Use of Mobile phone in Oil and Gas Industry

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Thread Starter

nikhilkapoor_vit

In oil and gas plants, it is a strict rule to not take the mobile phones in the field as it may cause a fire during a leak.

So I want to ask what can be the cause of fire in case you are using your cell phone.

a) is it the spark from the battery of the cell which can cause a fire, if the gas enters the casing of the cell if any air gap is present

b) or is it the electromagnetic radiation energy that may be sufficient to cause the ignition during a call.

Regards,
Nikhil Kapoor
 
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nikhilkapoor_vit

Yes. But what is the root cause of the fire, source of energy for causing ignition. Can you explain that?

Regards,
Nikhil Kapoor
 
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Bruce Durdle

I saw a video recently where someone dropped a device containing a LiPo battery from a reasonably great height - a few minutes later, the device burst into flames. Lithium is pyrophoric and will ignite spontaneously if exposed to air.

If you drop a phone and the case comes part, the battery can become disconnected from its terminals. This will generally develop a spark as it disconnects. If the battery should be short-circuited, the sparking is definitely capable of igniting just about anything in the area. Certified devices will take special measures to make sure the battery cannot be disconnected without special tools, and that the short-circuit current if it does become disconnected is limited to a safe level.

I'm not personally convinced about the possibility of radiant energy causing sparks - but that is not the primary risk. Even a switched-off phone should not be taken into a hazardous area.
 
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nikhilkapoor_vit

Thanks Bruce, that cleared a lot of doubt......can u send me a link to the video if its available on youtube....

Regards,
Nikhil Kapoor
 
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Bruce Durdle

The particular one I was thinking of was on NZ television a few months ago - but there are a number of videos on Youtube - search for LiPo explosions.
 
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