FEATURE HAZARDOUS AREAS
ENERGY DENSITY OF BATTERY TECHNOLOGY Looking at other industries and the efforts being made to improve battery technology, continued developments in this area look encouraging. The automotive industry relies on the development of new battery technology to aid the push towards electric vehicles and provide more effective solutions. Inevitably, battery technology will progress to combine greater energy density with improved functionality, which can be adopted to further optimise the design and performance of LED luminaires.
ADVANCEMENT IN LEDS While LED technology has allowed emergency lighting solutions to improve, LEDs themselves are constantly evolving. As LEDs become more efficient, the same level of output can be achieved using less power. This will allow smaller batteries to
be used to further improve the physical design of emergency luminaires, or alternatively could mean greater duration can be achieved thanks to reduced consumption and a smaller battery draw.
Energy density of battery technology
INTELLIGENT EMERGENCY Developments in self-testing luminaires are starting to make inspection and maintenance quicker and easier for users by automating the process. Removing elements of reliance on operator interaction reduces the chances of human error or neglect, which may affect the performance of a luminaire in an emergency scenario. More and more intelligent emergency solutions are starting to emerge, using a microprocessor which is programmed to automatically cycle the batteries. The results of this self-testing are then highlighted using a tri-colour LED indicator, visually notifying the user
if everything is working as it should be or of any faults which require further investigation.
SUMMARY LED technology has had a significant impact on emergency lighting, improving design and performance of the luminaires compared to traditional solutions. Ultimately this improvement increases safety to those who work in areas where emergency lighting is required. The nature of hazardous area
equipment means maintenance and inspection of emergency luminaires still plays an important role in ensuring they are operating effectively, while the development of intelligent emergency systems have made this easier and safer for users.
Raytec
www.raytecled.com
MOBILE APPLICATIONS AND SOFTWARE IN HAZARDOUS AREAS
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) gathers pace by connecting people, machines, plants, logistics, products as well as processes and systems. Smartphones, tablets, sensors and smart HMI systems form the cornerstones of this new technological age in the
industry. However, the real advantage of these digital and mobile solutions emerge from the integration of a wide range of professional applications. Software solutions and applications – in addition to innovative hardware – are becoming increasingly important in industries with hazardous areas. Many industrial companies with extensive terrain or explosive areas
continue to use outdated technologies to plan, execute, manage and control their business processes. Due to a lack of alternatives, certifications or purely out of habit, many tasks are still being performed with clipboard and paper. These archaic methods bring increased risk and inflexibility to the business. This also leads to mobile workers carrying more than they should when walking around the site, creating a potential safety issue. With industry-leading, intrinsically safe 4G/LTE Android smartphones and
tablets – certified up to Division 1 and Zone 1/21 – workers can now use professional industry applications in hazardous areas to work faster and more agile, while profiting from a step change in flexibility and future- proofing. Collaborative work on mobile devices goes even further than simply calling a colleague for assistance - it enables the “Mobile Worker” to fulfill his work efficiently and safely at any location in real-time. Video conferencing applications are one of the best examples of how
mobile wireless solutions in hazardous areas open up new ways of communication for documentation, remote diagnostics and maintenance purposes. The mobile worker simply streams videos directly to experts or the responsible members at the control centre. This allows a remote diagnosis in real-time and to initiate appropriate measures or repairs immediately without losing valuable time. Furthermore, with Push-to-Talk applications, smartphones or tablets can also be interconnected with existing radio infrastructure such as LMR, Tetra or DMR. This makes it possible to share and receive real-time information on assets. Competitive, productivity and profitability advantages of the IIoT can only
be exploited with a high level of information density along the entire decision-making and process chain. An important element of the decision making process are mobile dashboards. Executives have data and knowledge
provided live by employees responsible for the production and operation of plants, thereby enabling them to act proactively to identify trends, and to make data-driven predictions. In short, executives make better decisions. In turn, employees can concentrate fully on their tasks on site by using
digital workflows and orders. Planning apps integrated into ERP systems serve to visualise the assignments, personnel, resources, live monitoring, execution and much more. The specific procedures and measures can be individually assigned to the technicians and mechanics. The mobile worker is shown the assignment on his smartphone or tablet display. Once the job is done, he can record on his mobile device which steps and tasks he completed, how much time he needed and what materials were used. An application automatically transmits this information to the ERP system. In the absence of an internet connection, the data can also be read offline and is immediately updated in the documentation when a network is accessed again. This helps to improve workflows, enabling Mobile Workers to cut down on time spent on administrative tasks at the end of each day. Professional data capture applications in combination with the right
intrinsically safe mobile devices provide several advantages for businesses operating in hazardous areas. The most obvious advantage is the cost effectiveness, as no additional hardware for scanning assets is needed. The CamScan Keyboard application by ecom, for example, offers the option to scan and upload data directly within third party applications, therefore eliminating the need for workers to manually read in results in the field or back at the office. Using specialised software packages also helps to prevent unwanted outages. Since the app is designed to integrate with other applications and backend systems, its use has a direct impact on work process effectiveness and visibility, reacting faster to anomalies, streamlining decision-making and ultimately reducing costs. Descriptions of equipment and assets can vary widely depending on the
engineer reporting the problem. These variations often cause confusion and waste time since identical assets and equipment cannot be differentiated when being transferred to backend systems. By minimising the use of free-hand text, workers begin to record more consistent data. This enables easier analysis and reduces the risk of human error. Mobile apps have changed our way of working. The ecom App Library
provides more than 200 beneficial professional apps tested by application engineers for use in hazardous areas. They enable companies to take advantage of proven technology to streamline workflows and improve the way assets are operated and managed.
ecom
www.ecom-ex.com
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AUTUMN 2017 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE
/ INDUSTRIALCOMPLIANCE
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