LED Ex Lighting

The hazardous area lighting you choose to install today will make the difference in plant safety, worker comfort and maintenance costs for years to come – affecting the overall running costs of your site.

Major issues can occur on drill rigs as they are reliant on power from generators – a lack of generating capacity can led to a massive expense. Decreasing the consumption from the present electrical equipment is a different solution that can be helped by LED technology.

LED technology can provide the same light output to traditional lighting reducing the amount of power used. A typical 400W SON floodlight (440W power consumption) can be replaced by an equivalent SPARTAN LED unit which will consume just 136W.

Switching to LED lighting on a drill rig could save around 16KW of generating capacity much cheaper than buying a new generator for the 50 odd floodlights. The generating capacity can be used for other equipment.

While the reduced consumption alone may warrant upgrading to LED luminaires, LED technology also offers a number of other benefits when compared to traditional Ex lighting.

Lighting When You Need It Most

Instability is a problem for the generators for drill rigs as a power outage can immoblise the lighting on site causing a major safety threat.

The emergency battery back up for the lighting is essential especially when the mains power fails – making it imperative to use LED technology on any drill rig. Traditional Ex lighting isn’t available as an emergency option given that the luminaire draws a very high current which is not suited to a backup battery.

However SPARTAN LED luminaires do have an emergency version where a battery back up module prevents a blackout even when the mains power fails significantly decreasing the chance of injury and incident on site.

If full power is lost SPARTAN LED luminaires will strike immediately, however during a short term voltage drop the full light output will operate only when it gets down to 100V will the emergency function kick in. In contrast, hot restrike for traditional technology commonly takes up to 15 minutes, while a tighter voltage range also makes it more prone to outages.

Maintenance Savings

Maintenance costs need to be taken in to consideration as gaining access to a rig can be a difficult process as they are often found isolated locations that require specialist equipment. Traditional lighting technology would require the EX luminaire lamps to be changed frequently dramatically increasing the cost.

LED luminaires have an unrivaled lifespan of 10+ years reducing the frequency of lamp changes and time set aside for maintenance. SPARTAN luminaires have a modular design meaning PSU and LED modules can be removed and serviced independently, so SPARTAN can be supported on-site making the overall maintenance process a lot simpler.

The PSU on some units can even be located remotely at ground level. For example, PSUs on SPARTAN Flood luminaires can be located up to 100m away from the unit, meaning no matter where the area is located, there may be an opportunity to greatly improve ease of access, further increasing maintenance savings.

SPARATAN luminaires advantages are mainly thanks to the LED technology which is better suited to drill rig applications than traditional lighting. With worldwide certification (ATEX and IECEx plus US approval including C1D2) and an industry leading 5 year warranty, SPARTAN luminaires are the ideal choice when looking to switch or upgrade to LED.

Thorne & Derrick | Hazardous Area Equipment & Explosion Protection Specialist Distributors

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Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors of Hazardous Area & Explosion Proof Equipment with IECEx & ATEX Certifications to the onshore and offshore oil, gas, petrochemicals and process industries.

Key Product Categories: Control Panels | Plugs & Sockets | Isolators | Enclosures & Junction Boxes | Lighting | Control Stations | Motor Starters | Heat Trace Cables & Systems | Gas Detection & Detectors | Fire Detection & Detectors | Heat Detectors | Electrical Heating & Heaters 

 Also Process Instrumentation Products: Ashcroft Pressure Gauges | ASCO Valves | Katronic Flow Meters | KROHNE Flow Meters | VEGA Level Sensors | Rotronic Temperature & Humidity Sensors | SIKA Pressure Gauges

Ex Linear Lighting

LED Linear Luminaires

Did you know that upgrading your current fluorescent light fittings to Raytec LED Linear luminaires offers huge benefits including long operating life, a reduction in maintenance, and the availability of emergency variants to ensure light output is maintained at times at all crucial moments.

However, there may still be a reluctance to move away from existing fluorescent fittings, even for those who already understand the benefits of LED – both the time and cost of installation can act as a barrier to technological advances. In large scale applications the willingness to change is often quite small as drilling rigs or production platforms as there could be hundreds of light fittings to replace.

The obvious application for retrofit LED is to replace an old incandescent source when it fails but there are other applications.

