A consistent and thorough maintenance schedule in food processing plants is essential to meeting operational demands. Unexpected downtime can result in significant costs.
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The industry handles a wide range of substances, and some, such as dust, present notable challenges. While most preventative maintenance does not introduce safety risks, the potential for dust explosions caused by electronic maintenance equipment remains a serious concern.
Cygnus offers practical, easy-to-use solutions suitable for these environments.
Maintenance in Areas with Potentially Explosive Dust
Dust explosions can cause severe damage and, in some cases, loss of life. These events occur when an ignition source (such as electrical or thermal equipment) is introduced into a space with a high concentration of airborne dust, typically within a confined building or vessel. The resulting heat can increase pressure rapidly, leading to an explosion. Incidents have been recorded across nearly every industry, even in recent years.
Many sectors that store, handle, or process materials generate dust, with the food processing industry being one of the largest contributors—especially through sugar, flour, grains, and powdered products like instant coffee, custard, and soup.
Cygnus 1 Ex
Hazardous areas may contain various ignition sources, including ultrasonic testing equipment used for essential maintenance of processing machinery. While such maintenance is vital for safety—helping to prevent dust clouds by reducing leaks—the equipment itself must be certified safe for use in these environments.
The Cygnus 1 Ex is certified for safe use in areas where there is a risk of fire or explosion due to the presence of ignitable substances (such as gases, vapors, or dust) at concentrations high enough to create an explosive atmosphere.
This is because the Cygnus 1 Ex is intrinsically safe. For equipment that contains electronic components, such as batteries, intrinsic safety technology limits the energy within the system. This ensures no arc or spark can occur, and no component can heat up enough to ignite a hazardous atmosphere, even under fault conditions. This applies during both normal use and under fault, at low power levels and with minimal stored energy.
Intrinsically Safe is an Ex Protection Concept used to determine the areas—or ‘zones’—within a facility where the equipment can be safely used. The term ‘Ex’ is recognized globally in relation to explosive atmospheres and the regulatory systems designed to prevent explosions.
The Cygnus 1 Ex is certified for use in all hazardous gas Zones (0, 1, 2) and in dust Zones 21 and 22. Zone 21 refers to areas where combustible dust may be present occasionally. Zone 22 refers to areas where combustible dust is not usually present, but may occur for short periods.
Enhanced Features
The Cygnus 1 Ex ultrasonic thickness gauge is described by users as “versatile, multifunctional, robust, and intuitive.” This intrinsically safe gauge provides strong user control and flexibility, removing the need for plant shutdowns or Hot Work permits.
It features three measuring modes and a range of compatible probes, allowing accurate measurement of various materials and metals, even with severe corrosion or protective coatings up to 20 mm thick. Thus, it saves substantial time and costs associated with coating removal.
Advanced users benefit from the Manual Measurement Mode, which supports more accurate readings in difficult areas such as those with heavy corrosion, thanks to adjustable settings. Comprehensive data logging also supports efficient storage and analysis.
Non-Hazardous Preventative Maintenance
The Cygnus 4+ ultrasonic thickness gauge is one of the more advanced models in the Cygnus Surface Range. These lightweight, compact, hands-free gauges are designed for corrosion inspection in a range of demanding environments.
The use of twin-crystal and right-angle probes increases flexibility for accessing tight or awkward spaces. Cygnus’ Multiple-Echo technology allows measurement through protective coatings up to 20 mm thick, avoiding the time and cost of coating removal.
For heavily corroded metals with thin or no remaining coatings, the gauge also includes Echo-Echo and Single-Echo measuring modes, along with the Measurement Stability Indicator (MSI™) for fast, reliable readings.
The Cygnus 4+ is a fantastic all-rounder. Small but rugged, this wrist-wearable gauge features an A-scan display, data logging, and Auto-Log for hassle-free recording, post-reporting, and analysis. It makes wall thinning and corrosion easy to monitor over time and helps address issues early.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Cygnus Instruments Ltd.
For more information on this source, please visit Cygnus Instruments Ltd.