GROUPS – A multidimensional concept

GROUPS

Any flammable gas or dust in mixture with air, forms an IGNITABLE EXPLOSIVE MIXTURE and if present in sufficient quantities, in an area, creates an EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERE and make that area HAZARDOUS.

This simple statement is the foundation of: –

HAZARDOUS-AREA-PROTECTION SCIENCE & …. ART

The main tools of this faculty are: –

QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITATIVE CONCLUSIONS
Applied ENGINEERING

(We humans are quite at home with any abstraction which can be quantified, so that we can apply our Engineering)

The final goal of all these endeavors is to HARNESS THE HIDDEN ENERGY AND utilize THE WEALTH of By-Products associated with these natural resources.

Innovative equipment of all sorts, including mechanical & electrical, has been developed to carry out this task.

We will be limiting-out our payload to ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT only.

Let us enter the land of GROUPS

Do not forget that this land is all Hazardous due to the presence of Explosive Atmosphere

Our guides: The ex-perts from IEC

A peek at the map

IEC has mapped the following types of Hazardous Areas

Mines with atmosphere containing Methane with Coal dust and other flammable gases (Below surface Facility)
Facilities with explosive atmosphere other than Mines (Above surface facilities )

Electrical equipment for use in MINES SHALL BELONG TO EQUIPMENT GROUP I

This is the origin of term GROUP I Electrical Equipment .( Equipment for explosive atmosphere consisting of FIREDAMP , Coal dust and small quantities of other flammable gases)

So basically the term GROUP points to the COMPOSITION of the EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERE .

The other Hazardous Areas , above surface , with explosive atmosphere consisting of GASES / Vapours or dust or fluff are classified (quite logically) as per composition of the Explosive Atmosphere as GROUP II and GROUP III .