How to select flow measurement equipment for explosive hazardous areas in petrochemical plants?

Flow instruments for petrochemical and coal-chemical hazardous areas must carry proper explosion-protection certification — GB 3836 in China, IECEx or ATEX for export projects. Radar flowmeters are low-power electronics and their sensors are typically intrinsically safe (Ex ib), but the complete selection still requires item-by-item verification:

• Certificates for sensor and transmitter: the covered protection must match the site's zone classification (Zone 1/Zone 2) and gas group (IIA/IIB/IIC).
• Telemetry equipment: use certified RTUs inside hazardous zones — e.g. the Hero V9 series with an intrinsically safe power supply — or install EC32/EC60 RTUs in a safe-area instrument room with signals routed through safety barriers.
• Installation workmanship: certified cable glands, equipotential bonding and conduit sealing per explosion-protection codes; poor workmanship voids the protection level of the whole loop.
• Surge protection: outdoor petrochemical sites need signal surge protectors, especially on 4G communication lines.

Scenario guidance: for open channels in hazardous areas — effluent treatment sections, circulating-water yards — choose the HZ-KSLF Doppler radar flowmeter in a non-contact installation, with the sensor on a high platform outside the gas boundary, avoiding any contact with flammable atmosphere. For pressurized pipelines inside the boundary, the LGF-PA66 aviation-grade electromagnetic flowmeter offers a corrosion-resistant composite liner suitable for chemically aggressive media. Send us your zone classification drawing before ordering so the technical team can verify the explosion-protection configuration and certificate coverage.

For more details, please visit our product pages or contact our technical team.