What is ATEX? All You Need To Know

What is ATEX

Table of Contents

What Is ATEX?

ATEX refers to two EU directives that outline the essential safety measures that must be implemented in workplaces and equipment used in explosive atmospheres.

It includes 2 main directives

  • Directive 1999/92/EC is for workplaces, known as ATEX137
  • Directive 2014/34/EU for equipment, known as ATEX95

ATEX stands for “ATmosphères EXplosives”, which is derived from the term in French, Appareils destinés à être utilisés en ATmosphères EXplosives (“Devices intended for use in explosive atmospheres” in English )

What Is An Explosive Atmosphere?

Explosive atmospheres are the common working environments where oxygen and flammable gases, vapors, or powder exist at the same time, according to DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations)

And when an ignition source is added, it can pose an explosion immediately.

ATEX95 and ATEX37 are issued directives by the European Union to prevent this kind of disaster in those hazardous areas

Read this post for more details

https://cressaled.com/what-is-an-explosive-atmosphere/

Other Regulations For Equipment In Explosive Atmospheres

Besides ATEX, IEC Ex Standards (International Electrotechnical Commission) is a similar regulation, but unlike ATEX, which is mandatory in EU, IEC Ex is used globally.

NEC Standards (National Electrical Code) are employed in North America (U.S. and Canada)

Compared with ATEX and IECEX, the regulation of North America is quite different, refer to the section below about the classification of an area.

What Is The Difference Between ATEX And IECEx? 

Both ATEX and IECEX are European standards, they both divide hazardous locations into “zone0”, “zone1”, “zone2”.

The main difference between them is: ATEX is applied in the European Union, while IECEX is applied outside of the EU globally; 

you can explore more key differences in this post.

What Is ATEX Certification?

ATEX certification is the process of giving certificates to products and equipment for importation, sale, installation, and use in the European Union market.

ATEX certification is also known as ATEX approval.

atex certification label
Atex Certification Label

What is ATEX Approval?

The ATEX Approval process is carried out by a third-party organization, AKA notified body in the Atex certificates label, the notified body has been officially designated by European Union to implement conformity assessment procedures, check the PDF to see where the notified body is listed in the product marking. 

The authorized organization will test the equipment to see whether it is functionally and structurally pursuant to the requirements of ATEX Directives.

If they pass the testing, the agency will issue ATEX certificates indicating their type of protection, where it can be used, protection levels, and so on. These information will be listed in the product marking, refer to the following section about product marking.

ATEX certificates are compulsory for products/equipment that are intended to use in explosive atmospheres according to the ATEX equipment directive 2014/34/EU(also known as ATEX95), and the “Ex” logo must be shown on the equipment. The products/equipment includes electrical and non-electrical ones, as well as protective systems.

What Is The Relationship Between ATEX Certificates And EN60079?

EN60079 includes a series of standards, such as EN60079-1, EN60079-7, EN60079-11, EN60079-2, EN60079-18, and so on.

Each standard defines a specific protection type and principle for ATEX-certified equipment, for example, EN60079-11 is for the type of protection: intrinsic safety, refer to the PDF file labeling of explosion-proof equipment to learn more.

What Is ATEX Rating?

ATEX Directives control the manufacture, installation, and use of equipment in explosive atmospheres, including electrical and non-electrical items. 

Its rating(classification) measure includes two parts

  1. Equipment
  2. Working areas

Classification Of Equipment 

For products/equipment: Refer to “Product Marking” below

Classification Of An Area

For working areas: ATEX and IECEX divide the hazardous areas into zones.

P.S.: Instead of zones, North American regulation uses “Divisions” to define the classification of an area, refer to the below table to check their relationships.

ATEX & IECEX classificationDefinition of zone or divisionNorth American classification
Zone 0 (gases)An area where the flammable substance is present continuously or for a long periodClass I Division 1 (gases)
Zone 20 (dusts)Class II Division 1 (dusts)
Zone 1 (gases)An area where the flammable substance is likely to present under correct operationClass I Division 1 (gases)
Zone 21 (dusts)Class II Division 1 (dusts)
Zone 2 (gases)An area where the flammable substance is not likely to present under correct operation and if it occurs it will only last for a short timeClass I Division 2 (gases)
Zone 22 (dusts)Class II Division 2 (dusts)

You can also refer to the picture below about their relationship of both two regulation system.

classification of an area zone and division
Zone VS Division

Product Marking

Besides the CE mark and “Ex” logo, ATEX also requires the equipment to have equipment coding(e.g. Ex II 2G Eexd IIB T4) to show the detailed classification of the products, such as types of protection, temperature classification, and where it can be used.

