Equipping workers and facilities with explosion proof lighting and types of equipment is one of the top priorities when it comes to ensuring their safety in a hazardous environment. This is due to the fact that it restricts thermal and electrical energy in order to prevent ignition. This could imply controlling heat generation and buildup to avoid exceeding a dangerous substance&#;s ignition temperature. Maintaining voltage and current low prevents the chance of sparks in electrical energy.
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This along with the equipment that is designed to withstand explosions by containing the explosion within it. Higher wattage is possible because to the development of strong, thick equipment that can resist an explosion. It&#;s specially designed to avoid a malfunction in electrical process equipment, whether it&#;s intrinsically safe or explosion proof.
Now, speaking on behalf of the work environment let&#;s tackle what kind of factors you need to consider when purchasing intrinsically safe and explosion proof lighting.
Employees who operate in hazardous situations, both direct and contract, have suffered fines, penalties, and even termination in a number of cases for failing to use the appropriate Class 1, Division 1 intrinsically safe lighting equipment specially rated for their work area.
Consider equipping your employees with explosion proof lighting fixtures to enhance their safety when working in low-light, hazardous areas. This is because when a light source is intrinsically safe, it indicates that it has been graded for safety for use in a potentially hazardous workplace and will not create a fire or explosion if used properly and not tampered with. Due to the high concentration of combustible gases, liquids, and dust in industrial and manufacturing facilities. In this situation, there is a risk of fire and explosion so the first thing when choosing lighting in a hazardous environment is ensuring it is indeed classified as intrinsically safe.
Use intrinsically safe fixed and portable task lighting in hazardous areas to safeguard people and property from explosions and fires. The following industries frequently benefit from intrinsically safe lighting devices:
Oil and gas (vapors)
Grain elevators, flour mills, sugar refining (combustible dust)
Textile mills, industrial machine shops (airborne particulates)
HVAC repair and maintenance inspectors and technicians (vapors)
For the following conditions, people must use fundamentally safe lighting: while operating in restricted places or when a potential confined space exists. As a result, working in the oil and gas industry can be hazardous, especially if you operate in an industrial or manufacturing environment where flammable dust and combustible fiber filings are in the air due to the fumes and gases.
After all, with today&#;s mobile worker, you have to ask yourself if the cost of not having an intrinsically safe flashlight is worth the cost of potentially life-threatening risks.
Typically, hazardous area lighting fixtures are rated as Class 1 Division 1, Class 1 Division 2, ATEX Zone 1, or ATEX Zone 2. This ATEX certification certifies that the equipment is safe to use in environments where explosive chemicals such as vapor, dust, gas, or fibers are present in ignitable quantities. As a result, device manufacturers must apply proper design and construction procedures to ensure that their products are safe to use in confined spaces or regions with combustible substances.
An explosion-resistant lamp, for example, is designed to prevent any explosion within it from spreading to the explosive atmosphere outside it, which may result in a secondary explosion as a result of the initial explosion. A manufacturer may achieve this by using a robust enclosure that encloses any burning gases inside. Other designs may make use of tempered glass to capture sparks, static discharges, and other potential ignition sources, preventing disastrous contact with flammable gases or vapors in the surroundings.
The acronym IP stands for Ingress Protection Rating. The Ingress Protection Rating on a piece of equipment describes the level of protection against diverse items, such as dust or water, entering the device. Using the IP Rating, users are able to choose which equipment is most suited for their environment, hence decreasing their risk.
The IP rating consists of the letters IP followed by two digits, or two digits and another letter in some circumstances. The first digit denotes the amount of ingress protection against solids or foreign objects. The first letter, for example, could indicate that an enclosure provides just modest dust protection.
The second digit denotes the amount of liquid intrusion prevention. The second digit, for example, could indicate that an enclosure protects against vertical water drops (such as light rain) and condensation.
Each numeral represents a different level of security. The level of protection increases as the numbers on the foreign object protection and liquid protection scales rise. Look at the chart for a detailed explanation of each number and the level of security it represents.
These are the top five factors to consider when purchasing intrinsically safe explosion proof lighting for use in hazardous environments. The use of explosion-proof lighting ensures the safety of your staff and others in the event of an explosion. Therefore, if you operate in a potentially dangerous environment, it is critical that you employ the proper lighting fixtures.
Lamp selection when speaking about plant production in the horticulture or floriculture field is a very important decision. Lamps can be a good investment when we ask ourselves the correct questions. When working with artificial lighting we first need to analyze the requirements of our growing system and our crop.
