7 Things About Explosion Proof LED Lighting You Should Know

Working in confined spaces or areas exposed to explosive and flammable gasses, such as hydrogen, methane, propane, and other hydrocarbons, can be very dangerous. In Canada many workers are injured or killed in confined spaces, with 60% of the fatalities being among the rescuers, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. This is why hazardous area lighting, like Explosion Proof LEDs, is necessary and required by law to ensure people’s safety.

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Standard lighting poses a threat to workers in confined spaces like tanks, vents, pipes, sewers, tank cars and manholes, because some luminaires can cause explosions by igniting combustible gas, vapor, particles or fiber that start an explosive chain reaction or a fire. Similarly, the oil and gas, petrochemical, textile and even grain processing industries may be subject to accidents while using regular duty lighting, given that electrical equipment such as switches and relays can easily spark during standard operation.

Explosion Proof LED Lights contain and isolate potential spark triggers in safe housing material, such as aluminum, preventing explosions.

If you’re looking to upgrade your hazardous area lighting equipment, you should consider LED lights not only because they’re more environmentally friendly, but because they are cost-efficient and the safest lighting source in the market today.

When you’re looking for Explosion Proof LED Lighting, there are seven things you should know:

1. Explosion Proof does not mean that the lighting source -whether it’s an LED or not- doesn’t spark; it just means that the items susceptible to spark are isolated in explosion-proof boxes that contain ignition repeatedly, avoiding propagation outside the box. In the same vein, “explosion proof” does not mean your LEDs will survive an explosion, just that they won’t be the cause for an external explosion.
2. Explosion Proof LEDs are bump and break resistant. Traditional hazardous area lighting used fluorescent or incandescent bulbs that had to be treated delicately, because they break easily. While they do not pose a fire hazard, they can be dangerous in confined spaces where workers may cut themselves or broken pieces or inhale the toxic fumes from the fluorescent bulbs. LEDs are stronger in general; they use heat-resistant materials and tempered glass, which is stronger and long-lasting, in addition to being free of mercury and toxic substances.
3. Explosion Proof LEDs are very energy efficient, they use up to 90% of the energy to provide light and have no heat or conversion loss to account for, this means that they use a lot less power to function and have low wattage consumption. Organizations save on-site energy from portable generators and other in-situ sources, providing more sustainable and profitable operations. In other words, you’ll save money running explosion proof LEDs for the same or better light output your current explosion proof lamps give you.
4. Flexible Options: LEDs come in modular designs that can be combined to allow light outputs to be easily increased or lowered to match required light levels, this allows a multitude of options to be used. From dish umbrella, to column and polygon shapes you can set them up to meet your needs, easily adapted to existing access points all while saving energy and money.
5. Explosion Proof Lighting is classified by ratings and zones. Ratings are used by professionals, like engineers, architects and electricians, to find the ideal place for the light source to be used in, as well as under what conditions they will perform best. When you’re shopping around for options look at the Certifications: Class I, Division 1, Class I Division 2 and Zones 0, 1 and 2. Class I, Division 1, encompasses Zone 0 and Zone 1 areas, while Class I, Division 2 only qualifies for Zone 2 areas.
   • Zone 0 is a hazardous location where an explosive gas, vapor or liquid atmosphere is present continuously or for long periods of time.
   • Zone 1 is a location with frequent presence of ignitable gas, vapor or liquid exist under normal operating conditions, between 10 to 1,000 hrs/year
   • Zone 2 is a location where flammable gas, vapor or liquid is not present or unlikely to be present during normal operating conditions, and unwanted or hazardous substances will only be present for 10 hrs/year or 0 to 0.1% of the time.
6. Explosion Proof LEDs Save Your Operation Money: LED explosion proof lights and fixtures are very affordable compared with their incandescent or fluorescent counterparts, they can be fitted to just about any corporate or individual budget, with an easy offset over time, where they essentially pay themselves back, considering that they last longer, won’t require replacement bulbs and consume very little power to provide clear, crisp and cool lighting.
7. Long Lasting Investment: most LED lights have a 50,000 hours estimated life span, making them the safest and most effective investment in hazardous area lighting equipment for your company or team. With low wattage options and high lumen output, these are bright, efficient and cost-effective luminaires for dangerous work, regardless of the space or industry.

Do you have any questions regarding hazardous area lighting, explosion proof LED lighting or LEDs? Drop them below or contact us and we will get back to you asap.

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Everything You Need to Know About Explosion Proof Lighting

Explosion proof lighting is integral for any business that operates in hazardous environments, where potentially explosive gases and vapours are present. Employees working in a hazardous environment are constantly exposed to the threat of potential explosions that may occur if safety precautions are not implemented properly.

