Our Voltimum Experts answer your questions on a daily basis in our Technical Expertise area. This one, concerning the protection requirements for the circuit feeding a socket in a hazardous area, is answered by SELECT:
Answer: If this is a hazardous area such as a construction site etc., then as the transformer is centre tapped, both live poles should be protected against fault current. This can be provided by using suitable double pole circuit breakers, or may - in some instances - be provided by using a suitable thermostat embedded in the primary winding of the transformer. This will cut off the supply to the primary winding and hence isolate the secondary side.
There are hazardous areas where there are risks of explosion because of the presence of flammable substances. In such cases, the above arrangement would be unsuitable.
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