A retrofit LED lamp is often the most efficient energy light source. LED lamps vary slightly in size/shape it is important to check that the lamp you would like to use actually fits in to the fitting.

Retro fit lamps are a cheaper alternative especially in applications where the lights aren’t used frequently and the focus isn’t on the amount or quality of light (e.g. garages, stores, small secondary rooms) a fitting with a retrofit lamp might be the best route to go.

Upgrading to LED using a retrofitable luminaire can help to minimise a lot of the time and costs associated with replacing the existing units.

The below blog looks at retrofitable luminaires in more detail, reviewing how their features aid installation and make the transition from fluorescent to LED cleaner.

Easy Installation

SPARTAN linear retrofit luminaires are manufactured to mirror the dimensions of traditional fluorescent fittings. Replacement is easy thanks to the compatibility of the fixing centres and gland entries to the existing fluorescent.

No new mounting accessories are required as all existing can be used when installing parts which is great news for larger applications e.g. drilling rigs. This increased compatibility helps to streamline the installation process, making it quicker, less costly and also minimising the amount of disruption on-site while the new units are being fitted.

Equivalent Output

Retrofit is synonymous with being easy to install. The SPARTAN linear proves this as it it a true retrofitable unit providing the same level of light as the current fluorescent fitting.

Driving LED’s harder in a linear fitting should be avoided at all costs as if the lumen output is too high there’s a change of glare will occur which could cause serious problems when downlighting is used in working conditions. This can be tempting to do however dur to LED technology generating a greater output than fluorescent fittings.

Retrofit solutions like SPARTAN Linear are therefore designed to deliver an even spread of light with multiple, small profile SMT LEDs used to provide a crisp, uniform illumination which is free from glare and exactly replicates traditional 2 x18W or 2x36W fluorescents.

Additionally, the improved colour rendition of white-light LEDs compared to fluorescent luminaires deliver a markedly better working environment for the human eye from the same lumen output.

So in summary, providing you use a luminaire which is retrofitable, the process of upgrading a site from existing fluorescent luminaires to LED is probably more straightforward than you had imagined. Considering the benefits of LED luminaires together; easy installation and drastically reduced maintenance costs, the decision to upgrade should be an easy one.

Thorne & Derrick | Hazardous Area Equipment & Explosion Protection Specialist Distributors

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Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors of Hazardous Area & Explosion Proof Equipment with IECEx & ATEX Certifications to the onshore and offshore oil, gas, petrochemicals and process industries.

Key Product Categories: Control Panels | Plugs & Sockets | Isolators | Enclosures & Junction Boxes | Lighting | Control Stations | Motor Starters | Heat Trace Cables & Systems | Gas Detection & Detectors | Fire Detection & Detectors | Heat Detectors | Electrical Heating & Heaters 

 Also Process Instrumentation Products: Ashcroft Pressure Gauges | ASCO Valves | Katronic Flow Meters | KROHNE Flow Meters | VEGA Level Sensors | Rotronic Temperature & Humidity Sensors | SIKA Pressure Gauges

Emergency Ex Lighting

Raytec Emergency Hazardous Area Lighting

Emergency Ex lighting is used to supply back-up illumination in hazardous areas using an in-built battery which provides light output in the event that mains power is lost – effective emergency hazardous area lighting solution absolutely critical to achieving the highest levels of safety on site.

This article looks at the advancements in emergency luminaires thanks to the development of LED technology, and explores why hazardous area lighting is so important to on-site safety.

Why is Emergency Lighting Important?

Safety is paramount in emergency lighting applications. Although the presence of gas or dust denotes a ‘hazardous area’, applications in which Ex lighting is required, such as offshore oil and gas, are also commonly high risk in terms of their general safety and the highest safety measures are required at all times to minimise the risk on-site.

A light output that is available during a power outtage (when the main power is down) is crucial to site safety – if the site has an unstable power supply emergency lighting is imperative.

For example, offshore applications rely on the use of generators as their primary source of power; these generators are often unstable and prone to power outages which increase the reliance on emergency lighting, and make the choice of LED luminaires even more important.

With existing technology, even short term voltage drops cause significant disruption given the delay in the luminaire being able to restrike, as previously discussed. Moving between power and emergency modes is simple making the LED luminaire the most suitable solution for applications with unstable power supplies.

