Hazardous Area Classification

M. Sasikumar, General Manager, Cholamandalam MS Risk Services

Aim of Hazardous area classification

PSCI @PSCInitiative 2
Hazardous Area ?
 A hazardous area is as a three-dimensional space in which a flammable atmosphere
may be expected to be present at such frequencies so as to require special precautions for
the design and construction of equipment, and the control of other potential ignition
sources

PSCI @PSCInitiative 3
Hazardous Area Classification - Principle
Reduce to an acceptable minimum level the probability of coincidence of a
flammable atmosphere and an electrical or other source of ignition

PSCI @PSCInitiative 4
Hazardous Area - Hierarchy of controls

Substitutio
n

Preventive
measures

Mitigation Control

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area - Hierarchy of controls

• Non flammable
Substitution • Less flammable
• Class A with Class B and Class C

• Avoiding ignition sources - Ex

• Preventing formation of explosive atmosphere – inerting
Control • Containing releases – Pressurization
• Minimizing releases

• Avoid propagation of explosion

Mitigation • Reducing no of people exposed

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area Classification - Limitations
 Assumes designed, constructed, maintained and operated in accordance with standard industry practice

 Catastrophic failures

 Processing and manufacturer of explosives

 Pyrophoric substances

 Domestic purposes

 Rooms for medical purposes

 Mining applications susceptible to fire damp

 Account the effects of consequence of damages

PSCI @PSCInitiative 7
Hazardous Area – Regulatory Requirements

Regulation Factories
Petroleum 37 Act-1948
rules 2002

Rule 102 CEA

MSES 2010 Act 37
to
Rule 107

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area – Regulatory Requirements
Petroleum rules 2002

Deemed to be Hazardous area

Liquids with flash Area classified Zone extent

in to Zones Type of
point below 65 Chief controller
Zone 0 apparatus
degree C and authority to
suitable for
temperature raise Zone 1 increase or decrease
hazardous zones
above flash point the extent
Zone 2

Rules 103 Rules 104 Rules 105 Rules 106

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area – Regulatory Requirements
Central Electricity Authority -2010- Regulation 37

Equipment and
Inflammable Equipment and
apparatus shall be
materials including Produced, handled apparatus as per
flame proof, dust tight
gases and or stored relevant Indian
or suitable type for
chemicals specifications
hazardous Zones

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area - Regulatory Requirements

Indian factories ACT – 1948-ACT 37

Eliminate Eliminate Protect Restrict the Chokes, baffles,
hazardous ignition against spread and vents or other
atmosphere sources at possible effects of the effective
at possible possible ignition explosion by appliances for
locations locations sources the provision explosion
protection

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area - Standards
• IS 5572
Indi
an

• IS/IEC 60079 -10-1

IS/
IEC

• NFPA 497
US

• NFPA 499
US

• EL 15
UK

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area classification – When ?

HAC HAC
• AFTER • After installation –
• New facility • Before design and INSTALLATION
• Initial inspection maintenance
layout of of equipments inspection
equipment is
finalized/
modification in HAC -
HAC process or infra
REVIEW
HAC

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Hazardous Area classification – When ?
 Considerable improvement at little cost
 Hazardous radius is greater than 30 m ?
 Modifying the facility to minimize the size of the release
 Location of fixed source of ignition outside the hazardous area
 Gas turbines furnaces
 D.G sets  Flares
 Compressor  Fire fighting pump
 Utility panels house and fire tender

 Barrier wall to reduce the extent

 Gas
 detector
Fired heaters and

PSCI @PSCInitiative 14
 Formulations Vs API
Formulation challenges API challenges

• Completely enclosed clean rooms with artificial • Huge Quantity of solvents handled with closely
ventilation knitted production blocks
• Ventilation communicating with Each other. • Day tanks nearby the production blocks
(Hazard communication) • Communication between Hazardous and non
• Combustible material characteristics of most API Hazardous location
is unknown • Location of Process Utilities
• Flammable liquids in coating solution preparation • Recent API blocks with Closed infrastructure
and washing without adequate ventilation provision
• Less qty Vs complacent • Blanket zoning & providing Ex equipments –
• Hazards in FBD and milling, PTS needs attention Control measures not in place for source of releases.
PSCI @PSCInitiative 15
Hazardous Area classification -Approach

Analysis Properties Facility

No of Duration of FLAMMABLE
classify occurrences presence ATMOSPHERE

Selection of Installation &

Facilitate equipments Maintenance

PSCI @PSCInitiative 16
 HAC- Material analysis

Physical Properties of flammable liquid / vapour and gas

include,

1. Flash Point
2. Class of liquids
3. Flammability Range – LEL & UEL
4. Relative density of Gas or Vapour
5. Boiling Point
6. Vapour Pressure
7. Auto Ignition Temperature

PSCI @PSCInitiative
 HAC-Material analysis
The temperature at which a particular organic compound gives off sufficient vapour to ignite in air.

• Liquid with flash point less than 65 degree C will be considered for Area
classification

• When operating temperature of the liquid is more than the flash point of the
liquid handled - considered for Area Classification

Flash point
Cold Room
of the
operating
material
temperature
handled

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Material Analysis

Class A FP < 23 °C Highly volatile Solvents

Class B FP > 23 < 65 °C Less volatile Diesel

Not volatile at
Class C FP > 65 < 93 °C ambient
temperature
Furnace oils

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Material Analysis
• Denser than air > 0.75

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Material Analysis
LEL – Lower Explosive Limit

The concentration of flammable gas, vapor or mist

in air, below which an explosive gas atmosphere will
not be formed.

UEL – Upper Explosive Limit

The concentration of flammable gas, vapor or mist

in air, above which an explosive gas atmosphere
will not be formed.

