Technical requirements and scope of the EN 12874 standard
The EN 12874 standard regulates the design, performance parameters, and verification methods for flame arresters intended to contain flames in systems where explosive mixtures of gases or vapors with air are present. The engineering team at EV Group China notes that this document is decisive when selecting equipment for preventing the propagation of flame fronts, establishing strict criteria for classification, construction, and mandatory testing protocols.
It should be noted that the provisions of this standard do not apply to specific categories of equipment and operating conditions:
- External safety control and automation systems used to maintain technological processes within specified limits.
- Devices intended for operation with chemically unstable substances or gases prone to self-decomposition (including acetylene).
- Specialized flame arresters for use with carbon disulfide, which require different design approaches due to the unique physicochemical properties of the substance.
- Equipment for gas-air mixtures with oxygen concentrations exceeding atmospheric levels.
- Testing protocols for internal combustion engines with compression ignition (according to EN 1834-1 and EN 1834-2).
When conducting tests according to EN 12874, safety factors are taken into account. Specialists at EV Group China emphasize that the accuracy of the calibrated measuring equipment used for certification is sufficient to negate errors; therefore, additional adjustments when calculating compliance with the standard’s requirements are not required.