Why LED for Emergency Fittings?

The emergence of LED technology has meant that emergency Ex lighting has become a feasible, functional lighting solution. Although it’s not impossible to find an emergency variant of a  traditional luminaire (i.e. SON or Metal Halide), these units have their limitations.

Design

Generally speaking emergency batteries can be bulky and expensive therefore it is uncommon for emergency lighting to use traditional technologies.

In contrast, LED luminaires require only a fraction of the power; for example a 400W SON Floodlight can be replaced by a 136W SPARTAN LED equivalent.

Emergency backup batteries don’t need to be as powerful as normal ones which enables the battery to be more compact in size and weight helping to reduce the cost of the overall unit.

Functionality

The functionality of the traditional emergency lighting units is the main barrier not only the size, weight and cost. A high power draw means that under emergency conditions the units can only provide output for a fraction of the time compared to a superior LED alternative.

A SPARTAN LED Floodlight can provide 50% light output for up to 2 hours.

LED light fittings also allow an instant restrike when mains power is lost, ensuring there is outtage when the emergency battery kicks in. Traditional light fittings may take up to 15 minutes to fully strike when power is lost; too long a period of time when an emergency strikes a hazardous area.

Other Benefits of Emergency LED Lighting

Emergency LED lighting also provide greater resilience than traditional Ex light fittings. Each scenario is likely to have different specifications for its emergency lighting; some may prioritise light output under emergency conditions, while others may require an extended running time by using a lower output level.

Conveniently SPARTAN luminaires can be set up to have a different light output under emergency conditions. This helps the balance between light output and running time, and the most suitable solution for each application.

The modular design of the LED lighting allows flexibility meaning a standard variant of the SPARTAN luminaires can be enhanced to an emergency light fitting at anytime with a additional battery back up module so a unit can be upgraded rather than replaced, saving time and cost.

Thorne & Derrick | Hazardous Area Equipment & Explosion Protection Specialist Distributors

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Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors of Hazardous Area & Explosion Proof Equipment with IECEx & ATEX Certifications to the onshore and offshore oil, gas, petrochemicals and process industries.

Key Product Categories: Control Panels | Plugs & Sockets | Isolators | Enclosures & Junction Boxes | Lighting | Control Stations | Motor Starters | Heat Trace Cables & Systems | Gas Detection & Detectors | Fire Detection & Detectors | Heat Detectors | Electrical Heating & Heaters 

 Also Process Instrumentation Products: Ashcroft Pressure Gauges | ASCO Valves | Katronic Flow Meters | KROHNE Flow Meters | VEGA Level Sensors | Rotronic Temperature & Humidity Sensors | SIKA Pressure Gauges

ATEX Lighting Solution For Crane Applications

Lighting for an offshore or marine boom crane is a particularly demanding application. Traditional lighting solutions are unable to be used in these environments where there is exposure to high vibration and where the mounting options are access requiring a hazardous area lighting solution.

A purpose designed LED crane luminaire can overcome both these issues and deliver an improved quality of light for crane operators.

WHY CHOOSE A CUSTOM DESIGNED CRANE LUMINAIRE?

Standard floodlight are used on most crane applications typically metal-halide (HID) or high pressure sodium (HPS), however these aren’t specifically designed

Lighting used on most crane applications tends to be standard floodlighting, typically metal-halide (HID) or high pressure sodium (HPS), which has not been designed with the specific requirements of the application in mind.

To achieve reliable, high quality illumination on a crane boom, it is essential to choose a ATEX lighting solution that has been designed specifically for crane applications.

The SPARTAN Crane luminaire is similar in design to the SPARTAN Flood boasting the same features including minimum maintenance, high durability and an in-built resistance to vibration.

Simple additions make the crane luminaire suitable for the demands of crane mounted applications this include a custom designed bracket that has a stainless steel rotary damper.

The rotary damper moves with the crane boom to ensure it always lights the area directly below the crane tip and stops the lighting from ‘swinging’ under movement, which could create a strobing effect which is detrimental to the operator.

Having reviewed the design features of the SPARTAN crane luminaire it is now time to take a look at the features of an LED crane in contrast to the traditional technology.

QUALITY & DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT

The colour temperature of the light is the biggest variant between traditional crane lighting and an LED Crane luminaires.

