Electrical area classification reviews

Review of surrounding plants/facilities Existing pipe racks Maintenance and operations access Sewers and storm water drainage Existing fire and radiation circles Hazardous chemical releases from upwind locations Existing electrical area classification Close access to substations... 

Area classification is employed to identify locations where electrical equipment could provide a source of ignition to flammable liquids and gases/vapours that may be present. It is also used to prevent dust explosions. Area classification is necessary for selecting and installing safer electrical and instrumentation equipment, and its review is very important for revamp projects as it may influence site selection and also project cost. In some cases it may require a change in electrical area classification for existing facilities and hence require replacement of some electrical and instrumentation equipment. 

Chapters 10 to 29 consisted of reviews of plastics materials available according to a chemical classification, whilst Chapter 30 rather more loosely looked at plastics derived from natural sources. It will have been obvious to the reader that for a given application plastics materials from quite different chemical classes may be in competition and attempts have been made to show this in the text. There have, however, been developments in three, quite unrelated, areas where the author has considered it more useful to review the different polymers together, namely thermoplastic elastomers, biodegradable plastics and electrically conductive polymers. 

Terminal box classification for hazardous areas. Paper by Dick Martin. Electrical Review. Vol. 216, No. 10, 22 March 1985. 

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