Terminating Cables in Hazardous Areas
Vital information for Manchester electricians to get to grip with.
Terminating Cables in Hazardous Areas
by Steve on October 28, 2010
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Special attention needs to be paid to increased safety in hazardous areas. Cables and electrical equipment which are to be terminated or installed in potentially hazardous or explosive locations need to be carefully selected. Any possibility of equipment introducing an ignition source or flash voltages must be omitted and ATEX & DSEAR saftey regulations must be complied with. This would include holding a current CompEX Training Certificate.
Enclosures
Enclosures and equipment of a high IP design such as IP67 should be used.
Which Cable Gland?
This will depend on the application and on the type of hazardous environment such as ‘Increased Safety’ or ‘Flameproof’.
You can search the cable lists for the cable you are using and then find the correct glands to use.
Earthing Nuts
Earthing Nuts have great benefits in and around hazardous areas wherever a metal cable gland or conduit is terminated to a thin walled enclosure. No drilling of holes is required to make an earthing connection.They may also be used where Integral earthing glands have previously been used. An Earthing Nut used with a standard gland enables the protective connections to be made within the enclosure, away from the corrosive or flammable atmosphere and away from possible mechanical damage, and results in a neater appearance. Visit the Earth Nuts website foor more info.
Cold Shrink
Because no heat is used, Cold Shrink is ideal for cable joints and terminations in existing hazardous areas.
Link to Cold Shrink Post
Conduit systems
Until recently the range of cabling methods in hazardous areas has been limited. The use of a conduit system was not an option because of the possibility of introducing static charges caused by steel and nylon based flexible conduit systems. Products like the PMA Ex-System are now available as a solution to make hazardous area installations easier.
More about ATEX and DSEAR.
Read an article about cable jointing on Oil Platforms.
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