Abstract The basic idea of intrinsically safe circuit and the discharge spark in the Buck converter in the explosive atmospheres were introduced. The Buck converter is the main topological structure of the switch type of intrinsically safe circuit, which has two working modes: continuous inductive current (CCM — continuous conduction mode) and discrete inductance current (DCM — discontinuous conduction mode). The operating state of the continuous inductive current mode is analyzed in detail and the energy of discharge spark in various operating modes is discussed. The total energy will decrease with the increase of switch frequency, in a switching cycle; the discharge spark energy has a maximum and a minimum value. Therefore, the Buck converter has smaller discharge spark energy than the linear power circuit and the switch type of intrinsically safe circuit can enhance the output power and the conversion efficiency of the intrinsically safe power.