Stand-alone Solar Electrical Installations in
Hazardous Locations ….
What is the Class 1, Division 2
Classification?
A Quick Primer
The Oil & Gas Industries have been major customers of the Off-Grid Solar Electric Industry for many
years. At a recent training event—Choosing the Right Charge Controller for Off-Grid Solar Electric
Systems–we learned that many of you want to learn more about “What the Hazardous Locations
(Class 1, Division 2 Groups A-D) Classification means & Why you should look for this important
certification classification” when you purchase and install charge controllers in a stand-alone solar
powered industrial electrical systems. This Primer answers those questions and provides a quick,
high-level overview of the Classification Standards …
© 2010-2013. Morningstar Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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Stand-alone Solar Electrical Installations in Hazardous Locations ….
What is the Class 1, Division 2 Classification?
Stand-alone Solar Electrical Installations in Hazardous Locations ….
What is the Class 1, Division 2 Classification?
A Quick Primer
The Oil & Gas Industries have been major customers of the Off-
Grid Solar Electric Industry for many years. At a recent training
event—Choosing the Right Charge Controller for Off-Grid Solar
Electric Systems—we learned that many of you want to learn more Protecting electrical
about “What the Hazardous Locations (Class 1, Division 2 Groups
equipment in
A-D) Classification means & Why you should look for this
important certification classification” when you purchase and hazardous locations
install charge controllers in a stand-alone solar powered industrial requires special
electrical systems. This Primer answers those questions and
considerations to
provides a quick, high-level overview of the Classification
Standards. make sure that the
electronics (& their
Protecting electrical equipment in hazardous locations, like the one
pictured below, requires special considerations to make sure that
enclosures) are
the electronics (and their enclosures) are designed and operate in a designed & operate
way that is ignition & explosion proof. Industrial solar in a way that is
electrification systems that operate in hazardous locations in and
around the U.S. or Canada, (like those in the Oil & Gas Industries) ignition &
must be explosion proof and their electrical specifications must explosion proof.
comply with both the U.S. National Electrical Code (NEC) Division
and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) hazardous locations
classification systems—the NEC and CSA define hazardous
locations by class and division.
In other parts of the world, areas containing potentially explosive
atmospheres are dealt with using a “Zone System” classification
scheme. Zones are based predominantly on the International
Electro-technical Commission (IEC) and the European
Committee for Electro-technical Standardization (CENELEC)
standards. The most significant difference in the “Zone System”
is that the level of hazard probability is divided into three Zones
as opposed to two Divisions, as with the NEC and CSA
standards. Here is a quick summary chart illustrating these
Hazardous Location Basics:
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Stand-alone Solar Electrical Installations in Hazardous Locations ….
What is the Class 1, Division 2 Classification?
Hazardous Materials Class / Division System Zone System (1)
Gasses or Vapors (1) Class 1, Division 1 Zone 0, Zone 1
Class 1, Division 2 Zone 2
Combustible Dusts (2) Class 2, Division 1 Zone 20, Zone 21
Class 2, Division 2 Zone 22
Fibers or Flyings Class 3, Division 1 No Equivalent
Class 3, Division 2
(1) The United States & Canada have adopted Zones for Gasses and Vapors.
(2) Zones for Dust are not yet developed for North America.
For the purposes of this special feature, we will highlight the North American Class 1, Division 2
classification system and why the charge controllers used in these stand-alone solar powered industrial
electrical systems must be appropriately certified:
Class considers the industrial ecosystem where flammable or explosive gases/ vapors, liquids or
fibers/dusts may be present:
Class 1 Locations are made hazardous by the presence of flammable gases, liquids or vapors.
Class 2 Locations are described as hazardous because of the presence of combustible dusts.
Class 3 Locations contain easily ignitable fibers or flyings.
Division refers to the likelihood that ignitable concentrations of flammable materials are present:
Division 1 Designates an environment where ignitable concentrations of flammable gases,
liquids, vapors or dusts can exist some of the time, or all of the time, under normal
operating conditions or where easily ignitable fibers and flyings are manufactured,
handled or used.
Division 2 An environment where ignitable concentrations are not likely to exist under normal
operating conditions or where Class 3 materials are stored or handled.
