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NONINCENDIVE EQUIPMENT FOR USE IN HAZARDOUS (C

LOCATIONS
IAEI November-December 2002

by NICHOLAS LUDLAM
What is nonincendive equipment? Section 500.7(F) of the National Electrical Code explains
that it is a protection technique for equipment installed in Class I, Division 2, hazardous
(classied) locations. With the advent of more stringent environmental regulations,
intentional release of ammable materials is greatly restricted and, with the resulting
changes in containment techniques, many areas that previously were classied as Division
1 (continuously ammable) have been reclassied as Division 2 (infrequently within the
ammable range).
This allows the installation of nonincendive equipment in applications previously limited to
Division 1 protection techniques, such as explosionproof or intrinsic safety. Nonincendive
equipment tends to be less costly and less complicated to maintain than Division 1
equipment. The obvious economic benets will mean that this protection technique will
see an expanded usage in the years to come.

The same concept can be applied in Class II and Class III, Division 2, locations; but, in those
locations, the enclosures of the nonincendive equipment must also prevent the entrance
of dust.
Three NEC denitions apply:

Nonincendive Equipment
Equipment having electrical/electronic circuitry that is incapable, under
normal operating conditions, of causing ignition of a specied ammable
gas-air, vapor-air, or dust-air mixture due to arcing or thermal means.

To play th

Nonincendive Circuit
A circuit, other than eld wiring, in which any arc or thermal eect
produced under intended operating conditions of the equipment is not
capable, under specied test conditions, of igniting the ammable gas-air,
vapor-air, or dust-air mixture.

questions

Nonincendive Component
A component having contacts for making or breaking an incendive circuit;
the contacting mechanism is constructed so that the component is
incapable of igniting the specied ammable gas-air or vapor-air mixture.
The housing of a nonincendive component is not intended to exclude the
ammable atmosphere or contain an explosion. 1
Nonincendive equipment is a combination of nonincendive circuits and nonincendive
components.
Nonincendive equipment may be listed by a independent nationally recognized test
laboratory, or inspected and approved on-site by the authority having jurisdiction [AHJ].
Inspection and approval by an AHJ tends to be limited to relatively simple types of
equipment. Although it is certainly feasible for an AHJ to examine more complicated
equipment, access to schematics, bills of materials and component specications are
needed, and these may prove dicult to obtain. To facilitate the installation of the more
complicated equipment, most manufacturers generally seek listing by an independent
nationally recognized test laboratory, so additional inspection of the construction of the
equipment is not required by the AHJ at the time of installation and can serve as a basis
for approval.
Related to the protection technique nonincendive equipment is the wiring method,
nonincendive eld wiring, permitted by 501.4(B)(3) or 502.4(B)(3). Nonincendive
equipment is required to be wired using the methods dened in 501.4(B)(1)/(2) or 502.4(B)
(1)/(2) as these wiring methods provide a degree of physical protection to the wiring, and
no faults in the wiring are considered likely.
Nonincendive eld wiring provides an alternative wiring method based on limitation of
energy in the wiring during possible wiring faults, similar to intrinsic safety wiring, but
specically limited to Division 2. This wiring method is generally limited to low-power
apparatus such as 4-20 mA instrumentation circuits. The wiring employed may be any of
those types permitted in unclassied locations, as nonincendive eld wiring assumes that
the wiring can be damaged in normal operation, but is not considered a source of ignition
due to the limitation of the energy available in the wiring during possible wiring faults. In
the examination of nonincendive eld wiring, faults such as opening, shorting and
grounding of the wiring are considered, and the resulting energy release is veried to be

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incapable of igniting a surrounding ammable atmosphere. Therefore, the wiring can be

considered as suitably protected and not likely to cause a re or explosion.
In addition to the wiring, there are two other integral parts to the installed nonincendive
eld wiring system: the associated nonincendive eld wiring apparatus (power supply),
and the nonincendive eld wiring apparatus (instrument), the installation of which is
dened on a control drawing.
Three additional NEC denitions apply when nonincendive eld wiring is concerned:

Nonincendive Field Wiring Apparatus

Wiring that enters or leaves an equipment enclosure and, under normal
operating conditions of the equipment, is not capable, due to arcing or
thermal eects, of igniting the ammable gas-air, vapor-air, or dust-air
mixture. Normal operation includes opening, shorting or grounding the
eld wiring.
Associated Nonincendive Field Wiring Apparatus
Apparatus in which the circuits are not necessarily nonincendive, but aect
the energy in nonincendive eld wiring circuits and are relied upon to
maintain nonincendive energy levels. Associated nonincendive eld wiring
apparatus may be either of the following:
(1) Electrical apparatus that has an alternative type of protection
for use in the appropriate hazardous (classied) location
(2) Electrical apparatus not so protected that shall not be used in a
hazardous (classied) location
FPN: Associated nonincendive eld wiring apparatus has designated associated
nonincendive eld wiring apparatus connections for nonincendive eld wiring apparatus
and may also have connections for other electrical apparatus.

Control Drawing:
A drawing or other document provided by the manufacturer of the
intrinsically safe or associated apparatus, or of the nonincendive eld
wiring apparatus or associated nonincendive eld wiring apparatus, that
details the allowed interconnections between the intrinsically safe and
associated apparatus or between the nonincendive eld wiring apparatus
or associated nonincendive eld wiring apparatus.2
The wiring method, nonincendive eld wiring, requires the user to align the output
parameters of the associated nonincendive eld wiring apparatus with the input
parameters of the nonincendive eld wiring apparatus in accordance with the control
drawing(s). When aligned correctly, the voltage and current limitation of the associated
nonincendive eld wiring apparatus combined with the limited energy storage (inductance

SelectMonth

and capacitance) of the nonincendive eld wiring apparatus limits the potential release of
energy in the wiring to levels below that required to initiate an explosion.
Additional information on examination and testing of nonincendive equipment and the
alignment of nonincendive eld wiring parameters can be found in ANSI/ISA 12.12.012000, Nonincendive Electrical Equipment for Use in Class I and II, Division 2, and Class III,
Divisions 1 and 2, Hazardous (Classied) Locations, available from The Instrumentation,
Systems, and Automation Society (ISA), or visit their Web site athttp://www.isa.org.
2002 FM Global Technologies LLC. All rights reserved. Permission granted one-time use
international rights.
1 NEC 2002, National Fire Protection Association, Article 100, Denitions, p. 70-37.
2 NEC 2002, National Fire Protection Association, 500.2, Denitions, p. 70-339340.
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NICHOLAS LUDLAM

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