Electrical Area Classification in Coal-Fired Power Plants PDF

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El e c t r i c a l A r e a Cl a s s i f i c a t i o n i n Co a l -Fi r e d Po w e r Pl a n t s
El e c t r i c a l A r e a Cl a s s i f i c a t i o n i n Co a l -Fi r e d Po w e r Pl a n t s
10/07/2013 | Ram K.Saini,P.E.
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m e a s u r e s a r e r e qu i r e d d u r i n g e n g i n e e r i n g ,d e s i g n ,c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d o p e r a t i o n o f t h e c o a l -fi r e d p o w e r
p l a n t s ,p a r t i c u l a r l y i n e l e c t r i c a l a r e a s t h a t a r e o f t e n a s o u r c e o f i g n i t i o n .
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http://www.powermag.com/electrical-area-classification-in-coal-fired-power-plants/?prin... 2016-01-26
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i g n i t i o n s o u r c e m u s t s u p p l y e n o u g h e n e r g y t o i n i t i a t e c o m b u s t i o n .A s p a r k o r f l a m e i s n o t n e c e s s a r y ,a s
t e m p e r a t u r e a l o n e c a n s u p p l y t h e e n e r g y t o c a u s e i g n i t i o n o f t h e m i xt u r e .
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d u e t o p r e s e n c e o f c o m b u s t i b l e d u s t o r i g n i t a b l e f i b e r s ,f l a m m a b l e g a s e s o r v a p o r s ,a n d f l a m m a b l e l i qu i d s .
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h a za r d o u s c o n d i t i o n s ,Cl a s s I— G a s a n d Va p o r ,Cl a s s II— D u s t ,a n d Cl a s s III— Fi b e r s a n d Fl y i n g s .H a za r d o u s
a r e a l o c a t i o n s a r e c a t e g o r i ze d b y t w o m e t h o d s p e r N EC:
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m e t h o d h a s b e e n u s e d i n o t h e r c o u n t r i e s i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h IEC s t a n d a r d s .
Th e r e a r e t w o t y p e s o f d i v i s i o n s u n d e r Cl a s s Ic o n d i t i o n s :
•W h e r e ig n it a b le c o n c e n t r a t io n s o f f la m m a b l e g a s e s ,v a p o r s o r l i qu i d s c a n e xi s t a l l o r f o r
s o m e t im e u n d e r n o r m a l o p e r a t in g c o n d it io n s
•W h e r e ig n it a b le c o n c e n t r a t io n s o f f la m m a b l e g a s e s ,v a p o r s o r l i qu i d s a r e n o t l i ke l y t o e xi s t
u n d e r n o r m a l o p e r a t in g c o n d it io n s
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n o r m a l o p e r a t in g c o n d it io n s
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o p e r a t in g c o n d it io n s
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fo r lo n g p e r io d s a t a t im e u n d e r n o r m a l o p e r a t in g c o n d it io n s .
• Zo n e 1 .W h e r e ig n it a b le c o n c e n t r a t io n s o f fla m m a b l e g a s e s ,v a p o r s o r l i qu i d s c a n e xi s t s o m e o f t h e
t im e u n d e r n o r m a l o p e r a t in g c o n d it io n s .
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u n d e r n o r m a l o p e r a t in g c o n d it io n s .
N a t u r e /G r o u p s o f H a za r d o u s S u b s t a n c e s a r e :
• G r o u p A ,B,C a n d D i n Cl a s s Il o c a t i o n s
• G r o u p E,F a n d G i n Cl a s s IIl o c a t i o n s
Com bustibl e and Fl am m abl e M ate r ial s in a Coal -Fir e d Pow e r Pl ant
M a n y t y p e s o f c o m b u s t i b l e a n d f l a m m a b l e m a t e r i a l s c a n b e p r e s e n t i n c o a l -fi r e d p l a n t :
Coal .Th e m a i n c o m b u s t i b l e f u e l .In a d d i t i o n ,c o a l d u s t i s a m a jo r s o u r c e o f d u s t e xp l o s i o n s i n a c o a l -fi r e d

