Earth-Rite® MULTIPOINT II
Newson Gale’s single earthing system with eight independent active earth monitoring circuits
Monitoring Unit & GRP PSU
Monitoring Unit - Zone 0/20 Installations
| Ambient Temperature Range | -40°C to +60°C |
|---|---|
| Ingress Protection | IP 66 |
| Construction | Stainless Steel (SS grade: 304) |
| Monitoring Circuit | Intrinsically safe |
| Monitoring Loop Resistance | Nominally ≤10 Ohm (± 10%) |
| Cable Entries | 3 x M20, 1 x M25 |
Power Supply Unit - Zone 2/21 Installations
| Power Supply | 115 V or 230 V AC, 50-60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Current Rating | 200 mA |
| Power Rating | 10 Watts |
| Ambient Temperature Range | -40°C to +60°C |
| Ingress Protection | IP 66 |
| Construction | GRP with carbon loading |
| Output to Monitoring Unit | Intrinsically safe |
| Output Channel Relay | 8 off Voltage free change over switch contacts |
| Output Group Relay | 2 off Voltage free change over switch contacts |
| Output Fault Relay | 1 off Voltage free change over switch contacts |
| Relay Contact Rating | 240 V AC, 5 A, 500 VA max resistive 30 V DC, 2 A, 60 W max resistive |
| Cable Entries | 12 x M20 |
Marshalling Junction Box
| Enclosure Material | GRP with carbon loading |
|---|---|
| Cable Entries | 8 Way – 10 x M20, 1 x M25 4 Way – 6 x M20, 1 x M25 |
Remote Indicator Station Associated Apparatus - Zone 0/20 installation
| Enclosure Material | GRP with carbon loading |
|---|---|
| Cable Entries | 1x M20 |
Monitoring Unit & Stainless Steel PSU
Monitoring Unit - Zone 0/20 Installations
| Ambient Temperature Range | -40°C to +60°C |
|---|---|
| Ingress Protection | IP 66 |
| Construction | Stainless Steel (SS grade: 304) |
| Monitoring Circuit | Intrinsically safe |
| Monitoring Loop Resistance | Nominally ≤10 Ohm (± 10%) |
| Cable Entries | 3 x M20, 1 x M25 |
Power Supply Unit - Zone 2/21 Installations
| Power Supply | 115 V or 230 V AC, 50-60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Current Rating | 200 mA |
| Power Rating | 10 Watts |
| Ambient Temperature Range | -40°C to +60°C |
| Ingress Protection | IP 66 |
| Construction | Stainless Steel (SS grade: 316L) |
| Output to Monitoring Unit | Intrinsically safe |
| Output Channel Relay | 8 off Voltage free change over switch contacts |
| Output Group Relay | 2 off Voltage free change over switch contacts |
| Output Fault Relay | 1 off Voltage free change over switch contacts |
| Relay Contact Rating | 240 V AC, 5 A, 500 VA max resistive 30 V DC, 2 A, 60 W max resistive |
| Cable Entries | 12 x M20 |
Marshalling Junction Box
| Enclosure Material | Stainless Steel (SS grade: 316L) |
|---|---|
| Cable Entries | 8 Way – 10 x M20, 1 x M25 4 Way – 6 x M20, 1 x M25 |
Remote Indicator Station Associated Apparatus - Zone 0/20 installation
| Enclosure Material | Stainless Steel (SS grade: 316L) |
|---|---|
| Cable Entries | 1x M20 |
Overview of the Earth-Rite® MULTIPOINT
Since the first generation Earth-Rite® MULTIPOINT was launched in 2000, Newson Gale has supported customers on hundreds of applications with installation and application characteristics that challenged traditional “off the shelf” static control solutions.
The development of the MULTIPOINT evolved from our closeness to customers, which enabled our design engineers to identify the possibility of providing a single solution that combined active static earth monitoring and interlock capability to a range of applications that would otherwise have been prohibitive on the grounds of cost or installation difficulty.
This level of flexibility was particularly relevant for pharmaceutical powder processing applications where multiple components could be potentially isolated from a verified earth.
Fast forward to 2016 and the release of the Earth-Rite® MULTIPOINT II, which extended the multi-point earthing concept to a wider range of Ex applications in both gas and dust atmospheres.
Eight active earth monitoring circuits in one system
The Earth-Rite® MULTIPOINT is a single earthing system that provides site operators with eight independent active earth monitoring circuits that can be used to monitor the earth status of eight discrete pieces of equipment used in Ex atmospheres.
The monitoring unit consists of an array of eight pairs of green and red LEDs that indicate if the equipment is connected to a verified static earthing point.
