About the New Standards
UL 121201 is a safety standard developed for electrical equipment and systems intended for use in hazardous locations. The purpose is to ensure that such devices cannot produce enough heat or spark to ignite gases or dust. Class I of this standard refers to atmospheres where explosive gases – including flammable gases, flammable liquid-produced vapors, and combustible liquid-produced vapors – can occur. Division 2 means that ignitable concentrations of these gases are not likely to occur under normal operating conditions but result from events such as leaks and accidental releases.
IEC60335-2-40 deals with the safety of electric heat pumps and air conditioners. Sec22.116 concerns arcs and sparks from electric components under normal operation and requires the use of seal relays in drives, while Sec22.117 involves hot surfaces, including in highly encapsulated drives.
Why Ignition-Protected
Government authorities worldwide are requiring manufacturers of refrigeration, air-conditioning and other equipment to replace fluorinated greenhouse gasses (“F-gasses”) with lower-emission alternatives. Scheduled to come into effect at different times for different system designs, A2L and A3 refrigerants will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from household and industrial applications.
Progress often involves trade-offs, and this applies to many emission-reducing technologies. With R454C and R290, for example, one such trade-off is a lower ignition temperature. This lower temperature puts these gasses into higher flammability categories – A2L and A3, respectively.
Fortunately, the greater risk of flammability can be mitigated via updated component designs. Using ignition-protected drives, for example, particularly in hazardous locations, reduces the risk of fires and explosions, and improves overall safety at facilities where such drives are in operation*.
“With these new certifications for our DV, DC, DRHX drives and MRHX motors, our offering now gives manufactures a future-proof range of solutions for heat-recovery and all kinds of ventilation systems.”
Preben D. Jessen, Head of Drive Products, OJ Electronics
OJ Electronics and F-gas Replacements
OJ Electronics is committed by our corporate mission to be a forerunner in helping our customers adopt new lower-emission solutions. Part of this work involves meeting new targets for replacing F-gasses with lower-emission alternatives. If you have questions regarding regulations in your market, F-gas replacements, ignitability, and the ignition-protection certifications discussed in this article, please contact @Preben D. Jessen.
*Applies under normal operating conditions.
