Abstract
As a consequence of international projects in the process industry there is a strong worldwide demand to use established non-electrical (“mechanical”) equipment for areas with potentially explosive atmospheres. For electrical equipment such standardized equipment has a long lasting history finally in the form of the standards of the IEC 60079 series.
Within Europe a successful approach exists for explosion protected mechanical equipment, designed and built according to the standard EN 13463 series. This series is harmonized under the European ATEX- Directive for free trade of explosion protected equipment and autonomous protective systems (Directive 94/9/EC). Due to the lack of alternative approaches, such equipment is used around the world in international projects.
The next step from European to an international level is the development of ISO standards within the project teams ISO 80079-36 and ISO 80079-37 for explosion protected mechanical equipment. These project teams are part of the unique IEC SC 31M that develops either ISO/IEC or ISO standards for explosive atmospheres, depending on the subject addressed, under the umbrella of IEC TC 31. ISO 80079-36 will contain “Basic methods and requirements”, including a mandatory ignition hazard assessment, which is a principle difference to the well known electrical explosion protection standards, whereas ISO 80079-37 will include so called “types of protection” as explosion protection concepts in the form of “Constructional safety”, “Control of ignition sources” and “Liquid immersion”.
