Intrinsically Safe Sensors, Lighting, & Wireless Radios

There is an increased risk of fire or explosion in areas where flammable liquids, gasses, vapors, dust, or other combustible materials are present, even in areas where they are potentially present. Sparks or elevated temperatures from electronic equipment can ignite these materials. Electronic equipment that utilizes an intrinsically safe (IS) design can be used to mitigate risk in hazardous areas like these. 

IS design limits the power and heat created by an electronic device to a level below that required to ignite a specific hazardous atmosphere. This eliminates the need to isolate electronic equipment in explosion-proof enclosures, reducing the overall cost of a deployment and simplifying implementation. Additionally, IS design devices can be accessed and serviced without requiring a complete venting of atmospheric hazards in the work area, a process that can bring production to a halt for an extended period of time.

When implementing an IS design strategy in a Class I, Division 1 hazardous area, it is important that all the equipment used be IS certified and that the entire system designed to IS standard. This requires the use of an approved isolated barrier located in a non-hazardous area. In the event of a fault, excess voltage is transferred behind the barrier where it can safely pass to ground. 

Banner Engineering offers a number of sensors, indicators, and wireless products that feature IS design for use in hazardous environments.