PSCI @PSCInitiative
 HAC - Infrastructure analysis

NATURAL
Area
VENTILATION

Open Enclosed

Sheltered area
Open area with
with restricted Adequate Inadequate
adequate natural Dilution
natural ventilation ventilation
ventilation
ventilation

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Infrastructure analysis
ARTIFICIAL
Artificial
VENTILATION ventilation

Over Local exhaust Dilution Adequate Inadequate

pressurization ventilation ventilation ventilation ventilation

Not only by no
5mm W.C
of air changes

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Infrastructure analysis

NFPA 497
Six air changes/hr considered adequate
IS 5572
Twelve air changes/hr considered adequate

IS/IEC 60079

Vapour volume Vs ventilation rate comparison

Able to dilute the vapours is considered as

adequate

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Infrastructure analysis
Fair
(DG backup,
failure alarm)

Good
Poor
(Std by)

Availability

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC- Zones

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Zones

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Zones

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC - Zones (Vs) Equipment protection Level

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Source of Ignition
Flames Electrical equipment and lights

Direct fired space and process heating Spontaneous heating

Use of cigarettes/matches etc Friction heating or sparks

Impact sparks
Cutting and welding flames
Sparks from electrical equipment
Hot surfaces
Stray currents from electrical equipment
Heated process vessels such as dryers and furnaces
Electrostatic discharge sparks
Hot process vessels Lightning strikes
Space heating equipment Electromagnetic radiation of different wavelengths

Mechanical machinery Vehicles

PSCI @PSCInitiative 30
HAC – Zone Extent
This is the distance at which the concentration of flammable vapour in air has fallen to the lower flammable limit

Release
rate

Vapour
Temperature
density

LEL Extent
& Flash point

UEL

Physical
Ventilation
Barriers

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC – Zone Drawing - Legends

PSCI @PSCInitiative
  Sufficient scale
HAC –
 Both plan and elevation
Zone Drawing
 Building layout with
Requirements equipment location
 Plant layout with equipments
 Gas group
 Temperature classification
 Zone boundaries
 Conditions
 Operating conditions
 Ventilation factors
PSCI
 Process modification
 Changes in method
 Changes in frequency of
operation
 New or modified
equipment
 Changes in installation
protection methods
 Brown field projects
 New electrical
installations in the
vicinity

@PSCInitiative
HAC - Approach

Determine Select Initial &

Identify the Determine routine
Zones and suitable
source of the grade of inspections of
its extent protection
releases release installed
methods
equipments

MODIFICATION
HAC
STUDY NEW PLANT

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC – Sources & Grade of releases

Grade of releases? Continuous Primary Secondary

PSCI @PSCInitiative
 HAC – Zone Determination

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC – IEC 60079-10-Report

PSCI @PSCInitiative
HAC – Unclassified Sources
 Well maintained pipe lines without valves, fittings
and flanges
 Flammable materials transported in suitable
containers
 Area with permanent ignition sources - Flares

 Internal combustion engines

 Fire boilers

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Selection of Equipment for Flammable
Atmosphere
Selection of Equipments
NAME PLATE OF AN EXPLOSION PROOF EQUIPMENT

PSCI @PSCInitiative 40
Selection of Equipments

PSCI @PSCInitiative 41
Selection of Equipments
TEMPERATURE CLASS
OF EQUIPMENT

AUTO
IGNITION
TEMPERATURE
PSCI @PSCInitiative 42
Selection of Equipments

Auto ignition temperature

It is the lowest temperature at which it spontaneously ignites in normal
atmosphere without an external source of ignition, such as a flame or
spark

Temperature class – Maximum permissible temperature

Highest temperature that a surface of equipment is allowed to reach in
practical service to avoid ignition

PSCI @PSCInitiative 43
Equipment Temperature Class

PSCI @PSCInitiative 44
Equipment Temperature Class
FLAMMABLE IGNITION
MATERIAL TEMPERATURE
BUTANOL 343
DICHLOROETHYLE 460
NE
PENTANE 260
TOLOUENE 480
HEXANE 223
Carbon di Sulphide 90
ETHYL & METHY 190
OXIDE
ACETALDEHYDE 175

PSCI @PSCInitiative 45
Equipment Temperature Class
FLAMMABLE IGNITION TEMPERATURE
MATERIAL TEMPERATURE CLASS
BUTANOL 343 T2
DICHLOROETHYLE 460 T1
NE
PENTANE 260 T3
TOLOUENE 480 T1
HEXANE 223 T3
Carbon di Sulphide 95 T6
ETHYL & METHY 190 T4
OXIDE
ACETALDEHYDE 175 T4

PSCI @PSCInitiative 46
Equipment Temperature Class
GMP Vs Motor painting Vs Temperature Class Low Speed Vs Temperature class

Inverter duty motors

External cooling fan consideration

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Equipment Selection-Gas group

PSCI @PSCInitiative 48
Equipment Selection-Zones

PSCI @PSCInitiative 49
Equipment Selection-Zones

PSCI @PSCInitiative 50
Flame Path Obstruction

Flame proof equipment within

the wall

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Flame Path Obstruction

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Area classification Summary
Maintenance of the
Elimination of any Selection and mechanical reliability of
Carry out
flammable and procurement of the installation, including
hazardous area
combustible material appropriate grounding and bonding,
classification
inside the electrical equipment for the wall penetrations for
study
control room area classification cabling, and electrical
control rooms

Maintain HAC Methods to exclude

documents other potential
describing zones ignition sources
& its limits from entering the
area
Installation and
maintenance of
electrical equipment's to
ensure it doesn’t
compromise area
classification

PSCI @PSCInitiative
Q&A

PSCI @PSCInitiative 54