Transition requirements from Class I Div I

[jleonar5]

According to 515-2 a Class I location shall not extend beyond a floor wall or roof. (Bulk Storage Plants)

I am installing small scale processing equipment where ethanol will be prevalent and the area will be Class I Div I. I am planning on having most of the electrical support equipment (Vac pumps, oil recirc etc.) in an adjacent equipment shed which is basically what the NEC suggests in 500-3 -a -FPN "Through the exercise of ingenuity in the layout of electrical installations for haz locations, it is frequently possible to locate much of the equipment in less haz or nonhaz locations...."

Is the 515-2 standard applicable. Does the equipment in this adjacent building have to meet any special classification. Electrical will be passing through two metal walls and entering into the classified processing area.

There will be no "communicating openings" between the processing building and he equipment shed.

Does my equipment shed need to be any minimum distance from the processing area? Can the shed be considered unclassified?

 

[rbalex]

I believe you are actually referring to Section 513.3 or you are consulting an out-of-date edition of the NEC.

The processes you are describing would not typically be in the scope of Article 515.

The equipment you are referring (Vac pumps, oil recirc etc.) are generally considered to be mechanical rather than electrical equipment. The electrical equipment referred to in 500.5 FPN is more in line with starters, various types of circuit breaker or fuse panels, instruments etc.

There are still many other relevant but undisclosed considerations. I recommend consulting with a person qualified to review the design in detail.

 

[jleonar5]

Can you point me in the right direction for the codes that do apply to mechanical equipment locations and distances. I have have thoroughly searched the NFPA 30 but most of the distances are for storage etc. You are correct I am reading out of the 1999 NEC.

 

[rbalex]

Article 515 generally envisions tank farms, loading racks, terminal facilities, etc. Typically processing facilities would fall under Article 501. The NEC does not speak to the location of mechcanical equipment in classified locations beyond what is already required in other Articles in Chapters 1 to 4.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) does have several “Plant Design” standards as does the Process Industry Practices Institute (PIP). I simply know these standards exist but I am unfamiliar with their content. Several of the API standards are also ANSI certified, which means they carry a very high level of “authority.” The PIP Standards are more along the line of recommended practices.

Corrected Article reference