BS EN 60079-5:2015

What is BS EN 60079-5 - EA equipment protection q standard about?

Dusts, as defined in BS EN 60079, are hazardous because when they are dispersed in air by any means they may form potentially explosive atmospheres. Furthermore, layers of dust may ignite and act as ignition sources for an explosive atmosphere.

IEC 60079-5 contains specific requirements for the construction, testing and marking of electrical equipment, parts of electrical equipment and Ex components in the type of protection powder filling “q”, intended for use in explosive gas atmospheres. In IEC 60079-5, type of protection powder filling “q” provides equipment protection level (EPL) Gb or Mb. 

Note: IEC 60079-5 applies to electrical equipment, parts of electrical equipment as well.

Who is BS EN 60079-5 - EA equipment protection q standard for?

BS EN 60079-5 on the EA equipment protection q standard is useful for:

• Manufacturers of capacitors, cells, and batteries
• Manufacturers of personal electronic equipment
• Concerned maintenance teams
• Product development teams
• Quality control teams
• Health and safety bodies

Why should you use BS EN 60079-5 - EA equipment protection q standard?

Safety is a prime concern when employees are around EA. Explosive dust atmosphere is a mixture with air, under atmospheric conditions, of flammable substances in the form of dust, or flyings in which, after ignition, self-sustaining flame propagation is possible. BS EN 60079-5 applies to electrical equipment, parts of electrical equipment and Ex components with:

• A rated supply current less than or equal to 16 A
• A rated supply voltage less than or equal to 1 000 V
• A rated power consumption less than or equal to 1 000 W

BS EN 60079-5 is intended to be applied where there can be temperature limitations under overload or malfunction conditions. BS EN 60079-5 provides you with guidelines on containers, filling materials, distances, and connections for equipment that is placed in EA. BS EN 60079-5 also discusses the verification and tests for equipment placed in EA.

In BS EN 60079-5 a powder filling “q” (solid quartz or solid glass particles) is used for a type of protection in which the parts capable of igniting an explosive gas atmosphere are fixed in position and completely surrounded by filling material to prevent the ignition of an external explosive gas atmosphere. Using BS EN 60079-5 guidelines, you can protect your employees when they work in a potentially explosive gas atmosphere; and avoid potential hazards including explosion, fire, and electrical hazards. BS EN 60079-5 guidelines help you to comply with safety requirements.

What’s changed since the last update?

BS EN 60079-5:2015 supersedes BS EN 60079-5:2009. BS EN 60079-5:2015 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN 60079-5:2009. These include:

• Specific references to IEC 60079-0 have been reworded so the references to IEC 60079-0 can be non-dated references
• The “housing” surrounding the powder filled equipment or Ex Component has been redefined as a “container” to avoid confusion with the “enclosure” requirements of IEC 60079-0
• A relaxation has been introduced to permit reduced distances through filling material for instances where there is no adjacent gap in the container
• A relaxation has been introduced to permit the use of creepage dimensions per IEC 60079-7 where CTI is better than 175
• An evaluation of joints employed when the reduced distances according to table 1 are applied, has been added