Offshore-Wind
Raytec are world leaders in LED lighting for hazardous area environments – the Raytec SPARTAN range of hazardous area lighting is globally certified Ex LED lighting, approved for all ATEX, IEC Ex & UKEX Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous area environments, including UL /CSA C1D2 (Class 1 Division 2) installations.
In this Application Focus, we explore the hazardous area lighting requirements for offshore wind farms and identify some of the key features to consider when specifying luminaires for these types of environments.
An offshore wind farm can be defined as a cluster of wind turbines constructed in a body of water. The turbines harvest wind energy to generate electricity and benefit from the high wind speeds of their offshore location.
However, the nature of an offshore location provides a challenging environment when specifying lighting. Given the continuous exposure to marine conditions, such as high wind speeds and a saline environment, a high-quality and durable lighting system, capable of withstanding these elements, is critical.
Jacket Base Of The Turbine
A turbine sits on a supporting structure called a Jacket Base. The jacket sits above the waterline, as well as being anchored to the seabed, giving the turbine the foundation it needs to withstand the harsh marine environment and dynamic loads.
Lighting, particularly LED lighting, is required to ensure safe working conditions when accessing and departing the turbine, via a crew transfer vessel, where the jacket structure is the main access point. Installing lighting here is also beneficial for routine maintenance and inspection of the area around the ‘splash zone’, where corrosion occurs due to the meeting of the waves and air.
Interior Of The Turbine
Lighting is required inside the turbine for the safety of workers when they perform routine maintenance procedures from within the tower. In many cases ‘Emergency Lighting’, such as the Raytec SPARTAN Intelligent Emergency, is also needed to maintain safety in the event of a power outage.
Access Area Lighting
It is a necessity for heavy-duty industrial lighting to be installed at the crew access point to the turbine, when disembarking the crew transfer vessels. This area sits above the supportive structure and is accessed via a bridge from the crew transfer vessels. Therefore, safety requirements dictate that high-quality industrial lighting is needed to make sure these areas are well lit.
All of these areas require the use of a heavy-duty lighting fitting, such as lighting from the Raytec SPARTAN range, to withstand the challenges of the offshore environment. The remainder of this article will explore the key features to consider when specifying a luminaire for an offshore wind farm.
Firstly, selecting lighting which uses LED technology (rather than conventional lighting, such as high-pressure sodium), should be considered essential when specifying for offshore wind farms.
Lighting Maintenance
Providing it uses effective thermal management, an LED luminaire can offer a lifetime of 100,000 + operating hours, without the need to re-lamp. This results in a significantly longer lifespan and lower life-cycle costs. Reducing the number of maintenance interventions in these remote and offshore locations, where access is difficult and costly, is vital.
Energy Costs
Keeping costs to a minimum is a common goal amongst offshore wind applications. LEDs run more efficiently than conventional lighting; reducing energy costs. The major benefit comes from an LED luminaire’s ability to instantly restrike. Instant restrike allows the lights to be easily switched on and off when they’re not being used. In contrast, due to the warm-up time of a conventional lamp (such as High-Pressure Sodium) they would likely be left switched on 24/7 to avoid costly and impractical delays during maintenance.
Quality of Light
With LED’s capable of providing improved CRI and higher colour temperatures than conventional lighting, light quality is improved which drastically improves working conditions.
Specifying LED lighting can help in reducing the frequency of maintenance required. However, the way a manufacturer has designed the luminaire can have a large impact on how easily maintenance can be carried out of it is required, and how long the site is left without light.
Making Access Easier
For offshore wind farms, where access for maintenance can be difficult, choosing an LED luminaire with a removable power supply unit (PSU), that can be placed separately from the main unit, can help make access easier. For example, Raytec’s SPARTAN High-Power Flood & High-Power Bay luminaires, allow the PSU module to be removed from the main body of the luminaire and be positioned in an easy to access location. This makes access to serviceable parts far easier.