The equipment codings are explained in the below table

Mark TypeMarkUse
Explosion proofExpursuant to the ATEX directives
Equipment GroupICan be used in underground mines
IICan be used in all other places
Equipment Category1Equipment that is intended for use in an area where the flammable substance is present continuously or for a long period
2Equipment that is intended for use in an area where the flammable substance is likely to present under correct operation
3Equipment that is intended for use in an area where the flammable substance is not likely to present under correct operation and if it occurs it will only last for a short time
Gas / DustGEquipment is approved for use in areas with flammable gases
DEquipment is approved for use in areas with potentially explosive dust
Type of ProtectionEx dFlameproof enclosure – prevents transmission of the explosion outside
Ex eIncreased safety – prevents high temperatures and sparks
Ex iIntrinsic safety – low current/voltage supply
Ex pPressurised apparatus – positive pressure device
Ex mMoulding – encapsulated
Ex oOil immersion – parts immersed in oil to isolate from explosive atmosphere
Ex qPowder filling – prevents transmission of explosion outside
Ex nProtection “n” – as agave, but for use in zone2
Ex tProtection by enclosure – dust explosion proof
Gas GroupIMines
IISurface above ground industries
Gas Sub GroupALess easily ignited gases e.g., Ammonia, Methane, Ethane
BEasily ignited gases e.g, Acrylic, Nitrile, Ethylene
CMost easily ignited e.g., hydrogen or acetylene
Temperature Classification*T1450 ºC
T2300 ºC
T3200 ºC
T4135 ºC
T5100 ºC
T685 ºC

* Product use depending on temperatures class (T1 – T6). The temperature class indicates the max.  Temperature of the exposed surface of the product. For dust explosion proof, the max. Surface temperature is directly shown (e.g. T80ºC )

Product Marking Example

If equipment is ATEX approved, it will have mark as the following one

EX Product Marking Example
EX Product Marking Example

According to the above knowledge we have just learned, we can see that the product is intrinsic safety, designed for use in zone 1 or zone 2 areas, where gas group C may exist and its surface temperature will not exceed 135 ºC

Ex Explosion proof pursuant to the ATEX
IIEquipment is designed to used above ground (not under ground)
2Equipment Category 2 can be used in zone 1 and zone 2 areas
GGas / Dust: designed for explosive atmosphere with hazardous gases
Ex iIntrinsic safety – low current/voltage supply
IIGas Group: surface (not under mines)
CGas sub group: C, the gases could be easily ignited
T4Equipment surface temperature will not exceed 135 ºC
labelling of explosion proof equipment
Cressa labelling of explosion proof equipment [pdf file download file size: 838KB]

Is ATEX the same as intrinsically safe?

No.

Refer to the labeling of ex equipment above, intrinsic safety is only a type of protection for equipment in ATEX system. Its production marking is “Ex i” in a certified equipment.

Its protection principle is “Low current/voltage supply” that means this type of protection tries to limit energy output to avoid electrical spark or ignition resources.

There are 9 types of protection in ATEX equipments, such as Exd(flameproof enclosure), Exe(increased safety), Exi(intrinsic safety), Exo(oil immersion), and so on.

Read more about intrinsically safe VS explosion proof

Author: Max Lee

Author: Max Lee

This is Max, I have been working in CressaLED as sales and marketing director for more than 10 years. Knowledgable in LED lighting technology, experienced in kinds of industrial lighting projects, including explosion proof lighting solutions.

Author: Max Lee

Author: Max Lee

This is Max, I have been working in CressaLED as sales and marketing director for more than 10 years. Knowledgable in LED lighting technology, experienced in kinds of industrial lighting projects, including explosion proof lighting solutions.

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