ATEX Fans - An Explosive Issue

Alongside the major users of ATEX fans within chemical, petrochemical and process industries, many flameproof fan enquiries come from specifiers, resellers and end-users, some of whom may not be aware of ATEX Directives.

ATEX is an acronym derived from the French expression ATmospheres EXplosibles and exists in the form of two European directives for controlling explosive atmospheres. The first equipment directive 94/9/EC (ATEX 100) covers manufacturing standards. The second workplace directive ATEX 99/92/EC (ATEX 137) seeks to ensure that people are protected against the risk of blast injuries or asphyxiation by dangerous substances. The 2016 updated legislation is Directive 2014/34/EU and assists with establishing a uniformity to the approach taken when supplying and distributing equipment such as industrial fans for explosive atmospheres.

Those involved in the specification, manufacture, installation, and use of equipment in flameproof zones have some responsibility and a duty of care to ensure that the law concerning flameproof equipment is upheld. Unfortunately, a lack of practice with the subject tends to give rise to enquiries expressing concerns of a slight risk of explosion but uncertainty that a flameproof fan in required. This places manufacturers in an awkward position because they are not ATEX consultants and are not qualified to know what the client can lawfully install.

What can the fan supplier do with casual enquiries that must at some point turn into tightly specified orders? The first option is to advise the customer to come back when they know exactly what is required and the second is to issue a questionnaire, usually with tick boxes and a bit of guidance appended, which may then be returned with conflicting selections.

What is needed in every case is an ATEX code that provides a well-defined minimum standard for the product that is required. For example, the code Ex II 2G IIC T4 essentially means European flameproof, surface industry (not mining), Category 2 (Zone 1), gas group II, type C (hydrogen or acetylene gas), maximum surface temperature of 135 degrees.

There are many other coding permutations including slightly different formats for dusty atmospheres (Zones 21 & 22). If codes cannot be provided there is lingering uncertainty over what is required. Once an ATEX code has been established by the end-user the process of selecting a fan model and its essential features demands a degree of application knowledge.