Industrial Scientific Corporation, a leading provider of gas detection services, has announced that its Ventis MX4 multi-gas detector has been certified to meet the ATEX standards of EN 60079-0, EN 60079-11, and EN 50303 for M1 mining equipment and intrinsic safety in Zone 0 applications (ATEX Markings – Ex ia IIC T4 Ga and Ex ia I Ma; for equipment group and category II 1G and I M1 and IECEx Markings – Ex ia IIC T4 Ga).
M1 identifies equipment that must continue to operate when a potentially explosive atmosphere is present. Zoned areas are areas where there is a risk of flammable material being released to atmosphere. The subscripts 0, 1 and 2 describe the probability of a flammable material being released to the atmosphere in explosive concentrations. Zone 0 is the highest risk zone where an explosive atmosphere is expected to exist continuously or for very long periods of time.
The Ventis is described as “a lightweight, highly configurable instrument” that is capable of detecting one to four gases including oxygen, combustible gases (LEL or CH4) and any two of the following toxic gases: CO, H2S, NO2 and SO2. Ideal for both confined space monitoring and continuous personal monitoring in potentially hazardous environments, the instrument is designed to keep workers safe in a variety of industries. In confined space mining applications, the Ventis can be used to draw samples from up to 100 ft with the integral pump. It is fully compatible with iNet – Industrial Scientific’s gas detection as a service solution. The company states: “Today, iNet helps keep workers safe at more than 3,000 worksites across 19 countries by providing visibility into gas detector alarms, exposure and usage.”