Ex proof emergency light in the boiler room lighting in the fundamental role and safety application guidelines

Introduction: boiler room safety challenges and the inevitable choice of Ex proof emergency light

Boiler room as the core of industrial production power, long-term face of high temperature, high pressure, flammable gas [such as natural gas, methane] leakage and dust accumulation and other security risks.

Ordinary lighting equipment in the high temperature, humidity or flammable gas environment is very easy to cause short circuits, electric sparks and even explosions.

Ex proof emergency light with its explosion-proof design, emergency power supply function and resistance to extreme environments, into the boiler room lighting system to ensure the safety of the core.

In this paper, we will analyze the Ex proof emergency light in the boiler room application scenarios, technical guidelines and implementation strategies for the supply of compliant and efficient lighting solutions.

First, the boiler room explosion risk and Ex proof emergency light core value

1. Boiler room primary safety hazards

Combustible gas leakage: gas boilers probably due to pipeline aging or valve failure leakage of natural gas, methane and other flammable gases [the lower limit of the explosion of 4% -15%], when the spark that triggers an explosion.

High temperature and dust environment: boiler combustion zone temperature can reach more than 200 ℃, coal boiler room with high concentration of dust, ordinary lamps and lanterns are easy to accumulate dust leading to heat dissipation failure or short circuit.

High humidity and corrosive gases: steam leaks lead to ambient humidity > 90%, sulfide and other corrosive gases will erode the metal parts of the lamps and shorten the service life.

2. Ex proof emergency light safety protection mechanism

Ex proof emergency light approved the following technical design to protect the boiler room safety:

Explosion-proof structure [Ex d]: cast aluminum housing and multi-layer sealing design, the internal arc or high temperature is completely isolated to prevent ignition of external combustible gases.

High temperature resistance and high-speed heat dissipation: equipped with ceramic heat dissipation substrate and air convection channels, surface temperature ≤ 80 ℃ [T4 temperature group], to avoid becoming an ignition source.

Emergency power supply system: built-in lithium iron phosphate battery or super capacitor, the main power supply is interrupted within 0.3 seconds of automatic switching, supply ≥ 90 minutes of continuous lighting, in line with the “GB 17945-2010 fire emergency lighting guidelines.

Second, Ex proof emergency light in the boiler room in the core application scenarios

1. Boiler body and gas piping area

Equipment status monitoring: install Ex proof emergency light next to the gas valve group and burner control cabinet, and approve the red/green two-color lighting to indicate the operating status of the equipment [e.g., red light alarm for abnormal gas pressure].

Emergency response to leakage: Integrated combustible gas detection module Ex proof emergency light, triggering high-frequency audible and visual alarms and starting emergency lighting when the methane concentration is ≥10% LEL.

2. Emergency evacuation and safe passage

Intelligent evacuation system: deploy directional emergency lights along the boiler room passage, automatically switch to escape mode in case of fire or gas leakage, ground illumination ≥ 5lx, arrows to guide the shortest escape path.

Anti-glare design: the use of matte lampshade and polarized lens, to avoid interference with the operator’s vision of the high brightness light source, especially in the steam-filled environment to ensure visual clarity.

3. Auxiliary areas and extreme environments

Dedusting room and pulverized coal silo: Explosion-proof dust [Ex tD] emergency lamps with IP68 enclosure protection to prevent dust explosions caused by the intrusion of pulverized coal.

Outdoor boiler auxiliary facilities: Ex proof emergency light need to have -40 ℃ ~ +120 ℃ wide temperature working ability, with 304 stainless steel shell, resistant to rain, snow and salt spray corrosion.

Third, the boiler room Ex proof emergency light selection and technical guidelines

1. Certification and compliance requirements

Explosion-proof certification: must be approved ATEX [II 2G Ex d IIC T4 Gb], IECEx or China CNEx certification, the nameplate needs to indicate the explosion-proof symbols and applicable gas categories [such as IIC level for hydrogen, acetylene].

Protection level: at least IP65 [dust and water spray], IP66/IP67 to cope with high-pressure rinsing and cleaning needs.

2. Fundamental technical parameters

Light source performance: LED light source light efficiency ≥ 130lm / W, color temperature 4000K-5000K, color rendering index Ra> 80, to ensure that the pressure gauge, water level meter and other fundamental instrumentation readings accurate.

Emergency range: According to “GB 51309-2018 Fire Emergency Lighting Specification”, the control room and the evacuation channel need to be equipped with Ex proof emergency light with a range of ≥ 180 minutes.

3. Intelligent function upgrade

IOT remote monitoring: Approve 4G or LoRa module to upload real-time lighting status, battery capacity and fault code to the central control system, reducing the frequency of manual inspection.

Multi-mode switching: assist normal lighting, emergency lighting, inspection mode [30% brightness energy-saving] one-key switching to adapt to the different working conditions in the boiler room needs.

Fourth, Ex proof emergency light installation and maintenance specifications

1. Specialized installation requirements

Explosion-proof electrical wiring: the use of flame-retardant armored cable [such as YCW type], the junction box adopts the Ex e increased safety structure, grounding resistance ≤ 4 Ω.

Layout spacing improvement: according to the height of the boiler room [often 4-6 m], according to every 8-10 m spacing installation of Ex proof emergency light, to ensure that the work surface illuminance ≥ 200lx.

2. Full life cycle maintenance strategy

Monthly inspection: clean the light body surface oil and dust [acetone and other flammable solvents are prohibited], test the emergency switching function and battery capacity.

Annual professional testing: commissioned by the explosion-proof certification body to test the explosion-proof joint gap [≤ 0.15mm], insulation resistance [≥ 500MΩ] and shell impact resistance.

Fifth. Answers to Common Problems [FAQ]

Q1: boiler room whether all areas are required to Ex proof emergency light?

A: gas boiler area, coal silo Zone 1/Zone 2 hazardous areas must be used; non-hazardous areas [such as power distribution room] can be configured with ordinary emergency lights, but need to be physically separated from the explosion-proof area.

Q2：Ex proof emergency light emergency response time limit?

A：Safety lighting needs to start within 0.5 seconds, evacuation lighting ≤ 5 seconds, standby lighting ≤ 15 seconds, in line with GB 17945-2010 guidelines.

Q3：How to deal with the shortening of lamp life due to high temperature in boiler room?

A: Choose T4 or higher temperature group [T1-T6, the smaller the value of the higher temperature resistance] Ex proof emergency light, let’s say T4 allows surface temperature ≤ 135 ℃.

Q4：Explosion-proof emergency light batteries need to be replaced how often?

A: lithium iron phosphate battery cycle ≥ 2000 times [about 5-7 years], advocating the implementation of capacity testing every 3 years, below the nominal value of 80% immediately replaced.

Conclusion: Ex proof emergency light – boiler room safety operation “double insurance”

In the context of tightening industrial safety standards, boiler room companies need to approve a high standard explosion-proof emergency lighting system.

Effectively prevent and control the risk of explosion and meet regulatory compliance. Choosing an explosion-proof emergency lighting system that is suitable for extreme environments and has intelligent functions not only protects the safety of personnel and equipment, but also approves energy efficiency improvements and remote management to reduce the overall operating costs.

In the future, along with the deep integration of AIoT technology, Ex proof emergency light will further enhance the boiler room safety management active early warning capabilities, into the core safety nodes of the smart factory.

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