FM approvals: Intelligent remote I/O system gets safety certifications

North Hills, CA — Moore Industries says its NCS (NET Concentrator System) industrial I/O system has received Factory Mutual (FM) approval as a Non-Incendive Apparatus (multiple device system), for use of the I/O system in Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C & D Hazardous Classified Areas in the U.S. and Canada. NCS is used for data acquisition, process control, machine control, and as a communications concentrator. A Control Engineering article, I/O Implementations, offers more information.

By Control Engineering Staff January 24, 2008

North Hills, CA

Moore Industries

reports that its NCS (NET Concentrator System) industrial I/O system has received Factory Mutual (FM) approval as a Non-Incendive Apparatus (multiple device system), for use of the I/O system in Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C & D Hazardous Classified Areas in the U.S. and Canada. Control Engineering , article, I/O Implementations , such systems can go well beyond connectivity to become the control system.

NCS is used for data acquisition, process control, machine control, and as a communications concentrator in difficult environmental conditions, from operation in unheated and un-air-conditioned cabinets in Canada to desert installations in Saudi Arabia and Australia. NCS is rated for operation in temperatures ranging from -40 °F to +185 °F (-40 °C to +85 °C). It is protected against RFI/EMI, high vibration, and shock in heavy industrial applications.

With the FM safety certifications , NCS can be used in General /Ordinary (safe) Locations and in Hazardous Locations (potentially explosive atmospheres) classified as Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C and D, which makes it possible for NCS to be used in chemical plants, refineries, offshore rigs, and pharmaceutical plants where explosive gases and liquids may be present.

In process control , NCS has the ability to act as a PID loop controller with simple cascade, split action, and inverse capabilities, plus complex math functions. In machine control, it provides sequential control language programmability based on IEC 61131-3 Programmable Controller Languages, including Ladder, Function Block Diagram, Structure Text, Sequential Flow Charts, and Instruction List.

In a data acquisition system , using a 10/100Base-T Ethernet or Modbus RTU network, NCS can connect legacy signals and newer process control signals and sensors to a DCS, PLC or PC-based strategy while offering an optional on-board data logger.

Control Engineering News Desk
( Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free .)