Safe Ignition Sources

If an atmosphere subject to explosion cannot be prevented in a work area, secondary explosion protection is brought to bear. Secondary measures include prevention of any ignition sources in the Ex area.

However, these are not so easy to detect. Only with knowledge of what can cause a spark or heat can measures be taken to prevent explosions. The ignition sources are listed in the basic standard EN 1127-1 “Atmosphere subject to explosion – Explosion protection Part 1” as well as in the “Technical rules for operational safety” TRBS 2152, Part 3. Appropriate protective measures for preventing ignition sources are also listed there.

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Principles of Explosion Protection

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Ignition sources and their causes

Ignition source	Cause (example)
Hot surfaces	Heating devices, mechanical processes due to friction and chipping, heat losses (friction coupling and braking)
Electric arcs	Mechanically generated sparks (e.g., due to friction, impact or machining processes), electrical sparks, electrical switch arcs
Flames and hot gases	Flames or their hot reaction products such as hot gases and glowing material particles can ignite an explosive atmosphere.
Sparks generated mechanically	Friction, impact or machining processes such as grinding, tools such as wrenches, pliers or tools such as a ladder; work on rusty components with aluminum tools (thermite reaction)
Electrical systems	Opening and closing of electrical circuits, equalizing currents, electromagnetic fields, conductive dust Note: Protective low voltage is not a measure to protect against explosion, since ignition is also possible with less than 50 V!
Cathode corrosion protection	Reverse current to the current source, induction, short or ground faults
Static electricity	Static electric discharge
Lightening strike	-
Electromagnetic fields	Frequency ranges from 9 x 103 to 3 x 1011 Hz. These include high-frequency equipment such as radio equipment or high-frequency generators.
Electromagnetic radiation	Frequency ranges from 3 x 1011 to 3 x 1015 Hz and wavelengths of 1000 to 0.1 μm. This includes optical radiation such as sunlight, lasers, lightning strikes, electric arcs.
Ionizing radiation	Ignition due to energy absorption, with causes such as short-wave UV rays, X-rays or radioactive materials
Ultrasound	Ignition due to energy absorption, with causes such as short-wave UV rays, X-rays or radioactive materials.
Adiabatic compression and streaming gases	Due to the high temperatures that occur due to shock waves and in instances of adiabatic compression, an atmosphere subject to explosion can ignite.
Chemical reaction	Due to chemical reactions that cause heat development (exothermic reactions), materials heat up and can cause an explosion.

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Safe Ignition Sources

Principles of Explosion Protection

Ignition sources and their causes

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WAGO Products for Explosion Protection