Hazardous Area Classifications and Protections

The intent of this document is to provide a broad overview of hazardous area classifications and the
types of protection techniques involved. The information provided in this bulletin is for educational
purposes and should not be used in place of any other source or governing documents.

Not all approvals are covered in this bulletin. Contact your Emerson sales office or Local Business
Partner for information on approvals not covered in this bulletin.

Contact your Emerson Automation Solutions sales office for product specific hazardous area approval
information or visit our website at www.Fisher.com.

Hazardous Area Classifications

When electrical equipment is used in, around, or near an atmosphere that has flammable gases or
vapors, flammable liquids, combustible dusts, ignitable fibers or flyings, there is always a possibility or
risk that a fire or explosion might occur. Those areas where the possibility or risk of fire or explosion
might occur due to an explosive atmosphere and/or mixture is often called a hazardous (or classified)
location/area. Currently there are two systems used to classify these hazardous areas; the
Class/Division system and the Zone system. The Class/Division system is used predominately in the
United States and Canada, whereas the rest of the world generally uses the Zone system. However,
the United States and Canada are trending more towards the Zone System.

Note:
Class/Division system – Predominately in the United State and Canada
Zone System – The rest of the world

Class/Division System

Hazardous locations per the Class/Division system are classified according to the Class, Division, and
Group.

1. Class—the Class defines the general nature (or properties) of the hazardous material in the
surrounding atmosphere which may or may not be in sufficient quantities.

该类定义了周围大气中有害物质的一般性质（或性质），其含量可能足够，也可能不
足。
a) Class I—Locations in which flammable gases or vapors may or may not be in sufficient
quantities to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures.

易燃气体或蒸气可能含量不足或者含量不足以产生爆炸性或可燃性混合物的地 方

b) Class II—Locations in which combustible dusts (either in suspension, intermittently, or

periodically) may or may not be in sufficient quantities to produce explosive or ignitable
mixtures.

可燃粉尘（悬浮，间歇或定期）的位置可能足够或不足以产生爆炸性或可燃性混合
物 。

c) Class III—Locations in which ignitable fibers may or may not be in sufficient quantities to
produce explosive or ignitable mixtures.

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 可燃纤维可能或可能不足以产生爆炸性或可燃性混合物的地方 。

2. Division—The Division defines the probability of the hazardous material being able to produce
an explosive or ignitable mixture based upon its presence.

该司根据其存在情况确定危险材料能够产生爆炸性或可燃性混合物的概率。
a) Division 1 indicates that the hazardous material has a high probability of producing an
explosive or ignitable mixture due to it being present continuously, intermittently, or
periodically or from the equipment itself under normal operating conditions.

第 1 分部表明，由于危险材料在正常操作条件下连续，间歇或定期或从设备本身出
现，因此很有可能产生爆炸性或可燃性混合物。
b) Division 2 indicates that the hazardous material has a low probability of producing an
explosive or ignitable mixture and is present only during abnormal conditions for a short
period of time.

第 2 分部表明有害物质产生爆炸性或可燃性混合物的可能性很小，并且仅在异常条
件下短时间存在。
3. Group—the Group defines the type of hazardous material in the surrounding atmosphere.
Groups A, B, C, and D are for gases (Class I only) while groups E, F, and G are for dusts and
flyings (Class II or III).

Group 定义了周围大气中有害物质的类型。 A，B，C 和 D 组用于气体（Class I only），

而 E，F 和 G 组用于粉尘和飞行（Class II or III）
a) Group A—Atmospheres containing acetylene.

Group A- 含有乙炔的气氛
b) Group B—Atmospheres containing a flammable gas, flammable liquid-produced vapor, or
combustible liquid-produced vapor whose MESG is less than 0.45 mm or MIC ratio is less
than 0.40. Typical gases include hydrogen, butadiene, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide,
and acrolein

含有易燃气体，易燃液体产生的蒸气或 MESG 小于 0.45 mm 或 MIC 比率的可

Group B -
燃液体产生的蒸气的气氛小于 0.40。典型的气体包括氢气，丁二烯，环氧乙烷，
环氧丙烷和丙烯醛
c) Group C—Atmospheres containing a flammable gas, flammable liquid-produced vapor,
or combustible liquid-produced vapor whose MESG is greater than 0.45 mm but less than
or equal to 0.75 mm or MIC ratio is greater than 0.40 but less than or equal to 0.80. Typical
gases include ethyl either, ethylene, acetaldehyde, and cyclopropane.

