ISB-M1d & Intrinsic Safety 

Intrinsic safety (IS) is a means by which an electrical equipment is protected and thus it is able to provide safe operation in hazardous areas by limiting the energy available for ignition. In signal and control circuits that operate with low currents and voltages (e.g. submersible transducers), the intrinsic safety approach simplifies circuits and reduces installation cost over other protection methods. Areas with dangerous concentrations of flammable gases or dust are found in applications such as sewage waste collection systems (e.g. methane gas), petrochemical refineries and mines. 

An Intrinsically Safe (IS) sensing apparatus typically require two components:

  1.  An intrinsically safe means by which power is delivered to the hazardous location (e.g. and IS Barrier such as the ISB-M1d)
  2. An Intrinsically Safe  level sensing device (e.g. Contegra's SLX 130-MIS).  

The IS Barrier (e.g. ISB-M1d) ensures that sufficient power (i.e. voltage & current) are available for the sensing device and yet there is insufficient power to create a spark or ignite an explosive environment.

The Intrinsically Safe sensor (e.g. SLX 130-MIS) is designed so that it does not store sufficient power that could, during a fault condition, cause a spark.  The two components work together to ensure a safe sensing solution.

Literature

          ISB-M1d Mechanical & Electrical:     10461-0001-02 ISB-M1d
          Reference:      SLX 130-MIS