IECEX

Submitted by root on Wed, 09/11/2013 - 17:55

What is IECEx certification Scheme

IECEX is the IEC system for the certification to standards for electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres.

This is a voluntary certification scheme.

The objective of the IECEx certification scheme is to facilitate international trade in equipment and services for use in explosive atmospheres (Ex), while maintaining the required level of safety.

Many certification schemes exits at the IECEx level :

Certification of equipement
Certification of Service Facility
Certification of Persons

In this part of the industry-finder Website, we will discuss only of the Certification of equipement.

This certification scheme is a certification according to international standards.

In the following pages you will discover :

The functionning of IECEx - ExTL and ExCB
The certification procedure for a manufacturer and the CoC certificate, ExTR and QAR
The standards for IECEx equipment certification

The IECEx logo is represented hereafter

IECEx-logo

The functionning of IECEx - ExCB and ExTL

IECEX scheme comprises two kinds of bodies :

the certification bodies (ExCB) that delivers the official documents and
The testing laboratories ExTL that are doing the tests for the ExCB

The rules of functionning betwwen the ExTL, ExCB and the IECEx are difined in 2 main documents :

IECEx 01 : IEC System for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx System) - Basic Rules
IECEx 02 : IEC System for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx System) - IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme covering equipment for use in explosive atmospheres – Rules of Procedure

When a country, ExCB and ExTL accepts to join the IECEx scheme, it engage to respect those rules.

For example in Europe, where ATEX certification is based mainly on certification according standards, when a notied body for ATEX 94/9/EC directive is also an ExCB for IECEx (in the UK for example), then if a product is certified according IECEx rules by and IECEx ExCB that is not a European notified body (in Australia for example), then the UK notified body must accept the findingd of the Australian IECEx ExCB to issue the European official documents :

EC type examination certificate
Quality assurance notification

that will be based on the australian EXTR (Ex test report) and the QAR (Quality assurance report).

If necessary, the European notified body will proceed to additionnal tests that are required for local regulations.

The certification procedure for a manufacturer and the CoC certificate, ExTR and QAR

The rules specified above On the IECEx certification scheme, are rules for ExCB and ExTL. What is important for a manufacturer is to know how to apply for and IECEx certification and what kind of documents will be delivered.

First of all, the manufacturer need to contact an ExCB that will manage the certification process according the IECEx rules. In most cases, the ExCB has (or is in contact with) an ExTL.

The process of certification is to perform the tests and analysis that are required by the standards and to perform a quality insurance audit to see if all the measures put in place for manufacturing will allow to manufacture the same product that the one that was certified. After this complete certification process, 3 kinds of documents will be issued is the equipement satisfies the requirements of the standards :

an ExTR (Ex Test Report) for the equipment
a QAR Quality Assurance Report for each manufacturing place of the certificed product
CoC certificate of conformity. The CoC is not request each time by the manufacturer because in most cases the ExTR and QAR are sufficient

All these documents are available on the IECEX Web site on the followind address www.iecex.com This allows also end used to verify if the Ex equipement they want to purchase is certified or not and if it is alway valid. This allows also European notified bodies to verify if the ExTR an QAR are still valid.

The list of ExCB up to date is defined in the IECEX Web site on the followind address www.iecex.com

The basis and standards for IECEx equipment certification

The IECEx System is based on the use of International Standards, such as IEC Standards. These Standards are dedicated to specialised fields associated with the use of Ex equipment, and industrial places where an explosion risk may exist. The main standards dedicated to Ex and for product certification are described hereafter.

Number	Title
60079-0	Explosive atmospheres - Part 0: Equipment - General requirements
60079-1	Explosive atmospheres - Part 1: Equipment protection by flameproof enclosures 'd'
60079-2	Explosive atmospheres - Part 2: Equipment protection by pressurized enclosures 'p'
60079-5	Explosive atmospheres - Part 5: Equipment protection by powder filling 'q'
60079-6	Explosive atmospheres - Part 6: Equipment protection by oil immersion 'o'
60079-7	Explosive atmospheres - Part 7: Equipment protection by increased safety 'e'
60079-11	Explosive atmospheres - Part 11: Equipment protection by intrinsic safety 'i'
60079-13	Explosive atmospheres - Part 13: Equipment protection by pressurized room 'p'
60079-15	Explosive atmospheres - Part 15: Equipment protection by type of protection 'n'
TR 60079-16	Electrical apparatus for explosive gas atmospheres - Part 16: Artificial ventilation for the protection of analyser (s) houses
60079-18	Explosive atmospheres - Part 18: Equipment protection by encapsulation "m"
60079-19	Explosive atmospheres - Part 19: Equipment repair, overhaul and reclamation
60079-25	Explosive atmospheres - Part 25: Intrinsically safe systems
60079-26	Explosive atmospheres - Part 26: Equipment with equipment protection level (EPL) Ga
60079-27	Explosive atmospheres - Part 27: Fieldbus intrinsically safe concept (FISCO)
60079-28	Explosive atmospheres - Part 28: Protection of equipment and transmission systems using optical radiation
60079-29-1	Explosive atmospheres - Part 29-1: Gas detectors - Performance requirements of detectors for flammable gases
60079-29-4	Explosive atmospheres - Part 29-4: Gas detectors - Performance requirements of open path detectors for flammable gases
60079-30-1	Explosive atmospheres - Part 30-1: Electrical resistance trace heating - General and testing requirements
60079-31	Explosive atmospheres - Part 31: Equipment dust ignition protection by enclosure "t"
60079-35-1	Explosive atmospheres - Part 35-1: Caplights for use in mines susceptible to firedamp - General requirements - Construction and testing in relation to the risk of explosion
61241-0	Electrical apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dust - Part 0: General requirements
61241-1	Electrical apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dust - Part 1: Protection by enclosures 'tD'
61241-1-1	Electrical apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dust - Part 1: Electrical apparatus protected by enclosures and surface temperature limitation - Specification for apparatus
61241-4	Electrical apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dust - Part 4: Type of protection 'pD'
61241-11	Electrical apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dust - Part 11: Protection by intrinsic safety 'iD'
61241-18	Electrical apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dust - Part 18: Protection by encapsulation 'mD'
61779-1	Electrical apparatus for the detection and measurement of flammable gases - Part 1: General requirements and test methods
61779-2	Electrical apparatus for the detection and measurement of flammable gases - Part 2: Performance requirements for group I apparatus indicating a volume fraction up to 5% methane in air
61779-3	Electrical apparatus for the detection and measurement of flammable gases - Part 3: Performance requirements for group I apparatus indicating a volume fraction up to 100% methane in air
61779-4	Electrical apparatus for the detection amd measurement of flammable gases - Part 4: Performance requirements for group II apparatus indicating a volume fraction up to 100% lower explosive limit
61779-5	Electrical apparatus for the detection and measurement of flammable gases - Part 5: Performance requirements for group II apparatus indicating a volume fraction up to 100% gas
62013-1	Caplights for use in mines susceptible to firedamp - Part 1: General requirements - Construction and testing in relation to the risk of explosion
62013-2	Caplights for use in mines susceptible to firedamp - Part 2: Performance and other safety-related matters
62086-1	Electrical apparatus for explosive gas atmospheres – Electrical resistance trace heating – Part 1: General and testing requirements
80079-34	Explosive atmospheres - Part 34: Application of quality systems for equipment manufacture