Frontier: What is IECEx certification? All explosion-proof equipment shall undergo safety testing and certification in accordance with the IEC60079 standard directive, mainly involving hazardous areas such as petrochemicals. Only explosion-proof products with certificates issued by IEC organizations can enter the international market (excluding the European Union). IECEx certification can also be converted into explosion-proof certificates recognized by other countries, and the same applies!

What is IECEx certification?

Explosion proof electrical products, also known as explosion-proof products, refer to electrical equipment specifically used in industrial fields that may accumulate explosive gases, vapors, dust or fibers, such as petroleum, chemical, coal, textile, food processing, industrial and other explosive hazardous areas, including explosion-proof motors, explosion-proof switchgear, explosion-proof lamps, explosion-proof instruments, complete sets of equipment and accessories. Due to the installation and use of these devices in explosive environments such as oil depots, chemical plants, underground coal mines, etc., if the quality of electrical equipment is reduced or lost due to manufacturing quality, sparks, or other reasons, electric arcs or high temperatures can ignite explosive mixtures in the environment, causing industrial explosions or fires, resulting in huge economic losses and a large number of casualties.

The abbreviation for IECEx International Electrotechnical Commission Explosion proof Electrical Product Certification System refers to the certification of electrical equipment specifically used in industrial sectors such as petroleum, chemical, coal mining, textile, and grain processing where explosive gases, vapors, dust, or fibers may accumulate and pose a risk of explosion.So, for products that are suitable for hazardous areas and are already explosion-proof (Ex products), they must apply for IECEx certification in order to enter the international market.

Establishment of IECEx

Every year, many gas and coal dust explosions occur in coal mines around the world, and each major accident can cause dozens of deaths or injuries. In the petrochemical industry, there have also been many explosion and fire accidents, resulting in heavy losses. Therefore, the safety and quality of explosion-proof electrical equipment are closely related to the production safety of many important industrial sectors. Countries and regions around the world, including China, have taken strict management measures for the production and use of explosion-proof electrical products. Early management measures mainly focused on type testing or type approval of explosion-proof electrical products, but in the late 1980s, some industrial countries, such as Western European countries, began to implement explosion-proof safety certification systems for explosion-proof electrical products, and IECEx was born!

Explosion proof products must be tested firstElectrical Explosion proof CertificationOnly then can it be used in places with explosion hazards. The certification system is essential for ensuring the safety of explosion-proof products. On the other hand, as explosion-proof products enter different countries or regions, they require repeated explosion-proof inspections and certifications, which creates many obstacles to international trade of explosion-proof products. In order to eliminate unnecessary repeated inspections and certifications of Ex products internationally and promote international trade, international organizations began to establish an international certification organization for explosion-proof electrical products, IEC, within the scope of the International Electrotechnical Commission in 1992. After several years of preparation, the International Electrotechnical Commission's certification body for explosion-proof electrical products was officially established in 1996, known as the IECEx certification system.

IECEx certification process

The IECEx explosion-proof certification adopts the ISO 5th certification mode: type test (product inspection)+factory quality system inspection+post certification supervision. Taking the process of Shengding Testing Center as an example:

• 1. The customer submits a certification application and signs a contract;

• 2. Shengding engineers guide customers in preparing various product related materials;

• 3. Conduct explosion-proof product experiments in Shengding Laboratory according to standards;

• 4. Failure of product testing: Engineers propose rectification suggestions and plans, and customers must carry out product rectification according to the rectification plan. Testing can only continue after the rectification is completed;

• 5. The explosion-proof test of the product has passed and a test report has been issued;

• 6. Submit the testing report to the issuing authority for review;

• 7. Shengding Testing Center dispatches engineers to conduct factory explosion-proof system audits (factory audits);

• 8. The issuing authority issues the IECEx certification certificate;

Basic Q&A

1. Can I directly transfer to IECEx certificate if I have a domestic explosion-proof certificate?

Answer: No, the domestic explosion-proof certification is based on the GB3836 series, while the IECEx certification is based on the IEC60079 series. The GB3836 series is lagging behind the IEC60079 series, and some requirements cannot meet the latest IEC60079 series standards, so it cannot be converted equally.

2. Can I directly transfer my IECEx certificate to a domestic explosion-proof certificate?

Answer: The standard for IECEx certification is the IEC60079 series, and the standard for domestic explosion-proof certification is the GB3836 series. The GB3836 series is based on the IEC60079 series, so as long as you have the IECEx certificate and report, you can transfer to the domestic explosion-proof certificate.

3. How long is the IECEx certification cycle?

Answer: If the product meets the requirements, the testing cycle is about 60-90 days (depending on the explosion-proof type and time), the factory audit takes 30-40 days, and the certification takes 30-60 days. It mainly depends on whether the certification documents and sample preparation of the product meet the requirements of IECEx certification.

4. What is the cost of IECEx certification?

Answer: There is no unified standard, and each product needs to be evaluated one by one based on its explosion-proof type (such as explosion-proof, increased safety, sealed, intrinsic safety, or compliant explosion-proof, etc.) in order to obtain the final answer.

5. Why is the IECEx certification cycle so long?

答：IECEx是全球IEC成员国体系中，安全认证中zui严格的的认证之一，签证单位只能是欧盟成员国旗下的实验室，在资料审核和样机测试阶段较为严格，工厂要按照ISO80079的要求进行现场审核，所以认证周期相比国内防爆认证周期长。