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Evaluation of electrical parameters of intrinsic safety barriers of the electrical

equipment intended to be used in atmospheres with explosion hazard

Conference Paper · July 2014

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 Informatics

EVALUATION OF ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS OF INTRINSIC SAFETY

BARRIERS OF THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT INTENDED TO BE USED
IN ATMOSPHERES WITH EXPLOSION HAZARD

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Eng. Titu Niculescu1

Lecturer PhD. Eng. Dragos Pasculescu1
PhD. Student Eng. Vlad Mihai Pasculescu2
PhD. Student Eng. Ioan Oana Stoica1
1
University of Petrosani, Romania
2
National Institute for Research and Development in Mine Safety and Protection to Explosion –
INSEMEX Petrosani, Romania

ABSTRACT
In the past few years, high-level scientific languages such as Matlab have become more
and more popular for both research and educational purposes. Matlab has been proven
to be one of the best software packages which lead to good results in the field of
electrical engineering analysis. Electrical equipment which operate in potentially
hazardous environments are externally connected through intrinsic safety barriers. Their
gauging should observe the safety standards in the field and it is made on grounds of a
theoretical analysis, which is focused in this paper. The analysis of the safety barrier
involves the consideration of two important regimes: the a-periodic and the oscillatory
regime. The safety barrier is studied when connected to a DC and AC voltage. In this
purpose, a theoretical analysis of the barrier was made, in which the uniformly
distributed parameters were considered to be concentrated. For each situation mentioned
above, the analytical expressions of the output voltage and of the current through the
barrier were inferred. SimPowerSystems in part of Matlab Simulink and it operates in
Simulink environment. The safety barrier is analysed in Matlab environment, through
numerical simulation in Simulink.
Keywords: a-periodic regime, intrinsic safety, oscillating regime, safety barrier,
SimPowerSystems

INTRODUCTION
Intrinsically safe equipment is defined as "equipment and wiring which is incapable of
releasing sufficient electrical or thermal energy under normal or abnormal conditions to
cause ignition of a specific hazardous atmospheric mixture in its most easily ignited
concentration" (ISA-RP12.6). This is achieved by limiting the amount of power
available to the electrical equipment in the hazardous area to a level below that which
will ignite the gases. Electrical equipment intended for use in atmospheres with hazard
of explosion shall meet certain safety conditions stated in the safety standards for this
specific field, i.e. their design be different from the one of equipment that operate in
normal conditions [4]. Their external connections are made through intrinsic safety
barriers that restrict the current that crosses them to values inferior to the explosive limit
14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

of the potential explosive atmosphere. Most applications require a signal to be sent out
of or into the hazardous area. The equipment mounted in the hazardous area must first
be approved for use in an intrinsically safe system. The barriers designed to protect the
system must be mounted outside of the hazardous area in an area designated as non-
hazardous or safe in which the hazard is not and will not be present. Most of the
apparatus that is mounted in the hazardous area will have to be approved and certified
for use in the hazardous area with an approved barrier designed for use with that
apparatus [1]. In all cases the intrinsically safe barriers and equipment must be wired
per an approved drawing. Capacitance and inductance of the wiring and cables must be
included in the loop evaluation. In order to have a fire or explosion, fuel, oxygen and a
source of ignition must be present. An intrinsically safe system assumes the fuel and
oxygen is present in the atmosphere, but the system is designed so the electrical energy
or thermal energy of a particular instrument loop can never be great enough to cause
ignition. The basic design of an intrinsic safety barrier uses Zener Diodes to limit
voltage, resistors to limit current and a fuse.

THEORETICAL STUDY OF THE BARRIER

In order to analyse the variation of the current through the intrinsic safety barrier and
the variation of the voltage at the outputs, there is used an arrangement (Figure 1) where
the uniformly distributed parameters from the inside and the outside of the barrier shall
be considered as concentrated.

