Two products take the spotlight this month, and each one answers a question we hear a lot.

How do you interface with a level and distance measurement device in hazardous areas? The Migatron RPS-429A-IS2 is an intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensor with a linear two-wire 4 to 20 mA output, designed to connect to standard 4-20mA analog input safety barriers, providing simple integration into a PLC control system. It's sealed to IP66/IP67, needs no calibration or training, and is certified intrinsically safe "ia" with ATEX, IECEx, ANZEx, and C-UL-US approvals for use with approved intrinsic safety barriers.

How do you keep a lone worker connected in Zone 1 or Division 1? The i.safe MOBILE IS440.1 is an intrinsically safe push-to-talk radio that works over public or private 4G/5G networks or Wi-Fi, with large glove-friendly buttons for PTT and SOS and a programmable red key for lone worker protection. It's rated IP68 and MIL-STD 810H, and certified for ATEX Zone 1/21 and NEC Class I, Division 1. In combination with MCPTT apps like Tassta, lone workers can remain in constant contact with their teams through long range cellular communications, and they can work safely knowing that in case of an emergency, there is always someone just a push to talk call away who knows exactly where you are.

Both are covered in full in the Product Spotlight at the end of this issue. In between, you'll find a gas line fire at Venezuela's Cardón refinery, the new bonding section in the 2026 NEC, a refresher on hazardous area zones, the classification that decides where products like these can go, and a guest piece from Migatron on intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensors.

Questions about either product, or about which one fits your application? Reach out to one of our applications specialists.

On the afternoon of October 6, 2026, a gas line failed at the Cardón refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, and the fire that followed stopped the whole plant. Cardón is the country's second-largest refinery, with a nominal capacity of 310,000 barrels a day, and part of state-owned PDVSA's Paraguaná Refining Center.

What's confirmed is limited. PDVSA says a natural gas line feeding the refinery's boilers ruptured at about 3:25 p.m. local time. The company reports that the fire was brought under control quickly, that no one was hurt, that damage was not major, and that it ran an emergency shutdown of the operating units and is assessing conditions before a safe restart. An investigation committee has been formed.

Other accounts don't line up neatly. Sources who spoke to Reuters described the line as connected to the diesel hydrotreater, reported explosions, and said the fire was out within an hour, while local reports placed it in the lubricants area. Reuters also said it could not verify the videos circulating online, though its sources confirmed seeing smoke and flames. Until the investigation reports, the affected unit, what caused the line to fail, and what the plant was doing at the time are all open questions.

The refinery has had a difficult recent record: trade press reported a large fire at its catalytic cracker in April 2026. In the first reports of the October fire, no restart date had been announced.

Takeaway: A failure on a pressurized fuel gas line is the kind of release that hazardous area classification exists to anticipate: a flammable source, a loss of containment, and a plant full of equipment that must not become the ignition source. The early confusion about which unit was involved is a useful reminder too. Whatever the final cause, the questions for your own site are the same: where are the likely release points, what is classified around them, and what does your emergency shutdown actually do?

Sources: PDVSA statement and Reuters reporting, as summarized by JOIFF; Hydrocarbon Processing.

If you work in classified areas in the U.S., the 2026 edition of NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, includes a change worth a closer look: a new Section 500.30 on bonding in hazardous (classified) locations, covering Articles 501 through 503.

What the new section requires. In plain terms, normally non-current-carrying metal parts in a classified location must be bonded back to the point where the service or separately derived system is grounded. That covers equipment, raceways, metal-clad cable, and enclosures containing electrical equipment. It applies regardless of system voltage, and whether or not a wire-type equipment grounding conductor is also run with the circuit.

How the bond can be made. The section lists permitted means: wrenchtight threaded couplings, threaded entries, or listed threaded hubs; threadless couplings and connectors made up tight on metal raceways and metal-clad cable; and other listed devices such as bonding-type locknuts and bushings, or bushings with bonding jumpers. Uninsulated exposed parts that already meet the requirements in 501.25, 502.25, or 503.25 are exempt.

Why it matters. In a classified area, a poor bond isn't only a shock concern. A loose or missing connection can let metal parts sit at different potentials, and a spark across that gap is an ignition source. Bonding also gives fault and stray current a safe path back to the source.

What to do about it. The NEC is adopted state by state, and sometimes city by city, so the 2026 edition may not be the one enforced where you work yet. Check which edition your jurisdiction uses. Training outlines for the 2026 changes also point to revisions in several other sections of Articles 500, 501, and 505, so it's worth reading the full change summary rather than just this one section, especially before planning new work in a classified area.

