In order to reduce the risk of explosion, elimination of one or more of the components of the ignition triangle is necessary. There are three basic methods of protection—explosion containment, segregation and prevention.

• Explosion containment: The only method that allows the explosion to occur but confines it to a well-defined area, thus avoiding the propagation to the surrounding atmosphere. Explosion-proof enclosures are based on this method.

• Segregation: A method that attempts to physically separate or isolate the electrical parts or hot surfaces from the explosive mixture. This method includes various techniques, such as pressurization, encapsulation, etc.

• Prevention: A method that limits the energy, both electrical and thermal, to safe levels under both normal operation and fault conditions. Intrinsic safety is the most representative technique of this method.

For each method, one or more specific techniques are present that translate into practice the basic philosophy that at least two independent faults must occur in the same place and at the same time in order to ignite an explosion. A fault in a circuit or system that subsequently leads to a failure of another circuit or system is considered a single fault. Naturally, there are limits in considering faults or certain events. For example, the consequences of an earthquake or other catastrophic action may not be considered, because damage caused by the malfunctioning of the protection system during these particular events become insignificant when compared to the damage generated by the main cause.

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