p o w e r p l a n t .It c a n c a u s e p r i m a r y e xp l o s i o n w h e n t h e r i g h t c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f f i n e l y d i v i d e d d u s t ,s u s p e n d e d
i n a i r ,i s e xp o s e d t o a s u f f i c i e n t s o u r c e o f i g n i t i o n c a u s i n g c o m b u s t i o n .If t h i s p r i m a r y e xp l o s i o n o c c u r s ,
a d d i t i o n a l a v a i l a b l e d u s t c a n d i s p e r s e a n d s e c o n d a r y e xp l o s i o n s c a n s p r e a d t h r o u g h o u t t h e f a c i l i t y .
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c o m b u s t o r ,g a s s h u t -o f f v a l v e ,g a s c o n t r o l v a l v e b l o c k,g a s -re l i e f v a l v e .
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p ip in g .
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s t a t i o n ,f u e l o i l b o o s t e r p u m p a n d l e a ka g e t a n k,f u e l o i l c o n t r o l v a l v e b l o c k a n d f u e l o i l p i p i n g t o b u r n e r s .Th e
f u e l o il b e c o m e s f la m m a b le w h e n h e a t e d a b o v e it s f la s h p o in t .
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h y d r o g e n g a s u n i t ,s e a l o i l u n i t ,c o n t r o l c u b i c l e a n d p i p i n g .
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(S CR)o r s e l e c t i v e n o n -c a t a l y t i c r e d u c t i o n (S N CR)m e t h o d .In c l u d e s a m m o n i a s t o r a g e a n d p i p i n g .
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Th e r e a r e 3 w a y s i n w h i c h e l e c t r i c a l e qu i p m e n t c a n b e c o m e a s o u r c e o f i g n i t i o n :
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s w it c h e s c a n ig n it e a c o m b u s t ib le o r a f la m m a b le m a t e r ia l.
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m o t o r s a n d h e a t e r s c a n i g n i t e f l a m m a b l e a t m o s p h e r e s i f t h e y e xc e e d t h e i g n i t i o n t e m p e r a t u r e o f t h e
h a za r d o u s m a t e r i a l .
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t r a n s f e r t o w e r s ,h e a d c h u t e ,f l o p g a t e b u n ke r s ,c o a l p r e p a r a t i o n s y s t e m /c r u s h e r h o u s e ,c o a l s i l o s ,a n d f e e d
s y s t e m ,t o t a l l y e n c l o s e d p o r t i o n s o f c o a l h a n d l i n g c o n v e y o r s ,c o a l h a n d l i n g b e l o w g ra d e c o n v e y o r s y s te m s ,
c o a l c h u t e s ,d u s t c o l l e c t o r s ,a n d o t h e r l o c a t i o n s w h e r e d u s t c a n s e t t l e ,h i d d e n c o n c e a l e d a r e a s ,a n d w h e r e
o t h e r c o m b u s t i b l e a n d f l a m m a b l e m a t e r i a l s e xi s t .
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a m m o n i a g a s a r e a s ,w h e r e f l a m m a b l e c o n d i t i o n s e xi s t .
Se l e ction and Instal l ation ofEl e ctr ical Equip m e ntfor H azar d ous Locations
Ig n i t i o n s ,c o m b u s t i o n a n d e xp l o s i o n w i t h i n e l e c t r i c e qu i p m e n t a n d c i r c u i t w i r i n g e n c l o s u r e s i n h a za r d o u s
a r e a s a r e d u e t o h o t s u r f a c e s a n d a r c s /s p a r ks ,o r c o m b u s t i b l e m a t e r i a l e n t e r i n g t h e e n c l o s u r e s .Th e i d e a l
e l e c t r i c a l e n c l o s u r e s h o u l d b e i n s t a l l e d a n d r e m o v e d e a s i l y ,p r o t e c t t h e e qu i p m e n t ,a l l o w th e c o m p o n e n ts
h o u s e d i n s i d e i t t o b e a c c e s s e d e a s i l y ,a n d r e s i s t a n d p r e v e n t f i r e a n d e xp l o s i o n h a za r d s .N FPA 7 0,N FPA 7 9,
N EM A 250,U L 50,U L 508A ;Ca n a d i a n S t a n d a r d A s s o c i a t i o n CS A 22.2,a n d IEC 60529 p r o v i d e s g u i d a n c e i n t h e
s e le c t io n o f s p e c if ic t y p e o f e n c lo s u r e t o m a t c h t h e e n v ir o n m e n t a l p r o t e c t io n .
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t i g h t ,p o w d e r f i l l e d ,n o n -s p a r ki n g ,n o n -in c e n d i a r y a n d h e r m e t i c a l l y s e a l e d c o n s t r u c t i o n .M a n y o f t h e s e
m e t h o d s a p p l y t o A C-p o w e r e d c i r c u i t s ,b u t f e w a r e u s e d f o r in s t r u m e n t w ir in g c ir c u it w ir in g .
W h e n i n s t a l l a t i o n s a r e n o t e xp l o s i o n p r o o f o r i n t r i n s i c a l l y s a f e ,p r e s s u r i za t i o n i s o f t e n u s e d t o m a i n t a i n t h e
