PTB/UL/NEPSI Forum

Activities of explosion protection in the oil & gas, energy, chemical and petrochemical industries are based on the identification and assessment of possible plant accidents and losses with the aim to ensure the required engineering and operational measures to prevent or mitigate explosion hazards. While the basic principles of explosion protection are the same all over the world, different techniques and systems have been developed in Europe, China and North America which becomes apparent in the classification of hazardous areas, equipment design and the installation of electrical systems and actually no single, internationally recognized and accepted standard exists.

In Europe, the ATEX directives have to be considered. Here, manufacturers and conformity assessment bodies can use harmonized standards to demonstrate that explosion protected devices comply with relevant EU legislation. Generally, CENELEC adopts the IEC standards as they stand.

According to Chinese laws and regulations approved by General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China (AQSIQ) all products that are to be used in hazardous areas in China must be certified to the Chinese National Ex-standards which are also identical or equivalent to IEC standards.

In the USA hazardous areas are classified by the Class/Division system - or by a Zone system adapted to the IEC standards. The National Electrical Code (NEC) apply to electrical equipment used in hazardous areas and has the character of installation regulations for electrical facilities. It refers to further standards of other institutions like UL or FM Global which contain specifications for the construction and installation of suitable equipment

We will have talks about the special requirements in the US clarifying the role of AHJs and Coast Guard. The Chinese regulation of Chinese Compulsory Certification (CCC) and special equipment will be discussed with an outlook on the upcoming changes in the Chinese regulation. The advantage of the IECEX system for worldwide market access including ATEX and further topics will be presented. Finally, the expectations of manufacturers with regards to certification and regulations systems will be discussed.

The registration fee of 500 € covers access to all sessions, coffee breaks and a dinner on 22.05.2019.