Safety, explosion mitigation and prevention enhanced by acquisition!

Newson Gale has been acquired by the HOERBIGER Group and is now a member of its Safety Solutions business segment. Hoerbiger is comprised of leaders in their respective explosion protection segments including IEP Technologies in explosion protection, the Combustion Research Center in materials testing and Newson Gale in controlling electrostatic ignition hazards.

Newson Gale's Earth-Rite Range

Newson Gale will continue to trade under the Newson Gale brand, with the current management team remaining in place. "Our commitment and focus at adding value to our customers by preventing fires and explosions caused by static discharges remains unchanged and we will continue to develop and bring to market performance defining static control equipment and services."

For decades, the Hoerbiger has been an innovation and technology leader for explosion protection and check valves to be used in oil, gas, carbon and dust applications as well as in the mechanical and plant engineering industry. The introduction of the business segment Safety Solutions within the Group underscores this commitment to innovation and technology as well as our continuing focus on our customer’s safety.

“With the acquisition of Newson Gale, HOERBIGER Safety Solutions enhances its position as a leading player in safety and explosion mitigation. We have searched for, and found, a partner who will be committed to the future success of Newson Gale", says Newson Gale Managing Director, Mr. Graham Tyers.

@NewsonGale #Hörbiger #PAuto

Hose continuity tester

New easy to use hose continuity tester ensures hoses do not pose an electrostatic ignition risk in potentially combustible atmospheres.

During hazardous area tank cleaning, spill recovery and product delivery operations vacuum trucks and bulk road tanker trucks are regularly exposed to the ignition hazards of static electricity. While it is vitally important to ground the vehicles used in the transfer operation, it is also important to ensure the hoses used to transfer product into, or out of, the vehicle cannot accumulate static electricity. Electrically isolated metal components, like hose couplings and wire helixes, have the potential to accumulate enough static electricity to discharge a high energy spark into a combustible atmosphere.

The OhmGuard® Hose Continuity Tester, manufactured by Newson Gale, is a device designed to ensure that a string of assembled hoses have good electrical continuity with a grounded truck. Good continuity with the grounded truck ensures that electrostatic charges cannot accumulate on the metal components of the hoses being used in the transfer operation.

The tester is an easy to use device that operates on the principal of a “PASS or FAIL” test procedure. To operate the device, the driver will first ground the truck and then assemble the required number of hose sections to the truck. The driver will then connect the OhmGuard® clamp to the free coupling or nozzle of the last hose (see illustration). If the electrical resistance through the string of hoses to the grounded truck is “good”, a green LED mounted in the OhmGuard® clamp will pulse continuously informing the driver that the hoses are bonded to the truck and are safe to use. If there is a break in continuity, the LED will not pulse and the driver may carry out a quick visual inspection of the hoses to ensure parts like wire helixes have not suffered broken connections with components like end couplings. The driver may also elect to test each hose individually.

The OhmGuard® carries cCSAus, ATEX and IECEx approvals for operation in the highest combustible gas, vapour and dust atmospheres.

Benefits:
• Ensures faulty hoses are detected prior to each transfer operation and eliminates the potential for unsafe hoses to be used in between scheduled testing periods.
• Easy to operate and does not require the training costs and expertise associated with Multimeters.
• Unlike many Multimeters, the universal approvals for the OhmGuard® ensure it is safe to use in hazardous locations.
• Rugged stainless steel construction designed for the toughest operating environments.

Static grounding reels

A range of ATEX certified retractable static grounding reels that prevent the discharge of incendive electrostatic sparks within combustible flammable and dust atmospheres has been released by Newson Gale.

Located within a robust and easy to install weatherproof powder coated steel housing, the R-Series of reels incorporate a 1/8 in. (3.2 mm) thick galvanized grounding cable that is protected by Newson Gale’s custom formulated Cen-StatTM coating which is a yellow, high-visibility, anti-static coating resistant to normal levels of industrial wear and chemical attack.
Depending on the distance between the mounting position of the reel and the equipment to be grounded, the reels can be supplied with cable lengths of 20 ft., 30 ft. and 50 ft. (6.1 mtr., 9.2 mtr. and 15.2 mtr. respectively).

