Zener & Galvanic Barriers

Zener barriers are used in Intrinsically Safe (IS) loops for hazardous area applications, Isolated barriers are one kind of isolator which are used in a hazardous area and does the same function as a Zener barrier. The two types of barriers perform this task in different ways: Zener barriers divert excess energy to earth through the fuse and Zener diodes, while galvanic isolators provide isolation between the circuits in the hazardous area and those in the safe area, using relays, transformers and optoisolators.  Zener barriers create an intrinsically safe earth to protect equipment and people.