To prevent gas explosions or dust explosions, the ATEX legislation has been established at the European level. The gFlow1500 complies with this legislation, and this is very important because it is used in environments with explosion hazards. The certificate is therefore mandatory. But what does ATEX stand for, and why is it so important that the gFlow complies with it? We'll explain it to you.
What does ATEX mean?
We'll start by explaining what ATEX means. ATEX stands for ATmosphères EXplosibles or explosive atmospheres. There are two directives: 114 and 153. Directive 114 is included in the Commodities Act, and 153 in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Decree. The ATEX Directive 114, officially 2014/34/EU, mainly consists of technical requirements that are imposed on explosion-sensitive equipment. This directive also applies to the gFlow.
The ATEX 2014/34/EU
The ATEX directives 2014/34/EU have a broad scope and cover both gas explosion hazards and dust explosion hazards. The different environments are divided into three different zones. A separate ATEX certification applies to all zones, namely gas zone 0, 1, and 2, and dust zone 20, 21, and 22.
The use of explosion-proof equipment in an explosion-hazardous environment can only be done with material that is marked correctly. The type plate always has a clearly readable marking concerning the safety level. The gFLOW1500 is available in two ATEX versions:
II 2G Ex ib IIB T4 Gb
II 2G Ex ib IIC T4 Gb (Also suitable for a hydrogen environment)
Where the markings mean the following:
II = equipment group II (above-ground installation)
2 = category 2 (for gas is zone 1)
Ex = explosion-proof
de = protection mode
IIC = gas group IIC
T4 = Temperature class
gFlow and ATEX certification
As already mentioned, the gFlow is available in two ATEX certifications. One of these versions is also suitable for hydrogen. Always check if the EVHI has an ATEX marking. Then you know for sure that you have a safe device. Are you interested in the gFlow1500? Please feel free to contact us.
