In areas with hazardous explosive atmospheres, it is important to design terminals and connections of lightning protection systems so that no ignitable sparks or impermissibly high surface temperatures can arise in the event of lightning current penetration or other electrical faults. The PAS EX series of equipotential bonding bars from DEHN may be used in Ex zones 1/21 and 2/22. For this purpose, they have been assessed as non-sparking to explosion group IIC (hydrogen) at up to 100 kA (10/350 μs) of lightning current and tested to 50 Hz short-circuit current. They meet the test standards CLC/TS 50703-2: 2020-12 and VDE 0185-561-1 (IEC 62561-1). In hazardous areas, high surface temperatures on components can become sources of ignition. This has also been factored into PAS EX. Accordingly, even under high loads, the surface temperature does not exceed a value of 135°C (temperature class T4).
The PAS EX equipotential bonding bars are also flexibly configurable and fitted with a multitude of connection options (cable lug, push-in, flat and round conductor connections), whereby all connections are secured against self-loosening.
The connection for the cable lug already has a thread integrated, meaning that the connection of conductors up to 95 mm2 can be established quickly and easily using cable lugs. With the push-in connection, both flexible and rigid conductors from 4 to 16 mm² can be connected quickly and without tools. A special adapter also offers connection options for flat conductors with a width of 30 or 40 mm and for round conductors with a diameter of 10 mm and establishes the contact with the EBB in a non-sparking manner.
The PAS EX equipotential bonding bars are made from stainless steel (V2A). They come in two versions. 11 connections are possible with the long version and 7 connections with the short one.
