ATEX

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Directive 2014/34 / EU

Title: Directive 2014/34 / EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of February 26, 2014 on the harmonization of the legal provisions of the member states for devices and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive areas
Designation:
(not official) 		ATEX directive
Scope: EEA
Legal matter: Security law
Basis: TFEU , in particular Article 114
Procedure overview: European Commission
European Parliament
IPEX Wiki
To be used from: April 18, 2014
Reference: OJ L 96 of 29.3.2014, pp. 309-356
Full text Consolidated version (not official)
basic version
The regulation must have been implemented in national law.
Please note the information on the current version of legal acts of the European Union !

ATEX logo

ATEX is a widely used synonym for the ATEX directives of the European Union . The term ATEX is derived from the French abbreviation for AT mosphères EX plosibles . The directive currently comprises two directives in the field of explosion protection , namely the ATEX product directive 2014/34 / EU and the ATEX operating directive 1999/92 / EC.

Understanding the ATEX directives

The European Union (EU) and its predecessor organizations ( EC and EEC ) have meanwhile taken numerous decisions to harmonize the European market. The main task is to ensure the free, unhindered movement of goods within the EU. To this end, numerous non-harmonized national regulations were standardized and summarized and then converted into European standards . The ATEX guideline is such a European guideline and was originally published in 1994 as guideline 94/9 / EG. In 2014 it appeared as 2014/34 / EU in a new version for the purpose of harmonization with the New Legislative Framework (NLF).

The guideline covers devices and protective systems that are to be used in potentially explosive areas.

The ATEX guidelines are published by the General Directorate for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission in cooperation with the member states, European industry, European standardization bodies ( CEN , CENELEC ) and so-called notified bodies (in Germany e.g. BAM , PTB or various TÜVs ) worked out.

The ATEX directives 2014/34 / EU and 1999/92 are aimed at the EU member states . They are therefore obliged to implement at least the standards defined in the directive into national law in their national legislation.

ATEX product directive 2014/34 / EU

The ATEX Product Directive 2014/34 / EU (also unofficially referred to as ATEX 114 , because of the relevant Art. 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) of the European Parliament and of the Council for the approximation of the laws of the member states for devices and protective systems for the intended use Use in potentially explosive areas defines the rules for placing products on the market that are used in potentially explosive areas. With this guideline, non-electrical devices were also included for the first time. So z. B. rotating clutches can lead to ignition hazards due to excessive heating.

The main purpose of the directive is to protect people who work in potentially explosive areas or who could be affected by explosions. Annex II of the guideline contains the basic health and safety requirements which the manufacturer must observe and which must be evidenced by appropriate conformity assessment procedures. In addition, the elimination of technical barriers to trade is an important consideration.

Since June 30, 2003, only devices, components and protective systems for use in potentially explosive areas that comply with the ATEX Product Directive may be placed on the market. Directive 94/9 / EC (also unofficially referred to as ATEX 95 because of the relevant Art. 95 of the EC Treaty on the Free Movement of Goods) is still to be applied until April 20, 2016 , followed by Directive 2014/34 / EU.

This European Directive was implemented in Germany by the Explosion Protection Product Regulation (11th ProdSV) in national law.

Explanation of terms

  • Devices and components
    • "Device" means machines, equipment, stationary or mobile devices, control and equipment parts as well as warning and preventive systems that are intended individually or in combination for the generation, transmission, storage, measurement, regulation and conversion of energy and for the processing of materials and that have their own potential sources of ignition and could cause an explosion.
    • “Components” are those parts that are required for the safe operation of devices and protective systems, but without fulfilling an autonomous function themselves.

Device groups

Group I (device group I)
Apparatus for use in mining / surface / underground operations
  Category M1 Category M2
Requirement very high security high security
Group II (device group II)
Devices for use in potentially explosive dust and gas atmospheres
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3
danger constantly, frequently or for a long time occasionally rarely and for a short time
Requirement very high security high security normal security
Zone Zone 0 Zone 20 Zone 1 Zone 21 Zone 2 Zone 22
Substance group G D. G D. G D.