The monitoring unit utilises the highest level of intrinsically safe circuits Ex ia to allow for the connection to equipment in areas classified as Zone 0 or Zone 20 (covering all gas, vapour, and dust groups). This removes any doubt regarding the location or existence of a Zone 0 or Zone 20 atmosphere at the point(s) where the MULTIPOINT is connected to equipment. Temporary and semi-permanent connections can be made with a range of 2-core earthing clamps and connectors.
The monitoring circuit requires a resistance of 10 ohms or less before it will indicate a permissive condition to the operator supervising the procedure. A simple traffic light method of “GO/NO GO” red and green LED indication provides process operators with a simple means of knowing that they can continue with the next step in their process procedures.
10 ohms is a benchmark resistance threshold defined in multiple best practice industry guidelines for the control of static electricity in Ex atmospheres. If the output contact driven by the corresponding monitoring circuit is active, and the earth status condition is permissive, a volt-free SPDT relay will be energised.
The monitoring unit is connected to equipment in the Ex area via marshalling boxes that route the monitoring circuits to the points at which the system will be connected to the equipment requiring static earthing.
If the equipment is in a position where it is difficult for operators to see the main LED array on the face of the monitoring unit, additional remote indicator stations mounted at the point of connection can be specified.
The remote indicator stations, fitted with a pair of red and green LED indicators, can be mounted in Zone 0 or Zone 20 locations. The LEDs are powered by intrinsically safe Ex ia circuits, with their enclosures classified as simple apparatus.
When the MULTIPOINT detects a connection resistance of 10 ohms or less to the equipment, the LEDs on the remote indicator station switch from red to flashing green. The flashing effect demonstrates that the MULTIPOINT is continuously monitoring the earth circuit for the equipment requiring electrostatic earthing.
The channels for each monitoring circuit can be activated or deactivated via a set of DIP switches located on the front panel inside the monitoring unit.
Multiple interlocking combinations
Intrinsically safe (IS) power is delivered to the monitoring unit by the power supply unit which can be installed in a Zone 2/21 or a local non-hazardous area. The power supply unit also provides volt-free relays which can be connected to external equipment like PLCs controlling the process or electromechanical equipment that can be activated/deactivated by the interlocks.
Each of the eight monitoring circuits has its own dedicated relay. This type of setup is particularly useful for multi-loading/unloading facilities, e.g., railcar loading terminals, that have PLCs controlling pump metering systems dedicated to the loading of each railcar.
If the specifier wishes to control external equipment, e.g., a single pump, that requires multiple pieces of equipment to be connected to earth prior to equipment activation, the relevant monitoring circuit can be “grouped” via a dip-switch located inside the power supply unit. For example, if a pump feeding three drums requires all drums to be earthed prior to filling, the relevant channels, e.g., 1, 2 and 3 can be grouped so that these circuits require a connection resistance of 10 ohms or less prior to the pump being activated.
All of the monitoring circuits can be grouped if the specifier wishes to control the process so that processing cannot take place, e.g., fluid bed dryer system, unless all potentially isolated components are connected to earth.
Communication between the monitoring unit and the power supply unit is provided via CAN-bus.
Specification support
Wherever possible, we recommend that our CompEx® trained engineers review your application and installation objectives prior to quotation.
If you are unsure about the installation of the MULTIPOINT, our CompEx® engineers will be more than happy to support you.
Reliability
The controller on the monitoring unit features self-checking technology. A detected, channel-specific, hardware fault will put that channel’s relay into its non-permissive state. The fault will be visually indicated by a flashing red LED. Detected critical system errors that affect all monitoring channels are visually indicated on the watchdog LED and will put all monitoring channel relays into their non-permissive states.
The coding for the microcontroller is written in MISRA C, a widely accepted protocol in many industries.
The watchdog timer circuit detects potential faults with the program driving the microcontroller. A blue flashing LED, located on the monitoring unit, indicates when the watchdog timer circuit is actively monitoring the functionality of the software.
Should there be a communication error between the monitoring unit and the power supply unit, the fault relay will switch state.
Please note that an Ex-competent person is required to carry out the installation of Ex-certified products, as per the product manual. If you have any doubts with respect to the installation requirements of Newson Gale equipment in Ex atmospheres, one of our CompEx® certified engineers will be happy to support you.
- Gain insights into the specification of hazardous area certified equipment.
- Understand standards referenced in the industry.
- Learn about the selection of Ex equipment.
- Evaluate competency requirements for individuals.
- Navigate Ex equipment documentations.
UKCA Certificates - United Kingdom
ATEX Certificates - Europe
IECEx Certificates - International
cCSAus Certificates - United States
CCC Certificates - China
KCs Certificates - South Korea
P1 = one GRP enclosure | PSU = Power Supply Unit | MU = Monitoring Unit
Book a live product demo
Newson Gale has an extensive product range that can be tailored to your processes and the range of hazardous area classifications at your location. The most effective way to identify what is applicable for your operations is by talking to our team. They will provide in-depth information on the products, features and how the range of options can be tailored to your needs.