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A clear example are the different needs from an indoor vertical farming system in comparison with top lighting inside a plant factory or a greenhouse. Vertical farming is mostly used for leafy greens production. In vertical farm indoor system plants are grown in a multi layer system where height between plants and lamps allow the use of multiple lamps with a lower photon flux in comparison with the ones required at the top of greenhouses or plant factories where photon flux should be way higher in order to reach plant canopy levels at higher distance and provide enough light per day to optimize plant growth.
Another option in the use of artificial lighting is the use of photoperiodic lighting. In some plants flowering can be triggered by short or long day conditions. Therefore some growers can be interested in the use of artificial lighting to create an artificial photoperiod to promote or delay flowering in different crops. Plants can have a response to photoperiod from very low light intensity levels. Meaning not a lot of light is required in order to promote a photoperiodic response. When your objective is mainly to create an artificial photoperiod for your plants you can go for a more simple lamp which can provide low light intensity levels. This kind of lamp will not have a strong impact in plant growth but will provide enough lighting to induce a photoperiodic response.
Lamps used for indoor vertical farm systems, top lighting and photoperiodic lighting can have very different characteristics and prices. Therefore it is crucial to define which lamp will be the one necessary for you based on the lighting necessities for your plants and your growing system.
Vertical farmingTop lightingPhotoperiodic lightingOnce you define the type of lamp required then comes the most difficult decision. You will encounter several options for vertical farming, top lighting and photoperiodic lighting. How can you decide which is the best option? What should you be looking for in a good lighting system?
A lamp with a good design, can definitely mark the difference in energy savings and overall plant growth and health. But where can you look for information in order to compare different lighting options?
DLC (Design Light Consortium) is a third party verifier of light specs. DLC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to achieve energy optimization by enabling interconnected solutions with a focus on quality for people and the environment. By visiting the DLC website (https://www.designlights.org/horticultural-lighting/technical-requirements/) you can learn the minimum technical requirements for horticultural lighting. Also DLC has tested and reported different LED lamps used in Horticultural lighting and has provided a list of reliable and efficient lighting options for Horticultural lighting included in their DLC Horticultural Lighting Qualified Products List (QPL).
Technical requirements for horticultural lighting include information about: Photosynthetic photon flux, spectral quantum distribution, photosynthetic photon intensity distribution, efficacy, long-term performance, warranty, electrical performance and safety.
Let&#;s explain why each of these parameters listed by DLC are important and which are minimum requirements stated by DLC:
Photosynthetic photon flux (µmol/s): Will provide you information about the &#;lamp power&#;, meaning how is the total output of the product per time including the light within the spectrum that is recognized to be used by plants in photosynthesis (Defined by ANSI/ASABE S640 for PPF: 400-700nm).
Spectral Quantum Distribution (µmol/s&#;nm): Provides information about how much light are you getting from a lamp but now linked to light quality. Specifically provides information about how photon flux is distributed across the wavelengths used by the plant for photosynthesis (400-700 nm) and the far-red wavelength (400-800nm) which can also have an impact in plant metabolism.
Comparison of lights, data from DLCEfficacy (µmol/J): Is calculated using data about the lamp output (Output of the fixture over the specific range of wavelengths defined by ANSI/ASABE S640) and electrical input. Efficacy will basically tell you how efficiently your lamp is performing. DLC states that in order to consider a lamp reliable and efficient efficacy levels should be 1.81 μmol/J or higher.
Long-term performance: Can be measured by evaluating the ability of the device to maintain its output (Measured in quanta of photons, Q) within the given ranges over time. This can be also called: Flux Maintenance. DLC set a standard to consider a lamp reliable based on their long-term performance evaluation: Q 90 of &#;36,000 hours within the PPF range (400-700nm).
Warranty: Provides a guarantee from manufacturer regarding the condition of its product and can state the reparation or replacement of product during the warranty period. DLC states a good lamp manufacturer should provide at least a warranty of 5 years, including terms and conditions excluding key components such as the LED, driver or optics.
Comparison of lights, data from DLCElectrical performance:
Another important aspect when selecting an option for LED lighting for horticulture is the specific information about the manufacturer: How much experience do they have? How long have been in the lighting business? This information can be linked to how efficient and complete service they can provide. Horticulture lighting can be a high investment, always look for a manufacturer that can provide enough information about their lighting system (All aspects listed above) and can assist you with light spectrum selection and light plans. Light plans will always be a good tool to understand your lighting systems, number of fixtures and light uniformity over your plants.
The more research you can do evaluating all the aspects presented in this article, the more complete lighting system you will be able to acquire. In Hort Americas we offer you a complete service starting from our advice on the best light system from your project, recommendations on light quality, light plans along with all the technical service to support your success.
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