BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021

What is BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 - Explosive gas atmospheres about?

BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 is the tenth part of a BS EN IEC 60079 series of documents on the explosive atmosphere. BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 is an international standard that deals with the classification of three-dimensional areas relating to explosive gas atmospheres. 

BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 deals with the classification of areas where flammable gas or vapour hazards may arise and may then be used as a basis to support the proper design, construction, operation and maintenance of equipment for use in hazardous areas. 

BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 is intended to be applied where there may be an ignition hazard due to the presence of flammable gas or vapour, mixed with air. 

In BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 conditions include variations above and below reference levels of 101,3 kPa (1 013 mbar) and 20 °C (293 K), provided that the variations have a negligible effect on the explosion properties of the flammable substances. 

Note: BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 does not apply to – 

• Mines susceptible to firedamp 
• The processing and manufacture of explosives 
• Catastrophic failures or rare malfunctions which are beyond the concept of normality dealt with in this standard (see 3.7.3 and 4.5) 
• Rooms used for medical purposes and domestic premises 
• Where a hazard may arise due to the presence of combustible dust or combustible flying but the principles may be used in the assessment of a hybrid mixture 
• Flammable mists formed or present at the same time as flammable vapour 

Why should you use BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 - Explosive gas atmospheres?

In areas where dangerous quantities and concentrations of flammable gas or vapour may arise, measures need to be applied in order to reduce the risk of explosions. Classification of areas in explosive gas environments is vital for safety assessment purposes. 

BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 provides you with the essential criteria against which the ignition hazards can be assessed and gives guidance on the design and control parameters that can be used to reduce such hazards. 

BS EN IEC 60079-10-1 provides you with extensive information on safety principles, explosion risk assessment, hazardous area classification, the release of flammable substance, ventilation, types of zones that allow you to enhance the safety of explosive gas environments. 

What’s changed since the last update?

BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021 supersedes BS EN 60079-10-1:2015, which is now withdrawn. 

Changes in BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021 include: 

• Deleting commercial and industrial applications for fuel gas from the Scope exemptions 
• Deletion of the previous edition clause 3.7.3 definition for catastrophic failure (dealt with in clause 4.5) 
• Introduction of Figure 1 – Dilution volume 
• Updating equations for evaporation rate to align with the recent source modifications 
• Removal of safety factor k and deleting it from the horizontal axis of the chart in Figure C.1