PICO 305 Series Intrinsically Safe Fuse
Littelfuse, a leader in circuit protection, has introduced the PICO® 305 Series Intrinsically Safe Fuse, the first 277V Fuse to be certified under the latest revision of the UL 913 Safety Standard for Intrinsically Safe Apparatus and Associated Apparatus. The PICO 305 Series Fuse offers a wide range of amperage ratings and all are encapsulated fuses with a high interrupting capacity of 1500A with current rating options from 50mA to 750mA. It is designed for applications in hazardous environments where there is danger of gas or dust explosion from faulty circuits, such as in the oil, gas, mining, chemical, pharmaceutical, and food/beverage processing industries.
The use of devices certified to be Intrinsically Safe (IS) is a requirement of operating electronic equipment in certain potentially explosive areas. The PICO 305 Series Fuse and its encapsulant prevent heat and sparks from being exposed to the hazardous gases or dust in the environment. It is suitable for use in intrinsically safe apparatus for voltages not exceeding 277Vrms.
In addition to the Underwriters Laboratories standard, it meets ATEX and IECEx requirements. Like the 125V-rated PICO 259-UL913 Series Fuse already available, the PICO 305 Series Fuse is suitable for use in testing, measuring or processing electronic and electrical equipment, motor controllers, lighting, communication handsets, flow meters, process control and automation, sensors and other intrinsically safe apparatus. These two series are the only UL913-certified fuses on the market.
“Manufacturers of equipment used in explosive environments have traditionally potted or coated the circuit boards in order to meet the Intrinsically Safe requirements, which adds extra steps in their operation, plus weight and materials to the device, all of which translate into added cost,” said Juan Morales, product manager of the UL913-compliant fuse product line. “Now, with the introduction of the PICO 305 Series Fuse, Littelfuse can offer them both 125V and 277V UL913-compliant options that are ideal for applications in a wide range of hazardous environments.”
Benefits
-Prevents heat and sparks from being exposed to hazardous dusts and gases in the environment
-Reduces total product cost by eliminating additional potting, epoxy, or encapsulation processes
-Increases overall apparatus safety, which enhances protection of human life in hazardous locations
Availability
The PICO 305 Series Fuse is packaged in bulk in quantities of 5, 100 or 1000 pieces.
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