Fig.1 Electric model of the safety barrier at the application of the step signal
where: R is the value of the resistor in the barrier, L – the measured or estimated
inductance of the line, C – capacity of the line from outside the barrier, and Ci - capacity
of the internal circuit and this capacitor shall become charged instantaneously when the
step signal is being applied.
In the theoretical study the junction capacity of the diode D is neglected because this
value is very low. The paper purpose is to study the way in which is affected the
character of intrinsic barrier when the external terminals are connected to an electrical
cable. It is also important to study the step when the reactive electrical parameters
which are uniformly distributed on the cable, affects the barrier behaviour in
atmospheres with explosion hazard. The variation of the current through the barrier and
the variation of the voltage at the outputs of the barrier are studied when a step signal is
applied at the exit of the equipment. The integro-differential equation of voltages at the
closing moment of circuit is:
di 1 (1)
dt C ∫
Ri + L + idt = E

or
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d 2u du
LC 2
+ RC +u = E (2)
dt dt
The following notations are made:
δ=
R circuit amortization (3)
2L
ω0 =
1 circuit personal pulsation (4)
LC
ω = δ 2 − ω 02 circuit pseudo-pulsation (5)
There is considered the situation when δ > ω 0 or R < 2 L C which is the situation
checked by the resistor in the barrier. Consequently, the solving of the differential
equation gives the following solutions:
⎡
⎢
1 ⎤
⎥
(6)
u (t ) = E 1 − (r1e r2t − r2 e r1t )
⎢⎣ 2 δ 2 − ω 02 ⎥⎦

i(t ) =
E
(e r1t
− e r2t ) (7)
2 L δ 2 − ω02
where r1 and r2 are the roots of the characteristic equation:
r1 = −δ + ω (8)
r2 = −δ − ω
There is considered the situation when δ <ω0 or R < 2 L C . The following notation is
made: ω 02 − δ 2 = ω ' 2 (9)
Consequently, the solving of the differential equation gives the following solutions:
⎡ ω ⎤ (10)
u (t ) = E ⋅ 1 − 0 ⋅ e −δt ⋅ sin(ω ' t + β ' )
⎢ ⎥
⎣ ω' ⎦
E −δt (11)
i (t ) = e sin ω ' t
ω' L
where:
δ (12)
β ' = arccos
ω0
To analyse the intrinsic safety barrier, there has been used MATLAB software with two
different methods of analysis as part of it. There follows a presentation of these
methods. [2].

SAFETY BARRIER ANALYSIS BY NUMERIC SIMULATION

The differential equation (2) can be put under the following form, based on which
SIMULINK model (Fig.2) has been conceived [5]:
d 2u 1 ⎡ du ⎤
= ⎢ E − RC −u ⎥ (13)
dt LC ⎣ dt ⎦
This integrates the differential equation (2) and plots the voltage variation curves at the
outputs of the barrier and of the current through the barrier, for the two situations. The
simulation model is conceived in the way to allow studying of voltage at barrier output,
the current through the barrier and the dissipated power on barrier resistor for different
values of resistor R. In this purpose there are considered two values of resistor R, values
which correspond to two important regimes: a-periodic regime and oscillating regime.
14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

For each regime is plotted the variation diagrams of voltage at output barrier, the current
of barrier and the dissipated power on resistor of barrier. [3]

Fig.2 SIMULINK model

If we consider: the value of the voltage E = 24 [V], the true resistance of the barrier R =
1.5 [kΩ], the inductance of the cable connected to the equipment L = 10-4 [H] and the
uniformly distributed capacity of the cable C = 10 [nF], we get the following MATLAB
diagrams (Fig. 3a and 3b) in accordance with the Eq. 6 and Eq. 7.

a) Voltage variation b) Current variation

Fig.3 Voltage variation at the outputs of the barrier and current Fig.4 Power variation on the
variation through the barrier in an a-periodic working condition resistor of the barrier in a-
periodic regime
The precedent diagrams highlight a variation (Fig. 4) of the a-periodical voltage at the
output barrier and the current of barrier at applying the unit step voltage of 24 [V] at this
input. Decreasing the resistance value of barrier, results in reaching the a-periodical
critic regime. The voltage variation diagrams at the output barrier, the current of barrier
and the power dissipated of resistor for barrier around the critical a-periodical regime
are analysed as it follows and there were obtained the reactive parameters of cable for
these values but for a value of barrier resistance of 50 [Ω]. The diagrams in Fig. 5a and
5b highlight the voltage and current variation in an oscillating working condition.

a) Voltage variation b) Current variation

Fig.5 Voltage variation at the outputs of the barrier and current Fig.6 Power variation on the
variation through the barrier in an a-periodic working condition resistor of the barrier in
oscillating regime
The dissipated power of resistor in the same oscillating regime is presented in Fig. 6.
The diagrams shown in Fig. 5a, Fig. 5b, and in Fig. 6 are plotted for the following
values: E = 24 [V], L = 10-4 [H]; C = 10 [nF] and R = 50 [Ω]. Oscillatory regime can
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occur on the barrier which has no Zener diode to limit the overvoltage. If the Zener
diode exists, the current and voltage oscillations occur in the voltage limit of opening
the diode.

