IEC 60079 is a series of explosive atmosphere standards for hazardous area applications. Section 19 details instructions on how equipment for these environments can be repaired and modified. The standard requires the equipment to be conformant with the original manufacturer’s specification.

This repair was intended to guarantee the safety of people and facilities at the petrochemical firm. The plant, which is based in the southern region of Brazil, is classified under hazardous area zone two, which describes an area in which an explosive atmosphere is not likely to occur during normal operation. However, explosions are possible.

During the repair, WEG needed to carry out a complete rewinding of the motor’s stator while maintaining the original design of the machine — which was not originally manufactured by WEG. To add to the challenge, the original certification documents were not available and the equipment needed to be conformant with the original manufacturer’s specification to adhere to the IEC 60079-19 regulation.

Despite an unfamiliar machine, WEG’s qualified personnel were able to complete a repair while adhering to the sector’s strict standards. This was is largely due to a well-designed physical structure and the support of personnel from WEG who are well-versed in maintaining complex classified area equipment.

Maintaining the original design, WEG was able to comply with the standards applicable to the specific environment in which the petrochemical firm operates. This standard is Ex nA II T3. WEG also repaired several components for the machine, meeting all the requirements of the wider IEC 60079-19 explosion-proof equipment repair standard.

“It is one of our specialties to perform repair services on machines from other manufacturers, particularly for classified areas,” explained Paulo Sinoti, executive director of TGM, a WEG Group company. “This specific job also met customer demand for an extremely challenging time frame, and it was possible to meet all of the commitments we made.”