A new sensors network based upon fiber optic link to work under intrinsic safety conditions

Coal´s mines refineries and other similar factories can have several areas where the risk of fire and/or explosion is very high. These areas are known as hazardous areas. All electric and electronic equipment in these areas should be according to the international normative. Safety standards establish many restrictions over the electric and electronic systems in order to avoid any risk of fire and/or explosion. IEC 79-11 and CENELEC 50.020 are two generic standards that establish criteria to build electronic systems to comply with them. On the other hand measurement and control are two usual activities in any industrial process. But, in hazardous atmospheres such as coal´s mines, petroleum refineries, all systems should be safety equipment because their behavior should eliminate any risk. In this paper, a fiber optic network for measurement in hazardous areas according to the standards is presented