LED fittings use a higher ‘daylight’ temperature (easier for the human eye) whilst the more traditional floodlights (HID and HPS) provide a ‘warmer white’ colour. LED’s are most cost effective as they reduce the probability of failures and do not leave a site in darkness or lacking in light for long periods of time like traditional light fittings.

This has a significant impact from a health and safety perspective and increases the level of risk on-site, worsened under emergency conditions.

The height of the crane boom has to be considered when looking into the distribution of light. The highly diffused light produced by HID and HPS lamps often washes out and provides inadequate light levels on the load and load target.

Using LED technology limits the wasted light as improvements in the operational light benefit from the technological advancements.

LED Crane lighting delivers precision when it comes to the distribution of light in the load and on the workstation or facility. This increases visibility and site safety as the crane operator is likely to be blinded by the light when looking at the load.

The SPARTAN Crane luminaire uses a narrow beam pattern as standard, generating enough light on the load and load target regardless of the elevation of the crane boom.

Circular and elliptical beam pattern are also an option: circular maximises light output whilst elliptical beam patterns use Raytec’s revolutionary VARIO holographic lens technology to shape the light. This decreases energy wastage, enables longer illumination distances and limits the light output lost.

The VARIO holographic beam patterns can easily be modified for any angle – offering ultimate flexibility to specifiers, distributors and end-users.

VIBRATION

Crane applications invlove frequent movement and lifting of cranes so the floodlights need to be robust and be able to offer protection against high levels of vibration. LEDs are encapsulated in a silicone rubber compound with a natural resistance to vibration unlike traditional lamps.

All power electronics in SPARTAN are also encapsulated. The result is an outstanding resistance to vibration for the most demanding applications.

While all LEDs are naturally resistant to vibration, the SPARTAN Crane luminaire uses high performance surface mount LEDs that are encapsulated in a silicone rubber compound. All power electronics in SPARTAN are also encapsulated. The result is an outstanding resistance to vibration for the most demanding applications.

MAINTENANCE

The number of replacement lamps depends on the lighting used. Traditional light fittings require a lot more maintenance and lamp changes over the lifespan due to environmental factors and vibration.

However long life LED’s reduce maintenance costs over the light fittings life span an incredibly important feature in crane lighting applications. The installation of the light to the boom tip further increases the difficulty of maintenance of these light fittings.

Due to the effects of the working environment and vibration, traditional crane lighting will require frequent maintenance and relamping with each fitting going through a number of replacements over the course of its operational life.

The SPARTAN Crane luminaire provides a solution to this by using the latest Platinum Elite SMT LEDs and providing an operational life of over 100,000 hours. In the event that maintenance is required, SPARTAN’s unique modular design makes maintenance far easier and means it can also be carried out on-site.

The Crane luminaire also uses the same core power supply components as SPARTAN Flood which allows one stockpile of spare parts to be kept on-site to service multiple variants of different SPARTAN luminaires.

DURABILITY

Durability is key when lighting offshore cranes as hazardous conditions such as severe temperatures, threat of exposure to vibration, danger of corrosion due to the marine environment and the fact that the electrical supply on a crane is prone to fluctuating which causes electrical stress and early failures. The SPARTAN Crane luminaire is designed with these conditions specifically in mind.

Designed to protect against vibration the SPARTAN Crane also has a marine grade aluminium body for safety against extreme conditions, an operating temperature suitable for up to +55° making this light fitting by far more robust than the majority of alternatives on the market.

CoolExtrude™ thermal management technology also ensures a much cooler LED operating temperature, and as a result provides up to 60% better heat dissipation compared to traditional lighting solutions, allowing the product to operate for 10+ years in the most challenging environments. These design features dramatically reduces the risk of damage during transportation, installation, and operation, even in an environment as demanding as an offshore crane.

Thorne & Derrick | Hazardous Area Equipment & Explosion Protection Specialist Distributors

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Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors of Hazardous Area & Explosion Proof Equipment with IECEx & ATEX Certifications to the onshore and offshore oil, gas, petrochemicals and process industries.

