Tiger-Vac Vacuum Cleaners are certified by IECEx for use in Explosive Atmospheres in compliance ISO 80079-36 : 2016.  Our explosion proof and dust ignition proof vacuums are certified by a Nationally Recognised Testing Lab (NRTL).

IECEx is the INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION IEC Certification Scheme for Explosive Atmospheres. IECEx is the standard used in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, USA etc.  IECEx provides a means for manufacturers, regulators and users of equipment used in hazardous areas to address the risk of fires or explosions from flammable gases or dusts.

IECEx Classified Zones for Explosive Atmospheres

Zone 0: area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is present continuously, or for long periods, or frequently.
Zone 1: area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is likely to occur periodically or occasionally in normal operation.
Zone 2: area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is not likely to occur in normal operation, but, if it does occur, will exist for a short period only.

Tiger-Vacs Vacuum Cleaner Systems for explosive atmospheres meet or exceed all requirements set out by IEC IECEx for use in Zone 0, 1, 2.

Explosion Proof Equipment in such areas include:

• Automotive refueling stations or petrol stations
• Oil refineries, rigs and processing plants
• MODU (Mobile and fixed offshore drilling units) Ref. IEC 61892
• Chemical processing plants
• Renewable energy sources / fuels (Hydrogen, Ammonia etc)
• Marine ships / vessels using gases or other low-flashpoint fuels (H2 (Hydrogen), LH2, LNG, LPG, NH3 (Ammonia), Methane). Reference IEC 60092 Series
• Printing industries, paper and textiles
• Hospital operating theatres

• Aircraft refuelling and hangars
• Surface coating industries
• Underground coalmines
• Sewerage treatment plants
• Gas pipelines and distribution centers
• Grain handling and storage
• Woodworking areas
• Sugar refineries
• Metal surface grinding, especially aluminium dusts and particles

Employers must classify areas where hazardous explosive atmospheres may occur into zones. The classification given to a particular zone, and its size and location, depends on the likelihood of an explosive atmosphere occurring and its persistence if it does.

Equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX) cover a range of products, including those used on fixed offshore platforms, petrochemical plants, mines, and flour mills, amongst others. An ATEX vacuum system is a vacuum system which is specifically designed, built and certified for use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres also known as Hazardous Areas.

Tiger-Vac’s extensive range of ATEX certified Industrial Vacuum Cleaner Systems meet or exceed ATEX regulations for equipment intended for use in explosive atmospheres, whether electrical or mechanical.

CSA Group certify products intended for hazardous locations (HazLoc). Tiger-Vac Vacuum Cleaners, Dust Collectors, Fume Extractors and Liquid Recovery Systems specially designed for use in Hazardous Locations are certified by CSA.

CSA Group is a global organisation dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. CSA are a leader in Standards Development and in Testing, Inspection and Certification around the world including Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia. They are also the leading issuer of HazLoc certificates, including ATEX and IECEx. CSA provide expert testing, inspection, and certification services that enable manufacturers to demonstrate that their products are in compliance with applicable safety, environmental, and operating performance standards for markets around the world.

Accredited by Standards Council of Canada (SCC) in Canada and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in the U.S, CSA Group actively participates in international standards development and harmonisation efforts through other global organisations, including the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Tiger Vacs specialised range of Vacuum Cleaner Systems for HazLoc meet or exceed CSA standards for Hazardous Location Equipment.

Tiger-Vac uses several NFPA standards as guidelines for the design and fabrication of its vacuum systems for combustible dust recovery.

Locations shall be classified depending on the properties of the flammable gas, flammable liquid–produced vapor, combustible liquid–produced vapors, combustible dusts, or fibers/flyings that may be present, and the likelihood that a flammable or combustible concentration or quantity is present. Each room, section, or area shall be considered individually in determining its classification.

Class II and Class III (Dust) Locations

Class II Locations are those that are hazardous because of the presence of combustible dust.

Class II, Division 2 location is a location in which combustible dust, due to abnormal operations, may be present in the air in quantities sufficient to:

1. Produce explosive or ignitable mixtures; or
2. Where combustible dust accumulations are present but are normally insufficient to interfere with the normal operation of electrical equipment or other apparatus, but could as a result of infrequent malfunctioning of handling or processing equipment become suspended in the air; or
3. In which combustible dust accumulations on, in, or in the vicinity of the electrical equipment could be sufficient to interfere with the safe dissipation of heat from electrical equipment, or could be ignitable by abnormal operation or failure of electrical equipment.

