The ATEX certification was introduced at European level starting from 30 March 2014 and is mandatory for all products marketed in the European Union if it is foreseen to be installed in workplaces at risk of explosion.
ATEX, in fact, derives from the French terms Atmosphere and Explosives from which it inherits the first two letters of each word, identifying, in fact, environments with explosive or explosive atmospheres. The ATEX collects, at a regulatory level, the two directives of the European Union that regulate on the one hand the manufacturers of equipment, obliging them to certify the products used in environments at risk of explosion, on the other it protects workers, guaranteeing the use of only certified equipment in hazardous environments.
ATEX certified equipment has the following logo:
The ATEX certification includes a series of parameters that serve to identify the characteristics of the equipment in use: the parameters are the nature of the dangerous product and the ignition temperature of the product itself.
Everything is summarized in the following tables:
- Nature of the product
| Gas | Group |
| Methane | M1 / M2 |
| Propane | IIA |
| Ethylene | IIB |
| Acetylene | IIC |
| Gas in general | II |
- Product ignition temperature
| Maximum temperature | Class |
| 450 ° | C T1 |
| 300 ° | C T2 |
| 200 ° | C T3 |
| 135 ° | C T4 |
| 100 ° | C T5 |
| 85 ° | C T6 |
A further classification is the classification in areas of danger of explosion in which explosive atmospheres are present or can form. The zones range from 0 to 2 where 0 is a permanently explosive atmosphere and 2 is a hardly explosive atmosphere. Everything is shown in the following table:
Zone 0 Area in which an explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapor or mist is present continuously or for long periods or often.
The attendance is more than 1000 hours per year.
Zone 1 Area in which during normal activities the formation of an explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapor or mist is likely.
Presence falls within the range of 10-1000 hours / year.
Zone 2 Area in which during normal activities the formation of an explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture of air and flammable substances in the form of gas, vapor or mist is not probable and, if it occurs, is only of short duration.
Attendance is less than 10 hours / year.
H2: Celmi srl ATEX certification
As already mentioned, Celmi products are ATEX certified. Let’s analyze it in detail.
Zones 1/21 – 2/22
As indicated in the previous table, the Celmi load cells can be used in environments falling within zones 1 and 2, that is, respectively, in environments in which the formation of an explosive atmosphere is likely and in environments in which the formation of an explosive atmosphere is not likely. 21 indicates environments where an explosive atmosphere can form due to flammable suspended dust; 22 indicates environments with a low probability of the formation of flammable suspended dust and, should this happen, it has a short duration.
II 2G Ex h IIC T6 Gb X where:
• II indicates gas in general
• 2 indicates the category of products designed to guarantee a high level of protection in environments where a dangerous atmosphere could be created
• G indicates “gas or vapor”
• Ex h IIC T6 Gb X indicates the type of protection; gas and dust group (IIC) and EPL (Gb); T6 indicates the ignition temperature (85 ° C)
Furthermore, II 2D Ex h IIIC T85 ° C Db X where:
• II indicates gas in general
• 2 indicates the category of products designed to guarantee a high level of protection in environments where a dangerous atmosphere could be created
• D indicates “Powders”
• Ex h IIIC T85 ° C Db X indicates the type of protection; gas and dust group (IIC) and EPL (Db); T85 ° C indicates the ignition temperature
The standard operating ambient temperature range is -20 ° C and 40 ° C, unless otherwise specified on the product label
H2: Further warnings
It is obvious to imagine that compliance with the instructions and the intended use of the products is mandatory in order to avoid damage to people or things. Celmi products, to operate in total safety in compliance with European directives, must be installed and connected only with circuits with adequate ATEX characteristics.
Further indications are electrical continuity and earthing to avoid damage to things or people and the equipment must always follow the scheduled cleaning and maintenance cycles. It is strongly not recommended to modify the equipment without the approval of Celmi srl.
For more information on Celmi ATEX certification, please refer to the specific documents: contact us for all the information you need.