Intrinsic Safety Isolator
Phoenix Contact’s MACX EX Intrinsic Safety Isolators 12.5mm wide, with Quick Bridging and Cabling Options
Designed to be used in electrical circuits going into and out of Hazardous Locations as defined by the article NEC 500. Intrinsic Safety technology prevents explosions in areas where electrical equipment is used and explosive air-gas mixtures exist in their most easily ignited concentrations. This is accomplished by limiting the electric and thermal energy to levels that are incapable of ignition of these concentrations under both normal and abnormal conditions.
Ten Major advantages of using Intrinsically Safe Technology
- Simple Apparatus:
Permits use of some normal industrial devices in lieu of XP devices if they are non-energy storing - Safest Technique:
Only technique allowed for Zone 0, continuous presence of hazardous material (now added to the NEC) - Fault Tolerant:
Remains safe after faults develop in cables and faulty components - Live Maintenance:
I.S. is only technique which permits live working without gas clearance certificates and with power applied - No Conduit required:
No need for expensive XP conduit because the system is electrically protected at the source - Safe for Personnel:
Extra low voltages and currents (typically 28 Volts, 93ma max) - Least Expensive:
Big savings in metal fittings, XP conduit, protected cable, special glands, seals etc. - Safest Method:
Immune from improperly secured XP covers, sealed conduits, married surfaces, etc. - Loop isolation:
Galvanic Isolating Isolators provide loop to loop isolation and eliminates from ground loops - Global acceptance:
IS is a well-defined universal approach to instrumentation - with virtually identical standards across the world and applicable to all combinations of hazardous locations. (This is not true of the so-called "non-incendive technique, which is limited strictly to Div. 2 areas (not universally accepted)
MACX MCR-EX
The MACX MCR-EX Intrinsically Safe Isolators act as a link between the control system level and the field level, the MACX MCR-EX... interfaces serve to limit energy reliably for intrinsically safe signal circuits (protection type Ex-i) up to Div 1, or Zone 0 potentially explosive areas. They transmit the measured values or the control signals with high accuracy and electrically isolated. Some of the user benefits are…
- Design width of 12.5 mm (previously 22.5 mm): Considerably lower space requirement
- Maximum explosion protection (up to zone 0 and 20 and all gas groups) in accordance with the standard (IEC EX)
- Installation in zone 2 possible
- SIL approvals as per IEC 61508 for safety-related applications or high operational reliability
- Convenient programming (FTD/DTM), uniform interface programming software
The PI-ME-EX modules have been discontinued. For an alternative module please use the above MACX MCR-EX modules.
Intrinsic Safety Isolators - Single and Multi-channel
The Process Interface-ME design integrates transformer isolation, intrinsic safety isolator circuits, signal conditioning and diagnostic capabilities into one package. Transformer isolated intrinsic safety isolators eliminate the need for the high integrity intrinsic safety ground that is otherwise required and frequently maintained when using a zener isolator.
Intrinsic Safety Isolators - Pluggable
The basic terminal blocks serve as the base elements for the pluggable PROCESS INTERFACE modules. They have several advantages:
- High packing density over a width of just 12.4mm.
- Ease of connection of a modular terminal block
- Bridging of the power supply with plug-in bridges
- Test connections and disconnect knives integrated on the field side
- Variants with integrated surge protection on the field side
- These modules do not have UL approval. ATEX approval only
- For alternative modules with UL and other approvals please use the MACX MCR-EX modules above
Intrinsic Safety Isolator Modules
Motherboards accommodate pluggable PROCESS INTERFACE modules. The intrinsic safety motherboards have several features:
- 4, 8, and 16-channel versions
- Variable field connection with screw, spring-cage or QUICKON fast connection terminal blocks
- System cabling through D-Sub Connectors, ELCO, FLK and others
- Redundant supply of the supply voltage
- Can be snapped onto the conventional EN DIN rails
- Ex and non-Ex versions
HART Multiplexer
The HART Multiplexer enables online configuration and diagnostics of HART-capable field devices as well as the continuous documentation of process variables and statuses with a PCP or a management system.