Hazardous classes are further defined by Groups. Combustible materials are grouped by their
relevant physical properties. In fact, the Class 1 classification is divided into 4 Groups, determined
by the specific gas or vapor involved—Groups A thru D (these groups include, but are not limited
to):
Group A Acetylene
Group B Hydrogen
Group C Ethylene & Carbon Monoxide
Group D Propane, Gasoline, Naphtha, Benzene, Butane, Ethyl Alcohol, Acetone & Methane
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8 Pheasant Run | Newtown, PA 18940 USA | [Link] | info@[Link]
Stand-alone Solar Electrical Installations in Hazardous Locations ….
What is the Class 1, Division 2 Classification?
Some typical Class I Division 2 Applications that lend themselves well to Off-Grid Solar Electrical
Systems include, but are not limited to:
• SCADA (Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition)
• Remote Telemetry
• Gas Well Injection Pumps
• Cathodic Protection
• Gas Flow Meters
• Communication Hubs (Wellhead & Pipeline Monitoring)
• Off-Shore Platforms
• RTU (Remote Terminal Unit) Communications
• Central Station Monitoring
• HMI (Human Machine Interface) Sensors
Class I, Division 2 certification permits use of an electrical device in an environment
where explosive gases are periodically present.
Morningstar is the world-leading supplier of Solar
Charge Controllers to the Oil & Gas Industry—we have
over 2 million units installed around the world, across a
variety of industrial, commercial and consumer
applications. Our SunSaver™ and SunKeeper™
controllers have undergone rigorous testing and received
a myriad of safety certifications, including but not limited
to: Hazardous Locations - Class 1, Div. 2 Groups A-D;
ANSI/ISA-12.12.01-2007 (USA); and CSA C22.2 No. 213-
M1987 (Reaffirmed 2004) (CANADA)—making them
ideally suited for the Oil & Gas industry. In fact, our Class I, Division 2 certified controllers have been
proven to reduce the overall cost and time of installation, as they do not require an explosion-proof
(purged & pressurized) enclosure.
Our SunSaver and SunKeeper controllers are uniquely qualified for use in Oil & Gas Installations—the
operating temperature of their internal circuitry is much lower than the auto-ignition temperature of
most flammable gases and vapors. They are also well sealed and operate at low temperatures without
the use of relays, thus preventing the high temperature arching and sparking. Each product version has
been certified and reaffirmed by an independent laboratory.
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8 Pheasant Run | Newtown, PA 18940 USA | [Link] | info@[Link]
Stand-alone Solar Electrical Installations in Hazardous Locations ….
What is the Class 1, Division 2 Classification?
The SunSaver is:
• Hazardous Locations - Class 1, Div. 2
Groups A-D
• CE, RoHS and REACH Compliant
• UL 1604/ANSI/ISA 12.12.01-2000 (USA)
and CSA C22.2 No. 213-M1987 (Reaffirmed
2004) (CANADA) Listed
• UL 1741 (with terminal cover) Listed*
• FCC Title 47 (CFR), Part 15 Subpart B for
Class B Device
• Manufactured in a Certified ISO 9001
Facility
• Available in 6A, 10A or 20A at 12Vdc
or 24Vdc Versions.
• Environmentally Optimized for High
* Wire terminal cover included with every SunSaver.
Reliability & Increased Battery Life
The SunKeeper is:
• Manufactured in a Certified ISO 9001 Facility
• Available in 6A & 12A at 12Vdc Versions
• Environmentally Optimized & High Temperature
Rated
• Hazardous Locations - Class 1, Div. 2 Groups A-D
• CE, RoHS and REACH Compliant
• UL 1604/ANSI/ISA 12.12.01-2000 and CSA C22.2
No. 213-M1987 Listed
To get the full facts on our SunSaver and SunKeeper Controllers or if you want to learn more about
how Charge Controllers work in Off-Grid Solar Electrical Systems, check out our website at
[Link]
For more information about specific hazardous locations and their suitable ratings, check out the OSHA
website: [Link]/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/[Link]
Morningstar Corporation is a registered trademark and the Morningstar Name, the Morningstar Logo, as well as the SunSaver and SunKeeper names are all the trademarks of Morningstar
Corporation. © 2013 Morningstar Corporation. All rights reserved.
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