Abstract
This paper will discuss the relationship between corrosion and hazardous locations and how to achieve the overall best performance and safety of your conduit system. What makes an area corrosive often makes it hazardous, in fact the elements that are necessary for either corrosion or an explosion are very similar. Structural properties, surface and thread integrity are just a few areas of critical importance for hazardous location systems to do their job, so corrosion itself can compromise the integrity of the system put in place to mitigate the risk of explosion. These issues must be considered in the design and installation phase in order to have a system that performs the way it was intended for the long term.
Hazardous location area classification methods provide a succinct description of the hazardous material that may be present and the probability that it is present, so that the appropriate equipment may be selected and safe installation practices may be followed. Properly applied coatings can add value for corrosion protection, however the coating must not interfere with the original intent of the uncoated product.
Understanding and utilizing Standards & Third Party Ratings that apply to both corrosion protection and safety conformance can lower design risk in critical environments. This paper will discuss validation of coating adhesion, applicable standards and listings for conduit systems within corrosive and hazardous locations, as well as how to validate that products within a hazardous location are listed and the test methods to which they are subjected.