Key Product Categories: Control Panels | Plugs & Sockets | Isolators | Enclosures & Junction Boxes | Lighting | Control Stations | Motor Starters | Heat Trace Cables & Systems | Gas Detection & Detectors | Fire Detection & Detectors | Heat Detectors | Electrical Heating & Heaters 

 Also Process Instrumentation Products: Ashcroft Pressure Gauges | ASCO Valves | Katronic Flow Meters | KROHNE Flow Meters | VEGA Level Sensors | Rotronic Temperature & Humidity Sensors | SIKA Pressure Gauges

Raytec Spartan

LED Hazardous Area Lighting

The hazardous area lighting you choose to install today will make the difference in plant safety, worker comfort and maintenance costs for years to come – affecting the overall running costs of your site.

Reducing running costs is common pressure in many industries. It is often difficult do to this without compromising safety, luckily Raytec lighting can provide effective solutions whilst keeping the site costs to a minimum.

.If a site is still using traditional lighting, such as sodium floodlights or fluorescent linear lighting, it could be worth upgrading to LED which would make significant cost savings. In this article we will look at the advantages of switching to an LED solution and how it can help to save money.

1: Energy Savings and Reducing Consumption

Generating less heat, offering an efficient light source with much less power and producing the same light output are just some of the advantages that LED’s have over traditional light fittings.

Energy savings are made via each LED luminaire that is installed as an example, a traditional 400W Floodlight (which will actually use around 440W of power in total) can be replaced by a SPARTAN LED Floodlight which uses 136W of power, saving around 304W for every luminaire switched to LED.

The savings can be phenomenal over large installations providing an environmentally friendly solution whilst reducing running costs.

Reducing consumption of a lighting solution can also provide cost savings in other ways. For larger installations which rely on generators to provide power, limited capacity can often be a problem.

If you switch to LED your overall consumption will reduce so the electrical savings can be used elsewhere on site. This is much more cost efficient than extending the generator capacity.

2: Minimising Light Wastage

LEDs minimise light wastage by delivering high directional light that illuminates only the space where the light is required. This differs from traditional fittings that disperse lights in all direction by using reflectors to direct light which results in imprecision due to limited controllability.

Raytec’s Vario technology allows the SPARTAN LED luminaires 8 different beam patterns including circular and elliptical providing light that is targeted and not wasted.

Reducing wattage will ultimately help to save costs by ensuring money and energy is not spent illuminating areas of the site where light isn’t required.

3: Reduced Maintenance

A low maintenance lighting solution is often required in Ex applications were access if often restricted. As an example, conducting maintenance work to a luminaire on an offshore rig may require rope access or the use of specialist machinery, such as helicopters or cherry pickers which result in high expenditure. Put simply minimising the amount of maintenance breaks by changing to LED luminaires can therefore help make significant savings.

SPARTAN LED luminaires offer a lifetime of 100,000+ hours, without the need for re-lamping or maintenance, significantly reducing maintenance costs in comparison to traditional fittings. SPARTAN can also offer greater flexibility; for example LED and PSU modules can be split so the PSUs can be removed and located remotely at ground level for easier inspection.

In a hazardous environment, as well as being energy efficient, the lighting is often exposed to constant shock and vibration in extreme temperatures.

SPARTAN lighting can withstand arduous conditions as a result of the following design features built with marine grade aluminium and designed without ledges to prevent dust or water from accumulating, a vibration resistant design, and a wide operating temperature of -50°C up to +60°C.

Thorne & Derrick | Hazardous Area Equipment & Explosion Protection Specialist Distributors

ELECTRICAL & PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION EQUIPMENT

FOR EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERES

Thorne & Derrick are Specialist Distributors of Hazardous Area & Explosion Proof Equipment with IECEx & ATEX Certifications to the onshore and offshore oil, gas, petrochemicals and process industries.

Key Product Categories: Control Panels | Plugs & Sockets | Isolators | Enclosures & Junction Boxes | Lighting | Control Stations | Motor Starters | Heat Trace Cables & Systems | Gas Detection & Detectors | Fire Detection & Detectors | Heat Detectors | Electrical Heating & Heaters 

 Also Process Instrumentation Products: Ashcroft Pressure Gauges | ASCO Valves | Katronic Flow Meters | KROHNE Flow Meters | VEGA Level Sensors | Rotronic Temperature & Humidity Sensors | SIKA Pressure Gauges