Often when we talk about wireless technology in the process industries, it is said in the context of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or industry 4.0. As the digital transformation of process industries has evolved, the number of wireless devices being added has increased and forced companies to rethink their wireless network strategy. There are several wireless technologies used for a whole variety of use cases associated with hazardous and harsh industrial environments typically seen throughout the process industries. The fact is, deploying wireless in an industrial setting is not nearly as simple as deploying it in an office or factory environment. Heavy industrial environments pose unique challenges and conditions, including dense metallic infrastructure and hazardous environments such as potentially explosive atmospheres Source: Market Research Report, 2020 – Markets and Markets This article looks […]

The main standards for hazardous area equipment globally are ATEX, IECEx and North American NEC 500/505. For ATEX and IECEx, covering most of the world, the IEC 60079 series of standards are typically used for the approval of equipment installed in hazardous areas. Most national or regional domains derive their own standards from the IECEx standards and issue a version, often identical, as their own national or regional standard. The most frequently used electrical equipment protection standards are: 60079-0 General requirements 60079-1 Explosion proof enclosures 60079-7 Increased safety 60079 -11 Intrinsic safety 60079 -15 Non sparking, hermetic sealing and restricted breathing 60079-18 Encapsulation This article defines the most common regional standards for installing wireless equipment inside a hazardous area and how compliance to these standards is managed. ATEX ATEX is used mostly within the European […]

There are various reasons for deploying wireless technology into a hazardous area. In almost all cases, the goal is to achieve connectivity and gain more visibility within the hazardous area in question. As businesses operating in these environments strive to achieve their digitalisation goals, more and more wireless radio devices have entered the market. Some common use cases for wireless connectivity in hazardous or industrial settings include: Personnel or asset tracking Automatic mustering in the event of an emergency Security/ access control Condition monitoring Remote maintenance using video collaboration Inspection and maintenance management VoiP or Push to Talk using mobile phones Job scheduling Incident reporting and management With the development of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) revolution, the list of use cases continues to grow as all businesses strive to gain […]

Extronics CEO, John Hartley had the pleasure of joining Howard Doherty, VP of sales at Cassia Networks recently to discuss the new ATX2000 Bluetooth gateway designed for hazardous areas. Extronics and Cassia Networks have brought together their collective expertise in wireless networks to develop an elegant BLE gateway for hazardous areas. The Extronics iWAP XN3 hazardous area wireless enclosure powered by the ATX2000 BLE gateway from Cassia Networks, allows users to access critical hazardous area data. Connecting smart sensors for applications such as condition monitoring is a key challenge for process industries, especially when that data is from within a hazardous area. Listen to the podcast and learn more about how the ATX2000 can help businesses collect smart sensor data at scale in hazardous areas. Listen to Podcast

Connectivity is increasingly central to modern processing workflows as the trend towards digitalisation continues across the board. Many facilities have already achieved key milestones on the road towards greater interconnectivity thanks to the growing availability of high-performance Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices. However, there are dangers associated with leveraging wireless infrastructures in industrial environments. Intrinsically safe galvanic isolators are one of a suite of protection solutions designed to enable users to safely access hazardous area data, which is an extremely valuable resource for any company looking to drive efficiency and productivity without compromising safety. RF in Hazardous Areas—Why Intrinsically Safe Isolators are Needed Radiofrequencies (RF) cover a spectrum from radio wavelengths through to gamma rays with a generally accepted bandwidth of 9KHz to 60GHz. This is the agreed-upon area of RF as covered by […]

Many hazardous process industry environments suffer from data loss or data silos. Assets such as, traditional motors, pumps, and mounted bearings, are all important assets that need monitoring for their health and condition. Deploying condition monitoring sensors is one solution, but how do you ensure all your data is collected across multiple devices and sent via your wireless network to a central location? It is not uncommon for these such devices to be one-to-one connections with mobile devices that require a person to physically be standing next to the sensor to retrieve the data. This creates a scalability issue and therefore is not suitable for wider condition monitoring analysis. This is a challenge many process industry sites face and can result in slow response times or delays in critical maintenance. BLE Offers a Solution BLE […]