High interrupting capacity equipment for hazardous locations

There are numerous methods of handling high fault currents in the modern industrial facility. When it comes to hazardous locations, however, questions abound as to the equipment and systems required to survive these conditions without causing ignition of the surrounding atmosphere. Many opinions, and in some cases misconceptions, exist over what actually is suitable for such an application. Two alternatives are presented here; one using a system approach, the other regarding explosion-proof equipment designed for this application.