Hydrogen is a versatile element used in a wide variety of industrial and scientific applications. It serves as a clean and potentially renewable energy source, as it can be produced from various sources such as water and fossil fuels. Hydrogen is also employed in the chemical industry for the production of ammonia, methanol, and other chemicals.
When it comes to hydrogen applications in potentially explosive environments, it's crucial to have SODECA ventilation systems that meet ATEX (Explosive Atmospheres) safety requirements. These systems are designed to prevent the formation of explosive atmospheres and minimize the risk of fire or explosion.
In areas with explosive atmospheres, it's essential for all installed devices to be designed to prevent ignition of an explosion. However, this entails a significant increase in installation, maintenance, and safety costs in industries where explosion risks exist. For this reason, most industries aim to minimize classified hazardous areas as much as possible.
To achieve full or partial declassification of a room or enclosure with an explosive atmosphere, it's necessary to ventilate it with air that is free of explosive gases or dusts. This is done to reduce the concentration of these elements below explosivity limits. By using SODECA's ATEX solutions, it's possible to decrease the explosion risk level within an enclosure. This, in turn, allows for reduced anti-explosive requirements for devices installed in such enclosures.
SODECA's ATEX fans for extraction in hydrogen environments are marked Ex h IIB+H2 T4 Gb, designed and built according to European Standard EN 14986:2017, suitable for use in Zone 1 (Category 2), and compliant with European Directive 2014/34/EU.