Gas • Mining • Processing • Queensland & NSW
Hazardous Area & Explosion-Proof Motors, Specified Right
In a hazardous area, the wrong motor is not just a breakdown risk, it is an ignition risk. Getting the classification and the Ex rating right is the whole job.
Donaldson Electric Works supplies WEG hazardous area motors for gas, dust and mining environments: flameproof, increased safety and dust-protected units, Ex-rated and IECEx-certified for the zone they work in. From the Surat Basin gas fields to feed mills across the Darling Downs and mining operations further out, we help you specify the correct motor for your classified area. Tell us the zone, the gas or dust group and the duty, and we will get you the right unit.
What they are
Motors built so they cannot become the ignition source
A hazardous area is any place where flammable gas, vapour or combustible dust may be present in enough quantity to ignite. In those areas, a standard motor’s normal heat, sparks or arcing can set off an explosion. Hazardous area motors are engineered so that cannot happen, either by containing any internal ignition, by removing the possibility of a spark, or by keeping surface temperatures safely below ignition point.
In Australia these areas are classified into zones under the AS/NZS 60079 standards, based on how often an explosive atmosphere is present. The zone dictates the level of motor protection required, and that is the first thing to get right.
Gas & vapour zones (Zone 0 / 1 / 2)
Oil and gas, fuel storage, chemical and processing
Zone 1 is where an explosive gas atmosphere is likely in normal operation, the higher-risk areas closer to the source. Zone 2 is where it is only likely under abnormal conditions or briefly, typically further from the source. Motors for these areas are usually flameproof (Ex d) or increased safety (Ex e) types.
Dust zones (Zone 20 / 21 / 22)
Feed milling, grain handling, spray painting, processing
Where the hazard is combustible dust rather than gas, the equivalent zones are 20, 21 and 22, again graded by how often an explosive dust cloud is present. Motors here are dust-protected (Ex t) types, built and temperature-rated so a dust layer cannot be ignited by the motor’s surface.
The range
WEG hazardous area motors, across the protection types
Hazardous area motors are a specialised category, not a single product. WEG’s hazardous area range spans the full set of protection types, each certified for a specific zone and hazard. This is the classification structure, the same schedule WEG publishes, so you can see where your area’s requirement sits. We supply across this range, correctly rated for your classified area.
| Protection type | Ex marking | WEG line | Power range | Cert. | Zone, group & temp class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explosion proof / flameproof | Ex db (formerly Ex d) | W22Xdb / W21Xdb | Frames 71-355, to 355kW | IECEx, ANZEx | Zone 1 & 2 gas. Groups IIA, IIB, IIC. T4. |
| Explosion proof with increased safety | Ex db eb (formerly Ex de) | W22Xdb | Frames 71-355, to 355kW | IECEx, ATEX | Zone 1 & 2 gas. Groups IIA, IIB, IIC. T4. |
| Increased safety | Ex eb (formerly Ex e) | W22Xeb | Frames 315-630, to 3,000kW | IECEx, ATEX | Zone 1 & 2 gas. Groups IIA, IIB, IIC. T3 / T4. |
| Non-sparking | Ex ec (formerly Ex nA) | W21Xec / W22Xec | Frames 315-630, to 3,100kW | IECEx, ATEX | Zone 2 gas. Groups IIA, IIB, IIC. T3. |
| Dust ignition proof | Ex tb | W22Xtb | Frames 63-355, to 400kW | IECEx | Zone 21 dust. Groups IIIA, IIIB & IIIC. T125°C, Db. |
| Dust ignition proof | Ex tc | W22Xtc | Frames 63-355, to 400kW | IECEx | Zone 22 dust. Groups IIIA, IIIB. T125°C, Dc. |
| Pressurised enclosure | Ex pxb / pzc (formerly Ex p) | High & low voltage | Frames 400-1250, to 10,000kW | IECEx | Large HV motors in gas hazardous areas. |
WEG W22 Ex db, the flameproof mining and gas platform
WEG’s flagship hazardous motor, the W22 Ex db, carries certification across Group I (underground coal mines, for methane and coal dust), Group II (gases and vapours) and Group III (conductive dusts), at IE3, IE4 and IE5 efficiency. It is the benchmark platform for coal, oil and gas applications, which is why it anchors the range we supply.
Every hazardous area motor also carries a temperature class (T1 to T6) and a gas or dust group (such as IIA, IIB, IIC), and is certified to the IECEx or ANZEx scheme (ATEX being the European equivalent). These markings have to match the specific atmosphere on your site, which is why the specification matters as much as the motor itself. We hold common sizes up to 45kW, with other sizes typically three to five business days ex warehouse in Australia.
Flameproof Ex db
Increased safety Ex eb
Dust protected Ex tb
Zone 1 / 2 & 21 / 22
WEG certified range
Common sizes to 45kW in stock
Not sure which rating your area needs? Tell us the zone and we’ll specify it.
How it works
We supply and specify. Your certified electrician installs.
