The problem of static electricity in hazardous atmospheres is ever present in many sectors of the processing industries. Effective grounding and bonding procedures are always the first step in controlling static, with special techniques being called for to suit individual applications.
The Two Pole Surface Mount Connector (SMC) from Newson Gale provides a simple and reliable means of making a monitored earth connection onto an item of conductive plant. The SMC is manufactured from stainless steel and can provide an IP66 connection onto the item of plant. The conical shape design prevents powder deposit build up over time and aids in clean down operations. The ‘plug and play’ connector can interface with all Newson Gale 2 core systems to earth monitoring capability on a wide range of mobile processes, such as pump carts, sieves and fixed equipment where generic earthing clamps cannot be used.
The SMC is bolted to the item of plant that is required to be earthed and a 2 core cable connects the SMC to a Newson Gale junction box. The junction box is, in turn, connected to a Newson Gale intrinsically-safe earth monitoring system. The monitoring system ensures that the connector and plant item are earthed; it is recommended an interlock contact is used where possible to provide an alarm or shut-down condition if the earth loop circuit is inadvertently broken.