SPARTAN High-Power Flood Lighting
SPARTAN High-Power Flood Lighting
There are many environmental issues companies need to be aware of when installing hardware for an offshore wind application. These will be discussed in further detail below:
Sea Water (Saline Environments)
A saline environment (exposure to sea water spray and salt water saturated air) can cause a higher risk of corrosion compared to inland applications. Saltwater spray aggressively corrodes the metal. Once evaporated, saltwater can also leave a thin film of salt on the hardware – interfering with the performance of the luminaire by reducing light intensity.
Any luminaire installed in these offshore locations needs to withstand these aggressive conditions. The Raytec SPARTAN range is designed with offshore use in-mind. Made with marine-grade aluminium and stainless-steel fixings, while being ABS approved to marine standards, our luminaires are ideal for any marine application.
Top Tip for Specifying…. Specify a luminaire made from marine grade aluminium or stainless steel as this provides a more robust solution under aggressive environmental conditions. Also look for a luminaire which uses a smaller front gasket, reducing the risk of water ingress into the unit.
High Wind Speeds & Extreme Weather
High wind speeds and other weather conditions such as sleet, hale and heavy rains are a regular occurrence for offshore applications. A luminaire with a high IP rating is essential to prevent water ingress which could damage internal components of the unit.Fixing centres and brackets of luminaires also need to be durable enough to withstand the extra wind forces. If this is not the case, then over time the lighting bracket could wear and snap causing the unit to be lost at sea.
Top Tip for Specifying… Specify a luminaire with an appropriate IP rating, and check exactly which tests the luminaire has been exposed to. SPARTAN lights have been approved to both IP66 and IP67 standards – so they can withstand powerful water jets (IP66) as well as temporary immersion (IP67).
Sun & UV Exposure
Prolonged exposure to the sun, or UV (ultraviolet) rays, is common for offshore locations. In the case of an offshore wind turbine, the turbine is in a vast, open space, with nothing to shadow the turbine. When lighting is installed in external areas, such as the ‘jacket base’, this continuous exposure to UV may cause issues for some luminaires, depending on the materials it’s constructed from. For example, luminaires made from GRP (glass reinforced plastic) can degrade and become brittle when exposed to UV over long periods, causing issues around maintenance and structural integrity of the housing.
Offshore wind sites are high-risk environments and rely on the use of emergency lighting to ensure the safety of maintenance workers on-site at that specific time.
Turbines have a tendency to cut out. This can be down to several reasons, such as the wind speed being too high, water entering the wiring system, a voltage or current surge, or overheating. In these circumstances the turbine is turned off, the fault assessed, repaired, and restarted. This can sometimes be done remotely, but in many cases, it is necessary for people to enter the turbine to manually check the issue. Emergency backup lighting is therefore a necessity to maintain the safety of anyone on site, providing back-up illumination in the event of a power outage. This protects maintenance workers and can be essential in getting the turbine running again. Emergency lighting may also be needed to evacuate people from site if issues are unable to be resolved.
Duration & Output
To ensure an emergency luminaire will provide back-up illumination for the required length of time, it is important to check the emergency duration when specifying. Consideration should also be given to the level of light output the luminaire provides whilst operating in emergency mode. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the luminaire’s output in normal operation, and it is common for output to drop significantly when in emergency mode.
Most of Raytec’s SPARTAN emergency luminaires provide 25% light output for 3 hours as standard but can also offer up to 100% output for a shorter duration if required. The duration and intensity of output are often specific to individual applications, so this flexibility can be an important benefit.
Automated Testing
Some manufacturers are now providing emergency luminaires which increase safety and reliability of emergency systems. Raytec’s SPARTAN Intelligent Emergency luminaires provide a self-testing function which automatically cycles the emergency battery, to maintain its health and to measure its capacity. This ensures the luminaire is operating at its optimum and reduces the requirement for manual intervention. Inspection of emergency luminaires is also made easier, with a tri-colour LED indicator which communicates when the unit is going through a testing procedure and highlighting the health of the luminaire.