Therefore, it is imperative for you to understand how explosion proof lighting can benefit your business and the safety of your workers. However, it can be confusing to define what constitutes an explosion proof lighting fixture and how it differs from standard lighting fixtures. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview on explosion proof lighting that will help you make a more informed decision for your business.

What is Explosion Proof Lighting?

Explosion proof lighting refers to lighting fixtures that are able to contain sparks that could potentially ignite the flammable and explosive gases in the atmosphere. Therefore, explosion proof lighting does not refer to lighting equipment that are resistant to explosions but rather, the capacity to prevent external explosions from occurring in a hazardous location.

An explosion proof lighting fixture is typically encased in a thick frame that is usually made from a sturdy material like steel or aluminium. Ex proof lighting fixtures are also equipped with extremely durable lenses that can withstand harsh working conditions and prevent cracks, which can result in leaks.

The company is the world’s best Explosion-proof LED Lighting Fixture supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Why Choose Explosion Proof Lighting?

Installing explosion proof lighting significantly reduces the risk of explosions by preventing the ignition of surrounding flammable gases and vapours. Furthermore, the National Electric Code (NEC) published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) mandates that all lighting equipment used in hazardous locations need to be explosion proof.

Due to the robust design of explosion proof lighting fixtures, the risk of explosions and ignitions occurring are extremely low. Thus, this greatly improves the safety of employees working in hazardous locations as well.

Ex Proof Design

In a standard light fixture, the bulb, contacts, wiring, and any switches are all directly exposed to the local atmosphere. The spark from a loose contact or the movement of the switch, and even the heat of the bulb can be enough to ignite a flammable atmosphere. In an explosion proof light fixture, any explosions that may occur are contained inside the fixture.

Components in a standard lighting fixture such as the bulb, wiring, contacts and switches are exposed to the atmosphere. As such, any sparks caused by the sudden change in energy inside the fixture may potentially be able to ignite the flammable gases in the atmosphere. Conversely, the components of an explosion proof lighting fixture are encased to prevent potential sparks or flames from escaping the internal housing unit.

However, this does not mean that there has to be an airtight seal around the components of an ex proof lighting fixture to prevent the flammable gases in the surrounding atmosphere from penetrating the housing unit. It just means that the explosion proof lighting fixture will be able to contain the explosion within its housing unit. This prevents the explosion from spreading outside the unit which could cause additional damage to equipment and injury to employees.

High Durability

An ex proof light typically has higher durability compared to its standard lighting counterpart. As explosion proof lighting fixtures are often built with sturdier and heavier materials, they are able to withstand harsher working environments. This means that explosion proof lights will not be as easily damaged as standard lighting fixtures which makes it a better option for operations in confined spaces. Therefore, the high durability of explosion proof lighting fixtures helps to reduce maintenance and furbishing costs for your business.

Greater Mobility

Thanks to being built with a stronger frame and thicker tempered glass lenses, explosion proof lights are highly resistant to vibrations. This allows for greater mobility as the ex proof lights can be transported from one place to another by forklifts or other transport machinery without the risk of getting damaged easily. On the other hand, standard lighting fixtures are not as mobile as even the slightest bumps or movement might cause them to be damaged and malfunction. As such, explosion proof lighting fixtures are more portable than standard lights, which makes it the ideal choice for businesses that require mobile illumination for operations.

Greater Efficiency

Explosion proof LED lights are more energy efficient compared to traditional lighting fixtures. An ex proof LED light consumes approximately 90 percent less energy than a standard lighting fixture. This means that explosion proof LED lights are capable of working at their original level of illumination and can last up to 100,000 hours. As such, explosion proof LED lights have longer lifespans than conventional lighting fixtures. Therefore, installing explosion proof LED lights will allow you to save on operation and production costs.

Lesser Heat Emissions

Explosion proof LED lights also emit less heat thanks to their heat saving features. This generally reduces the chances of producing sparks which means that flammable gases and vapours in hazardous locations will not be ignited.

Explosion Proof LED Lights Are Eco-Friendly

In addition to their energy saving advantages, explosion proof LED lights do not contain toxic or harmful substances, such as mercury and lead, that are harmful to the environment. Therefore, using explosion proof LED lights instead of traditional lighting fixtures allow businesses to be eco-friendly as well.

Conclusion

As industrial experts, we understand the numerous benefits that explosion proof lighting can bring to your business. Therefore, we highly encourage you to incorporate the use of explosion proof lights especially if your business operates in a confined space at a hazardous location. Moreover, the low visibility and mobility of confined spaces, such as oil rigs and petrochemical plants, makes it necessary to install explosion proof lights in order to carry out maintenance and inspection.