Primary explosion protection
Primary explosion protection aims at substituting something else for the flammable substances or the
atmospheric oxygen or reducing their quantities to the point where there is no danger of an explosive
mixture forming.
Increased air circulation, air flushing through ventilation can be achieved by structural measures;
e. g. the open layout of filling stations where the potentially explosive atmosphere is very small.
Replacing the atmospheric oxygen is not an option for areas where people work. For this reason the
measures available for such locations are limited to:
■ avoidance or restriction of flammable substances which are capable of forming an
explosive atmosphere
■ avoidance or restriction of release of the flammable substances and therefore formation
of explosive mixtures, both inside and around fittings, e. g. by
- limiting their concentration
- using enclosures filled with an inert substance
- natural or artificial ventilation
- concentration monitoring by means of a gas detection system,
which will give an alarm/or switch off the system