Explosion protected motors for

use in hazardous areas

Intertek
Deeside Lane, Chester, CH1 6DD UK

[email protected] 01244 882590 www.intertek-hazloc.com

 Explosion protected motors
for use in hazardous areas

Glossary

VFD = Variable Frequency Drive

VSD = Variable Speed Drive
Ex d = Flameproof
Ex e = Increased Safety
Ex nA = Non-Sparking
Ex p (x/y/z) = Purged/Pressurized

Introduction

The use of motors within industrial applications is not new, and is one of the
simplest means of converting electrical energy into kinetic energy to perform a
task in applications from household washing machines to pharmaceutical mixers,
to oil drilling, and much, much more.

Motors are used not just for rotary applications, but, when used in conjunction
with mechanical belts, gears and couplings are used for linear, eccentric and all
manner of physical motion that may be required. These mechanical devices do
themselves require consideration for their explosion protection properties, but will
be dealt with separately in an article dedicated to non-electrical equipment
protection methods.

Selection of motor for use in the hazardous area

Along with the parameters of the application in which the motor is to be used (i.e.
speed, kW, frame size, etc), the user must consider the explosion protection
methods applied to the motor and the hazardous area into which the motor will
be mounted. Here is a brief outline of the protection concepts that can be applied
to electric motors, where the can be used and the classification and markings
required to show where they can be used.

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 Explosion protected motors
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Protection Concepts

Type of protection Symbol Typical Typical IEC Standard Basic concept

IEC EPL zones of protection
Optical Radiation Op pr Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-28 Inherently safe
Op sh Ga 0,1,2 IEC 60079-28 protected by
Op is Ga 0,1,2 IEC 60079-28 shutdown

Increased safety e Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-7 No arcs, sparks

Type ‘n’ non-sparking nA Gc 2 IEC 60079-15 or hot surfaces.
Enclosure IP 54
or better
Flameproof d Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-1 Contain the
Type ‘n’ (enclosed break) nC Gc 2 IEC 60079-15 explosion,
quench the
flame
Quartz/sand filled q Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-5 Quench the
flame
Intrinsic safety ia Ga 0,1,2 IEC 60079-11 Limit the
Intrinsic safety ib Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-11 energy of
Intrinsic safety ic Gc 2 IEC 60079-11 sparks and
surface
temperatures
Pressurised (up to 2007) p Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-2 Keep the
Pressurised px Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-2 flammable gas
Pressurised py Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-2 out
Pressurised pz Gc 2 IEC 60079-2
Type ‘n’ (sealing and hermetic sealing) nC Gc 2 IEC 60079-15
Type ‘n’ (restricted breathing) nR Gc 2 IEC 60079-15
Encapsulation ma Ga 0,1,2 IEC 60079-18
Encapsulation mb Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-18
Encapsulation mc Gc 2 IEC 60079-18
Oil immersion o Gb 1,2 IEC 60079-6
Enclosure tD Da 20,21,2 IEC 60079-31 Standard
2 protection for
dusts, rugged
tight enclosure
Intrinsic safety iD Da 21,22 IEC 61241-11 Similar to tD,
but with some
relaxations if
circuit inside is
intrinsically safe
Encapsulation mD Dc 22 IEC 61241-18 Protection by
encapsulation
of incendive
parts
Pressurised pD Db 21,22 IEC 61241-2 Protection by
Dc 22 pressurization
of enclosure

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Note also that a motor may show multiple markings, such as Ex de IIC T3, this
indicates that there have been multiple concepts of protection applied to the
motor, for example the motor may be fundamentally protected by flameproof
concept of protection, but may have a terminal box that is protected by increased
safety concept of protection. Historically, the concepts of protection will have
been marked with the “dominant”, or most prevalent concept of protection first
(in the above example that would be Ex d), but more recently, the IEC60079 series
of standards have required that markings are placed in alphabetic order.

When selecting the concept of protection, the area in which the motor is to be
installed must be considered, and this requires a zone drawing for the area to
ensure that the selection of equipment is suitable.

ATEX categories vs zones of use

Equipment Category Zone of use

ATEX 94/9/EC
Gas, Vapours and Mist Dust
Cat 1 Zone 0, 1 and 2 Zone 20, 21 and 22
Cat 2 Zone 1 and 2 Zone 21 and 22
Cat 3 Zone 2 Zone 22

Groups ATEX and IECEx

Group Environment Location Typical substance

I Gases, Vapours Coal Mining Methane (Fire damp)
IIA and Mists Surface and other Methane, Propane etc.
IIB locations Ethylene
IIC Hydrogen, Acetylene etc.
IIIA Combustible Dusts Surface and other Combustible flyings
IIIB locations Non-conductive
IIIC Conductive

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Temperature Classification

Max. Surface Temperature IEC – Group II

450°C T1
300°C T2
200°C T3
135°C T4
100°C T5
85°C T6
Note: For Group I (CENELEC/IEC) applications, electrical apparatus has fixed
temperature limits ie., 150°C and 450°C.

Use of VSD/VFD with explosion protected motors

Whilst it may be prudent economically and practically to select a motor/drive

combination that best suits the application and cost parameters, it is not always
the case that this combination has been considered as suitable for use in explosive
atmospheres.