Hazardous Area Lighting Design
Lighting design is an essential part of specifying lighting for an offshore wind application.
With numerous turbines across one site, achieving the correct light levels on-site will improve safety and efficiency across the turbine. For specifiers going through the initial design process, a lighting design will provide peace of mind that the final solution will achieve the required, on-site lighting goal, with no surprises at the point of commissioning.
Thorne & Derrick’s hazardous area lighting design service is completely free of charge, providing you with a visual 3D representation of the final lighting solution, with detailed lux levels and a true indication of lighting performance. Our lighting design experts will guide you through the entire process, ensuring the optimum solution is achieved.
Industry leading manufacturers of Lighting Products for hazardous areas | Raytec
SPARTAN is a full range of Ex LED luminaires and lighting approved for all ATEX and IEC Ex Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous area environments, including UL /CSA C1D2 installations. The hazardous area lighting products are designed for the most extreme environments – Flood, Linear, Bulkhead, Bay and Crane luminaires with emergency and industrial lighting versions are also available from Thorne & Derrick International.
➡ Further Reading: Raytec SPARTAN Linear Generation II | The Evolution & Spartan Linear Generation II | Raytec Case Study
Specialists to the Process & Hazardous Area Industries
Thorne & Derrick are leaders in the development and distribution of Product Innovations that deliver significant improvements to clients plant, people and operational safety in the explosive atmosphere industries.
Your proactive problem solvers experienced in succession planning for the replacement of obsolete, non-conformant and legacy equipment in hazardous areas.
Your first-choice provider of innovative and competitive solutions to ensure ATEX & IECEx Compliance for Hazardous Area Electrical, HVAC & Process Instrumentation Equipment to UK and international projects.
Control Panels | Plugs | Isolators | Enclosures & Junction Boxes | Lighting | Control Stations | Motor Starters | Heat Trace | Gas Detection | Flame Detection | Process Instrumentation | Process Heating | Ventilation Fans | Security Access Control
Wolflite ATEX Handlamps
H-4DCALED & H-251ALED
A major upgrade for two of Wolf Safety’s most popular and enduring ATEX handlamps has generated dramatic increases in light output from both the H-4DCA and the H-251ALED handlamps.
Wolflite H-4DCALED & H-251ALED ATEX handlamps have both been CE marked in compliance with the 2014/34/ EU explosive atmospheres ATEX directive and UKCA marked in compliance with UKSI 2016/1107 UKEX Statutory Instrument, for use in a wide range of potentially explosive gases, vapours, mists and dusts.
Widely used within hazardous areas, especially in the marine, fire and rescue and general industrial sectors, these Wolf lanterns have been a popular choice for almost two decades.
Switching from bulb to high power LED has enabled the H-4DCA (now the H-4DCALED) to benefit from a 7 fold boost in light output, from 37 lumens to 269 lumens at source. In addition, the lamp’s battery duration will more than double from 20 hours to up to 45 hours of sustained service.
A greatly improved LED module provides a dramatic increase in light output performance from the Wolflite H-251ALED rechargeable handlamp, almost doubling from 107 lumens to 210 lumens (both figures at source).
Retrofit kits will be available for both handlamps, enabling new LED modules to be fitted to existing lamps to achieve the same outstanding performance.
Miles Jackson, Wolf’s Sales and Marketing Director: “The development of advanced LED technology has enabled our design and production team to raise the performance of these popular handlamps to a new level, setting standards that will delight our customers.”
The H-4DCALED primary cell powered LED safety handlamp has an intense spot beam measuring approximately 4°, ideal for inspection worktasks.
LIGHT OUTPUT/DURATION/POWER
CERTIFICATION
FEATURES
The newly updated H-251ALED rechargeable LED safety handlamp has an intense spot beam, with a flood of lower level fringe light.