c l a s s i f i e d a r e a s a f e t y .W i r i n g a n d e n c l o s u r e s a r e p r o t e c t e d u s i n g a p o s i t i v e p r e s s u r e m a i n t a i n e d w i t h i n t h e
e n c l o s u r e ,ju n c t i o n b o xe s a n d c o n d u i t a s p e r A N S I/N FPA 496.
In t r i n s i c a l l y s a f e c i r c u i t s i n w h i c h a n y s p a r k o r t h e r m a l e f f e c t i s i n c a p a b l e o f c a u s i n g i g n i t i o n o f a m i xt u r e o f
f l a m m a b l e o r c o m b u s t i b l e m a t e r i a l i n a i r ,m a y b e u s e d i n h a za r d o u s c l a s s i f i e d l o c a t i o n s .N EC A r t i c l e 504
r e qu i r e s t h a t c o n d u c t o r s a n d c a b l e s o f i n t r i n s i c a l l y s a f e c i r c u i t s s h a l l b e p h y s i c a l l y s e p a r a t e d f r o m n o n -
i n t r i n s i c a l l y s a f e c i r c u i t s .N o n i n c e n d i v e c i r c u i t s ,i n w h i c h a n y s p a r k o r t h e r m a l e f f e c t p r o d u c e d u n d e r
i n t e n d e d o p e r a t i n g c o n d i t i o n s i s n o t c a p a b l e o f i g n i t i n g t h e g a s -a i r ,v a p o r -a i r ,o r d u s t -a i r m i xt u r e ,m a y b e
u s e d f o r e qu i p m e n t i n Cl a s s 1 ,D i v i s i o n 2 a n d Cl a s s II,D i v i s i o n 2 h a za r d o u s c l a s s i f i e d l o c a t i o n s .
El e ctr ical Equip m e ntfor Cl ass IAp p l ications (gas/vap or )
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e v e n t u a l l y s e e p i n t o t h e e n c l o s u r e .Th e r e f o r e ,c o n s t r u c t i o n o f s u c h e qu i p m e n t m u s t b e s t r o n g e n o u g h t o
c o n t a i n a n e xp l o s i o n w i t h i n ,a n d b e e xp l o s i o n p r o o f .It m u s t f u n c t i o n a t a t e m p e r a t u r e b e l o w t h e ig n it io n
t e m p e r a t u r e o f t h e s u r r o u n d in g a t m o s p h e r e p r o v id in g a w a y f o r t h e b u r n in g g a s e s t o e s c a p e f r o m th e
d e v i c e a s t h e g a s e s e xp a n d d u r i n g a n i n t e r n a l e xp l o s i o n ,o n l y a f t e r t h e y h a v e b e e n c o o l e d o f f a n d t h e i r
f l a m e s qu e n c h e d .Th e e s c a p e p a t h s c o u l d b e g r o u n d s u r f a c e o r t h r e a d e d f l a m e p a t h .Fu r t h e r ,i t i s i m p e r a t i v e
t o e n s u r e t h a t a l l f l a m e p a t h s a r e p r o t e c t e d d u r i n g h a n d l i n g ,s h i p p i n g ,s t o r a g e ,i n s t a l l a t i o n a n d m a i n t e n a n c e
o f e xp l o s i o n p r o o f m a t e r i a l a n d e qu i p m e n t .
El e ctr ical Equip m e ntfor Cl ass IIAp p l ications
Cl a s s II,D i v i s i o n 1 e qu i p m e n t i s d e s i g n e d a n d c o n s t r u c t e d s u c h t h a t i t m u s t s e a l o u t t h e c o m b u s t i b l e d u s t ,
o p e r a t e b e lo w t h e i g n i t i o n t e m p e r a t u r e o f h a za r d o u s s u b s t a n c e s ,a n d a l l o w f o r a d u s t b l a n ke t .Th e r e f o r e ,
t h e r e i s n o n e e d f o r h e a v y e xp l o s i o n -p r o o f c o n s t r u c t i o n ,o r f l a m e p a t h s r e qu i r e d f o r e qu i p m e n t i n Cl a s s I,
D i v i s i o n 1 l o c a t i o n s .Cl a s s IIe qu i p m e n t i s c a l l e d d u s t -ig n i t i o n p r o o f .
El e ctr ical Equip m e ntfor Cl ass IIIAp p l ications
There is very little difference in the design between Class II and Class III equipment. Class III equipment must
minimize entrance of fibers and flyings, prevent escape of sparks, burning material or hot metal particles
resulting from failure of equipment, and operate at a temperature that will prevent the ignition of fibers
accumulated on the equipment. Class III equipment is generally not used in coal-fired power plants.
There are many devices, fixtures and enclosures that are suitable for Class I, II and III locations. Additionally,
a Class I device would have to prevent dust entering the enclosure to be suitable for Class III application.
Low Ambient Conditions Considerations
Explosion proof– or dust ignition proof–equipment is generally suitable for use in an ambient temperature
range of -25°C (-13°F) to +40°C (+104°F). Such equipment may not be suitable for use at temperatures lower
than -25°C (-13°F), unless they are identified for lower temperature service.
Equipment that is approved for Class I and Class II or Zone 0 and Zone 1 should be marked with the
