Dear emc-pstc, A number of people responded to me, rather than the list so that I could consolidate the emails and pass them on to the list. As most of the emails contained the same information and to conserve space and bandwidth, I picked several to pass on, which are included below. If you would like me to pass on the others I will, just let me know.
With all the information that was emailed to me, we were able to determine that following standards would probably apply to our product and the customers application: 1. UL 913 (for intrinsically safe equipment). 2. ANSI/UL1203 "Explosion-Proof and Dust-Ignition Proof Electrical Equipment for Use in Hazardous (Classified) Locations". 3. Article 500 of the National Electrical Code. The product the customer was asking us about is a battery operated portable printer (To take a quick look at the product the customer ask about check the following web page : www.monarch-marking.com/products/6035.htm.). As Jacob Z. Schanker, P.E., said if you have to ask it probably isn't, and I agree with his comments on our product. Our product contains electrical and thermal energy sources, as well as DC motors with brushes, all of which could be problems under the standards. I would like to thank the following people, who responded to my request for information: Robert Tims [email protected] Stewart; Judd [email protected] Jeff Whitmire [email protected] Constantin Bolintineanu [email protected] Jerry Roberton [email protected] Mark Briggs [email protected] Bill Burks / Rick Everett [email protected] Roger Smith [email protected] Gary Labadie [email protected] Eric Henning [email protected] Mike Morrow [email protected] Rick Cooper [email protected] Paul T. Kelly [email protected] Nick Ludlam [email protected] Schanker; Jack [email protected] Kazimier Gawrzyjal [email protected] Jacob Z. Schanker, P.E. [email protected] mike harris [email protected] Jim Jim Bacher, Senior Engineer Paxar - Monarch email:[email protected] voice:1-937-865-2020 fax:1-937-865-2048 ------------------------------------------------------------ Author: Eric Henning [email protected] Jim, you'll probably get a flood of answers but check the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) if you're in the US. article 500 describes hazardous areas but basically Class I, Div 1, Group D is: Class I (explosive gases) Div 1 (always explosive mix available) Group D (propane type gases) other classiifcations are Class II (explosive dusts) Div 2 (explosive mix only during abnormal or fault conditions) Group A (acetylene type gases0 Group B (hydrogen) Group C (ethylene) Groups E,F, G (dusts) hope this helps. typically Class I, Div 1 products need to be either explosionproof (contain an internal explosion) or intrinisically safe (not enough energy to cause a spark that can ignite a gas) Typicallu you must go to an NRTL (UL, FM) to get an explosionproof approval. eric [email protected] Author: Mike Morrow <[email protected]> This is a hazardous locations classification. Class I = Gasses, Division 1 = gas present all the time, Group D = Type of Gasses (typically propane for Group D). This comes out of the National Electric Code, Articles 500-505. You will need an NRTL (Factory Mutual, UL, etc) certification in order to meet these requirements. You can contact Bill Lawrence at Factory Mutual 781-255-4822 for further info. They are a good place to start. FYI, typical exams run in the 3-8 month range and cost 6-10K depending on the complexity of the product. Mike Morrow Product Standards Engineer Data Instruments [email protected] [email protected] Phone 978-264-9550 xt-201 Fax 978-263-0630 Author: [email protected] Mr. Bacher, Since your customer referenced Class I, Division 1, Group D, I'll assume the application is in the U.S. or Canada. What your customer was asking you was whether your product was suitable for use in a hazardous (classified) atmosphere. In this case, an atmosphere of methane, natural gas, gasoline, or butane, just to name a few of the Group D gasses. Petroleum plants and distribution facilities, as well as gas utility access areas are some examples where such equipment may be required. If your product is portable or is part of a process control system, then UL 913 (for intrinsically safe equipment) may be applicable. If your product requires the use of an explosion-proof enclosure to make it suitable, then UL 1203 may be applicable. There are a few other possibilities and Canada has their equivalent standards. Another source of information is Article 500 of the National Electrical Code which defines hazardous location classifications. If you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail or telephone me. Rick Cooper Sr. Project Engineer MET Laboratories, Inc. 410-354-3300 800-638-6057 Hello! My name is Paul Kelly and I am in charge of UL's Hazardous Locations section here at our Northbrook, Illinois office. Mike Windler forwarded your question to me regarding Class I, Division 1, Group D and I hope that the following proves helpful: 1. The marking string "Class I (Roman Numeral One), Division 1 (Arabic Numeral One), Group D" defines the characteristics of a "hazardous" (i.e. potentially explosive) area in accordance with the National Electrical Code (NEC). See Articles 500 and 501 of 1996 NEC. 2. Class I indicates that the "hazard" is flammable gases, vapors or liquids. 3. Division 1 indicates that the "hazard" is likely to exist all of the time or some of the time. 4. Group D indicates that the ignition-related properties of the "hazard" are similar to propane. 5. Equipment installed in such areas must be protected by one of the following methods - explosionproof, intrinsic safety or purging/pressurization. 6. Explosionproof is a protection method that relies on the enclosure of an incendive arcing part to withstand the impact of an internal explosion and to prevent propagation of any flames from the inside to the outside of the enclosure. The U.S. requirements for this protection method are contained in ANSI/UL1203, "Explosion-Proof and Dust-IgnitionProof Electrical Equipment for Use in Hazardous (Classified) Locations". 7. Intrinsic Safety is a protection method that does not rely on the enclosure, but instead relies on the "intrinsic design" of the circuitry to not be able to ignite the atmosphere under single or double fault conditions. The U.S. requirements for this protection method are contained in ANSI/UL913, "Intrinsically Safe Apparatus and Associated Apparatus for Use in Class I, II, and III, Division 1, Hazardous (Classified) Locations". 8. Purging/Pressurization is a protection method that relies on the use of a "protective gas" to prevent entry of the hazardous atmosphere into the enclosure of an incendive arcing part. The U.S. requirements for this protection method are contained in ANSI/NFPA496, "Purged and Pressurized Enclosures for Electrical Equipment". Note: Please realize that these "definitions" in Items 6, 7 and 8 above are only intended to convey the basic concepts of each protection method. 9. Equipment utilizing any of the above protection methods can obtain a "rating" of Class I, Division 1, Group D - but the certification evaluation would be distinctly different for each. 10. UL has an educational poster that details all of the above information - and a good deal more. If you would like complimentary copies of this poster, just let me know your address and how many you could use and I can have them mailed to you. Let me know if I can provide any further assistance... Paul T. Kelly Associate Managing Engineer Hazardous Locations E-mail: [email protected] The question was : ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: What is Class 1, Div. 1 Group D? Author: [email protected] (BACHERJ) at Internet_Gateway List-Post: [email protected] Date: 6/9/ 0 8:14 AM Yesterday we had a customer call asking if our products were Class 1, Div. 1, Group D compliant. Can anyone tell me where I can get information on what it is and what it takes to meet it? Jim Bacher Paxar-Monarch [email protected]