LIGHT OUTPUT/DURATION/POWER
CERTIFICATION
FEATURES
ATEX Towerlite | Hazardous Area Tower Lighting
When clear vision and brilliant LED light is required in hazardous area locations or confined spaces with potentially explosive atmospheres, Wolf Safety lights provide bold, bright and unfailing portable and temporary lighting. Since 1912, Wolf has been trusted to light the world’s most hazardous and hostile environments – with ATEX & IECEX certified portable lights to provide safe lighting in explosive atmospheres.
Thorne & Derrick are hazardous area lighting specialists stocking a complete range of portable and permanent fixed lighting including both fluorescent and LED technology in standard linear light fittings, wellglass, high bay and floodlight design certified by ATEX for both Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.
➡ Technical Resources | Hazardous Area Zones | T Class Temperature Ratings | Explosive Atmospheres (Definitions)
Stockists & Suppliers of Wolf Safety Lamp | Portable & Hazardous Area Lighting
CHEM UK 2022 – Featuring The Chemical Industries Supply Chain Show and The Chemical, Process & Plant Engineering Show
HALL 1 – 11th & 12th May, 2022 | NEC, Birmingham, UK
CHEMUK 2022 will return on the 11th & 12th May running in Hall 1 at the NEC, Birmingham. Thorne & Derrick will be exhibiting for the very first time. Pop to stand G3 to say hi to Terry McDonald.
Register Here For FREE – https://lnkd.in/dPAAuQMe
The expo will present 300+ specialist exhibitors and 100+ expert speakers split between two major shows:
The event will showcase the latest technology and services covering the wider process industries including: Chemicals, Pharmaceutical, Energy/Nuclear, Oil & Gas and Water.
After an unprecedented couple of years, it’s great to see the industry back together at a face-to-face event!
The event is free to attend – Admission age: 18+
CHEMUK is the UK’s only trade show dedicated to bringing together the multi-layer Chemicals/Chemical Product development, specification & processing/manufacturing communities, with crucial supply chain supplier groups.
With 2,500+ specialist businesses contributing to the UK’s chemical industry – embracing raw materials, chemicals, intermediates & consumables, equipment & apparatus, high tech innovation streams, sub-contracting & business services and much more, CHEMUK is the event where the UK’s chemical industries meet.
The CHEMUK 2022 speaker programme will present 100 speakers over 4 stages, with a combined 20+ hrs of presentation and panel sessions, providing vital market intelligence, tech insight, best practice, case studies, solutions updates and more, for attending chemical industry and related chemical product industry attendees.
Speaking stages include:
The event is open for paper and presentation submission. The final submission deadline is Friday 28th January, 2022
NOTE: Submissions received after Friday 28th January, 2022, will be considered separately, subject to programme availability.
Supported by the CBA – Chemical Business Association, Chemicals Northwest, BCMPA, BADGP, and other leading industry associations
CHEMUK 2022 sees an expansion of the exhibits space and speaker programme coverage, relating to the UK Chemical Industry Supply Chain covering products, services & equipment in the areas of:
Thorne & Derrick will be featuring a range of products and solutions including innovations in Power, Heat, Ventilation, Lighting & Security for use in harsh industrial and hazardous area environments – helping to improve our clients’ operational efficiency and safety.
HAZCHEM – HSE Management & Regulatory Compliance
The CHEMUK ‘HAZCHEM’ programme will give HSE, regulatory, REACH and compliance professionals from across industry the opportunity to discuss their specific contract requirements with specialist providers of chemical management related services and products.
ContractCHEM – The value of Outsourcing in the Chemical Sector
ContractCHEM 2022 will showcase specialist chemical contract organisations providing outsourcing services covering specialist consumer and industrial chemical products including White Label, Private Label, Toll & Contract manufacturing solutions
The BCMPA – The Association for Contract Manufacturing, Packing, Fulfilment & Logistics – are the headline partner to the ‘ContractCHEM’ programme. Visitors will be able to arrange meetings with exhibiting BCMPA members, and also be able to attend the BCMPA keynote presentation from their Chief Executive, Rodney Steel.