G = gas, D = dust

Group III (device group II)
Devices for use in potentially explosive dust atmospheres
IIIA IIIB IIIC
Subdivision flammable lint non-conductive dust conductive dust
Zone Zone 20, 21, 22 Zone 20, 21, 22 Zone 20, 21, 22
Substance group D. D. D.

The device group refers to the national appendix ZY of DIN EN 60079-0. Devices of a certain category may only be used for certain zones, e.g. B. Category 2 devices only for zones 1, 2 (for gases or vapors) or for zones 21, 22 (for dusts).

  • Gas group

Gases and vapors are divided into three gas groups (IIA, IIB and IIC) due to their special ignitability. The danger increases from gas group IIA to IIC. (The higher gas group e.g. IIC includes the lower IIB and IIA.)

Temperature classes

Temperature classes for gases (T6 => T1)

Temperature data for dusts (e.g .: 120 ° C)

In addition, temperatures are indicated essentially differently between electrical and non-electrical devices.

In order to facilitate the planning of a system, six temperature classes (T1 to T6) have been defined for the permissible surface temperatures. Certain flammable gases and vapors can be assigned to these temperature classes based on the corresponding ignition temperatures.

The following maximum permissible surface temperatures on the devices apply to the temperature classes:

class Max. Surface temperature Ignition temperatures of some substances for comparison
T1 450 ° C Propane 510 ° C, natural gas 650 ° C
T2 300 ° C Acetylene 305 ° C
T3 200 ° C Petrol 260-450 ° C, diesel 220 ° C
T4 135 ° C Diethyl ether 170 ° C
T5 100 ° C no fabrics
T6 85 ° C Carbon disulfide 95 ° C

Equipment for a higher temperature class z. B. T6 (max. Heating of the device to 85 ° C) are approved, are also suitable for the poorer temperature classes T5 to T1.

Temperature information for dusts: There is no division of dusts into temperature classes, as there is a safety margin between the surface temperature and the ignition temperature for dusts. In the case of dust, the maximum permissible surface temperature (e.g. 300 ° C) of the equipment is specified instead of the temperature class.

Compared to electrical devices, "non-electrical" products such as B. Clutches themselves do not have a main temperature during operation, but transmit the process temperature. Therefore, [TX] is often used here.

ATEX operating directive 1999/92 / EG

The ATEX operating directive 1999/92 / EC (also unofficially referred to as "ATEX 137", because of the relevant Art. 137 of the EC contract) defines the minimum requirements for improving the health and safety of workers who can be endangered by an explosive atmosphere. This policy was established in 2002 as part of the operating safety regulations in German, or by the Regulation explosive atmospheres (VEXAT) into Austrian law. This guideline contains basic safety requirements that the operator / employer must implement. This includes:

  • Avoidance or restriction of the formation of an explosive atmosphere (primary explosion protection)
  • Avoidance of effective ignition sources (secondary explosion protection)
  • Limitation of the effect of a possible explosion to a harmless level (tertiary or structural explosion protection)

As part of his risk assessment, the employer must prepare an explosion protection document and divide areas with a dangerous, potentially explosive atmosphere into zones.

Designation of potentially explosive areas
according to EC Directive 1999/92 / EC, Appendix I.
... present constantly, over long periods of time or frequently . ... occasionally present during normal operation . ... normally not present in normal operation or only present for a short time .
Explosive atmosphere as a mixture of air and flammable gases, vapors or mists ... Zone 0 Zone 1 Zone 2
Explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust in the air ... Zone 20 Zone 21 Zone 22

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: ATEX  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ European Parliament: Fact Sheets, Chap. 3.2.1 The free movement of goods
  2. ↑ a b German version of the ATEX Guidelines, 4th edition (German version of the ATEX Guidelines (Fourth Edition - September 2012)). (PDF, 702 kB) (No longer available online.) European Commission, September 2012, archived from the original on April 4, 2015 ; Retrieved April 2, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Guidelines on the application of Council Directive 94/9 / EC ( Memento of December 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 692 kB), March 23, 1994, first edition, Appendix 4.
  4. ↑ Directive 99/92 / EC , accessed on May 10, 2015