Halton Marine products comply with ATEX

Halton Marine develops, manufacturers and markets high-quality
products and solutions specifically designed for demanding conditions
such as marine, Oil&Gas and navy applications.
Demanding conditions require that the equipment chosen for
applications is top-class. Several Halton Marine products comply 
with ATEX. 

What is ATEX?
ATEX is abbreviation from French words "ATmospheriques EXplosives".
ATEX product directive is a European Directive (94/9/EC) valid for products
to be used within an explosive atmosphere.
The directive defines explosive atmosphere as a mixture of:

a) flammable substances, gases, vapours, mists or dusts
b) with air
c) under specific atmospheric conditions
d) in which, after ignition has occurred, combustion spreads 
   to the entire flammable mixture

An atmosphere with the potential to become an explosive atmosphere
during operating conditions and/or under the influence of the surroundings
is defined as a potentially explosive atmosphere. Products covered by
directive 94/9/EC are defined as intended for use in potentially explosive
atmospheres.
In essence ATEX certified products are safe to use in hazardous areas
defined by the classification of the product. The ATEX classification of
the product is defined by the product's and its components properties
that prevent the ignition the explosive environment. Such properties
could be flame-proof enclosures, intrinsically safe circuits or relatively
low surface temperatures. 

 

This is the basic ATEX classification information that can be
found in Halton Marine ATEX products. The classification defines
the environment in which the product is designed to be used.
It tells that the product is ATEX certified for use in areas other than
in mines or in mining equipment, the product can be used in
Potentially Explosive areas (classified as ATEX Zone 1) and that
the gases in the environment can be as dangerous as acetylene
and hydrogen. It is allowed to use the product in any ATEX classified
area that has equal or less hazardous rating than marked on the
product. All this of course requires ATEX knowledge from both the
buyer and the seller of the product. The buyer needs to know at least
the rating of the hazardous area and the seller needs to know if
the product fulfills the requirements.

All ATEX products are sold with a Declaration of Conformity.
The declaration is only valid in conjunction with the instructions contained
in the installation manual relating to the safe use of the product
throughout its service life. The instructions relating to the operating
conditions and maintenance are very important, as the certificate is
invalidated if the instructions are found not to have been adhered to
during operation of the product. A single Declaration of Conformity
may be issued for multiple similar products in a project.

Halton Marine currently offers ATEX products in the following
product categories:

• Fire Dampers (FDB2, FEX and FDL)
• Dampers (UTG, UTT, UTK and UTP)
• Pressure Relief and Non-Return dampers (BRD and BLD)