Supported by GAMBICA, BVAA, BPMA, Process Intensification Network, and other leading process industry associations
The Chemical, Process & Plant Engineering Show will showcase latest technology and specialist services to attending UK Plant, Process & Control Engineering professionals across the chemical and wider process industries.
Thorne & Derrick and their world-class supply chain of manufacturers are committed to providing compliant explosion proof products to provide safe Power, Lighting, Heating & Ventilation to the hazardous area industries – additionally our team of Sales Engineers are CompEx Foundation course certified and attend regular product training with manufacturers.
We are leaders in the development and distribution of Product Innovations with ATEX-UKCA & IECEx Compliance that deliver significant improvements to clients plant, people and operational safety in the explosive atmosphere industries. Your proactive problem solvers experienced in succession planning for the replacement of obsolete, non-conformant and legacy equipment in hazardous areas.
Hazardous Area LED Lighting With Directional Linear Optics (DLO)
Patented Directional Linear Optics
Wolf Safety are proud to announce the launch of their brand new hazardous area LED lighting range that is suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres and features their revolutionary patented Directional Linear Optics (DLO).
With almost 120 years’ experience of helping keep people safe in potentially explosive atmospheres, and over 15 years as experts in high power LED technology for safe use in Hazardous Areas – starting with our Rechargeable Torch in 2005 – Wolf Safety’s technical team has brought all its expertise and knowledge to bear on the introduction of its brand new installed range.
Complementing our world beating existing ranges of hazardous area portable and temporary lighting, the new fixed lighting range includes:
ATEX & IECEx certified to Gas Zones 1 & 2 & Dust Zone 21 & 22, the range is available in 230V or 110V, with Intelligent Emergency Linear & Bulkhead versions also available.
All products have a temperature class of T4 and a lower ambient temperature of -50°C. High temperature versions are available that go up to +65°C.
The use of robust, low profile marine grade aluminium housing and toughened glass protects the lamps from corrosion and harsh environments. Precision machined aluminium castings ensure an IP67 ingress protection rating, making the range suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Directional Linear Optics (DLO), which is an option in the fixed linear range and standard in the Bulkhead range, is a patented light delivery technology which combines all the benefits of fluorescent and LED technology, whilst eliminating the drawbacks of both. Glare is eliminated, and light can be directed exactly where it’s needed with no overspill or wasted lumens. Furthermore, its uniform consistency makes it ideal for close-up or inspection work.
Other products in the range have the more standard LED array, or Forward Facing Array (FFA), which is ideal for lighting larger areas and when lights are mounted high up and out of operators’ eyeline.
Directional Linear Optics (DLO) comes as standard in the Bulkhead range,
Wolf’s Sales and Marketing Director, Miles Jackson, says:
“We know that users of Wolf products trust us to keep them safe when working in potentially explosive atmospheres. All the values people expect from Wolf and are seen in our portable temporary lighting ranges, can also be found in this new installed lighting range which we are very proud to introduce.
In the unique position of being able to offer a wide range of both DLO and FFA installed lighting, as well as our well established market leading portable and temporary lighting ranges, Wolf can supply a highly effective lighting solution for every hazardous area workplace.
➡ The government also plans to start phasing out the sale of high-energy fluorescent lightbulbs, with a view to bringing an end to their sale from September 2023. Keep your eyes peeled for T&D’s blog regarding this.
ATEX Towerlite | Hazardous Area Tower Lighting
When clear vision and brilliant LED light is required in hazardous area locations or confined spaces with potentially explosive atmospheres, Wolf Safety lights provide bold, bright and unfailing portable and temporary lighting. Since 1912, Wolf has been trusted to light the world’s most hazardous and hostile environments – with ATEX & IECEX certified portable lights to provide safe lighting in explosive atmospheres.
