Aegex IoT Platform for Hazardous Industries

Internet of Things for Combustible Areas

The Aegex IoT Platform for Hazardous Locations from Aegex Technologies LLC is built specifically for regulated areas where explosive atmospheres require Internet of Things equipment that is certified intrinsically safe, or incapable of causing an explosion. It is comprised of hardware and software components that, together, capture, transmit, and analyze big data to manage oil and gas refineries, chemical manufacturing plants, and other “meta-scale” industrial facilities where combustible atmospheres require highly regulated and certified equipment to help improve operations for better safety and productivity.

IoT Platform

The Aegex IoT Platform for Hazardous Locations includes: the Aegex10 IS Tablet; industrial applications and APIs (application program interfaces) that make the tablet a powerful communications and data management tool; intrinsically safe sensors; intrinsically safe wearables; and user interface and analytics systems that manage and interpret data captured by the Aegex devices. These five elements working together form a comprehensive platform for understanding and managing Internet of Things and Internet of Everything operations in hazardous industrial environments.

Aegex’s flagship IoE product is the Aegex10 Intrinsically Safe Tablet, the world’s first Windows 10 tablet globally certified for hazardous locations where high concentrations of flammable gases, vapors, or dusts are likely to occur in normal operation (i.e., industries with explosive atmospheres). Incapable of igniting a spark, this patent-pending industrial device allows for superior mobile communications on dangerous job sites where traditional devices cannot be used and is certified ATEX/IECEx Zone 1 and UL913 Class I, II, III Division 1.

When configuring the Aegex10 IS Tablet with various software (e.g., Bar Code, NFC, and other data-capture apps) the tablet becomes a powerful tool for collecting and analyzing data in a hazardous location environment. Industry specific apps on the tablet allow users to collaborate and utilize data in real time for improved efficiency and productivity. For example, APIs such as facial recognition for secure login or emotion recognition to monitor worker distress or suitability in hazardous situations can be employed, as can Skype for Business for augmented reality field collaboration.

Power outlets do not exist in hazardous locations because of the risk of spark in combustible atmospheres; therefore, only devices with the right certifications can be used. The Aegex IoT Platform includes an array of more than 30 intrinsically safe sensors that organizations can choose from to place in their hazardous locations. Based on research, some of the fastest returns can be generated by monitoring annulus pressures, gas, production chemical, OEM equipment, corrosion, employee status, and critical equipment health. Sensors detecting different gases, temperatures, pressures, etc. can provide myriad data that, together, give a holistic view of plant operations. Individual data points, such as wind direction and speed at various elevations, when combined with other data and machine learning, result in the big data that improves processes and can help improve overall efficiency, safety, and productivity.

Monitoring individuals’ well-being can help prevent accidents. A worker’s vital signs can be indicators of a pending problem when contextually combined with ambient information such as a sudden increase in carbon monoxide plus an accelerated heart rate and a look of distress on his/her face as derived from a Cognitive API. In cooperation with the Microsoft Innovation Center in Atlanta, Aegex is studying the Microsoft Band and other wearable devices to create the very first intrinsically safe wearables for “human data” capture in hazardous locations. 11 embedded sensors in a Microsoft Band plus other data inputs (e.g., emotion API, data from surrounding sensors) can be detected and recorded with the Aegex10 IS Tablet. Collective data can indicate potential health or safety risks that are currently unidentifiable in today’s HazLoc environments.