Purging and Pressurizing Enclosures

Purging and Pressurizing Enclosures Home

Agency (NEC, CEC, ATEX or IECEx) approved components that offer these protection can be quite costly due to production techniques, required testing and certification procedures.

The alternative to using agency (NEC, CEC, ATEX or IECEx) certified components is to create a safe atmosphere for the operation of standard duty components within the hazardous material laden environment. This can be done by using an enclosure to house the non-hazardous rated components, and to protect that enclosure’s internal space from the ignitable materials. This can be done with methods referred to as purging and pressurization.

Purge and pressurization systems provide protection for standard ordinary location electrical equipment within a standard enclosure designed to operate in a hazardous area. Compared to explosionproof or flameproof protection methods, this protection concept is more cost-effective and prevents an explosion.

Purge and Pressurization is a protection method used with Type 12, 4 and 4X enclosures. The enclosure is initially purged to remove any internal explosive gases or dust. Once this is accomplished, the enclosure is pressurized with a protective air or inert gas supply. This provides a positive internal enclosure pressure which keeps any external explosive gases or dust from entering the enclosure. The two methods of purge and pressurization offered are Leak Compensation and Continuous Flow.

To put it in simple words, purge panels are a simple yet effective solution to use electrical and electronic devices in hazardous areas by maintaining a positive pressure inside the enclosure. This eliminates the presence of external gases in the enclosure and hence completely prevents sparks and explosion.

A purge and pressurization system supplies one or more enclosures with instrument quality air or inert gas to keep hazardous gasses out of the enclosure so installed equipment can be safely used.

Enclosures Solutions

Available in SS304 & SS316L materials.
Unibody construction of the enclosures.
Low leakage enclosures, specifically designed for purge & pressurization.
Superior performance under pressure, low running costs, and enhanced safety.
Standard & Customised Enclosures engineered to order.
Robust stainless steel construction: 2–3mm thickness, depending on dimensions/sizes of the enclosures.

Minimum IP66 or Type 4X ingress protection.
Customised enclosure project service for more challenging applications.
Solutions for low T5/T6 and high T3/T4 temperature duty, internal source of release, high thermal loads.
Full flexibility in enclosure configuration and dimensions to suit exact project requirements.
Cooling products – Vortex Coolers & Panel Air-conditioners are also available in our product range for hazardous areas.