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• Create Date 14th May 2010
• Last Updated 28th February 2020

What Ex certification is, and why you may need it

About the ATEX Directive, the risks of potentially explosive atmospheres, and what you can do about it.

This white paper is designed to help you understand what the ATEX Directive and why it's necessary to use certified equipment in hazardous areas.

So, what is the ATEX Directive?

• the background of the ATEX Directive
• a summary of the ATEX Directive's impact on industrial locations

The context of explosive atmospheres

• Defining an explosion
• The effects of oxygen enhancement, temperature, and pressure
• the history of explosion protection

Definitions and codes surrounding areas with explosive atmospheres

• defining a hazardous area
• examples of explosive mixtures
• gas groups
• temperature codes

Commonly recognised protection concepts

• general requirements
• the flameproof, or Ex d, concept
• the intrinsic safety, or Ex ia  and ib, concept
• the pressurisation, or Ex p, concept
• the increased safety, or Ex e, concept
• the non-sparking, or Ex n, concept
• the oil immersion, or Ex o, concept
• the powder/sand filling, or Ex q, concept
• the encapsulation, or Ex m, concept

Electrical equipment marking

• example of certification coding
• hazardous area certificate numbering
• use of the hexagon Ex symbol
• CE marking