Hazardous location pipe fittings?

[dstonebarger]

The company I work for has a product that's installed on oil and gas pipelines. We have begun the certification process to achieve a UL and CSA approval for this product. A preliminary design review indicated that a pipe reducer fitting is not approved for hazardous locations. I've searched the web and haven't found any such part. If it doesn't exist, I'll have to design a replacement part that will have to be manufactured. This will definitely add cost to the product. Has anyone ever heard of a pipe fitting that's approved for hazardous locations?

 

[moltenmetal]

You're confusing codes I'm afraid. "Hazardous locations" refers to electrical, not to piping components.

If this is a threaded conduit fitting, then yes indeed you can buy threaded conduit fittings which have CSA/UL approvals for use in hazardous locations. If you're using a threaded piping fitting in hazardous area electrical conduit, you're breaking the rules I'm afraid.

 

[dstonebarger]

The device has electrical and mechanical components. Pipe fittings are used in conjunction with an explosion proof housing (Adalet). We must cerfity the entire device for use in the hazardous areas. It is a stand alone device that can be battery or 24V DC powered and does use conduit to make the elecrical connection (when using the 24V), but the pipe fitting is part of the mechanical assembly. Each component of the device must conform to the standard and the reducer has been part of this design for over 25 years. The Adalet enclosure, Killark Outlet Body, Appleton Seal Fitting & Unions all have individual approvals. I've attached a file converted from a Solidworks model if you'd like to view it.

 

[dstonebarger]

Here's the file.

 

[Redavocado]

Greetings,

The key to the applicable code is identification of the vertical market. For oil, gas and petroleum you may consider API, ASME B31.3, and ASME B31.8 codes of construction for fittings, whether electrical or not. Fittings may include diaphragm seals, instrumentation, actual fittings (elbows, tees etc), sight glasses, small vessels under a certain volume, valves, actuators, etc. For power related applications you may consider ASME B31.1 for example. Looking in B31.3 or B31.1 you will find tables of listed standards that cover lots of fitting types also.

In addition, certain codes of construction, such as API look at NACE for chemical compatibility.

Yet another area is quality control, such as SIL rating which is gaining momentum for manufacturers of complex devices.

Finally, FM/UL/ CSA (NOrth America) provide Hazloc approvals for electrical applications that look at containment of hazardous materials through various methods and use zone or division classifications to identify types of hazards and approvals of a given fitting/instrument.