Fuel depots and filling stations need Ex equipment for fuel vapours and earthing for road tankers. Maffioletti supplies both, plus custom enclosures.
In coastal and inland depots, hazardous areas cover tanks, bunds, pump rooms, manifolds, loading gantries and jetties. Inside petrol tanks, above the liquid, there is generally Zone 0; around vents, hatches and loading arms Zone 1 and, further out, Zone 2. At filling stations the zones cover dispensers, sumps and the fill and vent points of underground tanks.
Petrol vapours are group IIA, temperature class T3. Diesel, with its higher flash point, gives much smaller zones or none at normal temperatures, unless it is heated or sprayed as a mist. LPG, LNG and hydrogen call for specific assessments.
We design and assemble custom enclosures and electrical panels in-house; junction boxes and control stations are also available with our 72-hour Express service. You can set up your enclosure with the online configurator. For gantries and yards, ask us for a lighting calculation or try the LED energy-saving calculator.
Through Atex Italia we also offer consulting on area classification, training and inspections. Contact us for a proposal.
There is no single zone: generally the inside of petrol tanks is Zone 0, the areas around vents, hatches and loading arms are Zone 1 and the surrounding area is Zone 2. The shape and extent of the zones are defined by area classification to IEC/EN 60079-10-1.
The flow of fuel generates electrostatic charge, which builds up on the vehicle if it is not earthed, and a discharge can ignite the vapours. Systems with connection monitoring only allow loading once the earth connection is confirmed.
Petrol vapours are classified IIA, T3, so equipment certified for group IIA or higher and for T3 or a more restrictive class is suitable. If other substances are present on the same site, the most severe case applies in each zone.