Cold weather effects on Class 1 hazardous electrical installations

With the increased exploration of oil and gas in cold climates, such as Alaska, Canada, China and Russia, there is an increasing demand for hazardous electrical equipment for use in extremely cold environments. Electrical equipment and associated wiring systems must be designed to operate properly in hazardous areas with extremely cold environments where temperatures go below minus 50/spl deg/C. The traditional testing requirements did not evaluate electrical products at these low temperatures. The introduction of the zone concept in North America will introduce new products and materials to the petroleum industry. This paper discusses the effects of cold weather environments on a variety of electrical equipment, arriving at some conclusions on future designs of hazardous electrical equipment for these environments.