Unit 9:

Combined (hybrid) methods of

protection

Objectives:
On completion of this unit, ‘Combined (hybrid) methods of protection’, you should
know:
a) the advantages of combining two or more methods of protection in apparatus;

b) the installation requirements according to BS EN 60079-14;

c) the inspection requirements according to BS EN 60079-17.

-1-
Combined (hybrid) methods of protection

Electrical equipment may be manufactured with more than one method of explosion protection. Equipment of
this type has combined methods of protection but may also be known as a hybrid. Such an approach
combines the best features of each type of protection into one piece of equipment for both economic and
practical purposes.

A traditional push-button station for use in an hazardous location comprises a flameproof EEx d enclosure, in
which a standard industrial switch is fitted. An alternative to this arrangement is an Increased Safety EEx e
enclosure with a small flameproof EEx d component certified switch fitted inside. Because the switch
produces sparks in normal operation, clearly it has to be flameproof to comply with the Increased Safety
concept of protection. Such equipment will be marked EEx ed or EEx de.

The advantages of the hybrid arrangement discussed over the traditional flameproof method are:

(a) lower cost and weight;

(b) glanding arrangements are simplified;
(c) minimum ingress protection IP54 but may be as high as IP66.

-2-
Standards
Hybrid apparatus may be constructed using any combination of the various methods of explosion protection
and, therefore, the apparatus will be marked with the symbolic letters and construction standard numbers
relative to the types of explosion protection used. Probably the most commonly used combination involves ‘d’
and ‘e’ type apparatus, and so the table below shows these standards only. The full list of standards can be
found in Unit 2. Hybrid apparatus must also be installed and maintained in accordance with relevant
standards.

BS EN50 018 Flameproof enclosure ‘d’

BS 5501: Part 5: 1977 Flameproof enclosure ‘d’

BS EN50 019 Increased safety enclosure ‘e’

BS 5501: Part 6: Increased safety enclosure ‘e’

BS EN60079-14 Electrical apparatus for explosive gas
atmospheres: Part 14. Electrical installations in
hazardous areas (other than mines)
BS EN60079-17 Electrical apparatus for explosive gas
atmospheres: Part 17. Inspection and
maintenance of electrical installations in
hazardous areas (other than mines)

Motors - EEx de

-3-
Motors - EEx de
Manufacturers also produce electric motors in which there are combined methods of protection. The main
body of the motor will be flameproof EEx d and the terminal box increased safety EEx e. An alternative
terminal plate is fitted to a motor of this type to accommodate special terminals which are screwed into the
terminal plate. These are hybrid terminals, i.e. they employ both flameproof EEx d and increased safety EEx
e concepts in their construction.

EEx de motor terminal box

To achieve the required level of ingress protection, gaskets are fitted between the terminal box and it’s cover,
between the terminal plate and box, and between the gland plate and terminal box. On no account, however,
should a gasket be fitted between the terminal plate and the frame of the motor as this joint is a flamepath.

It must be emphasised that, on some motors, the increased safety terminal box looks very much like a
flameproof box in terms of it’s construction. This likeness means that there is a possibility that the gaskets
may be removed by personnel unaware of this concept and, therefore, it is important that certification labels
are studied before any work is carried out. Removal of the gaskets in attempt to return the box to it’s
assumed status, i.e. flameproof, would be an unauthorised modification which would invalidate the
certification.

-4-
EEx de - sample certification label

-5-
Lighting fittings - EEx edq
The lighting fitting illustrated below employs three protection concepts, i.e. increased safety type ‘e’,
flameproof type ‘d’ and powder filling type ‘q’. This type of fitting is widely used in the petro-chemical industry.

The constructional features are:

1) flameproof lampholders;

2) increased safety choke designed not to overheat if lamp fails;

3) temperature rating based on internal and external surface temperatures;

4) enclosure sealing providing high ingress protection;

5) increased safety enclosure including glands designed to withstand specified impact.

In this lighting fitting, the circuits include capacitors which are protected by a method of protection, powder
filling type ‘q’. Switches will be of flameproof type ‘d’ construction and terminals will be increased safety type
‘e’.

-6-
EEx e m ib

An enclosure may have an encapsulated component inside. A typical example is a telephone for use in a
hazardous location. The casing of the telephone would use increased safety type ‘e’ protection, most of the
internal circuits would be intrinsically safe, type ‘i’, but part of the circuitry would operate at a higher voltage
and therefore encapsulation type ‘m’ would be used to protect that part of the circuit. Terminals would be
increased safety type ‘e’.

Eex ‘e’ Enclosure

-7-
EEx pde

Enclosures which employ the protection concept, pressurisation type ‘p’, may have internal apparatus which
have to remain energised in the absence of overpressure. Such apparatus must be protected in accordance
with the Zone in which the enclosure is located. A typical example is an anti-condensation heater within a
pressurised machine which will be energised when the machine is idle.

Apparatus outwith the machine, e.g. junction boxes, pressure sensors etc., will also have to be protected in
accordance with the Zone.

Note: Since anti-condensation heaters are normally ‘live’ when a machine is idle, notices warning of this
danger should be displayed.

EEx pi

The part(s) of an IS system which are marked to indicate that they should be installed in a
non-hazardous area may be used in an hazardous area if installed in, for example, a pressurised enclosure as
illustrated below.

-8-
-9-