Hazardous Areas Classification - North America

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Hazardous Areas Classification - North America

North American hazardous locations classification in classes, divisions and groups
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Electrical devices used in hazardous areas need to be certified for use according the requirements specified for the area. In North America certification is provided by Factory Mutual - An approval agency primarily concerned with insurance underwriting. Underwriters Laboratories - An independent, not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization. Canadian Standards Association - A not-for-profit membership-based association serving business, industry, government and consumers in Canada developing standards addressing public safety and health. The types of protection required depends on the risk involved in the area. In general hazardous locations in North America are separated by classes, divisions, and groups to define the level of safety required for equipment installed in these locations.

Classes
The classes defines the general nature of hazardous material in the surrounding atmosphere. Class Class I Class II Class III Hazardous Material in Surrounding Atmosphere Hazardous because flammable gases or vapors are present in the air in quantities sufficient to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures. Hazardous because combustible or conductive dusts are present. Hazardous because ignitable fibers or flying's are present, but not likely to be in suspension in sufficient quantities to produce ignitable mixtures. Typical wood chips, cotton, flax and nylon. Group classifications are not applied to this class.

Divisions
The division defines the probability of hazardous material being present in an ignitable concentration in the surrounding atmosphere. Division Division 1 Division 2 Presence of Hazardous Material The substance referred to by class is present during normal conditions. The substance referred to by class is present only in abnormal conditions, such as a container failure or system breakdown.

Groups
The group defines the hazardous material in the surrounding atmosphere. Group Group A Group B Group C Group D Hazardous Material in Surrounding Atmosphere Acetylene Hydrogen, fuel and combustible process gases containing more than 30% hydrogen by volume or gases of equivalent hazard such as butadiene, ethylene, oxide, propylene oxide and acrolein. Carbon monoxide, ether, hydrogen sulfide, morphline, cyclopropane, ethyl and ethylene or gases of equivalent hazard. Gasoline, acetone, ammonia, benzene, butane, cyclopropane, ethanol, hexane, methanol, methane, vinyl chloride, natural gas, naphtha, propane or gases of equivalent hazard. Combustible metal dusts, including aluminum, magnesium and their commercial alloys or other combustible dusts whose particle size, abrasiveness and conductivity present similar hazards in connection with electrical equipment. Carbonaceous dusts, carbon black, coal black, charcoal, coal or coke dusts that have more than 8% total entrapped volatiles or dusts that have been sesitized by other material so they present an explosion hazard. Flour dust, grain dust, flour, starch, sugar, wood, plastic and chemicals.

Group E

Group F

Group G

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The specific hazardous materials within each group and their automatic ignition temperatures can be found in Article 500 of the National Electrical Code and in NFPA 497. Group A, B, C and D apply to class I locations. Group E, F and G apply to class II locations.

Temperature Code
A mixture of hazardous gases and air may ignite in contact with a hot surface. The condition for ignition depends on several factors as surface area, temperature and concentration of gas. Equipment approved receives a temperature code indicating the maximum surface temperature of the equipment. Temperature Code T1 T2 T2A T2B T2C T2D T3 T3A T3B T3C T4 T4A T5 T6 Maximum Surface Temperature F 842 572 536 500 446 419 392 356 329 320 275 248 212 185
o o C 450 300 280 260 230 215 200 180 165 160 135 120 100 85

Equipment that not exceed a maximum surface temperature of 212 oF (104 oF ambient temperature) is not required to be marked with a temperature code (NEC). Recommended reading for this topic: National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, Chapter 5, Article 500 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, Electrical 1910.307 NFPA 497, "Classification of Gases, Vapors, and Dusts for Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Classified Locations" NFPA Handbook, "Electrical Installations in Hazardous Locations, " by P. J. Schram and M. W. Earley NFPA 70E, Chapter 5, "Hazardous (Classified) Locations" NFPA 325, "Fire Hazard Properties of Flammable Liquids, Gases, and Volatile Solids" ANSI/UL 913, "Intrinsically Safe Apparatus" NFPA 496, "Purged and Pressurized Enclosure for Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Locations."
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Related Documents
ASTM Standard - Volume 05.06 Gaseous Fuels, Coal and Coke - An overview of the standards within ASTM Section 5 - Petroleum Products, Lubricants, and Fossil Fuels, - Volume 05.06 Gaseous Fuels, Coal and Coke Classification of Gases - Oxidizers, Inert and Flammable gases Dust Explosions - Critical Temperatures and Concentrations - Critical temperatures and concentration parameters for some common substances as coal, zinc, uranium and more Flash Point - The flash point indicates how easy a chemical may ignite and burn Fuels and Chemicals - Auto Ignition Temperatures - The ignition point for some common fuels and chemicals - butane, coke, hydrogen, petroleum and more Hazardous Areas Classification - Europe - European hazardous areas classifications in zones, protection types, temperature codes and codes Hazardous Areas Protection Techniques - Instrinsically safe systems, purged and pressurized systems, explosion-proof equipment, nonicendive circuits and components, oil immersed equipment, hermetically sealed equipment, dust-ignitionproof equipment North American Hazardous Area Protection - Dust-ignition proof, explosion proof, instrinsically safe and nonincendive protection of hazardous areas Safety Signals - recommended Colors - American National Standards Institutes schedule of safety colors marking physical hazards

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