IEC EX locations

[paleoelectronics]

Currently involved with a manufacturer looking at selling distillery equipment to Australia . The purchaser wants to be assured of IEC EX compliance. Does anyone know of a good online reference. Ive been to the IEC websites but so much of it seems to concern certifications of manufacturing facilities or testing laboratories but less with the actual descriptions of what constitutes a zone 0 over a zone 1 occupancy and what gear is permissable
Any help is appreciated

 

[rbalex]

This is of course an NEC rather than IEC site. Classifying per NEC Zones is basically covered in NFPA 497 and/or API RP 505. The closest analogous IEC Standard is 60079-10. NEC Zones and IEC Zones are not the same. I will not go into the minutiae here.

Some of the IEC protection techniques and their application are, however, very similar to those outlined in NEC section 505.9.

Australian Electrical Standards may be reviewed here.

Most EU Zone equipment is now certified under the ATEX Directive. Australia generally accepts them.

 

[TJax]

IEC EX Certification

IEC EX Certification

Our company is currently involved in having some of our equipment ATEX & IEC Ex certified. We ran into the same problems that you are describing. We found a company called Source IEx in Spring, TX. They specialize in this type of certification. They have been very helpful in working with us to navigate the confusing regulations. They also have offered design suggestions to make our devices compliant to multiple agencies' regulations, so as to avoid additional costly inspections. We are in the final stages of the process and we are very pleased up to this point. I hope this helps.

 

[IntrinsicSafety]

Sorry to disagree, but in my experience, Australia will not accept ATEX equipment. It's IEC or bust.

Of course, almost everything that can be certified to ATEX can be certified to IEC, as the technical requirements are the same. But that does not mean Australians will accept an ATEX certificate in lieu of an IEC certificate.

This is especially for Zone 2, which is self-declared in ATEX, but certified for IECEx.

 

[wayne.mayo@sourceiex.com]

Actually

Actually

Sorry to disagree, but in my experience, Australia will not accept ATEX equipment. It's IEC or bust.

Of course, almost everything that can be certified to ATEX can be certified to IEC, as the technical requirements are the same. But that does not mean Australians will accept an ATEX certificate in lieu of an IEC certificate.

This is especially for Zone 2, which is self-declared in ATEX, but certified for IECEx.

Actually, Australia allows equipment which is certified to ATEX ONLY to have a "gap analysis" and possibly be accepted. This has to be done by a qualified Australian authority and a report issued. Won't work if the ATEX certification is much older, or if there are significant differences in the standards used for the product certification and current standards. But it is possible to request, and may be cheaper than undergoing complete re-evaluation by an IECEx CB.