IECEx

A Stairway to Safety

 

Background

Hazardous Area

Area in which an explosive atmosphere is present, or may be expected to be present, in quantities such as to require special precautions for the construction, installation and use of electrical apparatus

By experience it has been found that Hazardous Area is made of Fire Triangles & Dust Pentagons

Fire triangle explodes on formation and ultimately starts fires by virtue of its constituents which are: –

1. Flammable Material
2. Oxygen (Air)
3. Ignition or fire starter

Additional 2 Parameters exists is case of DUST Pentagons:

• Confinement of DUST CLOUD
• Dispersion of Dust Particles

This whole domain is of such an importance that IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) has allocated a complete section of its management and names it as

IEC Ex or International Electrotechnical Commission Explosive

and made it into a System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for use in Explosive Atmospheres.

Ex is abbreviation for Explosive in this case.

The International Standards at the core of IECEx are :-

IEC 60079 for the Electrical 

and

ISO/IEC 80079 Series for the non-electrical equipment & Systems .

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