含有可燃气体，易燃液体产生的蒸气或可燃液体产生的蒸气的气氛，其
Group C -
MESG 大于 0.45mm 但小于或等于 0.75mm 或 MIC 比率大于 0.40 但小于或等于 0.80。
典型的气体包括乙基乙烯，乙烯，乙醛和环丙烷。
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 d) Group D—Atmospheres containing a flammable gas, flammable liquid-produced vapor, or
combustible liquid-produced vapor whose MESG is greater than 0.75 mm or MIC ration is
greater than 0.80. Typical gases include acetone, ammonia, benzene, butane, ethanol,
gasoline, methane, natural gas, naphtha, and propane.

含有可燃气体，易燃液体产生的蒸气或可燃液体产生的蒸气的气氛，其
Group D -
MESG 大于 0.75 mm 或 MIC 比值大于 0.80。典型的气体包括丙酮，氨，苯，丁烷，
乙醇，汽油，甲烷，天然气，石脑油和丙烷。
e) Group E—Atmospheres containing combustible metal dusts such as aluminum,
magnesium, and their commercial alloys.

Group E - 含有可燃金属粉尘的气氛，如铝，镁及其商业合金。
f) Group F—Atmospheres containing combustible carbonaceous dusts with 8% or more
trapped volatiles such as carbon black, coal, or coke dust.

含有可燃碳质粉尘的气氛，含有 8％或更多的捕获挥发物，如炭黑，煤或
Group F -
焦炭粉。
g) Group G—Atmospheres containing combustible dusts not included in Group E or Group F.
Typical dusts include flour, starch, grain, wood, plastic, and chemicals.

Group G -含有可燃粉尘的气氛，不包括在 E 组或 F 组中。典型的粉尘包括面粉，淀

粉，谷物，木材，塑料和化学品。
Zone System

Hazardous locations per the Zone system are classified according to its Zone which can be gas or dust.
For gas atmospheres electrical equipment is further divided into Groups and Subgroups.

Zone—The Zone defines the probability of the hazardous material, gas or dust, being present in
sufficient quantities to produce explosive or ignitable mixtures.

该区域定义了有害物质，气体或粉尘的存在量足以产生爆炸性或可燃性混合物的概率。
1. Gas

a) Zone 0—Ignitable concentrations of flammable gases or vapors which are present continuously or
for long periods of time.

Zone 0— 可燃气体或蒸气的可燃浓度，持续或长时间存在。
b) Zone 1—Ignitable concentrations of flammable gases or vapors which are likely to occur under
normal operating conditions.

Zone 1— 在正常操作条件下可能发生的易燃浓度的易燃气体或蒸气

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c) Zone 2—Ignitable concentrations of flammable gases or vapors which are not likely to occur under
normal operating conditions and do so only for a short period of time.

可燃气体或蒸汽的可燃浓度，在正常操作条件下不太可能发生，并且只能在短时
Zone 2—
间内发生。
2. Dust

a) Zone 20—an area where combustible dusts or ignitable fibers and flyings are present continuously
or for long periods of time.

Zone 20— 可持续或长时间存在可燃粉尘或可燃纤维和飞行物的区域。

b) Zone 21—an area where combustible dusts or ignitable fibers and flyings are likely to occur under
normal operating conditions.

Zone 21— 在正常操作条件下可能发生可燃粉尘或可燃纤维和飞行物的区域。

c) Zone 22—an area where combustible dusts or ignitable fibers and flyings are not likely to occur
under normal operating conditions and do so only for a short period of time.

在正常操作条件下不可能发生可燃粉尘或可燃纤维和飞行物的区域，并且只在短
Zone 22—
时间内这样做。
Group—Electrical equipment is divided into three groups.

a) Group I—Equipment intended for use in mines susceptible to firedamp (flammable mixture of
gases naturally occurring in a mine).
Group I— 用于易受沼气影响的矿井的设备（矿井中天然存在的易燃气体混合物）
b) Group II—Equipment intended for use in places with an explosive gas atmosphere other than
mines susceptible to firedamp. Group II equipment is subdivided into three subgroups.
Group II— 用于爆炸性气体环境以外的地雷的设备。第二组设备细分为三个子组
- Group IIA—Atmospheres containing propane, or gases and vapors of equivalent hazard.
- Group IIA— 含有丙烷的气氛，或具有同等危害的气体和蒸气。
- Group IIB—Atmospheres containing ethylene, or gases and vapors of equivalent hazard.
- Group IIB— 含有乙烯的气氛，或具有同等危害的气体和蒸气。
- Group IIC—Atmospheres containing acetylene or hydrogen, or gases and vapors of equivalent
hazard.
- Group IIC— 含有乙炔或氢气的气氛，或具有同等危害的气体和蒸气。
c) Group III—Equipment intended for use in places with an explosive dust atmosphere. Group III
equipment is subdivided into three subgroups.