maximum safe operating temperature. Equipment must be selected so that its maximum surface
temperature will be less than the ignition temperature of the coal dust.
Installation Considerations
Proper installation of electrical equipment in a hazardous location requires use of seals. Special fittings are
required to keep hot gases from travelling through the conduit system igniting other areas if an internal
explosion occurs in a Class I device.
Coal handling buildings that have dust explosion hazards, structural members should be carefully reviewed
for explosion pressures. Also, proper pressure relieving vents and wall panels should be selected, located
and provided.
Qualification of Electrical Equipment in Hazardous (Classified) Locations
There are a number of ways of protecting electrical equipment so that it does not cause an explosion when
used in a surrounding flammable atmosphere, or ignite a layer of dust on the equipment. The two most
common ways are explosion-proof equipment and dust-ignition proof equipment
Electric motors should be totally enclosed fan-cooled, Class II, Division 2/Zone 1 type or totally enclosed pipe-
ventilated type, meeting temperature rise limitations.
In Coal handling areas, where accumulation of coal dust and its suspension in air are sources of potential
hazards, medium voltage switchgear and low voltage switchgear enclosures should be fully gasketed and be
provided with filtered and screened air.
Dust ignition–proof equipment should be enclosed in a manner that will exclude dust and constructed so
that arcs, sparks, or heat generated inside of the enclosure will not ignite exterior accumulation or
atmospheric suspension of a specified dust on or in the vicinity of the enclosure.
Electrical devices including switches, solenoids, panels, should be used with NEMA 9 (dust ignition–proof)
enclosures with watertight seals (O-rings), which together with the enclosed equipment in each case, shall be
as complete assembly for Class II, Division 1, Group F locations.
NEC Article 500.8 (A) states that the suitability of identified equipment shall be determined by the equipment
listing or labeling (for example, UL), evidence of equipment evaluation from a qualified testing laboratory or
inspection agency, or evidence acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.
Applicable Industry Codes and Standards
In the United States, codes and standards have been developed that are applicable to hazardous classified
areas as shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Codes and standard applicable to hazardous classified areas. Source: Burns and Roe Enterprises.
(http://cdn.powermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CP_090113_ElecClass_Table1.jpg)
Design Basis Document (DBD) and Drawings
A design basis document is an engineering document that defines the basis of engineering and design, and
the selection of electrical equipment that must meet requirements for each classified area. The design basis
document also provides the necessary guidance to inter-discipline team of engineers in the design of their
systems and design drawings for classified areas.
The design basis document and design drawings should include:
• A listing of all combustible and flammable materials used in the facility, along with their pertinent
properties, such as ignition temperature, flash point, density and how and where handled.
• Brief description of the process, operation, maintenance and cleaning procedures, and assumptions.
• A list, including dates and/or editions of all the codes, standards, references, practices, and other data
used to prepare area classification.
• A listing of each room or area and its determined area classification, along with the rationale for
making such determination.
• A complete set of electrical area classification drawings, indicating process flow, process equipment, the
normal leakage sources, and the boundaries of area classifications.
Practical Guidelines
Table 2 provides general practical guidelines for classification of electrical areas where combustible and/or
flammable materials are located and processes are performed in a coal-fired power plant. The following is a
list of NEC rules that are intended to convey an awareness of the complexity of electrical design in hazardous
areas:
• Explosion proof and dust-ignition proof equipment is required in Division 1 (Zone 0) areas and for
certain types of equipment in Division 2 (Zone 1) areas.