This is worth being clear about, because it protects you and keeps the job compliant. Donaldson Electric Works supplies the correct hazardous area motor and helps you specify it for your classified zone. We do not install or certify it. In Australia, the classification of your hazardous area must be done by a qualified person, and the installation must be carried out and signed off by a hazardous-area-certified electrician.
So the process is simple: you (or your electrician) tell us the zone, the gas or dust group, the temperature class and the motor duty. We supply the correctly rated WEG motor to suit. Your certified electrician installs and certifies it. Everyone stays in their lane, and the site stays safe and compliant.
What we need to specify your motor
To supply the correctly rated motor, give us these five things. If you have them, we can usually confirm the right unit on the spot:
- Zone — your area classification (e.g. Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 21, Zone 22)
- Gas or dust group — the group for the atmosphere present (e.g. IIA, IIB, IIC, or the dust group)
- Temperature class — T1 to T6, matched to the ignition temperature on site
- Motor duty — kW, speed (poles), frame and mounting
- Environment — ambient, wet, dusty, or other operating conditions
Don’t have your zone classified yet? That is the first step, and it has to be done by a qualified person. Call us and we’ll talk you through what happens next.
Where they’re used
The industries that need them
Hazardous area motors are specialist gear for specific environments. Across our region, the Surat Basin gas country around Roma and Chinchilla, grain and feed processing across the Darling Downs, and mining operations further out, that means:
Gas & oil
The highest-risk gas environments, where flameproof Zone 1 motors are the standard requirement.
Mining
Underground and surface operations with explosive gas or dust, where correctly rated motors are non-negotiable.
Feed milling & grain
Combustible-dust environments where dust-protected motors keep grain and feed operations safe.
Spray painting & processing
Flammable fumes and vapours in manufacturing and finishing, where increased-safety and dust ratings apply.
Why buy from us
Specification is the hard part, and it is what we do
Buying a hazardous area motor is not like buying a standard one. Get the zone, the gas or dust group or the temperature class wrong and you have either an unsafe installation or an expensive motor that fails compliance. The value is in specifying it correctly the first time. That is where a supplier who works with this gear every day beats an online listing or a general supplier who does not.
We specify to the zone
Give us your area classification and duty, and we match the correctly rated WEG motor, not a near-enough guess.
Local and technical
You are dealing with people who understand hazardous ratings, based in Toowoomba and supplying across the region, not a call centre.
The right brand
The WEG hazardous area range, backed by WEG’s own certification and classification schedule, correctly rated for your area.
We work alongside your trades
We supply and specify; your certified hazardous-area electrician installs and signs off. Clear lanes, compliant job.
Common questions
Hazardous area motor questions
It is a motor built so it cannot ignite a surrounding explosive atmosphere of gas, vapour or dust. Depending on the type, it either contains any internal explosion, prevents sparks and arcs, or keeps its surface temperature below the ignition point of the atmosphere it works in. Standard motors are not safe in these areas.
Both are gas hazardous areas. Zone 1 is where an explosive gas atmosphere is likely during normal operation, the higher-risk areas closer to the source. Zone 2 is where it is only likely under abnormal conditions or for a short time, usually further from the source. A higher-risk zone needs a higher level of motor protection, which is why the zone has to be confirmed before the motor is chosen.
A flameproof (Ex db) motor has an enclosure strong enough to contain an internal explosion and stop it igniting the atmosphere outside. It is the most common protection type for motors in Zone 1 and Zone 2 gas areas, widely used in oil, gas and fuel applications.
For dust environments you need a dust-protected (Ex tb or Ex tc) motor rated for the dust zone (20, 21 or 22), not a gas flameproof motor, they protect against different hazards. Feed milling, grain handling and similar operations fall into this category. Tell us the dust zone and we’ll supply the right rating.
No. We supply the correctly rated motor and help you specify it for your zone. In Australia the hazardous area classification must be done by a qualified person, and installation must be carried out and certified by a hazardous-area-certified electrician. We work alongside your trades, supplying the right motor so the installation goes cleanly.
Ex-rated means a motor is certified for explosive atmospheres. IECEx is the international certification scheme used in Australia (ATEX is the European equivalent). The motor’s marking shows its protection type (such as Ex db flameproof or Ex tb dust protected), its gas or dust group, and its temperature class. All of these have to match your area’s classification, which is exactly what we check when we specify a motor for you.
You need your area’s zone classification, the gas or dust group, the temperature class, and the motor duty (size, speed, mounting). If your area is already classified, give us those details and we’ll match the motor. If it isn’t, that classification is the first step and has to be done by a qualified person. Either way, call us and we’ll talk you through what we need.
Standard motors?
Not a hazardous area?
If your motor isn’t going into a classified hazardous zone, you want our standard and mine-spec industrial range instead, WEG motors for feedlots, irrigation, pumps, processing and general industry. Mine-spec durability is part of that range, not this page.
Get the Right rating
Tell us your zone, we’ll specify the motor
Send us the zone, the gas or dust group, the temperature class and the motor duty, and we’ll supply the correctly rated WEG hazardous area motor. Not sure of the details? Call and we’ll talk it through.
