Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.
Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.
(OP)
Been looking over regulations for a while now, and still new at trying to figure out what is needed. What I have is equipment that moved around the world to differnet oil/gas rigs for a few weeks/months at a time. Sometimes the equipments falls under Class 1 Div 2 zoning or sometimes needs to be ATEX.
I want to assemble an I/O enclosure that can be mounted on a piece of equiment that may need to be in those zones. Everything in there will be 24V. Right now just using terminal blocks and multiconductor cables to connect to a PLC panel in a safer zone area. I want to reduce the cabling between units and add I/O capability.
What I would be running would be some solenoids controlling hydraulic flow, and 4-20ma current loops for feedback.
I would just like to add in some type of I/O base or multiplexer that way I can use a single, armored cable between equipment. I prefer to use ethernet/ip for communication, but have the issue that I need power for the modules. Thought about Power-over-ethernet, but I do not think that will provide enough internal power for possible expansion, so I may run an additional single pair cable for 24V power source.
So thats a run down of the background of what i got.
Can I use a enclosure like Hawke S-Series that has certifications for zone 1, Atex that I can drill holes in for many glands, or do I need a explosion proof box that is a pain to work with and have many bolts to remove in order to work on?
In the end, I want to equipment to be easy to install and remove, and have reduced wiring between modules for easier troubleshooting in field.
Any thought or suggestions?
I want to assemble an I/O enclosure that can be mounted on a piece of equiment that may need to be in those zones. Everything in there will be 24V. Right now just using terminal blocks and multiconductor cables to connect to a PLC panel in a safer zone area. I want to reduce the cabling between units and add I/O capability.
What I would be running would be some solenoids controlling hydraulic flow, and 4-20ma current loops for feedback.
I would just like to add in some type of I/O base or multiplexer that way I can use a single, armored cable between equipment. I prefer to use ethernet/ip for communication, but have the issue that I need power for the modules. Thought about Power-over-ethernet, but I do not think that will provide enough internal power for possible expansion, so I may run an additional single pair cable for 24V power source.
So thats a run down of the background of what i got.
Can I use a enclosure like Hawke S-Series that has certifications for zone 1, Atex that I can drill holes in for many glands, or do I need a explosion proof box that is a pain to work with and have many bolts to remove in order to work on?
In the end, I want to equipment to be easy to install and remove, and have reduced wiring between modules for easier troubleshooting in field.
Any thought or suggestions?





RE: Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.
RE: Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.
My biggest confusion with enclosures is I have been told that if the enclosure is rated for a particular zone, it doesn't matter what is inside, as long as the wiring glands, cable coming out of the box, and panel controls are rated for the same zone. Then I hear that everything inside the enclosure must be certified for that zone.
Are there good sources that can explain zoning, classification in simpler terms. I may be an electronic engineer and can read and design circuits with little problem, but when it comes to regulations and legal talk, it gives me one hell of a headache.
Heck, I wouldn't even be ashamed if there was a for dummies guide on this :)
Still starting out so will take a few more years till I get used to it.
RE: Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.
The idea behind an explosion proof enclosure is that if the atmosphere inside the enclosure ignites, it not ignite the atmosphere outside it.
RE: Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.
http:
RE: Enclosures and I/O in hazardous zones.