While lighting in hazardous storage areas is a necessity, it also presents a potential danger. In order to provide the proper lighting solution for safety reasons and for a productive working environment, you must have the following information concerning the conditions within the hazardous storage area:
- Facility environment
- Combustible composition of the contents
- Application of the lighting fixtures
Lighting fixtures are crucial when it comes to operating a productive industrial facility in a safe and efficient manner. In addition to providing illumination and brightness, lighting fixtures for these types of facilities must also be able to handle the highly flammable gases or vapors, combustible dusts, and corrosive elements that are part of many industries.
The Auto Ignition Temperature or AIT is used to determine the required maximum operating temperature of devices that generate heat, including luminaires. These lighting devices have to be designed in such as way as to contain all sparks or flames that are generated during both normal and abnormal conditions. Additionally, they must not exceed the maximum operating temperature for the environment in question.
Advances in technology for LED luminaires has broadened the scope of illumination for hazardous, industrial, and other highly demanding locations.
Safety first
Lighting for hazardous locations requires fixtures that are classified to withstand moisture, vapors, dust, and combustible residues. The National Electric Code or NEC classifies potentially hazardous materials and locations:
- Class 1 — locations where flammable gases and vapors are present such as in the natural gas, petroleum, and chemical industries
- Class 2 — locations that contain combustible dusts which can be carried aloft during pulverizing processes or compacted in storage centers
There are regulations that determine the type of fixture that can be used in each location. Explosion proof lighting fixtures must be used in Class 1 and 2 locations to insure that ignition of combustible materials is never allowed in the hazardous material storage area.
Each hazardous environment has a temperature that, if exceeded, will cause ignition of any flammable or combustible material or residue. This temperature is called the “T” rating, and is a critical safety standard. All lighting fixtures in hazardous storage locations must run cooler than the T rating of the surrounding environment.
Extreme efficiency
ARCUS Light delivers innovative and energy efficient lighting solutions for highly demanding locations. Our LED lighting products deliver longer life, enhance energy efficiency, lower maintenance demands and provide an equal or better quality of light.
We offer a variety of LED hazardous location lighting as well as explosion-proof lighting including:
- Retrofits
- Flood lights
- Area lights
- Low-bay lights
- Mid-bay lights
- High-bay lights
Our LED luminaires provide up to 65% savings when compared to traditional HID lighting and have a high CRI for improved visibility and clarity. Visit our website for information on all of our products.
