Safety and compatibility requirements for types of protection to explosion applied to electrical equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres

Abstract

The principles of protection for electrical equipment against the ignition of a potentially explosive atmosphere differ from one type of equipment to another and they can be combined, but only if the principles clearly defined in the literature are respected. There are situations where two or more principles of protection applied to the same equipment are not compatible with each other in order to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the classification of the area endangered by the presence of a potentially explosive atmosphere. In this case, an appropriate selection of technical solutions is required to ensure the explosion protection requirements for designated equipment. This paper is intended to be a synthesis of the requirements imposed by the technical standards in the specific field of potentially explosive atmospheres - ATEX, as well as highlighting some situations of incorrect application of the types of explosion protection chosen, during commissioning, but also during the exploitation of equipment in installations operating in areas endangered by the presence of potentially explosive atmospheres.