• Approved equipment by UL or other appropriate agency should be preferred.
• Electrical equipment should preferably be located outside hazardous area.
• General-purpose equipment is permitted for certain applications in Division 2 (Zone 2) areas.
• Purging and pressurization of enclosures are permitted to prevent entrance of flammable and
combustible materials, provided the specific rules of NFPA 469 are followed.
• Instrument enclosures may be general-purpose type if they are part of intrinsically safe systems, and if
they are installed per NEC article 504.
• Rigid metal conduit is the allowable wiring method in Division 1 areas.
• Cable tray and cable, under certain conditions, are permitted in Division 2 areas.
• Electrical equipment must have temperature ratings or operating surface temperatures below the AIT
of the hazardous substance present.
Table 2. Guidelines for classification of electrical areas. Source: Burns and Roe Enterprises.
(http://cdn.powermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CP_090113_ElecClass_Table2.jpg)
Sound engineering judgment should be applied and additional areas, not mentioned in Table 2, should be
identified. Equipment manufacturer’s recommendations for area classification of specific equipment should
be followed, if they are more stringent than the guidelines provided in Table 2.
When there is more than one leakage source in an area, such as in a manifold having several instruments,
valves and flanges, or if there are several pieces of equipment with potential leak sources, the area should be
boxed out as an overall 3 dimensional shape covering limits of extreme leakage points.
In addition to the recommended distances from sources, considerations should be given to use easily
recognizable boundary limits when defining the horizontal and vertical extent of classified locations.
Examples of recognizable boundaries are column lines, walls, ceilings, coordinates, equipment outlines,
roads, dikes, etc. Areas identified by recognizable boundaries are helpful for plant installation, operation and
maintenance personnel.
To avoid undue expense, precaution should be taken to verify that boxing an overall area or extending a
classified area to recognizable boundaries does not include electrical equipment that would otherwise not be
included in the hazardous area.
Project Documents
Project documents prepared and used in establishing hazardous areas include process flow diagrams of the
systems containing the hazardous materials, piping layouts, equipment general arrangements, and vendor
supplied equipment drawings
Two examples may be illustrative. The first shows a typical example of a pulverized coal-fired power plant
coal handling system process flow diagram (http://www.powermag.com/?attachment_id=43580), and the
second shows boiler general arrangement with classified hazardous locations (http://www.powermag.com/?
attachment_id=43582).
The design basis document and the associated design drawings that show the extent of horizontal and
vertical boundaries of each classified area should be discussed with the owner, the construction contractor
and the plant operators for their understanding of the affected areas. It also helps the plant operation
personnel to take protective measures that ensure safety of operation and maintenance of plant and better
understanding to inspectors and insurance personnel.
—Ram K. Saini, P.E. is assistant chief electrical engineer with Burns and Roe Enterprises.
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Fi n d a l l o f y o u r i n d u s t r y -re l a t e d r e s o u r c e s i n o n e s p o t .Vi s i t t h e PO W ER STO RE

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Sour ce s ofIgnition:El e ctr ical Equip m e nt

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El e ctr ical e quip m e ntfailur e . S h o r t i n g o f a t e r m i n a l c o u l d s p a r k i g n i t i o n .

El e ctr ical Equip m e ntfor Cl ass IAp p l ications (gas/vap or )

El e ctr ical Equip m e ntfor Cl ass IIAp p l ications

El e ctr ical Equip m e ntfor Cl ass IIIAp p l ications

Low Ambient Conditions Considerations

Qualification of Electrical Equipment in Hazardous (Classified) Locations

Applicable Industry Codes and Standards

Design Basis Document (DBD) and Drawings

The design basis document and design drawings should include:

Very informative article.

Research Paper: Real-time Sensor Data for

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