Vision system for hazardous areas

Working in partnership with a technology consultancy to develop a hazardous area machine vision system

Background

There are many off the shelf solutions for inspection cameras to be installed in hazardous areas which are widely used across sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemical and pharmaceutical. For the majority of these systems, the protection method is generally based on using an explosion proof / flameproof enclosure. However, in some cases, the form factor or other aspects of the system need a different approach, using an alternative protection method. 

In this case, the technology consultancy had already determined that their client's vision system and associated components were best protected by a bespoke purged & pressurized enclosure, so they approched Expo for assistance with the design and manufacture of such a system. 

Project Brief

Develop a compact, certifiable purged and pressurized enclosure solution for a multi-lens vision system and other components that was suitable for installation on a moving rail system above the process to be monitored. 

Challenges

• The compact enclosure size meant there was only a limited external surface area for the mounting of the purge system and interface unit.
• Custom mounting arrangements were required both internally for the vision system, and externally for the whole enclosure 
• The client had limited experience of hazardous area requirements
• Challenging lead time 

Outcome

• After several iterations, an enlcosure design was agreed that met the requirements of the vision system, as well as the necessary purge and pressurization hardware.
• The enclosure included a full width laminated glass panel on the lower face for the downward facing camera.
• Ethernet connectivity was enabled by an intrinsically safe coupling system
• The Expo system was shipped to the client for installation of the vision system, testing & certification for Class I Div 2

Expo Products and Services

• Custom enclosure design and build
• Type-X minipurge
• Minipurge interface unit (MIU)
• Expo design services
• Expo consultanct & certification service