SIMPOWERSYSTEMS MODEL OF THE SAFETY BARRIER

MATLAB provides SimPowerSystems software package that supports the simulation
and analysis of electrical circuits in different working conditions. As the answer to step
signal or the pulse generates a transitory regime, there was used this modality for the
behaviour of safety barrier. The benefit of this manner of simulation is that the safety
barrier can be tested not only at the unit step signal but also for impulse and it allows
getting several types of specific diagrams to the circuit. Two groups of values have been
selected for this situation; these values are for the parameters of circuit, the values that
correspond to the a-periodic working conditions, and to the oscillating working
conditions. The SimPowerSystems of intrinsic safety barrier model (Fig. 7) has plotted
the voltage and current variation diagrams at standard signals, applied at input of
intrinsic safety barrier.

Fig.7 SimPowerSystems model of the safety barrier

The SimPowerSystems model of intrinsic safety barrier allows the study of analyses
behaviour for the safety barrier at applying at this input the standard signals through the
analysis block of POWERGUY: unit signal step and unit signal impulse. These signals
correspond in practice with the particular working regimes.

Voltage at the Outputs of the Safety Barrier: For the a-periodical charge of the
capacitor we have got the diagrams which show the voltage variation at the outputs of
the barrier when a unit step signal and a unit pulse are applied to the inputs. There will
be considered the following values of the electric parameters:
a) A-periodic regime: E = 24 [V], voltage at the outputs of the barrier; R = 1.5 [kΩ],
true resistance in the barrier; L = 10-4 [H], inductance of the cable connected to the
equipment; C = 10 [nF], uniformly distributed capacity of the cable
b) Oscillating regime: E = 24 [V]; R = 50 [Ω]; L = 10-4 [H]; C = 10 [nF].
Using the values mentioned above, POWERGUY analysis block allows getting the
following Matlab diagrams, for the voltage variation at the output of the barrier when
step signal and a pulse are being applied in an a-periodic working condition (Fig. 8a),
respectively in an oscillating working condition (Fig. 8b). POWERGUY analysis block
also allows plotting the frequency characteristics of voltage at the outputs of the barrier;
the frequency in logarithmic coordinates (BODE diagram) is on the horizontal axis
(Fig.9). The R resistance value which was used in diagram is 1500 [Ω].
14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

a) A-periodic working condition b) Oscillating working condition

Fig.8 Voltage variation at the output of barrier when step signal and Fig.9 Frequency diagrams of
pulse are being applied in a-periodic and oscillating working condition the oscillating voltage at the
outputs of the barrier

Current Variation through the Safety Barrier: For the values that correspond to the
a-periodic working condition, we get the diagrams shown in Fig. 10a, respectively the
diagrams presented in Fig. 10b for the oscillating working condition. POWERGUY
analysis block, also allows getting the frequency diagram for the oscillating current
through the barrier (Fig.11). The diagrams which are shown in Fig. 11 present a maxim
for intrinsic safety barrier current of 0,02 [A], that is a value of 33 times as much as
barrier intensity current in normal conditions of working (Eq.18, Eq. 19). This
phenomenon occurs because in intrinsic safety circuit barrier is produced a voltage
resonance which has the value of 1,59 ⋅ 10 5 [ Hz ] (Eq. 17).
The connecting to the supply network of the equipment is equivalent with the
appearance of the unit step signal to the input of intrinsic safety barrier. The appearance
of transitory overvoltages with great amplitude in the supply network of equipment is
approximate equivalent with the application of signal impulse to the input of intrinsic
safety barrier. The following ideas can be underlined for the diagrams that show the
voltage frequency at the outputs of the barrier and the current that crosses the barrier:
• Voltage at the outputs of the barrier is maxim at a value of the frequency that is
inferior to the resonant frequency of the circuit f0:

2−d2
fc = f0 ⋅ ≅ 1,58 ⋅ 10 5 [ Hz ] (14)
2
where:
C
d=R = 0,5 (15)
L
is the amortization factor of the circuit.
U C max =
U
= 2,08[V ]
(16)
2
d
d 1−
4
i.e. approximately two times bigger than the input voltage (unit step).
• Current intensity through the barrier is maxim at a value of the frequency that is
equal to the resonant frequency of the circuit:
1
f0 = ≅ 1,59 ⋅ 10 5 [ Hz ] (17)
2π LC
A frequency of the input voltage of 104 [Hz] gives a current of:
U
I= ≅ 0,6 [mA]
2
⎛ 1 ⎞
R 2 + ⎜ ωL − ⎟
⎝ ωC ⎠ (18)
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a) A-periodic working condition b) Oscillating working condition

