclosure, etc…)
• Intrinsic - The most representative of the prevention concept and is based on
the limitation of the energy stored in an electrical circuit (the circuit is incapable
of generating arcs, sparks or combustible thermal effects). Intended for process
instrumentation applications where the power required is less than 30 volts and
100 mA.
• Non-Incendive – Similar to Intrinsic where the electrical apparatus is incapable
of igniting a surrounding mixture during normal operation. They differ in that the
non-incendive is not evaluated for safety under fault conditions, so as a result is
not approved for Div. 1 environments.
• Special Protection - Developed to allow certification of equipment that is
not developed according to any of the existing protection methods. Can be
considered safe for a specific hazardous location but must undergo appropriate
tests and/or a detailed analysis of the design.
Typical locations for hazardous substances
Gases, liquids, and vapors
• Petroleum refineries, and gasoline storage and dispensing areas
• Dry cleaning plants where vapors from cleaning fluids can be present
• Spray finishing areas
• Aircraft hangars and fuel servicing areas
• Utility gas plants, and operations involving storage and handling of
liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas
Dust
• Grain elevators
• Flour and feed mills
• Plants that manufacture, use or store magnesium or aluminum powders
• Producers of plastics, medicines and fireworks
• Producers of starch or candies
• Spice-grinding plants, sugar plants and cocoa plants
• Coal preparation plants and other carbon handling or processing areas
Fibers and filings
• Textile mills, cotton gins
• Cotton seed mills, flax processing plants
• Plants that shape, pulverize or cut wood and create sawdust or flyings
Reference Materials
OSHA Hazardous (Classified) Locations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATEX_directive
ATEX Directive 94/9/EC and 1999/92/EC
automation.com – “Methods of Protection in Hazardous (Explosion Risk) Locations”
Contact Us
Jeff Nazzaro
Gearhead and Motor Product Manager
Electromechanical & Drives Division
Parker Hannifin Corporation
[email protected]
507-233-2324 office
About Us
Parker Hannifin is a Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technolo-
gies. For 100 years the company has engineered the success of its customers in a
wide range of diversified industrial and aerospace markets.
Parker’s engineering expertise and broad range of core technologies uniquely
positions the company to help solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges.
©2017 Parker Hannifin Corporation Parker Hannifin Corporation Date of Issue 6/25/2017
Electromechanical & Drives Division
9225 Forsyth Park Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28273
phone (704) 588-3246
www.parker.com/emn