All R-Series reels incorporate a ratchet locking mechanism that enables the operator to pay out the required length of cable, and then lock it into position prior to applying the clamp to the equipment at risk of accumulating hazardous levels of electrostatic charge.
Retraction of the cable is achieved with an internally mounted coiled flat steel spring that is “back wound” to ensure cable retraction is quick, reliable and repeatable. Back winding is a production technique that enhances spring stiffness resulting in a more durable and reliable level of cable retraction performance.

All R-series reels are fitted with FM & ATEX approved X90 or X45 static grounding clamps that have been subjected to rigorous mechanical and electrical testing ensuring they are suitable for grounding equipment located in potentially combustible atmospheres. The all stainless steel construction of the X90 and X45 enhances their durability in industrial chemical environments and minimises life-cycle purchasing costs in comparison with lower quality static grounding clamps and cable reels.
Newson Gale can also supply reels fitted with 75 ft. (22 mtr.) and 100 ft. (30 mtr.) of single pole cable.

Earthing clamp approved!

Self-testing grounding clamp receives IECEX approval

The Bond-Rite Intrinsically Safe Self-Testing Static Grounding Clamp from Newson Gale is designed for verifying safe low-resistance static grounding and bonding conditions in many operations involving flammable liquid vapour, gas and combustible dust handling environments. The original model was launched in 2001 and there are now over 10,000 units in use in the worldwide chemical processing industries. The unit is commonly used for hazardous area static earth/grounding and bonding applications where there is a need for positive confirmation during drumming, filling, mixing and other transfer and handling operations involving solvents and/or combustible powdered materials. A pulsing green LED indicator provides the user with reassurance when a low-resistance bond to earth/ground has been established even in the presence of insulating coatings, oxidisation, corrosion or excessive contact resistance, as well as continuously monitoring the condition of the bonding cable.

While retaining the original innovative patented design features, the Bond-Rite Clamp has recently achieved upgraded hazardous area certification to the latest applicable sections of IEC 60079, enabling it to be used in global markets where the IECEX scheme is recognized, in addition to its existing approvals according to ATEX (European) and NEC (North American) hazardous area standards. As part of the updated certification, the unit has now been tested and approved for a wider ambient temperature range from – 40 deg C to + 60 deg C. This enhanced rating, coupled with its IP65 and NEMA4X ingress and environmental protection increases the range of applications where the Bond-Rite clamp may be put into use, both indoors and outdoors, while the long-life lithium battery power source means that installation is simple and cost effective, requiring no mains/line voltage power supply.

The Bond-Rite Clamp is suitable for use in all IEC/ATEX Gas and Dust Zones (0, 1, 2 and 20, 21, 22) as well as NEC Hazardous Location Classes I, II, III and Divisions 1 and 2. The standard unit is supplied complete with 5 metre/16ft retractable (coiled) hytrel static-dissipative cable, earth/ground connection junction box and stowage point for the clamp, and models are available where the clamp is fitted to alternative cable lengths or self-rewind cable reels. Another popular option is the Bond-Rite EZ which is a totally portable bonding and verification system for use in temporary or mobile applications, or wherever there is a requirement to continuously monitor an equipotential bond between two conductive items or earth/ground.

Earthing & bonding handbook

A newly updated and expanded 32-page earthing & bonding applications hand-book from Newson Gale provides a wide range of information on controlling static electricity in hazardous areas. Information sections include a general introduction to the hazards and methods of control of industrial static hazards, 17 illustrated application drawings, a guide to hazardous area equipment selection, a comparison of International, European and North American approval codes, a plant operator’s maintenance guide and a safety checklist.

The extensive general introduction to electrostatic hazards and control includes a review of the source and nature of static electricity, the harmful effects it imposes in various types of flammable or combustible atmospheres, common means of control including relevant technical standards and a discussion of the equipment available for hazardous area applications.

