Area Classification and Selection of Electrical Equipments

By R.K.Sinha, DGM (Electrical),ONGC Ltd.,Mumbai

Mumbai High Asset

INTRODUCTION
In most of the industrial plants such as Chemical plants, Refineries, Crude Oil & Gas
processing plants, hazardous areas exist due to the presence of flammable gases .
While designing such plants the first step is to finalize the layout of facilities and
equipments. Area Classification drawings are then developed based on the layouts.
The purpose of the area classification drawings is to clearly identify the hazardous
and safe areas in the plant . For safe operations all electrical equipments must be
selected keeping in view their area of application in the plant. It goes without saying
that electrical equipments designed for hazardous areas are much costlier than the
ordinary ones and hence the plant facility layout has a considerable bearing on the
capital expenditure.

SOME DEFINITIONS
We know that for a fire to take place three things are essential :
1. Presence of fuel such as flammable gas
2. Presence of oxygen
3. Presence of heat ie. sufficient ignition energy to ignite the flammable mixture

While discussing hazardous areas ,it is useful to have the following relevant
definitions in mind :
• Ignition Temperature : The lowest temperature at which ignition occurs in a
mixture of explosive gas and air.
• Flash Point : The temperature at which the liquid gives so much vapour,that
this vapour, when mixed with air,forms an ignitable mixture.
• Explosive Limits : The extreme values for the concentration of a flammable
gas or air under atmospheric conditions, which can be ignited by an electric
arc or spark.

STANDARDS
Most countries have developed their own standards and codes for Area
Classification but internationally two main standards are being followed.These are :
• The North American standards produced by the API and NFPA.
• The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.
• API RP 500 is used in the United States whereas IEC 79 is popular in Europe.

Area classification basically covers two aspects :

1. The probability of flammable atmosphere in the area
2. The type of gases / chemical vapours involved

The North American API RP 500 defines the above two aspects as Divisions and
Gas Groups whereas in IEC 79 they are termed as Zones and Gas Groups.
NORTH AMERICAN METHOD
CLASSES
The type of flammable material is classified as follows :
Class 1 :Flammable gases or vapors are present in the air in quantities
sufficient to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures.
Class 2 : Combustible or conductive dusts are present.
Class 3 : Ignitable fibres or flyings are present, but not likely to be in suspension in
sufficient quantities to produce ignitable mixtures. (Group classifications are not
applied to this class.)

In the petroleum industry we are concerned with Class 1 mainly.

DIVISIONS
Class 1, Division 1 Location : A location in which ignitable concentrations of
flammable gases or vapors are expected to exist under normal operating conditions
or in which faulty operation of equipment or processes might simultaneously release
flammable gases or vapors and also cause failure of electrical equipment.
Class 1, Division 2 Location : A location in which flammable gases or vapors may
be present, but normally are confined within closed systems; are prevented from
accumulating by adequate ventilation; or the location is adjacent to a Division 1
location from which ignitable concentrations might occasionally be communicated.

GAS GROUPS
GROUP A Atmospheres containing acetylene.
GROUP B Atmospheres containing hydrogen
GROUP C Atmospheres containing ethyl ether vapours, ethylene or
equivalent gases
GROUP D Atmospheres containing gasoline, naptha, propane, acetone,
natural gas or equivalent
GROUP E Metal Dust
GROUP F Coal Dust
GROUP G Grain Dust

EUROPEAN METHOD
ZONES
ZONE 0 An area in which hazardous atmosphere
is continuously present. In oil industry
such a condition exists in confined
spaces, such as the vapour space of
closed process vessels, storage tanks
etc.
ZONE 1 An area where explosive gas and air
mixture is continuously present for a long
period or is likely to occur in normal
operation.
ZONE 2 An area in which explosive gas and air
mixture is likely to occur only under
abnormal operating conditions. For
example : Gas Turbine enclosures.
NON-HAZARDOUS AREA Areas not falling under Zone 0,1 or 2 are
 considered as safe areas. Oil and gas
pipelines laid in the open outside
hazardous areas and that do not have
any flange joints,which cannot become
loose, are considered safe area.

GAS GROUPS
GROUP 1 Covers gases produced in coal mines
(mainly fire damp methane).
GROUP 2A Atmospheres containing acetone,
ethane, hexane, ethyl acetate, ammonia,
benzene, butane, diesel, propane etc.
GROUP 2B Atmospheres containing ethylene, town
gas, ethyl ether etc.
GROUP 2C Atmospheres containing hydrogen,
acetylene, ethyl nitrate, carbon
disulphide.

In addition to the zones ( defining probability of occurrence of flammable mixture)

and Gas Groups ( defining type of flammable gas) , the European Standard also has
a Temperature Classification .
• The external surfaces of explosion proof equipment must not exceed the
temperature whereby they may be liable to become source of ignition for the
surrounding atmosphere.
• According to ignition temperature gases and vapours are divided into six
temperature classes as follows :
T1 450 deg C
T2 300 deg C
T3 200 deg C
T4 135 deg C
T5 100 deg C
T6 85 deg C
The ignition temperature of natural gas is approximately 480 deg Celsius.
However, it goes down considerably if H2S is present.

