Speedway Revolution Installations in Explosion Hazard Environment

Introduction

This article discusses approaches and manufacturers to consider when you need to install the Speedway Revolution reader in an explosion-hazard environment requiring ATEX or IECEx compliance. 

Disclaimer: Impinj does not endorse these products, has not tested them, etc. and, as such, encourage the Impinj partner to contact these OEMs directly to access feasibility of using their products to enable installation of RFID hardware in a given explosion-hazard environment. 

Approach

There are a couple different approaches to installs in explosion-hazard environments: 

1. Install reader (labeled 'wireless radio' in illustration below) in an ATEX/IECEx certified enclosure and use a RF Galvanically Isolated Intrinsic Safety Barrier filter or certified antennas:
   
   
   
2. Install Speedway Revolution outside of the explosion-hazard environment (Safe Area) and then feed the antennas which are installed in the Hazardous Area (again, either through an Intrinsic Safety Barrier or to certified-compliant antennas):
   

Enclosures

Pentair/Hoffman

http://www.pentairprotect.com

Antennas

Exloc

http://www.exloc.com/

Exloc also offers a RF Galvanically Isolated Intrinsic Safety Barrier, the iSOLATE500, which they claim renders the RF output from regular wireless hardware (i.e. RFID reader) intrinsically safe.

Solexy

http://www.soldowireless.com/

Couplers, Misc.

Solexy also offers explosion-proof antenna couplers and intrinsically-safe Ethernet barriers (see link above)

Related Standards

IEC 60079-0, IEC 60079-11, IEC 60079-14 and IEC 60079-25