The illustrated arrangements are based on Newson Gale’s innovative range of static earthing and bonding equipment. The applications include those involving drums and containers, mobile vessels and equipment, bulk storage containers, tankers, drums in storage, fluidized bed and drying equipment, rotating vessels, pipes/ducting systems and personnel/footwear. One of the new inclusions in the handbook is the growing area of mobile/field earthing including vacuum tanker transfers and trans-loading. Each application is described in some detail and clearly illustrated, along with summarized guidance from the main international technical standards.

The guide to hazardous area equipment approvals and comparison of IECEX, European and North American certification systems covers the main international codes with thumbnail descriptions of each, while the maintenance guide and safety checklist are must reading for even experienced plant operators. The hand-book is available in printed or PDF format and is free on request from the publishers.

Earth monitoring

The recently upgraded Earth-Rite FIBC from Newson Gale is an effective way to ensure correctly specified Static Dissipative (SD) or Conductive materials are used in hazardous area applications involving FIBCS (big-bags or super-sacks) and other flexible or semi-rigid containers.

Type C FIBC’s are commonly used to control the risk of uncontrolled static discharge when loading or unloading bulk powdered and other loose solid materials in hazardous areas. Depending on the application, the potentially explosive atmosphere where the transfer process takes place may be a combustible dust, or sometimes a dangerous hybrid atmosphere comprising dust and solvent vapours. Bearing in mind the inherent risks, it is always necessary to earth the FIBC prior to product transfer, however in view of the need to attach a mechanical earthing clamp to a flexible tab, many safety conscious organizations prefer to use a monitoring system to take the guesswork out of this operation.

The Earth-Rite FIBC fulfills this need through intrinsically safe monitoring electronics which continuously verify the containers’ resistance and satisfactory connection to earth. When these conditions are confirmed, the system provides local indication to operating personnel in the form of pulsing green multi-LEDS, along with a pair of control contacts (DPDT) which can be interlocked with the process to prevent transfer of product until a safe condition exists.

The system is certified for safe use in hazardous areas to all major worldwide approvals and can be installed in accordance with IECEX/ATEX Zoning or North American NEC Class/Division requirements. The Earth-Rite FIBC is simple to install and operate, and is supplied with a special stainless steel earthing clamp assembly, purpose designed for clamping onto flexible/fabric static dissipative materials. The main controller and indication unit is housed inside an IP66/NEMA 4X enclosure and is available with universal AC (110/120 – 220/240V) or DC (12 – 24V) power supply options.

The Earth-Rite FIBC forms part of Newson Gale’s innovative range of Static Earthing & Bonding Equipment. For detailed specifications, model numbering and further options please contact Newson Gale or your local distributor.

Safe transfer of flammables!

An innovative new truck mounted Static Ground Verification System – the Earth-Rite® MGV from Newson Gale - enhances safety during transfer of flammable or combustible materials. In cleaning, maintenance or spill control operations in the petrochemical industry, vacuum trucks are often used to collect waste or contaminated products for disposal. With the operation taking place in a hazardous area, the need to control all types of ignition sources is absolutely paramount however the vacuum transfer process of potentially low conductivity liquids or highly resistive loose solids can generate large amounts of static electricity, meaning that all equipment, including the truck should be properly bonded to a verified earth point (ground).

API and NFPA guidelines recommend that such bonding connections are tested to verify an adequately low resistance to earth/ground prior to starting up the recover/transfer process, however until now the equipment required to do this required specialist training and may not always have been suitable for safe use within the hazardous atmosphere. Furthermore, long delays and downtime can sometimes be experienced while waiting for a qualified electrician to sign off that the truck is properly bonded and grounded before the operation commences.

The new truck mounted Earth-Rite® MGV (patent pending) derives its power source from the vehicle battery, and uses certified Intrinsically Safe monitoring techniques to verify not only a good bond to a valid ground point, but more importantly confirmation that the ground point to which it is attached represents a satisfactorily low resistance to true earth. The unit is simple to install and operate and provides confirmation of positive bonding and grounding to the operator by way of a bright flashing green LED cluster. It also provides a pair of change over contacts (DPDT) for connection to additional safety devices (strobe lights, audible alarms) or for interlocking with the vacuum pump or control valve. The “business end” of the system employs a heavy duty stainless steel clamp with universal clamping jaw which can be connected to flat or rounded surfaces, including directly to ground rods.
Units have obtained Intrinsically Safe certification for use in the Global Petrochemical Industries, according to the requirements of IECEX, ATEX, CSA/US and NEPSI (China), and may be used in all common gas, vapour or dust explosive environments.