Before anyone picks a temperature class, a gas group, or a protection method, someone has to answer a simpler question: how often is an explosive atmosphere actually going to be there? The answer is the zone, and it drives most of the equipment choices that follow.

The three gas and vapor zones. Zone 0 is an area where an explosive gas atmosphere is present continuously, for long periods, or frequently, such as the vapor space above the liquid in a closed process vessel. Zone 1 is where one is likely to occur occasionally during normal operation. Zone 2 is where one is not likely during normal operation, and if it does occur, it only lasts a short time. Dust has its own matching set, Zones 20, 21, and 22, built on the same logic.

How zones connect to equipment. Each zone has a matching level of protection. Zone 0 calls for equipment protection level Ga (ATEX Category 1), Zone 1 for Gb (Category 2), and Zone 2 for Gc (Category 3). The Ex ia, ib, and ic, intrinsically safe protection levels from Issue 01 line up with these three zones in the same order. Equipment suited to a lower zone number can be used in a higher one, but never the other way around.

Where Divisions fit. If your site uses the NEC's Class/Division system instead, Division 1 roughly covers Zones 0 and 1, and Division 2 roughly lines up with Zone 2. We covered how the two systems sit side by side in Issue 01, so treat this as a rough guide, not a conversion.

The common mistake. The zone isn't something a manufacturer assigns. It comes from the site's own hazardous area classification, done by the owner or operator and documented, usually on classification drawings. A device's certification tells you which zones it can be used in. It can't tell you which zone you're standing in. And classifications aren't permanent: when a process, a material, or a piece of equipment changes, the zones around it may need to change too.

The practical rule: Start with the zone, then work outward to gas group, temperature class, and protection method. Get the zone wrong and everything chosen after it rests on a bad assumption.

Note: this section rotates between leadership perspectives and real customer stories from the field. This issue features a guest piece from one of our suppliers, Migatron.

In industries where flammable gases, combustible dust, and explosive atmospheres are present, equipment has to perform reliably without becoming an ignition source. Intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensors help by providing non-contact distance, level, and object detection in hazardous environments.

How it works. An ultrasonic sensor sends high-frequency sound toward a target and times the echo, converting that time into distance. That lets operators monitor liquid levels, material buildup, and equipment position without physical contact. Intrinsic safety limits electrical and thermal energy to levels too low to ignite a specified hazardous atmosphere, even under fault conditions. Installed with approved intrinsic safety barriers, approved sensors can feed measurement data to control systems from designated hazardous locations.

Oil and gas. Mounted above the surface, a sensor can monitor liquid levels in storage tanks, process vessels, and collection systems without touching the liquid. That supports inventory monitoring, automated pumping, and high-level alarms that help prevent spills and overfilling.

Chemical and petrochemical. In compatible chemical tanks and vessels, non-contact measurement reduces exposure to aggressive substances and avoids certain mechanical wear. It also supports automated filling, transfers, and inventory management.

Wastewater, food, and grain. Digesters and sludge-processing equipment can contain methane and other flammable gases, while food processing, grain handling, and distilleries can involve combustible dust or flammable vapors. Where the application and area classification permit, sensors can monitor liquid, sludge, and material levels in tanks, bins, and silos.

Choosing a sensor. Selection depends on sensing range, output requirements, environmental conditions, and hazardous-area classification. Migatron Corporation makes intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensors for industrial distance and level measurement. The RPS-409A-IS2 and IS3 series offers a 0 to 10 VDC analog output, built-in temperature compensation, and ranges from 4 to 40 inches up to 12 to 216 inches depending on the model, with ATEX, IECEx, ANZEx, and C-UL-US approvals on IS2 models and C-UL-US approval on IS3 models. The RPS-429A-IS series offers 4 to 20 mA two-wire and 1 to 5 V four-wire versions in standard 4 to 40 and 6 to 80 inch ranges, with ATEX, IECEx, and C-UL-US approvals on IS2 models and C-UL-US approval on IS3 models. Both series connect to industrial control equipment through appropriately selected intrinsic safety barriers.

Bottom line. Sensor selection still has to account for environmental conditions, measurement limitations, hazardous-area approvals, and installation requirements. Done well, non-contact intrinsically safe measurement supports safer operations and more efficient process control, from mining to chemical processing.

By Migatron Corporation