TYPES OF PROTECTION FOR ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS

Electrical equipments are designed and manufactured with the following types of
protections :
Type ‘d’ (Flameproof)
Type ‘e’ (Increased safety)
The enclosure will withstand an internal
explosion of the flammable gas, which
may enter it, without suffering damage
and without communicating the internal
flame to the external flammable
atmosphere through any joints or
structural opening in the enclosure.
A method of protection by which
additional measures are applied to
provide increased safety against the
possibility of excessive temperatures and

Type ‘i’ (Intrinsically safe)
Type ‘p’ (Pressurized)
Type ‘n’ (Non-sparking)
Type ‘o’ (Oil Immersed)
Type ‘q’ (Sand filled)
Type ‘s’ (Special)
of the occurrence of arcs or sparks
during the service life of the apparatus.
A protection technique based upon the
restriction of electrical energy within
apparatus and the interconnecting
wiring,exposed to a potentially explosive
atmosphere, to a level below that which
can cause ignition by either sparking or
heating effects.Devices whose electrical
parameters do not exceed any of the
values 1.2 V,100mA,20 J or 25 mW.
A method of protection using the
pressure of a protective gas to prevent
the ingress of an external flammable
atmosphere to a space which may
contain a source of ignition.
A type of protection applied to an
electrical apparatus such that,in normal
operation,it is not capable of igniting a
surrounding explosive atmosphere , and
a fault capable of causing ignition is not
likely to occur.
A method of protection where the
enclosure is made safe by oil-immersion
in the sense that flammable gases or
vapours above the oil or outside the
enclosure will not be ignited.
A method of protection where the
enclosure of electrical apparatus is filled
with a powdery material such that, if an
arc occurs, it will not be able to ignite the
external flammable atmosphere.
Special methods of protection which may
be a combination of above methods

SELECTION OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS

Zone 0 Only Type ‘ia’ (Intrinsically safe) and
some special type ‘s’ allowed.
Zone 1 Apparatus suitable for Zone 0 and
Intrinsically Safe ‘ib’,Flameproof (‘d’),Oil
Immersed (‘o’),Pressurised (‘p’), Sand
Filled (‘q’).
Zone 2 Apparatus for Zone 0 & 1 plus Increased
Safety (‘e’),Non-sparking (‘n’) allowed.

INGRESS PROTECTION
To complete the subject it is also worthwhile to touch upon the topic of Ingress
Protection for enclosures of electrical equipments and switchgear. Ingress protection
defines the level of protection of the enclosure against the ingress of solids and
liquids. It is denoted as IP followed by two digits eg. IP 55. Here the first digit
specifies protection against ingress of solids whereas the second digit specifies
protection against ingress of liquids. The following tables provides the details :

SOLIDS
0 No protection
1 Protected against solid objects upto 50
mm (eg. Hands)
2 Protected against solid objects upto 12.5
mm (eg. Fingers)
3 Protected against solid objects upto 2.5
mm (eg. Tools)
4 Protected against solid objects over 1
mm (eg. Wires)
5 Protected against dust (No harmful
deposits)
6 Totally protected against dust.

LIQUIDS
0 No protection
1 Protected against vertically falling drops
of water
2 Protected against water spray upto 15
deg from the vertical
3 Protected against water spray upto 60
deg from the vertical
4 Protected against water spray from all
directions
5 Protected against water jets from all
directions
6 Protected against strong water jets from
all directions
7 Protected against immersion upto 1 Mtr
depth.
8 Protected against lengthy immersion
under pressure.

SOME IMPORTANT AGENCIES

API AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE
NFPA NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION
IEC INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
UL UNDERWRITERS LABORATORY
CENELEC EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR ELECTROTECHNICAL
STANDARDIZATION
BASEEFA BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF SAFETY ON ELECTRICAL AND
ELECTRONICS FLAMEPROOF APPARATUS
DGMS DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF MINES SAFETY
CMRI CENTRAL MINING RESEARCH INSTITUTE
SOME IMPORTANT STANDARDS
API RP Recommended practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical
500 Installations at Petroleum facilities Classified as Class 1,Division 1 and
Division 2.
API RP Recommended practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical
505 Installations at Petroleum facilities Classified as Class 1,Zone 0,Zone 1
and Zone 2.
API RP Recommended Practice for Design and Installation of Electrical Systems
14 F for Offshore Petroleum Facilities.
IEC 79- Classification of Hazardous Areas
10
IS 5572 Indian Standard for Classification of Hazardous Areas

CONCLUSION
It is imperative that all of us engaged in the pursuit of oil and gas clearly understand
the disastrous implications of an electrical equipment wrongly selected or improperly
maintained. Even if we select world class equipment/apparatus , it will not reduce the
risks if not well maintained. So the onus is on the electrical maintenance engineers
( a thankless and much hassled community) to beware of each missing bolt from a
flameproof equipment or a worn gasket in a field junction box. And my dear brethren
(read electrical maintenance engineers) do we not know that 90% of the fires in the
industry are thrust in our laps as caused by electrical short-circuits. After all, any fire
burns out cables and wires also ,doesn’t it ? Very difficult to establish the cause and
the effect later. So why give the world a chance ? Let us resolve to mitigate the risks
with our knowledge, skills and commitment.