Several sites in Europe, North America and Australasia are already using the system for their hazardous area vacuum truck operations with reports of enhanced safety, improved productivity and robust product reliability. The system is also useful for flammable liquid or combustible bulk material delivery tankers involved in chemical distribution and similar operations.

Static earthing

The newly upgraded Earth-Rite TELLUS II from Newson Gale offers effective static earth verification for drums, IBCs and other mobile equipment in hazardous area operations. The lightweight static dissipative polyester (SDP) enclosure can be mounted in all industrial flammable or combustible atmospheres and provides the operator with a reassuring bright green flashing LED to confirm a positive connection to earth, as well as a pair of output contacts for interlock with pumps, valves or other control or alarm devices.

The Earth-Rite® TELLUS constantly monitors hazardous area processing operations involving the handling, transporting or mixing of flammable or combustible products, whether they be powders or liquids. Operating in real time, the system confirms that a positive connection to earth exists and, most importantly, remains intact for the duration of the operation. As long as the resistance of the connection to a designated earth exists and remains below 10 ohms a bright green pulsing LED display inside the hazardous area assures the operator of safe conditions, preventing dangerous static electricity accumulation on the monitored object.

Newson Gale selected 10 Ohms as the monitoring threshold for the pass/fail condition as this conforms to all major international industrial static control technical standards and guidelines. The system very accurately monitors to this low resistance and switches from permissive to non permissive whenever the resistance to the earthing point rises above 10 Ohms, or is lost completely. An additional interlock mode (pair of changeover contacts) can provide an extra margin of safety by sounding an audio alarm or initiating an automatic safe shut-down procedure should the earth connection be lost. The Intrinsically Safe Earth-Rite TELLUS Indicator/Junction Box is made from lightweight SDP and is easy to install and observe close to the point of use – for example on drum filling or mixing machines.

The Earth-Rite TELLUS Static Earthing System consists of a power supply unit and controller which is mounted in a safe area as much as 500 metres / 1,600 feet from the hazardous area and, within the hazardous area, the intrinsically safe earth-connection status-indicator with a two-pole earthing clamp on retractable connection cables in various length options. Both the PSU/Controller and Indicator/Junction Box are waterproof and dust-tight (IP66 / Nema 4X). Alternative connections, such as plugs and sockets, are also available. The system operates on 110V – 230V AC (user selectable) 50/60Hz supply, with certified Intrinsically Safe (I.S.) monitoring circuit output for connection in the hazardous area. 

The Earth-Rite TELLUS enables compliance with the best practice guidelines of NFPA 77 and CENELEC TR 50404 for controlling static electricity. All TELLUS monitoring systems are approved for safe use in Hazardous Areas to ATEX “Ex” European/IECEX standards and US and Canadian standards (Class/Division or Class/Zone) for all gas, vapour or dust operating environments. In addition to its hazardous area approvals, the system achieves a SIL 2 Functional Safety rating according to IEC 61508 and has an operational temperature range of -20 to +60 deg C.

For over 25 years, Newson Gale has been supplying the chemical and processing industries worldwide with its market leading range of static control products to help ensure people, plant and processes are protected from static caused fires and explosions. The Earth-Rite TELLUS forms just part of the range of static earthing and bonding equipment available from the Nottingham UK based company.

Safe cable storage

New Cable Reel option for Earth-Rite Hazardous Area Static Grounding Systems

Newson Gale has introduced a new Self-Retracting Cable Reel option for their range of hazardous area static grounding systems. The VESM02 provides a rugged and versatile alternative to spiral (retractable) cable for the range of Earth-Rite® range of systems, which are typically used to ground (earth) road tanker trucks, railcars, mobile tanks, IBC’s, drums and other conductive plant items especially in outdoor locations where the cable may be exposed to rough treatment when not in use.
The VESM02 reel has been assessed and approved in accordance with European ATEX requirements for installation in Zone 1 (flammable gas/vapour) and 21 (combustible powder/dust), when connected to any Earth-Rite Grounding System with certified Intrinsically Safe monitoring circuit output. The unit is also suitable for use in conjunction with Earth-Rite systems with certified Intrinsically Safe monitoring circuit outputs according to North American NEC Class/Division approvals.

