Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2

Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2

Timothy L. O'Hearn, PE

Course Outline

This 12-hour course presents the guidelines for classifying locations Class I, Division 1 and Class I, Division 2 at petroleum facilities for the selection and installation of electrical equipment. These guidelines are based upon a level of knowledge gained through experience and through the successful application of these guidelines in the refining, drilling, and producing, and pipeline segments of the petroleum industry. The course is intended as only a guide and requires the application of sound engineering judgment.

The course materials are based entirely on the “Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2” API RP500, Third Edition, December 2012.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be familiar with:

Recommendations for classifying Class I locations;
Division 1 criteria;
Division 2 criteria;
Degree and extent of classified locations;
Common applications;
Vaportight barrier;
Purged and pressurized enclosures and buildings;
Class I material groups;
Explosion proof enclosure;
Flammable (explosive) limits;
Ignitable mixture;
High volatile liquid;
Ignition temperature;
Maximum experimental safe gap (MSEG);
Adequate ventilation;
Basic conditions for a fire or explosion;
Class I liquids;
Class II liquids;
Class III liquids;
Unclassified locations;
Methods of achieving adequate ventilation;
Adjacent areas;
Use of combustible gas detection equipment;
Dispersion characteristics of heavier-than-air vapors;
Dispersion characteristics lighter-than-air vapors;
Recommendations for areas surrounding storage tanks;
Recommendations for areas where tank cars and tank trucks are loaded or unloaded;
Recommendations for areas surrounding vents and relief valves;
Recommendations for areas surrounding marine terminal;
Recommendations for areas surrounding stationary combustion engines and gas turbines;
Recommendations for areas surrounding batteries;
Recommendations for areas surrounding paint products storage and usage areas;
Recommendations for areas surrounding laboratory rooms, laboratory buildings, and analyzer buildings;
Recommendations for classified locations in Petroleum Refineries;
Recommendations for areas surrounding compressor shelters;
Recommendations for areas surrounding mechanical draft cooling tower handling process cooling water;
Recommendations for areas surrounding drilling rigs and production facilities;
Recommendations for areas surrounding drilling wells;
Recommendations for areas surrounding producing oil and gas wells;
Recommendations for areas surrounding oil and gas processing and storage equipment;
Recommendations for areas surrounding launcher or receiver;
Recommendations for areas surrounding automatic custody transfer units;
Recommendations for areas surrounding flammable gas operated instruments;
Recommendations for areas surrounding screwed connections, flanges, valves, and valve operators;
Recommendations for control panels containing instrumentation utilizing or measuring flammable liquids, gases, or vapors; and
Calculation methods to achieve adequate ventilation.

Intended Audience

The intended audience is professional electrical engineers, project managers, and project engineers, involved in electrical installations and associated equipment engineering and design, construction, or maintenance.

Benefit to Attendees

Provide a professional development course that covers the guidelines for classifying locations Class I, Division 1 and Class I, Division 2 at petroleum facilities for the selection and installation of electrical equipment.

Course Introduction

This course presents the guidelines for classifying locations Class I, Division 1 and Class I, Division 2 at petroleum facilities for the selection and installation of electrical equipment. These guidelines are based upon a level of knowledge gained through experience and through the successful application of these guidelines in the refining, drilling, and producing, and pipeline segments of the petroleum industry. The course is intended as only a guide and requires the application of sound engineering judgment. Electrical installations in areas where flammable liquids, flammable gases or vapors, or combustible liquids are produced, processed, stored, or otherwise handled can be suitably designed if the locations of potential sources of release and accumulation are clearly defined. Once a location has been classified, requirements for electrical equipment and associated wiring should be determined from applicable publications.

The course materials are based entirely on the “Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2” API RP500, Third Edition, December 2012. It will be necessary for the student to obtain a copy of the “Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2 API RP500, Third Edition, December 2012” or have access to a copy of this publication. This is a very useful resource and is recommended that all practicing electrical or project engineers involved in electrical installations and associated equipment engineering and design, construction, or maintenance should be familiar with and up to date with the guidelines in this practice.

Course Content

You are required to study the “Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2 API RP500, Third Edition, December 2012”.

These guidelines are based upon a level of knowledge gained through experience and through the successful application of these guidelines in the refining, drilling, and producing, and pipeline segments of the petroleum industry. The course is intended as only a guide and requires the application of sound engineering judgment. It will be necessary for the student to obtain a copy of the “Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2 API RP500, Third Edition, December 2012” or have access to a copy of this publication.

You need to obtain a copy of “Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2 API RP500, Third Edition, December 2012” from the following websites:

http://www.api.com/
http://www.global.ihs.com/

Table of Contents
Section 1 Scope
Section 2 Normative References
Section 3 Terms, Definitions, and Acronyms
Section 4 Basic Conditions for a Fire or Explosion
Section 5 Flammable and Combustible Liquids, Gases and Vapors
Section 6 Classification Criteria
Section 7 Extent of a Classified Location
Section 8 Recommendations for Determining Degree and Extent of Classified Locations- Common Applications
Section 9 Recommendations for Determining Degree and Extent of Classified Locations in Petroleum Refineries
Section 10 Recommendations for Determining Degree and Extent of Classified Locations at drilling Rigs and Production Facilities on Land and on Marine Fixed Platforms
Section 11 Recommendations for Determining Degree and Extent of Classified Locations on Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs)
Section 12 Recommendations for Determining Degree and Extent of Classified Locations at Drilling Rigs and Production Facilities on Floating Production Units
Section 13 Reserved for Future Use
Section 14 Recommendations for Determining Degree and Extent of Classified Locations at Petroleum Pipeline Transportation Facilities

Annex A (informative) Sample calculation to Achieve Adequate Ventilation of an Enclosed Area by Natural Means Using Equation 1 and Equation 2
Annex B (informative) Calculation of Minimum Air Introductio Rate to Achieve Adequate Ventilation Using Fugitive Emissions
Annex C (informative) Development of Ventilation Criteria
Annex D (informative) An Alternate Method for Area Classification
Annex E (informative) Procedure for Classifying Locations
Annex F (informative) Preferred Symbols for Denoting Class I, Division 1 and Division 2 Hazardous (Classified) Locations

Course Summary

This 12-hour course presents the guidelines for classifying locations Class I, Division 1 and Class I, Division 2 at petroleum facilities for the selection and installation of electrical equipment. These guidelines are based upon a level of knowledge gained through experience and through the successful application of these guidelines in the refining, drilling, and producing, and pipeline segments of the petroleum industry

It is necessary to obtain a copy and study the “Recommended Practice for Classification of Locations for Electrical Installations at Petroleum Facilities as Class I, Division 1 and Division 2 API RP500, Third Edition, December 2012”

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

http://www.ansi.com/
http://www.ieee.com/
http://www.nfpa.com
http://www.nema.com/

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.