Group III— 用于爆炸性粉尘环境的设备。第 III 组设备细分为三个子组。

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 - Group IIIA—Atmospheres containing combustible flyings.
- Group IIIA—含有可燃飞行物的大气
- Group IIIB—Atmospheres containing non-conductive dust.
- Group IIIB—含有非导电粉尘的气氛
- Group IIIC—Atmospheres containing conductive dust.
- Group IIIC—含有导电粉尘的气氛
Protection Techniques and Methods

Various protection techniques and methods have been developed and employed, thus reducing or
minimizing the potential risks of explosion or fire from electrical equipment located in hazardous
locations. Not all methods are listed.

Class/Division system

• Explosion-proof—a type of protection that utilizes an enclosure that is capable of withstanding an

explosive gas or vapor within it and or preventing the ignition of an explosive gas or vapor that
may surround it and that operates at such an external temperature that a surrounding explosive
gas or vapor will not be ignited thereby.

防爆 - 一种保护，利用能够承受爆炸性气体或蒸气的外壳，或防止可能在其周围产生爆炸
性气体或蒸气的点燃，并在外部温度下工作。因此不会点燃周围的爆炸性气体或蒸气。
• Intrinsically Safe—A type of protection in which the electrical equipment under normal or
abnormal conditions is incapable of releasing sufficient electrical or thermal energy to cause
ignition of a specific hazardous atmospheric mixture in its most easily ignitable concentration.

本质安全 - 一种保护，其中正常或异常条件下的电气设备无法释放足够的电能或热能，从
而导致特定危险大气混合物以最易燃的浓度点燃。
• Dust Ignition-proof—A type of protection that excludes ignitable amounts of dust or amounts that
might affect performance or rating and that, when installed and protected in accordance with the
original design intent, will not allow arcs, sparks or heat otherwise generated or liberated inside
the enclosure to cause ignition of exterior accumulations or atmospheric suspensions of a
specified dust.

防尘防燃 - 一种保护，可排除可能影响性能或额定值的可燃粉尘量或数量，并且在按照原
始设计意图进行安装和保护时，不会产生电弧，火花或其他产生的热量或在外壳内部释放，
引起外部积聚或指定灰尘的大气悬浮物点燃。
• Non-incendive—A type of protection in which the equipment is incapable, under normal
conditions, of causing ignition of a specified flammable gas or vapor-in-air mixture due to arcing
or thermal effect.

非易燃性 - 一种保护类型，在正常条件下，设备无法因电弧或热效应引起特定易燃气体或
空气中混合气体的点燃。

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Zone system

The below concepts are high-level protection concepts. There are also sub-levels of protection that
may or not be applicable to each type. Also, some equipment may combine multiple types of
protection.

• Flame-proof—A type of protection in which an enclosure can withstand the pressure developed
during an internal explosion of an explosive mixture and that prevents the transmission of the
explosion to the explosive atmosphere surrounding the enclosure and that operates at such an
external temperature that a surrounding explosive gas or vapor will not be ignited there. This type
of protection is referred to as “Ex d”.

防火 - 一种保护类型，其中外壳可以承受爆炸性混合物内部爆炸时产生的压力，并防止爆
炸传播到外壳周围的爆炸性环境中，并在外部温度下运行周围的爆炸性气体或蒸汽不会在
那里点燃。这种保护称为“Ex d”。
• Intrinsically Safe—A type of protection in which the electrical equipment under normal or
abnormal conditions is incapable of releasing sufficient electrical or thermal energy to cause
ignition of a specific hazardous atmospheric mixture in its most easily ignitable concentrations.
This type of protection is referred to as “Ex i”.

本质安全 - 一种保护类型，在正常或异常条件下，电气设备无法释放足够的电能或热能，
导致特定危险大气混合物以最易燃的浓度点燃。这种保护称为“Ex i”。
• Increased Safety—A type of protection in which various measures are applied to reduce the
probability of excessive temperatures and the occurrence of arcs or sparks in the interior and on
the external parts of electrical apparatus that do not produce them in normal service. Increased
safety may be used with flame-proof type of protection. This type of protection is referred to as
“Ex e”.

