Overview of the Ignition Protection Categories
In environments with an explosive atmosphere, ignition protection categories serve to prevent ignition by not reaching impermissibly high temperatures. The ignition protection categories are distinguished according to the type and function of the equipment and the probability an explosive atmosphere will occur.
Electrical equipment is subject to the provisions of IEC 60079-0 (gases and vapors), IEC 61241-0 (dust) and EN 13463-1 (non-electrical equipment). The equipment must be accepted by an approved testing office, for example by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt [German national test authority] (PTB).
