Template:IECEx
IECEx
The IECEx is an international certification framework created by the International Electrotechnical Commission for equipment and services used in explosive atmospheres. It helps ensure that products such as electrical devices, control systems, and industrial equipment meet globally recognized safety standards for hazardous environments like oil & gas plants, chemical facilities, and mining operations. Devices with this certification have been proved safe to use in specific environments with explosive atmospheres, according to the zone/s they are certified to be used in.
Description
The IEC established IECEx, the IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres. It is necessary wherever a potentially explosive atmosphere exists in order to keep workers safe. These atmospheres are characterized by possessing three things.
- Air
- An ignition source
- One of the following three substances:
- Flammable gases
- Mists or vapor
- Combustible dust
Products that have received IECEx certification will have the official marking, indicating they are safe in explosive atmospheres.
Non-ATEX/IECEx safe computing devices used in hazardous areas could be an ignition source, so it is critical that ATEX/IECEx certified computing devices are used in those areas. If they are not, the situation immediately poses great risk to workers’ safety. That’s why we’ve built rugged computing devices that are ATEX/IECEx certified.
Meanings of Letters and Numbers
Ex - Explosion Protection
ib - Type of Protection
IIC - Gas Group
T6 - Temperature Class (T1 - T6)
Gb - Equipment Protection Level
Ex: This means the equipment is explosion-proof.
ib: This indicates the type of protection. Intrinsic safety ("ib") is a technique used to ensure that electrical and electronic equipment can be used in explosive atmospheres without the risk of ignition.
IIC: This indicates the level of protection against specific types of explosive gases. Group IIC certification is the highest possible, so also covers the other levels.
T6: Different substances may combust at different temperatures. The lower the combustion temperature is, the more dangerous the substance is. Therefore, each piece of equipment used in an explosive environment is classified according to the maximum surface temperature it generates. The maximum surface temperature of the equipment should always be well below the ignition temperature of the gases present. If Max Surface Temperature of Equipment does not exceed 85 °C its certified for T6 and is the highest possible rating, so also covers other classes.