Module 5 - Maintenance and Inspection

Target Audience

The course is essential for mechanical and electrical maintenance engineers in hazardous areas or for technicians, and their supervisors and managers, who are involved in the removal, re-installation, maintenance, inspection and installation of equipment in hazardous areas. This course is especially relevant to site engineers removing and reinstalling equipment before and after repair, or fitting replacement motors, pumps, etc. The course is also designed for companies offering maintenance and motor management schemes in hazardous locations.

All delegates must have attended an AEMT Module 1, Ex Repair Course, or equivalent, to fully understand the concepts, types of equipment etc. used during the course and assessments.

Course Objectives

BS EN 60079-17 places similar demands for competence in the hazardous area as the most recent IEC 60079-19: The course considers the systems that are required to ensure that equipment is properly maintained and installed to comply with its original certificate. Periodic inspections to ensure that the equipment is correct for the zone it is being used in and that its safety has not been compromised are necessary. The course also covers the common causes of concern during maintenance and inspection, including the effects of moisture ingress, corrosion, paint, labels illegible or missing, missing nuts and bolts, incorrect lids, cable glands etc.

Programme and Course Content

The course is based on the areas of IEC 60079-14 and 17 involved with the removal, re-installation, installation, maintenance, and inspection.

The course covers equipment that has been isolated, and also covers the procedures that an electrician would need to know before isolating or unlocking a circuit.

It covers equipment complying with Ex d, Ex de, Ex e, Ex n, and the basics of Ex p. The course does not go into the detail of Ex i systems (primarily used for sensors and instrumentation).

General requirements: IEC 60079-17 and 60079 14.
Documentation
Personnel.
1. Supervision and Responsibilities.
Inspections.
1. Type of inspections
2. Grades of inspection
3. Regular periodic inspections.
4. Frequency of Inspections and Documentation.
5. Additional Inspection requirements for Ex d, Ex de, Ex e, and Ex p.
Maintenance requirements:
1. Remedial measures and maintenance of flexible cables.
2. Withdrawal from service
3. Fastenings and tools
4. Environmental conditions.
Isolation of apparatus
1. Installations other than intrinsically safe.
2. Intrinsically safe installations, earthing and equipotential bonding (Need to know basis only, this is covered in detail separately for engineers involved in instrumentation)
3. Conditions of use.
Apparatus circuit identification
Electrical Protection.
1. Emergency Switch Off and Electrical isolation.
2. Protection from dangerous incendive sparking.
3. Danger from live parts.
4. Danger from exposed and extraneous conductive parts, and other causes.
5. Frictional Sparking.
Cable, Wiring, and Conduit Systems.
1. Determination of cable parameters.
2. Selection of glands and cable entry devices.
3. Apparatus circuit identification.
4. Earthing.
General Installation Requirements.
1. Additional Requirements for Ex d, Ex e, Ex n, Ex td.
2. Additional basic requirements for Ex i, and Ex p, as applicable to rotating plant and other equipment included above.
3. Overloads.
4. Moveable apparatus and its connections.
Mechanical Concepts: “c”, “b”, and “k”
1. A brief introduction to the mechanical concepts of constructional safety and control of ignition sources as they affect drives, belts, and transmission systems.
Alternative Risk assessments.
Assessment and hands on practical assessment.

Certification

All delegates are assessed throughout the course with multiple choice questions, including diagrams, drawings and photographs. An AEMT Certificate of Assessment is issued to all successful delegates.

Course, Length, and Times

The course is two days in length starting each day at 8.30am to 4.30 pm.