Class III Locations are those that are hazardous because of the presence of easily ignitable fibers or where materials producing combustible flyings are handled, manufactured, or used, but in which such fibers/flyings are not likely to be in suspension in the air in quantities sufficient to produce ignitable mixtures.

Class III, Division 2 Location is a location in which easily ignitable fibers/flyings are stored or handled other than in the process of manufacture. Such locations usually include some parts of rayon, cotton, and other textile mills; combustible fibers/flyings manufacturing and processing plants; cotton gins and cotton-seed mills; flax-processing plants; clothing manufacturing plants; woodworking plants; and establishments and industries involving similar hazardous processes or conditions.

Dust Material Groups

Class II, Group F
Atmospheres containing combustible carbonaceous dusts such as coal, carbon black, charcoal, and coke dusts.

Class II, Group G
Atmospheres containing combustible dusts not included in Group E or Group F, including flour, grain, wood, plastic, and chemicals.

Tiger-Vac Vacuum Cleaner, Dust Collector and Recovery Units meet NFPA 652 specific requirements as set out below.

NFPA 652 Standard serves a wide variety of industries including chemical, wood processing, metals, and agricultural.  NFPA 652 requires all facilities handling combustible dust, even in NON-Classified environments, to use vacuum systems that meet very specific design requirements as laid out in NFPA 652 Section 8.4.2.2.

General requirements for managing combustible dust fire and explosion hazards, NFPA 652 directs users to NFPA’s appropriate industry- or commodity-specific standards, such as NFPA 61: Prevention of Fires and Dust Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Facilities; NFPA 484: Combustible Metals; NFPA 654: Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids; and NFPA 664: Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities.

The standard identifies 7 specific requirements.

1. The materials of construction must be conductive, except in a few specific circumstances.
2. Hoses must be conductive or static dissipative.
3. All conductive components, including wands and attachments, must be bonded and grounded.
4. Dust-laden air must not pass through the fan or blower.
5. Electrical motors must not be in the dust-laden air stream unless listed for Class II, Division I, locations.
6. Paper filter elements aren’t allowed for picking up liquids or wet materials.
7. Vacuum systems used for metal dusts must meet the requirements of NFPA 484, which is the standard for combustible metals.

Tiger-Vac Division 2 Industrial Vacuum Systems meet or exceed all of these requirements.

Tiger-Vac Vacuum Cleaners are compatible with ISO Class 4 cleanroom conditions as defined in ISO 14644-1 (Class 10 as per FED STD 209E) and in conformance with GMP standards.

A cleanroom or (or white room) is an environment, typically used in manufacturing, including of pharmaceutical products or scientific research, as well as aerospace semiconductor engineering applications with a low level of environmental pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles, and chemical vapors. Cleanrooms are also greatly used in the microelectronics and in the production of printed circuit boards, processors, etc.

Cleanrooms have a controlled level of contamination that is specified by the number of particles per cubic meter at a specified particle size. Tiger-Vac cleanroom vacuum systems are compatible with ISO Class 4 cleanroom environments as defined in ISO 14644-1.  This is equivalent to Class 10 cleanroom conditions previously defined in FED STD 209E.

To achieve this level of cleanliness, Tiger-Vac cleanroom vacuum systems are equipped with HEPA Filters (efficiency of 99.995% @ 0.3 micron. Tested: IEST-RP-CC001. H14 by MPPS method as per EN 1822) or ULPA Filters (efficiency of 99.999% @ 0.12 micron, or efficiency of 99.9995% @ 0.18 micron. Tested: IEST-RP-CC001. U15 by MPPS method as per EN 1822).  Our HEPA and ULPA filters are individually laser tested and the test results are written on each individual filter.

In addition to using HEPA and ULPA filters that are individually tested, Tiger-Vac performs an aerosol leak test on each and every cleanroom vacuum that leaves our factory.  This ensures the integrity of the filter and the integrity of the seals and gaskets around the filter to guarantee cleanroom compatibility.  The aerosol leak test is a value-added service that Tiger-Vac provides.

Tiger-Vac offers a complete cleanroom vacuum systems designed specifically for the pharmaceutical, semiconductor and microelectronics industry.