Introducing our rechargeable ATEX-certified batteries
Introducing our rechargeable ATEX-certified batteries
Last month, Saft announced their game-changing new ATEX-certified batteries.
It’s an exciting development. Saft became one of the first companies to obtain ATEX certification for rechargeable batteries, and it gives customers who work in potentially hazardous environments a new option for their equipment.
The new medium prismatic (MP) batteries, of which there are four, are named after their dimensions (e.g. MP 176065 iex) to help quickly explain their physical footprint.
The new rechargeable cells are of particular interest to those using battery-powered portable tools and devices in the mining, oil & gas, defense and agricultural industries, and anyone operating in environments that contain specific gases or dusts that can potentially be explosive.
The range has been designed to complement Saft’s well-established ATEX-certified primary lithium cells, which are used widely in IoT applications such as smart metering, electronics, security and tracking.
Crucially, because the range of new batteries is available ‘off-the-shelf’ and fully ATEX-certified, it reduces the amount of time it takes to develop and test products to meet regulatory standards.
“This new range can also really help speed up time-to-market for products being used in hazardous environments,” says Tom Willis, Marketing Director for Saft’s Connected Smart Energy (CSE) business. “What’s more, there’s no longer a need to audit Saft as a supplier because the French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS) has undertaken additional qualification and assessment of our batteries, meaning there’s less time spent awaiting an audit, and quicker deployment of products.”
“We’ve also implemented new processes and production controls over the last three years at our facility in Poitiers to ensure consistency and traceability.”
The EU has regulated the use of equipment in potentially explosive atmospheres by applying a number of directives describing the minimum safety requirements for such workplaces and equipment: known as The ATEX directives. The term ATEX itself is a French acronym for ATmosphères EXplosives.
The directive defines the essential health and safety requirements and conformity assessment procedures, to be applied before products are placed on the EU market. The term “ATEX” is often misused: some people associate the term ATEX with hazardous products in general whereas it only concerns the two EU Directives:
- The ATEX 114 "equipment" Directive 2014/34/EU that relates to equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
- The ATEX 137 "workplace" Directive 1999/92/EC that states the minimum requirements for improving the safety and health protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres.
These directives are applicable only to the EU but there are many similar national schemes all over the world.
The US has an equivalent system, covered mostly by the National Electrical Code (NEC) which is administered by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Other US Government entities and national associations also have input to standards dealing with Hazardous Locations (HazLoc) such as OSHA, MSHA, ANSI and UL. Even with the regulatory diversity in the United States, the requirements are somewhat comparable with the EU ATEX directive.