Fig.10 Current variation through the barrier when step signal and pulse Fig. 11 Frequency diagrams of
are applied in a-periodic and oscillating working condition the oscillating current through
the barrier
The following current will cross the barrier at the resonant frequency:
U
I0 = = 20 [ mA] (19)
R
which is 33 times bigger than the current gained with the equation (18). What is above
means that calculation was made for the following values of the electric parameters:
input voltage: U = 1[V] (unit step); inductance of the line: L = 10-4 [H]; capacity of the
line: C = 10-8 [F]; true resistance of the barrier: R = 50 [Ω].

Intrinsic Safety Barrier Behaviour to the Application of AC: There are situations in
practice when at the entry of safety barrier is applied an AC voltage. Variation of
current through the barrier and its output voltage is studied further. The
SimPowerSystems model of the safety barrier in AC voltage with frequency of 50 Hz is
shown in Fig. 12 and generates the diagrams in Fig.13a, Fig.13b, Fig.14a and Fig.14b.

Fig. 12 SimPowerSystems model

a) Current variation b) Voltage variation

Fig.13 Current variation through the barrier to the application an AC voltage and the voltage variation at
the barrier’s output in a-periodic regime

a) Current variation b) Voltage variation

Fig. 14 Current variation through the barrier to the application an AC voltage in and the voltage variation
at the output of the barrier in oscillating regime
 14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

The diagrams from Fig.13a and Fig.13b were plotted for the following values of safety
barrier parameters: U=24 [V]; f=50 [Hz]; R=1500[Ω]; L=10-4 [H]; C=10-8[F]. For the
situation when the resistance drops to 10[Ω] are obtained the current and voltage
diagrams for oscillating regime (Fig.14 a, Fig.14b). The current oscillation characteristic
to safety barrier overlaps to the industrial network frequency of 50 [Hz]. The
oscillatory regime of safety barrier has been studied in the event when the initial phase
of the voltage applied to the input is zero.

CONCLUSIONS
Intrinsic Safety methodology inserts an energy-limiting interface in the wiring between
safe and hazardous areas. This restricts the electrical energy in the hazardous-area
circuits so that potential electrical sparks or hot spots are too weak to cause ignition.
The interface passes signals in both directions but limits the voltage and current that can
reach the hazardous area under fault conditions. It is better to avoid the latter situation
when both the current and voltage which cross the barrier become oscillating because:
• the electrical cable presence at the intrinsic safety barrier output affects this
behaviour in atmospheres with explosion hazard.
• the uniform distributed parameters of electric cables influences the electric intrinsic
safety barrier behaviour
• this working condition can give birth to overvoltages around the value of the supply
voltage, fact that may jeopardize the intrinsic safety of the barrier;
• the uniformly distributed reactive elements can give birth to electric resonance
phenomena, aspect that can produce overvoltages or overcurrents and finally the
loss of the intrinsic safety characteristic of the barrier.
An important conclusion of this study paper is the manner used to select the value of the
resistor in the barrier: even if this selection relies on the ignition curves stated by the
standards that deal with the intrinsic safety, the above said oscillating working condition
shall be avoided.

REFERENCES
[1] Pasculescu D. The use of PLC’s in realizing the electrical equipment for the mining
industry, PhD. Thesis, University of Petrosani, Romania, 2007;
[2] Tudorache T. Calculation media in electrical engineering MATLAB, MatrixRom
Publishing House, Bucharest, Romania, 2006;
[3] Niculescu T. Study of Inductive-Capacitive Series Circuits Using the Simulink
Software Package, in Chakravarty S. (Ed.): Technology and Engineering Applications
of Simulink, InTech Press, 2012;
[4] Ionescu J. & Moldovan L. & Burian S. & Ghicioi E. & Darie M. & Csaszar T.
Accessible technical solution for normal construction apparatus usage in Ex classified
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“Politehnica” University, Bucharest, Romania, 2010
[5] Pasculescu V.M. & Radu S.M. & Pasculescu D. & Niculescu T. Dimensioning the
intrinsic safety barriers of electrical equipment intended to be used in potentially
explosive atmospheres using the SimPowerSystems software package, 13th International
Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconferences SGEM, Albena, Bulgaria, 2013.

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