BS EN ISO 80079-20-1:2019

What is ISO 80079‑20‑1 on Gas and vapour classification about? 

ISO 80079‑20‑1 is an international standard that covers various safety aspects for explosive atmosphere.  

ISO 80079‑20‑1 provides guidance on the classification of gases and vapours. It describes a test method intended for the measurement of the maximum experimental safe gaps (MESG) for gas-air mixtures or vapour-air mixtures under normal conditions of temperature and pressure (20 °C, 101,3 kPa) so as to permit the selection of an appropriate group of equipment.  

ISO 80079‑20‑1 also describes a test method intended for use in the determination of the auto-ignition temperature (AIT) of a vapour-air mixture or gas-air mixture at atmospheric pressure, so as to permit the selection of an appropriate temperature class of equipment. 

Note 1: These methods for determining the MESG or the AIT may also be used for gas-air-inert mixtures or vapour-air-inert mixtures. However, data on air-inert mixtures are not tabulated.  

Who is ISO 80079‑20‑1 on Gas and vapour classification for? 

ISO 80079‑20‑1 on gas and vapour classification is useful for all the entities dealing with: 

• Designers of electrical equipment in an explosive atmosphere 
• Manufacturers of safety equipment in an explosive atmosphere 
• Underground mine authorities 
• Oil and petroleum gas industries 
• Industries with the explosive work atmosphere  

Why should you use ISO 80079‑20‑1 on Gas and vapour classification? 

The safety of the personnel working in an explosive atmosphere, equipment, protective systems, or components can be achieved by eliminating hazards and/or limiting the risk. 

ISO 80079‑20‑1 specifies the material characteristics for the classification of gas and vapour in an explosive atmosphere, which help designers and manufacturers to ensure safety requirements while designing the equipment, protective systems, and components. It provides you with the values of chemical properties of materials that assist you in the selection of equipment to be used in hazardous areas.  

ISO 80079‑20‑1 helps its users for assessment of risk and reduces the risks by providing them with the appropriate data and information collected from various reference sources for use. It helps you in the identification of explosion hazards and specifies the likelihood of occurrence of a hazardous explosive atmosphere. 

What’s changed since the last update? 

BS EN ISO 80079‑20‑1:2019 supersedes BS EN 60079‑20‑1:2010, which is withdrawn. BS EN ISO 80079‑20‑1:2019 includes the following changes: 

• For dry Ethanol (CAS-No. 64-17-5), the equipment group remains IIB, but for Ethanol in the air with ≥4% water vapour, as in common atmospheres, a second line has been added to indicate IIA 
• For 2-Butanone (CAS-No. 78-93-3), re-measurement indicated change from IIB to IIA was needed 
• For Formic Acid Methyl Ester (CAS-No. 107-31-3), re-measurement indicated change from T2 to T1 was justified