The International Standard, IEC60079-0, requires that motors fed from VSD/VFD
are tested with the intended drive at various speeds and loads to ensure that the
combination does not produce any effects that may invalidate the explosion
protection afforded the motor.

The drive will, invariably, have to be mounted outside the zoned area (unless it has
been tested and assessed to prove its own explosion protection properties, e.g.
installed within an enclosure with a certified purge controller and then tested and
proven to be Ex p (either Ex px, py or pz, in accordance with IEC60079-2)), and
feed to the motor in the hazardous area.

VFD are known to cause heating in motors due to the harmonic content of their
current waveform, and whilst these harmonics provide negligible useful torque at
the output shaft, they do cause significant heating effects within the motor
windings, and when this is coupled to the use of the VFD to control speed, it
becomes clear that the traditional method of testing at maximum speed is not
necessarily the point at which the worst case heating effects can be witnessed
(and hence the need to test and different speeds and loads within the motor/drive
range).

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 Explosion protected motors
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The type of VFD, duty, and application will all contribute to the test programme, as
these will all affect the thermal characteristics of the motor. For example, the VFD
may be a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) drive, or a CSI (Current Source Input)
drive or one of many other slightly different technologies available, and each will
cause heating in different ways. Also, whether the motor/drive is needed for
constant speed, constant torque or constant power will also affect the test
programme.

Typically, if a PWM inverter is used, and the torque is to remain constant, then
running at higher speeds will give a less onerous condition due to the cooling
effects of the motor when running at higher speeds, whereas when running at
lower speeds and constant torque, the motor will generally run hotter due to the
lesser air flow across the windings.

The frequency at which the drive operates will also cause a voltage to be induced
in the shaft of the motor (assuming it to be an ac induction machine) that will seek
a return path. The frequency of this shaft voltage may cause damage to motor
bearings due to the return path travelling from the rotor shaft then through the
bearings and to the case of the motor. As the circuit is made from shaft to
bearing sleeve, to bearing, to sleeve, to case, a spark may be induced and cause
pitting on the bearing and sleeve interfaces. As the pitting then rolls and makes
further irregular contact between these mating faces, so more sparks are induced
until such a point as a regular “fluted” pattern is left on the bearing sleeve faces.

Use of isolated bearings may help, along with correct cable design, and potentially
use of sliprings and brushgear to offer a lower impedance path.

Other considerations when testing/certifying a motor/drive

combination

By satisfying the appropriate IEC60079 standards, it may be considered that the

motor drive combination may be considered as “safe” for use in explosive
atmospheres – this is not necessarily the case, as other factors must be considered,
especially for use within the European Union.

Equipment placed on the market within Europe must comply with ALL relevant
directives. If the equipment falls under the scope of the Machinery Directive, then
this must be considered and applied. The equipment will need to be considered
against the EMC Directive, and also, the IEC60079 series of standards requires that
the motor must be compliant with the appropriate part of the IEC60034 series of
standards. Within the IEC60034 series of standards, the ratings, duty, insulation
class, etc must all be determined, and hence the general characterisation of the
motor is determined at this stage. The use of the IEC60034 series of standards will

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also help a manufacturer to ensure compliance with the Essential Health and
Safety Requirements of the ATEX Directive, and specifically EHSR 1.2.7 “Protection
against other hazards”.

This may be something of a problem for an importer of equipment to assemble

into a final product, e.g. a motor or motor/drive combination imported from N
America may comply with all of the US and Canadian requirements, but may not
be proven to comply with all of the requirements of IEC60034, EMC, etc (this does
not mean that the motor or motor/drive combination does not comply, per se, but
that there is no documented evidence of this compliance), and hence the person
placing on the market within the EU may be challenged by local enforcement
authorities to prove compliance, thus causing a cost and time burden that was
unforeseen.

Conclusion

The use of motors supplied with VFD is a common practice, however, when these
are to be used in hazardous areas a great deal more care must be taken to ensure
that the parameters of the motor certification are appropriate to the area in which
the motor is to be used. Emphasis must be placed on the need to know all of the
parameter for the combination and application(s), along with specific testing of
motor/drive combinations.

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 Explosion protected motors
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How Intertek can help

Intertek can help with your compliance requirements, from ATEX/IECEx/ETL, to

EMC, Machinery, RoHS, WEEE testing as well as services for compliance with
diverse national and international codes, rules and requirements. Our testing and
certification solutions for manufacturers help to reduce time to market which
directly impacts their bottom line. If you wish to speed up your time to market and
would benefit from one of our dedicated engineers working with your engineers
at your site, our labs, or any other convenient facility, then please contact us to
find out more.

Contacts

Technical Sales

Peter D Rawlinson, BEng CEng MIET Asif Akbar

Business Lead, Hazardous Locations Senior Account Manager
[email protected] [email protected]

Intertek, Deeside Lane, Chester, Flintshire, CH1 6DD, UK

Telephone: +44 (0)1244 882590
www.intertek-hazloc.com

For more information on specific testing and certification information, please contact Intertek at
1-800-WORLDLAB, email [email protected], or visit our website at www.intertek-hazloc.com.

This publication is copyright Intertek and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the
prior written permission of Intertek. While due care has been taken during the preparation of this document, Intertek
cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein or for any consequence arising from it. Clients are
encouraged to seek Intertek’s current advice on their specific needs before acting upon any of the content.

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