Dust explosions can cause severe damage and fatalities. When ignition sources enter hazardous areas, heat and pressure may trigger explosions—an ongoing risk across any industries that store, handle, or process materials.
In coal mines, when rock is crushed and damaged in transportation, it disperses dust. What’s more, coal mining releases methane gas which collects in coal rock over millennia. Methane gas is highly flammable and is equally prone to explosion.
How Can Cygnus 1 Ex Help?
Ignition sources are introduced into mines for essential tasks like machinery maintenance. Ultrasonic testing equipment plays a key role but must itself be safe for use in hazardous environments.
The Cygnus 1 Ex is certified safe to use in locations where there is a risk of fire or explosion due to the presence of ignitable or flammable substances in the air at concentrations high enough to produce an ignitable mixture. This includes gases, vapours, and dust.
This is because Cygnus 1 Ex is Intrinsically Safe. For equipment like Cygnus 1 Ex that contains electronic components including batteries, intrinsic safety technology limits the energy present in a system, meaning no arc or spark can be generated, and no component can generate enough heat to ignite a hazardous atmosphere under any conditions. This applies under normal use, with applied fault conditions, at low power levels, and low stored energy.
Cygnus 1 Ex’s Intrinsically Safe design features:
- Limited output energy preventing ignition of explosive atmospheres
- Anti-static enclosure preventing static electricity discharge
- Multiple redundant safety components
- In the event of damage or fault, no high surface temperatures are generated that could ignite an explosive atmosphere.
‘Intrinsically Safe’ is an Ex-Protection concept used to assess equipment suitability across facility areas (‘zones’). Recognised globally, ‘Ex’ refers to explosive atmospheres and prevention schemes. In IECEx, ATEX, and North American systems, intrinsically safe equipment can be used in any Zone or Division with the appropriate protection level. These areas must be clearly marked once identified and can change—such as when a leak occurs—potentially upgrading an area from Zone 1 to Zone 0.
Cygnus 1 Ex is the ONLY gauge of its kind in the world that meets the highest classification of ATEX Zone 0, which is equivalent to NEC (UL) Class I Division 1 Group “ALL”. This is vital in mines due to methane emissions. Zone 0 is defined as ‘a place in which an explosive atmosphere is present continuously or for long periods’. It is also certified to Zone 1; ‘a place in which an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation occasionally’ and Zone 2; ‘a place in which an explosive atmosphere is not likely to occur in normal operation, but if it does occur, will persist for a short period only’.
For dust, Cygnus 1 Ex is certified to Zone 21; ‘areas with occasional dust, present during expected malfunction’ and Zone 22; ‘areas where dust is not usually present, but when it is, only for short periods’.
More First-Class Cygnus 1 Ex Features
Cygnus 1 Ex ultrasonic thickness gauge offers an invaluable leap forward for safe structural inspection in hazardous areas. Reviewed as “versatile, multifunctional, robust and intuitive” by our customers, this intrinsically-safe gauge provides first-class user control and flexibility, without plant shutdown or a Hot Work permit. 3 measuring modes and a selection of probes enable measurement of a range of materials and metals with severe corrosion or protective coatings up to 20mm thick. This saves considerable time and money removing coatings!
The great news for advanced users is that the Manual Measurement Mode ensures measurement on trickier areas, like heavy corrosion, is easier and more accurate. Like a flaw detector, you can manually adjust two gates on the A-scan, alter gate height, start-point and width, and measure from a gate or between gates. Furthermore, Time-Controlled Gain (TCG) enables different gains to boost weaker echoes.
When storing and analysing data, you’ll enjoy equal flexibility. Comprehensive data logging offers linear, templates, and 2-D or 3-D grid formats, with 16 grid patterns and annotation capability. Radial Points allow further investigation on areas of interest, allowing up to 12 additional measurements ‘around’ the principal measurement.
To celebrate this best-performing product, 3 years since launch, Cygnus is offering the Cygnus 1 Ex PRO Anniversary kit. This anniversary kit includes Cygnus 1 Ex PRO gauge, a Cygnus T5B-Ex Probe and a FREE Cygnus S2C-Ex Probe. Limited-Time Offer: Ends 31 Dec 2025.
