An Intrinsically Safe drone is a remote-controlled device used to assist inspection or work in a hazardous environment.
Intrinsically safe equipment is “equipment and wiring which is incapable of releasing sufficient electrical or thermal energy under normal or abnormal conditions to cause ignition of a specific hazardous atmospheric mixture in its most easily ignited concentration.” Intrinsic safety limits the amount of power available to the electrical equipment in the hazardous area to a level below the ignition of gases.
Using a remote Aerial Vehicle or UAV has its fair share of upsides in a lot of industries. Coincidentally, Intrinsically Safe drones are not an exception either. The development of Drones has come a long way, and with various degrees of autonomy, it is becoming one of the top solutions when working in a potentially explosive environment.
Oil, Gas, and other hazardous or explosive environments require an extreme level of safety when performing inspections or specific tasks to protect your investment and employees.
If you send a human to inspect a very tall hazardous area, necessary tools such as stepping ladders or scaffolds will be required. Additionally, the hazard area will require blockade, inspection, safety constructs (fall arrests, hand railings, and more), and a carefully timed approach to prevent accidents. This procedure is going to generate a prolonged downtime and downtimes equal to financial loss.
In this scenario, this is when you should consider using an Intrinsically Safe Drone.
Design and Rating
Drones must specifically have designs for NEC/CEC markets, as well as ATEX/IECEx. Listed for the United States, Canada, and Europe, the unit must come with explosion-proof ratings. For example, Class I, Divisions 1 & 2 Groups A, B, C, D and Class II, Divisions 1 & 2 Groups E, F, G. Or, IECEX Class 1 Division 1 or ATEX Zone 0. Moreover, certified drones can withstand extreme temperatures, crashes, and falls without damage and loss of control. You can say it has both Resilience and Fault tolerance.
Specification to look for:
- HD or 4K Camera (depending on your needs)
- IR Camera
- Remote Gas monitoring
- Real Time Temperature Monitoring
- External LED Indicator Lights
- Advanced avionic controls
- Intrinsically safe electronics and engines
- Water resistant IP Rating
- Long signal range
- High Flight time
To learn more about Intrinsically Safe Drone or any other Intrinsically Safe, Explosion Proof or Hazardous Area products, please contact our experts at: www.IntrinsicallySafestore.com or call us on 832-699-6726