IEC 60079-0:2011 specifies the general requirements for construction, testing and marking of electrical equipment and Ex Components intended for use in explosive atmospheres. Electrical equipment complying with this standard is intended for use in hazardous areas in which explosive gas atmospheres, caused by mixtures of air and gases, vapours or mists, exist under normal atmospheric conditions. The standard atmospheric conditions (relating to the explosion characteristics of the atmosphere) under which it may be assumed that electrical equipment can be operated are:
- temperature -20 °C to +60 °C;
- pressure 80 kPa (0,8 bar) to 110 kPa (1,1 bar); and
- air with normal oxygen content, typically 21 % v/v.
This standard and other standards supplementing this standard specify additional test requirements for equipment operating outside the standard temperature range, but further additional consideration and additional testing may be required for equipment operating outside the standard atmospheric pressure range and standard oxygen content, particularly with respect to types of protection that depend on quenching of a flame such as 'flameproof enclosure "d"' (IEC 60079-1) or limitation of energy, 'intrinsic safety "i"' (IEC 60079-11). This sixth edition cancels and replaces the fifth edition, published in 2007, and constitutes a full technical revision with numerous updates.
IEC 60079-0:2011 is also available as IEC Standards+ 60079-0:2011 which contains the International Standard and its Redline version, showing all changes of the technical content compared to the previous edition.
The contents of the corrigenda of November 2012 and December 2013, and the interpretation sheets of November 2013, October 2014, June 2018 and April 2019 have been included in this copy.