INSTRUMENTATION • ELECTRONICS
Electronic equipment
for hazardous environments
must be designed carefully
An industrial monitor from Arista
TOUGHTOUCH-PANEL PCS
Industrial ruggedised computing solutions for hazardous manufacturing environments
I
n industrial manufacturing environments, facilities regularly store and dispense large quantities of hazardous, fl ammable, combustible liquids. Given the potential
for gas, vapour or dust to collect in these areas, the electronic equipment installed for automation and control must be designed specifi cally to prevent unintentional ignition of these elements due to electrical arcing or other thermal means.
Although much attention is given to the automation system components used to control the process itself, these systems also require computing equipment such
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as thin clients, panel PCs, remote touch displays, KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) solutions, as well as fi xed and mobile operator workstations. Given the risks, this equipment must also meet the requirements for use in areas classifi ed as hazardous and be rugged enough to withstand the harsh chemical and high humidity environment generated during the industrial manufacturing process. “In industry, the manufacturing,
processing, storing and distribution of fl ammable materials release gases or vapours in the atmosphere that can result in an explosion or hazard. To create a safe and secure working environment, the computing systems at the worksite must, by regulation, be designed to pass the explosion-proof certifi cation and be able to withstand the corrosive environment,”
says Paul Shu of Arista, a leading provider of computing platforms and visualisation display products.
SOLUTIONS FOR HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS In simple terms, a hazardous classifi ed location is any area, building, commercial or industrial premises likely to be exposed to fi re or explosion due to the presence of fl ammable gases, vapours, fl ammable liquids, combustible dust and other similar materials in very high amounts. Hazardous locations can be classifi ed
into various categories according to the nature of fl ammable vapours or liquids. In North America, a class/division system is primarily used, and regulations related to the design and manufacturing of industrial equipment are formulated by the NEC,
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