提高安全性 - 一种保护类型，采用各种措施，以减少温度过高的可能性，以及在正常使用
中不能产生电气设备的内部和外部部件中发生电弧或火花。增强的安全性可用于防火型保
护。这种保护称为“Ex e”。
• Type n—A type of protection applied to electrical equipment such that in normal operation it is
not capable of igniting a surrounding explosive atmosphere. This type of protection is referred to
as “Ex n”.

对电气设备应用 n-A 型保护，使其在正常运行时不能点燃周围的爆炸性环境。这种类型的

保护称为“Ex n”
• Type t—A type of protection in which the electrical equipment is equipped with an enclosure
providing dust ingress protection and a means to limit surface temperatures. This type of
protection is referred to as “Ex t”.

类型为 t-A 类型的保护，其中电气设备配备有提供灰尘进入保护的外壳和限制表面温度的

方法。这种类型的保护称为“Ex t”。

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Equipment Protection Level (EPL) Markings

The EPL marking indicates the level of protection that is given to equipment based on the likelihood
of its becoming a source of ignition and distinguishing the difference between explosive gas
atmospheres, explosive dust atmospheres, and the explosive atmospheres in mines susceptible to
firedamp.

Temperature Code (T Code)

A mixture of hazardous gases and air may be ignited by coming into contact with a hot surface. The
conditions under which a hot surface will ignite a gas depends on surface area, temperature, and the
concentration of the gas. The same can be said about combustible dusts. The T code of a product
denotes the maximum surface temperature that a given product will not exceed under a specified
ambient temperature. For example, a product with a T code of T3 means that its maximum surface
temperature will not exceed 200 C provided it is operated in a ambient temperature defined by the
manufacturer.

Nomenclature (命名法
命名法)

Class/Division system

Approved equipment is marked according to which Class (I, II, or III), Division (1 or 2), Group (A, B, C,
D, E, F, or G), and temperature code (T1 through T6) that it is rated for. For intrinsically safe equipment
the words “Intrinsically Safe” or “IS” will precede the actual approval marking to indicate it as being
intrinsically safe. Examples are listed below:

Class I Division 1 Group B,C,D T5

CL I Div 2 GP ABCD T5
IS CL I,II,III Div 1 GP ABCDEFG
CL II,III Div 1,2 GP EFG T4

Zone system

Approved equipment is marked according to the protection concept for which it has been designed
(Ex i, Ex d, Ex n, and etc.), the group (I, IIA, IIB, IIC, IIIA, IIIB, or IIIC), and temperature code (T1 through
T6) that it is rated for. For the United States it will be preceded by which Class and Zone it is approved
for. Examples are listed below:

Ex ia IIC T5
Ex d IIB+H2 T6
Ex nA IIC T6
Class I Zone 2 AEx nC IIC T5

Additional Terminology

Although the following terminology is not permitted for markings it is commonly used to describe the
various types of approvals or when speaking of them.
虽然标记不允许使用以下术语，但通常用于描述各种类型的批准或说明它们

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XP—Flameproof approval for Class I Division 1
EXP—Flameproof approval for Class I Division 1
NI—Non-incendive approval for Class I Division 2
DIP—Dust Ignition Proof approval for Class II Division 1
S—“Suitable For” for Class II Division 2
IS—Intrinsically Safe

Approval Agencies

Generally speaking, most countries require that products intended for installation in a hazardous
location be approved by a recognized authority or approval agency (governmental or independent)
which that country has established by various laws, regulations, or codes. See table 1 for an overview
of approvals and approval agencies.

North American Approvals

Of the 15 national testing laboratories (NRTL's) in the United States, only a few are qualified to approve
products for use in hazardous locations. Two such agencies are; Factory Mutual (FM) and
Underwriters Laboratories (UL). In Canada, products are approved by the Canadian Standards
Association (CSA).

European Approvals

Each country belonging to the European Union has established one or more “Notified Bodies” for
product approval. Notified Bodies not only approve products for use within their own country,
commonly called national certifications/approvals, but also for any other country within the union,
known as CENELEC certifications/approvals.

CENELEC is the acronym for European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization. A product
which has been CENELEC certified or approved by any of the Notified Bodies is automatically accepted
for use within all of the participating union countries. In July 2003 a European Directive, called the
ATEX Directive, which pertains to equipment for explosive atmospheres, was adopted. All equipment
intended for use in explosive atmospheres must comply with the ATEX Directive in order to be sold
into the European Union.

