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LED LIGHTING Technology

This document identifies the enormous advantages of using LED lighting technology in both hazardous and non-hazardous environments.LED technology has the potential for extremely high efficacy (more lumens of light per watt of power) when compared to other lighting sources, which can translate to great energy savings. LED products can last a long time, which can mean much reduced maintenance costs and LED’s are considered easily controllable, adding even more potential savings. Lighting is commonly thought to be a simple technology to understand and therefore apply, but with LED’s the better that you understand how it functions, the better you’ll be able apply it effectively, hopefully this document will give you a clearer insight to the benefits of LED technology.

The main advantages for using LED lighting technology can be listed as the following:

• Increased service lifespan
• Increased efficiency and reliability
• Reduced maintenance and operating costs
• Improved safety with lower radiated heat
• Reduction in size and weight
• Instantaneous operation
• High colour rendering index
• Various choice of beam patterns
• Extremely robust with high degree of protection
• Modular Ex Design allowing Interchangeable key components.

LED Light Lifespan:

Easily the most significant advantage of LED’s when compared to traditional lighting solutions is the long lifespan.An LED light fitting can last over 7 years of constant use before needing a replacement. The average LED lasts 60,000 operating hours to 100,000 operating hours or more. That is 2-4 times as long as most fluorescent, metal halide, and even sodium vapor lights. It is more than 40 times as long as the average incandescent bulb.

LED Energy Efficiency:

In general LED’s consume very low amounts of power. The statistic to look for when comparing the energy efficiency of different lighting solutions is called luminous efficiency. This essentially describes the amount of light emitted per unit of power consumed by the bulb. In most situations LED lighting installation systems result in a 60-75% improvement in the overall energy efficiency of the facility’s lighting. Depending on the existing lights and the particular LEDs installed, thesavings could be more than 90%.

LED Reduced Maintenance:

Reducing the frequency on the replacement of light elements and / or light fittings means a considerable reduction in maintenance costs in terms of labor costs, material costs (scaffolding, man-lifts etc) and replacement parts.

Improved Safety / Heat Reduction:

Safety is probably the most overlooked advantage when it comes to LED lighting. The number one hazard when it comes to lighting is the emission of heat. LEDs emit almost no forward heat while traditional lampslike incandescent convert more than 90%of the total energy used to power them directly into heat. That means only 10% of the energy powering incandescent lights isused for light (which also makes them extremely inefficient compared to LED’s. Additionally, due to LED’s consuming less power they can operate effectively on low-voltage electrical systems meaning that they are generally much safer (in the event) if something goes wrong.

LED Size and Weight Reduction:

The actual size of an LED device is extremely small. Small power devices can be less than a tenth of a single 1mm2while larger power devices can still be as small as a 1mm2. Their small size makes LED’s incredibly adaptable to an infinite number of lighting applications and it also makes them extremely light in comparison to conventional light fittings. The different uses for LED’s include a wide spectrum from their roots incircuit board lighting and traffic signals to intelligent street lighting, residential homes, commercial property and industrial applications.

LED Instantaneous Operation:

LED light fittings turn on and off instantaneously. There is no warm-up period like in the case of some conventional gas filled light fittings. In addition, the frequent switching of the LED light fitting does not cause any degradation in the device.

High Colour Rendering Index:

The Colour Rendering Index (CRI) is a measurement of alight’s ability to reveal the actual colour of objects as compared to an ideal light source (natural light). High CRI is generally a desirable characteristic (although of course, it depends on the required application). LEDs generally have very high (good) ratings when it comes to CRI. Perhaps the best way to appreciate CRI is to look at a direct comparison between LED lighting (with a high CRI) and a traditional lighting solution like sodium vapor lamps (which generally have poor CRI ratings and are in some cases almost monochromatic).

Various Beam Patterns:

The LED floodlight fittings have various choices of beam patterns either in circular or elliptical.Conventional light fittings may be deemed redundant or unsuitable due to changes to the environment leaving the end users to fund a costly replacement or left stuck with a light fitting that does not perform as required. The beam choice options can be extremely beneficial to the end user personnel given that the expected beam pattern requiredis not always suitable once the fittings have been installed on site. The end user has therefore a greater flexibility during installation.

