I have been given the task at my job to provide portable battery powered portable lighting for a paint booth. I have seen battery powered portable light fixtures, with some described as intrinsically safe and some as hazardous location lights. My question is are the fixtures listed as intrinsically safe suitable for the paint booth environment, or should I just limit my choices to those listed as suitable for hazardous locations ? Thank You.
Is an Intrinsically safe battery powered light fixture suitable for hazardous locations ?
- Thread starter steve61
- Start date
ggunn
PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
- Location
- Austin, TX, USA
- Occupation
- Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
What is an "intrinsically safe" listing? I have heard of an "explosion proof" listing; is that the same thing?
PaulMmn
Banned
- Location
- Union, KY, USA
- Occupation
- EIT - Engineer in Training, Lafayette College
The issue with paint booths is explodable vapor-- ie paint/varnish/etc in the air. A 'randomly selected' battery-powered light can still generate a spark when switched on or off. I think you need explosion proof or similar lights.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
Not the same thing. "Explosion proof" can produce an explosion within the equipment but prevents the internal explosion from igniting the external flammable gasses.
"Intrinsically safe" equipment limits the energy of any spark to an energy level that is less than the minimum ignition energy of the flammable gas.
Typically that will require low energy in the equipment and while I can find battery powered lighting that says it is intrinsically safe, I tend to doubt that as the equipment must be incapable of creating a spark that has more energy than the required to ignite the gasses even when damaged. However some of the battery powered "intrinsically safe" lighting that I have found on line indicates an "explosion proof" housing, which tells me it is not really "intrinsically safe" as defined in the NEC.