Ok - as much as I hate to admit it, I've been selling zener barriers while having absolutely NO knowledge of what they were or what they did!  They only thing I could tell you about them is that they were these small green parts from Pepperl + Fuchs and that they were important for some reason!  Well, in my quest to not only win the "Blog War" between Joe and I but to further my technical knowledge, I decided to do a little research.  Here is what P+F has to say about Zener Barriers:

Zener barriers provide cost saving Ex-protection for various applications in process automation systems. The amount of energy transferred to the hazardous location is limited to a safe level incapable of igniting the explosive atmosphere. Pepperl+Fuchs offers a wide product portfolio of housing and connection styles, which include DIN rail, termination board mounted, and accessories for each application.  During maintenance activities the SB zener barriers can be replaced without disturbing the cabling. By pulling out the individual barriers the respective instrumentation circuits are safely disconnected.

Now that makes much more sense to me.  You can save money and make your application safer all at the same time!  Count on Pepperl + Fuchs and Marshall Wolf Automation to save you money, make things easier and keep you safe!  Call us today at 800-325-9653 (WOLF).  We're always happy to assist you and we have technical help on staff to assist with your application questions as well! (They know a lot more than I do - and don't usually have to look it up!)

 

Available today, the Pepperl+Fuchs Product App offers iPad® users all of their product literature at the touch of their fingertips. From brochures and catalogs, to flyers and presentations, you can stay up-to-date on all of the information the Process Automation Division has to offer.  

This intuitive app is free and available to anyone with an iPad. It's just another way for P+F to make sure that you have all the resources you need.

Also, once you have downloaded the app, you will immediately be notified of any future updates that are made, giving you the very latest product information available. 

Click here to download!  Check out some of Marshall Wolf Automation's Pepperl Fuch's offerings, like these incredible zener barriers:

What do zener barriers offer you? A cost saving protection solution in hazardous locations. The amount of energy transferred to the hazardous location is limited to a safe level incapable of igniting the explosive atmosphere.

Pepperl+Fuchs is the only option you need for zener barriers! They offer a large variety of housing and connection styles.

Zener barriers need to be connected to an IS ground. This can be done in several ways; isolated from the DIN-rail, via an isolated DIN-rail or via DIN-rail.

Another feature of Pepperl+Fuchs zener barriers is field replaceable fuses which provide an easy way to disconnect or open circulate the loop without interfering with the wiring. Maintenance is a breeze!

Interested in learning more? Take a look at our Pepperl+Fuchs zener barriers - the SB series and Z series.

 

Pepperl+Fuchs is well known for their intrinsic safety barriers. Their offering of intrinsic safety modules combine the energy limiting features of a zener barrier (yep, we sell those too) with galvanic isolation.

Marshall Wolf Automation is your authorized industrial automation distributor for the complete line of Pepperl+Fuchs including their intrinsic safety barriers and zener barriers.

Pepperl+Fuchs offer a number of systems for your specific application:

 

K-System

Pepperl+Fuchs most popular intrinsic safety isolated barriers are the flexible DIN rail mounted K-System modules. The K-System intrinsic safety barriers connect easily with our power rail assembled in the DIN rail. The use of the power rail reduces the wiring by energizing the modules mounted on the DIN rail.

H-System

The Pepperl+Fuchs intrinsic safety isolated barriers of the H-System are mounted on termination boards. This innovative product is ideal for applications requiring tight DCS or system integration.

E-System

For rack mounted isolated barriers, Pepperl+Fuchs offers a wide range of Eurocards in the E-System. You can choose between 3 variations of Eurocards.

 

 

 

Intrinsically safe systems have energy levels that are so low that they cannot cause an explosion.

How do you achieve this? You can use zener diode barriers or isolated barriers to limit energy to a hazardous or potentially flammable area.

What are the difference between zener diode barriers and isolated barriers?

Zener diode barriers provide a simple method for implementing intrinsic safety. They must be connected to a dedicated intrinsic safety earth ground - which can be a problem for certain applications.

If you do not have a proper ground system in place the cost to install and maintain one maybe outweigh the savings of this inexpensive solution.

Isolated barriers do not require a dedicated ground and provide a galvanic isolation for anything connected to them. These do usually require a separate power supply. 

Intrinsic safety is the safest, least expensive and easiest to install method of hazardous area protection available!

Marshall Wolf Automation is your authorized distributor for the full line of Pepperl+Fuchs products, contact us for more information!