Extremely Robust with High Degree of Protection:

With no fragile filament or large glass enclosure to break, theLED light fitting is extremely robust in design with a high degree of protection which means that it is suitable for use in harsh and hazardous gas environments, including offshore oil and gas, petrochemicals and chemicals, where potentially explosive gases are present. The LED light fittings can operate without degradation in hot and cold temperatures and can be installed in Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas on ships, oil platforms, LNG plants, refineries, waste and sewerage treatment plants, aswell as indoor and outdoor industrial locations. The LED light fittings can also be fitted in Zone 21 and Zone 22 hazardous dust areas such as flour/grain mills, sugar processing, woodworking, food processing, metal processing and other production environments where potentially explosive dusts are present.

LED Modular Ex Design:

Non modular Ex LED light fittings which are factory sealed make maintenance more challenging and drive costs up due to the fact that only the light fitting manufacturer can carryout repairs without voiding warranty.Using a modular EX LED fitting allows the fitting to be maintained on site by the customers own electricians or a specialised sub-contractor due to the interchangeable components. This makes servicing significantly easier and avoids the lengthy process of removing the unit and returning it to the manufacturer to repair, reducing down-time of the light.

Intelligent Lighting

Intelligent lighting is a Smart Scada controlled lighting system for operation in hazardous and non-hazardous areas. Thecontrolled lighting provides a method of controlling and monitoring LED and HID luminaries through a frequency -based network.The monitoring and controlling of the luminaires originated as a requirement for more efficient and less energy consuming lighting such as street lighting. The intelligent lighting system requires minimum infrastructure andis already being widely used around the World.The main features of Intelligent lighting is:-

• Controlled luminaires.
• Controlled through a Frequency Network.
• Complete light management – Switch On, Switch Off and Dimming.
• Full monitoring –Lamp failure, Driver failure Operating hours, Power consumption estimation, Fixture temperature.
• Digital 12-16V
• Suitable for Zone 1,Zone 2 Hazardous areas and Industrial Areas
• Retrofittable with Plug & Play solutions.

If we look at the reasons why we should use Intelligent lighting, some of the reasons are that it offers economical, commercial, environmental and safety benefits.

Economical:- Cost reduction and reduced maintenance. Life Cycle Benefits
Commercial:- Internet of Things (IoT) integration, ease of installation, flexible, scalable and reliable
Environmental:- A path for carbon footprint reduction.
Security:- Every message is sent with a unique encryption code.Other reasons to why we should use Intelligent lighting are:-

• The ability to monitor and control luminaires remotely.
• Fault management.
• Maintenance scheduling.Works alongside ICSS systems
• Integration of sensors and various input devices.
• Lighting as a managedplatform.

By communicating with luminaires to monitor and control their power consumption and operating hours,luminaires can be controlled individually or collectively througha Central Management Centre.

Other advantages on using Intelligent lighting are:-

• Daylight Harvesting –Dimming.
• Enhanced environmental benefits
• Additional sensor types –Light, Motion, Temperature, Gas etc.
• Power supply quality monitoring.
• Managing operating hours and maintenance plans.

If we look at lighting as being a service, we could make the following argument for adopting an Intelligent lighting system:-

• We do not require lighting all of the time, so a lighting system that will automatically switch on, switch off or reduce the brightness would be both energy efficient and economical.
• With introducing sensors into the light fittings such as, light, motion, temperature, gas etc, it means that the lunimaires would come on only when required and would go off when not required which will reduce operating costs.
• If the Luminaires and the Central Control Centre were owned by a lighting service provider and not the end user, this would reduce ownership costs.
• Environmental issues are addressed as the lighting system is very flexible and controllable. Reduction of light, on /off increased light, colour rendering and time controls are easily introduced.

Why not give us a call or send us a mail to allow us the share our experience and research findings which can identify investment vrs Return On Investment, CAPEX and OPEX saving’s, Environmental benefits and C02 savings.

Lighting is not just a source of illumination it can now be a management tool to reduce maintenance, cost and keep afoot of legislative testing and inspection programs