Intrinsic safety

It has come to our attention that some manufactures claim "intrinsic safe" with their flashlights and hand-held searchlights. We make no claims to this with our products but we have passed Class I (combustible gas and liquids), Class II (combustible dust), and Class III (combustible fibers) with the AEX20 HID Searchlight.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Intrinsic safety (IS) is a protection technique for safe operation of electronic equipment in explosive atmospheres. The concept was developed for safe operation of process control instrumentation in hazardous areas, particularly North Sea gas platforms. As a discipline, it is an application of Inherent safety in Instrumentation.

The theory behind intrinsic safety is to ensure that the available electrical and thermal energy in the system is always low enough that ignition of the hazardous atmosphere cannot occur. This is achieved by ensuring that only low voltages enter the hazardous area, and that all electric supply and signal wires are protected by zener safety barriers. Sometimes an alternative type of barrier known as a galvanic isolation barrier may be used.

In normal uses, electrical equipment often creates internal tiny sparks in switches, motor brushes, connectors, and in other places. Such sparks can ignite flammable substances present in air. A device termed intrinsically safe is designed to not contain any components that produce sparks or which can hold enough energy to produce a spark of sufficient energy to cause an ignition. For example during marine transfer operations when flammable products are transferred between the marine terminal and tanker ships or barges, two-way radio communication needs to be constantly maintained in case the transfer needs to stop for unforeseen reasons such as a spill. The United States Coast Guard requires that the two way radio must be certified as intrinsically safe.

Another aspect of intrinsic safety is controlling abnormal small component temperatures. Under certain fault conditions (such as an internal short inside a semiconductor device), the temperature of a component case can rise to a much higher level than in normal use. Safeguards, such as current limiting by resistors and fuses, must be employed to ensure that in no case can a component reach a temperature that could cause autoignition of a combustible atmosphere.

No single field device or wiring is intrinsically safe by itself (except for battery-operated, self contained devices), but is intrinsically safe only when employed in a properly designed IS system.

In a nut shell no "HID" light can be Intrinsically Safe

"Intrinsically safe" products receive their classification because their electrical power usage is below the level of power required to set off an explosion within a given hazardous area. In addition, "intrinsically safe'" products are incapable of storing large amounts of energy which might spark an explosion when discharged.

The AEX20 Falls under the below category: AEX 20

Hazardous Areas

Both national rating agencies, as well as the American National Standards Institute adhere to the same definitions of what contributes a hazardous area. These areas are defined as Class I (combustible gas and liquids), Class II (combustible dust), and Class III (combustible fibers). Class I is subdivided into groups A (acetylene), B (Hydrogen and butadiene), C (diethyl ether, ethylene, isoprene, and UDMH), and D (acetone, gasoline, lacquer solvent, styrene, propane, and natural gas). Class II is divided into Groups E (metal dust), F (carbon black, coal, and coke), and G (flour, starch, and grain dusts).

All classes include two divisions. Division I covers electrical equipment directly exposed in an explosion atmosphere of the material of a specific group. Division II covers electrical equipment in an explosive atmosphere only when accident or fallout occurs, or in a properly vented direct exposure.

Qualification for a rating automatically qualifies the equipment for a lower class and group. For example: Class I equipment can be used in Class II and Class III applications with no restrictions.

An "explosion-proof" rating is given only to a single piece of equipment for a specific class, division, and group. Equipment installation is the sole responsibility of the end user, and the National Electrical Code clearly defines the requirements of this installation. For example, a piece of equipment can carry a Class I rating and qualify only for a Class II rating after installation and inspection if the installation is not up to the original rating requirements. The National Electrical Code allows no modification of the rated equipment.