2003 年 7 月，采用了一项名为 ATEX 指令的欧洲指令，该指令涉及爆炸性环境设备。所有用于

爆炸性环境的设备必须符合 ATEX 指令才能销往欧盟
International Approvals

Countries participating in the IECEx Scheme (International Electrotechnical Commission on explosion

protected equipment, known as “Ex”) can issue either an international certification or a national
certification of explosion protected equipment. Each country within the IECEx scheme establishes an
ExCB (Ex Certification Body) which can approve products. ExCB's can issue the national certification
for their country based upon the IECEx standards (including any national deviations) and the
international certification. Currently, Australia is the only country accepting international
certifications for use in their country

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参加 IECEx 计划的国家（防爆设备国际电工委员会，称为“防爆”）可以颁发国际认证或国家
防爆设备认证。 IECEx 计划中的每个国家都建立了一个可以批准产品的 ExCB（防爆认证机
构）。 ExCB 可以根据 IECEx 标准（包括任何国家偏差）和国际认证颁发国家认证。目前，澳
大利亚是唯一接受国内认证的国家

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Guidelines for Selecting Intrinsic Safety Barriers Using Entity Ratings

Selecting an intrinsic safety barrier with the required entity ratings depends upon the combined
effects of the instrument, its cabling, and any instrument accessories such as the 475 Field
Communicator. Determine the barrier entity ratings using the following guidelines:

选择具有所需实体额定值的本质安全屏障取决于仪器，其电缆和任何仪器附件（如 475 现场通

讯器）的综合影响。使用以下指南确定屏障实体评级：

Voc ≤ Vmax
Isc ≤ Imax
Ca ≥ Ci + Ccable
La ≥ Li + Lcable

where:

Voc = Barrier open circuit voltage (屏障开路电压)

Vmax = Instrument Vmax (仪器 Vmax)
Isc= Barrier short circuit current (屏障短路电流)
Imax = Instrument Imax (仪器 Imax)
Ca = Barrier acceptable connected capacitance (屏障可接受的连接电容)

Ci = Instrument total unprotected internal capacitance (仪器总无保护内部电容)

Ccable = Signal cable total capacitance (信号线总电容)

La = Barrier acceptable connected inductance (屏障可接受的连接电感)
Li = Instrument total unprotected internal inductance (仪器总无保护内部电感)
Lcable = Signal cable total inductance (信号电缆总电感)

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The values Voc, Ioc, Ca, and La are specified by the barrier manufacturer for any given barrier. The
values of Ccable and Lcable for the signal cable must be determined for the specific cable used.

Example barrier entity ratings calculation.

A system is comprised of a FIELDVUE™ DVC6200 digital valve controller (FM approved), a Field
Communicator (FM approved), and 1000 feet of cable with 60 pF/ft capacitance and 0.2 μH/ft
inductance. Calculate the barrier entity ratings.

Figure 1 shows a typical I.S. installation.

Calculate Ccable and Lcable

Ccable = 60 pF/ft x 1000 ft

= 60 nF

Lcable = 0.2 μH/ft x 1000 ft

= 0.2 mH

Determine Ca and La for the barrier

Ca ≥ Ci(DVC6200)+ Ci(475) + Ccable
≥ 5 nF + 0 nF + 60 nF
Ca ≥ 65 nF

La ≥ Li(DVC6200)+Li(475) + Lcable
≥ 0.55 mH + 0 mH + 0.2 mH
La ≥ 0.75 mH

Determine Voc and Isc of the barrier. Note that in this example the output of the 475 (Voc(475) and
Isc(475))

Must also be considered because it can also add energy to the loop besides just the barrier itself. Voc
of the barrier plus any additional voltage that could be added to the loop from each device must be
subtracted from Vmax for each device.

还必须考虑因为它除了屏障本身之外还可以为环路增加能量。屏障的 Voc 加上可以从每个器件

添加到环路的任何附加电压必须从每个器件的 Vmax 中减去。
Isc of the barrier plus any additional current that could be added to the loop from each device must
not exceed Imax for each device.

Voc of the barrier must meet all of the following conditional requirements.

1) Voc ≤ Vmax(DVC6200) - Voc(375)  30 VDC - 1.9 VDC  28.1 VDC

2) Voc ≤ Vmax(DVC6200)  30 VDC
3) Voc ≤ Vmax(475)  30 VDC
Voc ≤ 28.1 VDC

Isc of the barrier must meet all of the following conditional requirements.

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1) Isc ≤ Imax(DVC6200) + Isc(475)  226 mA + 0.032 mA  226.032 mA
2) Isc ≤ Imax(DVC6200)  226 mA
3) Isc ≤ Imax(475)  200 mA
Isc  200 mA

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