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ATEX & IECEx Certified Pressurized Hot Work Habitats

Safety in Hazardous Areas: Zone 1 & 2

Whenever hot work is required in potential explosive atmosphere, such as in Zone 1 & 2 rated hazardous areas on offshore or onshore oil & gas installation and refineries, PressureHab’s pressurized hot work habitat systems provide a safe & controlled workplace with a minimise impact on production.
By continuously monitoring the conditions inside the habitat, PressureHab’s fully automated Safe-Stop control systems provides safety by only allowing hot work to take place when no toxic or explosive gases are present and positive pressure is established inside the PressureHab. This prevents gases from entering the PressureHab, allowing hot-work to be safely undertaken inside the habitat, without the need to shut down the facility where the hot-work is to take place.


Equipment operated in explosive atmosphere is regulated by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The international standard for pressurized habitats (rooms) is IEC60079–13. Only pressurized habitats that are 3rd party system certified to standard IEC60079-13 can legally be operated within Zone 1 & 2 hazardous areas safely.

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The IEC calls welding habitats pressurized rooms, we call our hot work habitats a PressureHab™

According to the standard IEC60079-10-1, hazardous areas (on account of explosive gas atmospheres) called “hazardous locations” in the US, is an area (3-dimensional) in which an explosive gas atmosphere is or may be expected to be present in quantities such as to require special precautions for the construction, installation and use of equipment.

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Hazardous areas are classified into 3 zones based upon the frequency of occurrence and duration of an explosive gas atmosphere, as follows:
 

Zone 0

  • Area in which an explosives gas atmosphere is present continuously, for long periods, or frequently

  • 1000 hours per year or more (10%) flammable mixture present

 

Zone 1 – use PressureHab’s Safe-Stop pressurized welding habitat system to work there safely

  • Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operations occasionally

  • Between 10 and 1000 hours per year or more (0.1% to 10%) flammable mixture present

 

Zone 2– use PressureHab’s Safe-Work pressurized welding habitat system to work there safely

  • Area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is not likely to occur in normal operations, but if it does occur, will persist for a short period only

  • Less than 10 hours per year or more (0.01% to 0.1%) flammable mixture present

 

Non-hazardous area (safe area)

  • A non-hazardous area is an area in which an explosive atmosphere is not expected to be present.

  • Less than 1 hour per year or more (less than 0.01%) flammable mixture present
     

What exactly are Hazardous Area Zones?   IEC60079-10-1

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