ATEX-certified fans and dampers have been supplied for hazardous-area ventilation in the Bonny Island LNG facility expansion in Nigeria, equipment built to operate safely where flammable gas may be present during normal or upset conditions, which is the defining hazard of an LNG site.
What Explosion Protection Requires
An LNG facility handles liquefied natural gas and its vapour, so parts of the plant are classified hazardous areas where a released gas could ignite from a spark or a hot surface. Ventilation in those zones must move air without becoming the ignition source, which is what ATEX certification addresses in the European framework and what equivalent standards address elsewhere. The equipment is constructed so its motor, switches, and surfaces cannot ignite the surrounding atmosphere under the defined conditions.
For a fan, that means a protected motor enclosure, temperature limits on all exposed surfaces, and a build that contains any internal fault. Dampers in the same area need non-sparking blades and protected actuators. The certification ties the equipment to a defined zone and gas group, so specifying it is not generic; it must match the plant's hazard classification study, or the protection is illusory.
Bonny Island is a major LNG hub, and an expansion there means more process and utility areas needing safe ventilation. The order covers the fans and dampers that keep those areas within safe gas concentration by continuous extraction and controlled air change, because dilution ventilation is part of the safety system, not an afterthought to the process.
The coastal, remote location also raises the bar on documentation, because a hydrocarbons facility there is inspected hard before it goes live, and every device must trace to its certificate and its zone, or the startup slips and the gas does not move.
Equipment Parameters
The table lists the certified scope supplied, the equipment that must prove its fit to the area it serves.
| Item | Specification | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | ATEX | hazardous area |
| Equipment | fans and dampers | matched to zones |
| Site | Bonny Island LNG | facility expansion |
| Airflow | up to 40,000 m3/h | per fan, by area |
| Pressure | up to 1,500 Pa | process ducts |
Because the equipment serves a live hydrocarbon plant, traceability and the correct zone marking travel with every unit, so the site can prove the fit between the device and the area it ventilates, which is the evidence an inspector asks for before letting gas flow.
The fans and dampers are matched to the same zones, so the ventilation chain is protected end to end rather than a safe fan feeding a sparking damper, which would defeat the purpose of the certification.
Selection Checklist for Hazardous Areas
Engineers specifying explosion-protected ventilation should confirm these points, because in a hydrocarbon plant the details are the safety.
- Run the study: base the equipment on a proper area classification, not a guess.
- Match the zone: confirm the cert covers the gas group and temperature class.
- Protect the dampers: extend the protection to actuators and blades.
- Keep records: the cert and zone marking must travel with the unit.
- Plan service: maintenance must respect the hazardous-area rules.
Why the Order Matters
In an LNG plant, ventilation is part of the safety system, not just comfort. Supplying ATEX-certified fans and dampers that match the plant's zones lets the expansion operate with the airflow that keeps gas concentrations safe, which is the line between a running plant and a shut one.
For a remote coastal site, certified, documented equipment also simplifies the inspections that gate a hydrocarbons facility into operation, because the auditor can trace each device to its zone rather than argue about intent, and startup stays on schedule.
The order shows that hazardous-area ventilation is specified as a system, fans and dampers together, which is the only way the protection actually holds along the whole air path.
For the plant, the ventilation rate in each zone should be set from the hazard study rather than a rule of thumb, because dilution only works if the air change matches the release scenario the area was classified for. Too little airflow lets gas accumulate; too much wastes power and can disturb the process, so the figure is a design result, not a default. The certified fans and dampers are the means, but the rate is the specification, and the two must be stated together or the safety case is incomplete. On a remote LNG site the cost of getting this wrong is an unplanned shutdown, so the discipline of tying the equipment to the calculated rate, and documenting it, is what lets the expansion run rather than wait on a correction after start-up. Tying the certified equipment to the calculated rate, and keeping the document, is what lets the expansion run on schedule instead of slipping into a correction that no one planned for and the remote site can ill afford.
Keruite engineers respond to selection enquiries within 24 hours, backed by the factory's own performance testing laboratory and more than 30 years of fan manufacturing experience.