Chris, Be aware that for a zone 1 location there may well be acceptable alternative solutions to explosion protection which are a lot less costly than intrinsic safety, particularly if the quantity of units is small. There's no point in going to the expense of IS if there is another, cheaper technology (e.g. putting the equipment in a flameproof box) which will meet the customer's requirements.
Mining applications tend to be a bit more complex to deal with than petrochemical or similar sites since they often involve both flammable gas and flammable dust. Equipment certified for use in above ground flammable gas atmospheres is not necessarily suitable for use in similar zones underground. You need to make sure that the person who actually specifies the explosion protection method used understands the environment in which the equipment is going to be used, the available protection and certification options and the technology on which the equipment is based. In my experience it's rare for the customer to have all the expertise required to do this, so they may well need some 'education' by a suitably qualified sales person. Contact me directly if you want some more advice on this topic. Regards Nick. At 9:20 am -0500 8/12/05, Chris Maxwell wrote: > > >Anyway we have a customer in Australia asking if >we have a product that is rated for Zone 1 Exia >(maybe a typoŠcould that be "Exit"). They have >explained that this rating deals with mine >atmospheres where there could possibly be >mixtures of explosive gases. > >We have never tested products for such a >condition. Can anybody tell me what standard >this rating is based on? Furthermore, does >anybody know who performs such testing and what >it entails?\ > >Thanks, > >Chris Maxwell, - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas [email protected] Mike Cantwell [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: [email protected] David Heald: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc
