The safe use of radio transmitters on road tankers and other vehicles

The operators of tanker lorries carrying petroleum products want to have radio telephones fitted to the cabs of their vehicles. Members of the Institute of Petroleum´s Electrical Engineering Committee, in their efforts to prepare a code of practice for the safe use of radio telephones in these vehicles, recognised that British Standard BS 6656:1986 gave guidance on the subject of RF ignition of flammable atmospheres. Results of an ERA Technology study are presented. The following topics are covered: guidelines for the identification of potential hazards; mobile radio transmitters; unintended radio antennas; conditions for the ignition of flammable atmospheres; calculations; results; and recommendations