Intrinsic Safety

Intrinsically safe (or “I-safe”) devices are used in industrial environments where flammable gases, combustible dusts, or ignitable fibers create the potential for fire and explosion. Intrinsically safe equipment is defined as “equipment and wiring which is incapable of releasing sufficient electrical or thermal energy under normal or abnormal conditions to cause ignition of a specific hazardous atmospheric mixture in its most easily ignited concentration.” ( ISA-RP12.6) This is done by limiting the amount of power available to the electrical equipment in the hazardous area to a level below that which will ignite the gases.

See also

• Fujifilms case study

There are three necessary conditions which must be present in order to have a fire or explosion – fuel, oxygen, and ignition. In an intrinsically safe system, we assume the fuel and oxygen are present, but we cap the electrical or thermal energy of a particular instrument loop, so it can never be great enough to cause ignition. This prevents the electrical devices from creating arcs, sparks, or heat that could ignite the explosive substances.

Industries in which intrinsically safe devices might be necessary include chemical, oil, and gas industries. Applications where I-safe devices are used include inventory, shop floor data collection, work-in-progress, and shipping/receiving. Intrinsically safe devices include the Intermec 730 I-Safe and the LXE MX5 I-Safe handheld computers.

Intermec 730 I-Safe

Intermec’s 730 Intrinsically Safe (I-Safe) mobile computer has features which include a sharp color display, local area and personal area (Bluetooth) wireless radios, and a linear imager that delivers high-speed barcode reading performance. The introduction of hazardous environment certifications within the successful 700 Series product offering allows for cross-departmental standardization for both hazardous and non-hazardous environments, minimizing your enterprise’s total cost of ownership. Meeting the stringent Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certification requirements for Division 1, Class I, Class II, or Class III; the 730 device is tough enough to handle the daily rigors of your frontline business.

LXE MX5 I-Safe

The MX5 I-Safe is LXE’s toughest Windows based handheld computer, designed for extreme environments, and certified for non-incendive electrical equipment for use in Class 1, Division 2 hazardous locations. The MX5 I-Safe boasts the industry’s leading water seal rating, and can easily withstand multiple drops from six feet. The MX5 I-Safe’s powerful XScale processor and CE.NET operating system ensure a mobile logistics computing solution designed to meet the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s mobile enterprise.

For additional information about I-Safe devices, contact Barcoding Inc.

For Further Information

Contact us for a complimentary evaluation of your needs.

Call Now: 888.412.7226

Our sales team will answer all your questions about inventory control and automatic data collection.