 

You may know that Pepperl & Fuchs is a recognized leader in the industrial sensor market but did you also know that Pepperl & Fuchs is a global market leader of industrial safety equipment for intrinsic safety and explosion protection technology.  They offer a complete range of solutions for the process automation industry that includes intrinsic safety isolators, zener barriers, signal conditioners, fieldbus technology, remote I/O, Hart interfaces, HMI for hazardous environments, custom cabinets, junction boxes, and separator alarm systems.

Pepperl & Fuchs has also developed a complete line of on-line corrosion and level measurement products and purge and pressurization units.  Target industries for their Process Automation division are the chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, oil and gas, industries, as well as wastewater treatment and power technology.

Pepperl & Fuchs Process Automation products are available through Marshall Wolf Automation, your full-line industrial automation distributor.

Please view our extensive product line on our website www.wolfautomation.com.

Consolidate your industrial automation products with Marshall Wolf Automation by purchasing your sensors, drives, motors, intrinsic safety products, and power supplies from us.

Please email your inquiries to sales@wolfautomation.com.

 

Zener barriers – cost saving and easy mounting Ex-protection

Zener barriers provide cost saving Ex-protection for various applications in process automation systems. The amount of energy transferred to the hazardous location is limited to a safe level incapable of igniting the explosive atmosphere. Pepperl+Fuchs offers a wide product portfolio of housing and connection styles, which include DIN rail, termination board mounted, and accessories for each application.

Zener barriers have to be connected to an IS ground.

The IS grounding can be realized several ways:

• Isolated from the DIN- Rail
• Via an isolated DIN-Rail
• Via DIN-Rail

Field replaceable fuses provide a convenient means of disconnecting or open-circuiting the instrument loop without interfering  with the wiring, making commissioning and maintenance operations much easier.  Contact Marshall Wolf Automation, one of the Midwest's largest Pepperl & Fuchs distributors for all of your intrinsically safe barrier needs!

Pepperl+Fuchs zener barriers offer cost-saving protection in hazardous applications for process automation systems.

The zener barriers limit the amount of energy transferred to the hazardous location to a safe level that is incapable of igniting the explosive atmosphere.

Pepperl+Fuchs offers a wide range of housing and connection styles including DIN rail, termination board mounted and accessories for specific applications.

Zener barriers have to be connected to an IS ground which can be done by isolating from the DIN rail, via an isolated DIN rail or via DIN rail.

We have in-house tech support available to help you find the best zener barrier for your application.

Marshall Wolf Automation is an authorized industrial automation distributor for the complete line of Pepperl & Fuchs including their inductive and capacitive proximity sensors, miniature photoelectric sensors and much more.

 

Explosion-proof, explosion-safe, hazardous locations, harsh environments... we have what you need for these applications!

• Woodworking Industry - saw dust, fine wood chips
• Food & Beverage Industry - ignitable grain dust, explosive sugar dust
• Refineries - hydrocarbons, oil processing plants
• Waste Disposal Companies 
• Pharmaceutical Industry - alcohol solvents, materials explosive when mixed
• Gas Suppliers - natural gas leakage or emissions
• Paint-Spraying Operations - overspray in bays, solvent vapor emissions
• Recycling Operations - unemptied flammable gas/liquid containers
• Chemical Industry - flammable gases, liquids, solids
• Agricultural - bio-gas production plants and on farms

Marshall Wolf Automation is your industrial automation distributor for a complete line of explosion proof industrial light towers, piezo electric buzzers, intrinsic safety barriers, zener barriers, connectors and enclosures.

Let us know what we can help you find for your explosion proof application or search our intrinsically safe products now!

I've seen a number of products released that call themselves intrinsically safe, explosion proof and safe for hazardous locations.

What is the difference between these or are they the same? A quick search online brought a number of explanations. Here is what I came up with to explain it:

Basically intrinsically safe means you can use a device in hazardous areas that may contain flammable gases or vapors or combustible dust in the atmosphere.

A device that is intrinsically safe is incapable of releasing enough electrical or thermal energy to ignite the fuel (flammable gases or vapors or combustible dust) and cause fire or explosion.

We have a number of intrinsically safe solutions including:

• Intrinsically safe barriers and zener barriers
• Intrinsically safe industrial warning lights
• Intrinsically safe piezo buzzers

Search all of our intrinsically safe barriers and solutions now!