INFRASTRUCTURE

Explosive-proof LED strip light improves safety

MINEGLOW has launched what it says is the world’s first IECEx certified explosive proof LED strip lights for environments where fire or explosion hazards exist due to flammable gases or explosive substances such as vapours, mists or dusts.

Lou Caruana
 LED-strip design offered considerable benefits over conventional lighting and other explosive proof products.

LED-strip design offered considerable benefits over conventional lighting and other explosive proof products.

The x-Glo IECEx range is purpose built to provide a high level of protection by encapsulating electrical ignitions inside the light.

Mineglow general manager Carinne Pater said the IECEx certified lighting protected workers from the risk of accidental ignitions of flammable or explosive materials.

"The best way to prevent explosions in high-risk industrial areas is to remove potential ignition sources," Pater said.

"Lights are one of the most common causes of explosion ignition. Our solution minimises risk by isolating and containing sparks within the strip to prevent explosions from escaping and potentially igniting the gases and particles in the atmosphere.

"The low-profile of our lighting solution also means that they can't be knocked and shatter. This greatly minimises the risk of an explosive reaction from spreading or igniting volatile substances in the area, so in terms of health and safety - the benefits are significant."

 

The x-Glo explosive-proof LED solution is IECEx, ATEX and ROHS approved and certified for gas zones one and two, and dust zones 21 and 22.

The lights are fully encapsulated with silicone, making them resistant to dust, humidity, chemicals and extreme environmental temperatures without enabling the risk of an explosion.

Pater said the LED-strip design offered considerable benefits over conventional lighting and other explosive proof products through its flexibility, efficiency, durability and ease of deployment.

"This range is unique as it combines IECEx certified protection and peace of mind with all the benefits of premium, industrial-grade LED strip lighting," she said.

"Beyond energy efficiency alone, industrial-grade LED strip lighting is renowned for its flexibility to install quickly and easily in hard-to-reach places, is fully customisable in length and requires zero maintenance.

"Due to their flexibility, our lights are easy to install, which means they can be mounted to any surface - including curved surfaces and corners - to provide consistent lighting to illuminate large areas.

"A single strip of our lights runs up to 30 metres and can be powered with 24V, 36V or 48V - AC or DC - giving customers the option to choose the optimum level of illumination for their application."

Mineglow's explosive-resistant range has a 50,000-hour lifespan and can provide a daylight spectrum light in white 6500K for continuous lighting in hazardous areas and red, amber and green for emergency directional lighting for illuminating escape routes.

Pater said LED explosion-proof lighting solutions were quickly becoming a safer, more cost efficient and sustainable long-term solution to alternative complex lighting infrastructures, especially in the Asia Pacific region.

"With the increasing regulations on worker safety globally, we're seeing a lot of growth in the explosive-proof lighting market," she said.

"It's fantastic that we can provide a flexible LED strip lighting solution that's truly unique and purpose-built for harsh conditions."

Pater said the replacement of incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps had been growing with continuous improvement in diode technology giving LEDs higher lumen outputs.

"Using high quality SMD [surface mount diode] LED chips, our explosive-proof range offers high brightness, colour consistency, uniformity and most importantly, high reliability," she said.

The explosive-resistant LED have been applied at an underground coal mine in Australia, a WA offshore floating production storage and loading unit and a paint manufacturing plant in New South Wales.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2023 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of current exploration rates, trending exploration technologies, a ranking of top drill intercepts and a catalog of 2022 Initial Resource Estimates and recent discovery successes.