Hazardous Area Lighting Product Certification-EX

Trying to find the right lighting productions that meet the required standards for their application occasions is the fundamental norm of design that every lighting project planner or designer should comply with. hazardous area, as a special occasion with potential explosive risk, has their special requirements for electrical equipment . safety ,quality and service should be focused all the time .

some common hazardous areas

marine and oil & gas industry                                                                        chemical factory

                    

refinery                                                                                                            iron and steel plant

                  

underground coal mine area                                                                      metal processing industry

                 

these places are often full of combustible gases, liquids and dust in the surrounding environment and hide huge potential safety hazard .it is exactly the fact there are potential risks makes people realize deeply in heart that guarding against dangers is of prime importance . for example ,  the use of substandard electrical equipment might lead to fires and explosions. because  these items are easier to produce sparking and arc during use . how to ensure the used products are safe enough or how to provide a safe operating environment to hazardous areas become an urgent problem needed to be solved .

To verify many manufactures' claim that product applicability of explosive atmospheres. EX certification is specially set to check whether the equipment meet technical standard covered by explosion proof level.

EX certification systems 

however each country has its own standards of conformity assessment. it is learned that there is still no way to reach unification on certification ,at least for the time being. that's why there are several EX certification standard branches in the market. below we will focus on introducing two common and  important types of EX certifications 

IECEX ,International Electromechanical Commission System for certification to standards relating to equipment for use in explosive atmospheres. here is a link to know which certification bodies are approved by IECEX and  where are they located .

https://www.iecex.com/information/excbs/httpwww-iecex-comdirectorybodiesbodies1-aspid5/

ATEX , The European Regulatory Framework for Manufacture, Installation and Use of Equipment in Explosive Atmospheres .ATEX Directive defines technical and management systems requirements for compliance in the EU and specifies the basic requirements for products intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.equipment manufacturers whose products are intended to be used in Europe region are responsible for making sure their equipment complies with ATEX standards. 

ATEX is driven by EU law whereas IECEX is a voluntary certification scheme. Both provide an accepted method of proving equipment compliance with explosive atmospheres requirements. The difference between ATEX and IECEX is that ATEX is only valid in the EU and IECEX is accepted widely .

what we cannot fail to notice is although Canada and USA are listed in the table of IECEX certification bodies， IECEX certification is not recognized  by these two nations . 

In the United state , the equipment that you intend to use in an explosive atmospheres must be certified by an OSHA-recognized NRTL. (nationally recognized  testing laboratory)

OSHA, an agency of the United States Department of Labor, publishes a list of Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories. The following are recognized by OSHA as NRTLs:

• Bay Area Compliance Laboratories
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA) (also known as CSA International)
• Communication Certification Laboratory, Inc. (CCL)
• Curtis-Straus LLC (CSL)
• FM Approvals LLC
• International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials EGS (IAPMO)
• Intertek Testing Services NA, Inc. (ITSNA) (formerly ETL)
• Eurofins MET Labs (MET) (formerly MET Laboratories, Inc.)
• Nemko USA, Nemko North America, Inc.(NNA)
• NSF International (NSF)
• QAI Laboratories, LTD (QAI)
• QPS Evaluation Services, Inc. (QPS)
• SGS U.S. Testing Company, Inc. (SGSUS) (formerly UST-CA)
• Southwest Research Institute (SWRI)
• TUV Rheinland PTL, LLC (TÜVPTL)
• TUV SUD America (TÜVAM)
• TUV SUD Product Services GmbH (TÜVPSG)
• TUV Rheinland of North America (TÜV)
• Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL)

while in Canada , CSA (Canadian standards association), as a widely accepted organization , tests and certifies products .

Affixing certification marks indicates that products have been independently tested and have met the required standards for safety & performance. retailers, regulators, consumers and end users could feel assured to use products . 

what the EX certification related letters and numbers mean?

part 1 : CE marking , the tested products comply with EU directives.

part 2 : EX marking，products are suitable for explosive atmospheres.

part 3 :  definition , group Ⅱ is for surface industries； groupⅠis for use underground .

part 4:  category of equipment .

part 5 : definition , G is tested for gases environment  ; D is tested for dust environment .

part 6: equipment is tested under  EU unified standards for using in explosive atmospheres.

part 7:  CPC marking , d is flameproof to EX51008 standards 

part 8: groups of apparatus 

part 9: temperature classification , T1 is 450 ℃ ; T2 is 300℃; T3 is 200 ℃ ； T4 is 135 ℃ ； T5 is 100 ℃ ； T6 is 85 ℃.

part 10:  shows the ambient temperature range when in service between - 20 ℃ to +40 ℃.

industrial light:

https://www.agcled.com/?from=sopl 

info@agcled.com