The VESM02 has a durable light-weight, all-steel housing with powder coated finish, suitable for use outdoors or indoors (NEMA 4 / IP 56 environmental / ingress protection). The reel is fitted with 50ft / 15.2 metres of Cen-Stat™Static Dissipative Hytrel® protected cable with adjustable ball-stop which is held under constant tension via a spring/auto-locking ratchet device, and also comes pre-terminated with a 10ft / 3 metre length of two-conductor connection cable, making it simple to wire in to the Earth-Rite Grounding System, irrespective of local wiring preferences (flexible cable or conduit).
The precision slip-ring assembly has a special “ultra-low-resistance” design making it suitable for monitoring extremely low earthing and bonding resistance values, which should be maintained at less than 10 Ohms as recommended by all major international static control technical standards and industry guidelines.

The VESM02 may be specified with Newson Gale’s ATEX and FM approved 2-Pole grounding clamps – for example the VESX90-IP Universal Heavy-Duty Clamp with Tungsten Carbide Contact Points which is commonly used for Road Tanker Trucks, Railcars and Mobile Tanks. Useful options include a Pivot Swivel Mounting Base which allows for up to 345 Degree Reel Rotation in areas where the reel must have a wide angle of use.

The VESM02 forms part of the Earth-Rite range of static grounding and bonding equipment available from Newson Gale. For more information contact your local office or in-country distributor.

DMM for hazardous areas

Easy to use Digital Multimeter allows safe testing of bonding conductors in hazardous areas 

Newson Gale has introduced a new multi-function portable meter to enable engineers and technicians to test bonding and continuity in hazardous areas, in addition to other electrical data collection. The meter (order code ISDMM) is particularly useful for carrying out periodic tests of grounding (earthing) and bonding connectors and conductors, either on permanently bonded equipment or temporary devices such as grounding clamps, cables and reels. The unit is also suitable for testing conductive or semi-conductive hose assemblies used for transfer of flammable or combustible products where it is essential to achieve continuity over the complete hose length, including end-fittings.

In addition to bonding/continuity (resistance), the ISDMM offers several other metering options, including Voltage, Current, Capacitance, and Temperature.

The easy to use unit comes complete with 9V battery, test probes and rugged carry case, and optional extras include a hand-rewind extension reel (30 mtrs / 100ft) and heavy duty crocodile test clips.

The ISDMM is approved according to IECEX (World) and ATEX (European) hazardous area standards and is suitable for use in flammable gas/vapour and combustible dust atmospheres. The unit may be used in outdoor or indoor locations, is water and dust tight (IP67 / NEMA 6) and has a maximum operational temperature rating of 50 deg C (122 deg F).

The ISDMM forms part of the Cen-Stat range of static grounding and bonding equipment available from Newson Gale. For more information contact your local office or in-country distributor.

Chinese approval achieved

Earth-Rite® static grounding systems achieve NEPSI approval.

The Earth-Rite series of hazardous area static grounding systems from Newson Gale has recently achieved Chinese approval from the National Supervision and Inspection Centre for Explosion Protection and Safety of Instrumentation (NEPSI).

Earth-Rite static grounding systems are used widely by the worldwide chemical processing industries to control the risk of uncontrolled electrostatic discharge in flammable gas, liquid vapour or combustible dust atmospheres.

The new NEPSI approval covers the whole range of Series II Earth-Rite systems suitable for grounding all conductive items including Road Tanker Trucks, Railcars, Drums, IBC’s, Totes and other mobile tanks and vessels. The new certification augments existing IECEX, ATEX and CSA/US approvals and underlines Newson Gale’s commitment to design and manufacture static grounding products to truly meet the requirements of the global processing industries.