Hazardous area barrier network fuse protects in explosive environments
To support the design of barrier circuits for intrinsic safety products to prevent fires and explosions in dangerous atmospheres, Littelfuse has introduced the 40mA Pico 242 series hazardous area barrier network fuse.
The fuse prevents electronic equipment used in hazardous locations from overheating or producing sparks that could ignite a fire or explosion by minimising the risk of over-current/short-circuit events.
The Pico 242 series fuse meets the requirements of intrinsic safety standards (IEC/EN/UL 60079-11) for hazardous location and explosive atmosphere applications, meaning that products designed with the Pico 242 fuse will follow relevant European Directives and global requirements. At a 40mA current rating, the Pico 242 series is the lowest nominal current rated barrier fuse on the market in such a small package size, claims Littelfuse. It supports compact intrinsic safety product design without compromising protection performance, adds the company.
Typical applications for the Pico 242 series hazardous area barrier network fuses include testing, measuring or processing electronic and electrical equipment, motor controllers, communication handset/two-way radio and associated battery chargers, process control and automation equipment and flow or gas meters.
The 40mA nominal current rating offers a significant advantage over earlier 50mA barrier fuses, says the company. Designers can use the fuse current rating to set the power threshold to which all other components must adhere. It provides a 20 per cent reduction in the power requirements of downstream components such as Zener diodes, for a more compact design and could result in cost savings of these components, adds the company.
The Pico 242 series hazardous area barrier network fuses can allow reduction of the power ratings and current-carrying capacity of downstream components, wiring, and circuit board traces.
It also meets the requirements in intrinsic safety standards (EN/IEC/UL 60079-11) for hazardous area applications and is recognised to UL 248-14. This accelerates the certification process for end-products and enables compliance with global requirements.
Additionally, says Littelfuse, it prevents over-current/short-circuit faults in downstream circuits from igniting surrounding explosive atmospheres.
The Pico 242 series hazardous area barrier network fuses are available in axial-leaded form (in ammo pack in quantities of 100 or 500 pieces) and in surface mount packages (in tape and reel packaging in quantities of 500 pieces). Sample requests may be placed through authorised Littelfuse distributors worldwide.
