Experimental Study on the Explosion-Proof Safety Thresholds of RF Electromagnetic Energy in Typical 5G Frequency Bands

The 5G communication system plays a pivotal role in the advancement of smart mining infrastructure. Given the limitations and inapplicability of IEC 60079 standard to 5G technology, this study aimed to precisely explore the safety thresholds of 5G radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves in igniting methane in underground coal mines through meticulous experimentation. Due to the limitations of the existing IEC spark testing method for 5G RF electromagnetic wave explosion protection, a specialized explosion-proof testing device and method were developed based on impedance matching to accurately measure boundary ignition power for high-frequency electromagnetic waves. High-repetition experiments revealed that the boundary ignition powers of RF electromagnetic waves at 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.6 GHz, and 3.5 GHz were 49.7 W, 14.2 W, 13.5 W, and 12.4 W, respectively, significantly exceeding the current standard of 6 W for isotropic radiated power. This research provides scientific guidance for the safe application of 5G technology in underground coal mines, facilitating the full utilization of 5G’s potential in this domain.