Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Mathieu F. | Delivered May 10, 2020

ATEX Certification in Europe

Goals

To obtain information about ATEX Certification and compliance in Europe for a potentially explosive atmosphere (e.g. a refinery) and criteria for equipment that needs to compliant versus those that do not and whether there's a need for wearable patch biosensors to be ATEX-compliant.

Early Findings

ATEX DirectivesThere are two ATEX Directives governing potentially explosive environments enforced by the European Commission.
 ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU governs products that are supplied for potentially explosive environments.
 ATEX Directive1999/92/EC governs workplaces that might have an explosive atmosphere.
Examples of Equipment that are not ATEX-CompliantAn example of equipment that does not need ATEX certification in a potentially explosive environment is a valve that is manually operated. However, "an electric or pneumatic operated valve" needs to be ATEX-compliant.
 Other examples of equipment that doesn't need this certification include "hammers, ladders, doors, tanks, sight glasses, cables, [and] fire extinguishers".
Main Criteria for ATEX-ComplianceCriteria: All equipment that has its "own potential [source] of ignition" needs to be ATEX-compliant.
Examples of Equipment that are ATEX-Compliant Equipment that must be ATEX-compliant include valve body (because of its electrostatic ignition risks), valve accessories (including coupling and adapter), a mechanical actuator such as "pneumatic, manually operated, [and] transmissions", and electrical actuators such as solenoid and positioners.
SummaryOur background research shows that information about ATEX certification or compliance is publicly available. However, we could not find specific details about certification for a biosensor that uses a skin patch to measure heart rate.
We found, however, that the main requirement to ensure that equipment adheres to the ATEX certification is once it is perceived as having its "own potential [source] of ignition". 