Thorne & Derrick are hazardous area lighting specialists stocking a complete range of portable and permanent fixed lighting including both fluorescent and LED technology in standard linear light fittings, wellglass, high bay and floodlight design certified by ATEX for both Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.
➡ Technical Resources | Hazardous Area Zones | T Class Temperature Ratings | Explosive Atmospheres (Definitions)
Stockists & Suppliers of Wolf Safety Lamp | Portable & Hazardous Area Lighting
Thorne & Derrick are pleased to announce that the LFH and MFH Hazardous Area Heaters are now available for hire via our trusted and approved hire partners.
Looking for a temporary heating solution? Both heaters combine efficient design with simple functionality to provide a cost-effective, temporary heating solution for explosive atmospheres.
With a space-saving and energy-efficient heater design, The MFH and LFH fan assisted heaters can both deliver a powerful stream of warm air that can be felt several meters away, even in ambient temperatures as low as -40°C. The heaters are additionally certified to BS EN ISO 80079-36:2016 and BS EN ISO 80079-37:2016 standards for constructional safety, and are suitable for use in both onshore and offshore environments.
Both heaters can be ducted front and rear to direct the heat where it’s needed.
Please get in touch to discuss hire rates.
The LFH Fan Heater combines superior electrical heating efficiency with simple functionality to provide a next-generation temporary heating solution for use in hazardous area environments where the explosive atmosphere is classified as Zone 1/2 (IIB) and Zone 2/22(IIIC).
The LFH-15-440-I-T3 (stocked by Thorne & Derrick) is fitted with anti-static castors, lifting handles and local isolation switch.
*Additional models & specifications available on request.
The MFH “Bulldog” Portable Fan Heater provides a compact, lightweight and energy efficient heating solution for explosive atmospheres – classified as Zone 1/2 (IIB) or Zone 21/22 (IIIC).
The MFH is the world’s first truly portable fan assisted heater with dual hazardous area ATEX & IECEX Certification.
Certified to the new EN 80079-36 and EN 80079-37 standards for constructional safety.
The MFH Bulldog heater can be ducted from the front and rear using proprietary anti-static ducting
Thorne & Derrick are proud to distribute the World’s first range of ExStream Fans which are manufactured in the UK, by Woodcock & Wilson, providing ventilation for hazardous areas. The independently dual certified IECEx/ATEX portable ventilation fans are certified to both Electrical & Non-Electrical standards.
Thorne & Derrick Win Excellence in Customer Service Award At HazardEx 2021
Thorne & Derrick and their world-class supply chain of manufacturers are committed to providing compliant explosion proof products to provide safe Power, Lighting, Heating & Ventilation to the hazardous area industries – additionally our team of Sales Engineers are CompEx Foundation course certified and attend regular product training with manufacturers.
We are leaders in the development and distribution of Product Innovations with ATEX-UKCA & IECEx Compliance that deliver significant improvements to clients plant, people and operational safety in the explosive atmosphere industries. Your proactive problem solvers experienced in succession planning for the replacement of obsolete, non-conformant and legacy equipment in hazardous areas.
Published 13 Mar 2020
Press Release Date: 02.04.2020 uploaded by Chris Dodds (T&D Sales + Marketing Manager) World’s First Fully Certified ATEX Doors Thorne & Derrick International, the Experts in Equipment for Explosive Atmospheres, today announce the signing of a Commercial Distribution Agreement...
Published 04 Jul 2019
Press Release Date: 04.07.2019 uploaded by Chris Dodds (T&D Sales + Marketing Manager) Category: Stockist Distributor Agreement Announcement Thorne & Derrick International announce that they have signed a Preferred Distributor Agreement with Raytec, the world leading manufacturer of LED...
