LIGHTING | TECHNICAL


require achieving at least 100lux, at the tunnel face and excavation areas. In areas with lifting operations you would, again, want at least 100lux. Commonly used is the standard ‘string’ or ‘festoon’


stop-start lighting system, using non-corrosive light fittings. This can be quite harmful to the eyes and even to safety as it does not offer a uniform lighting effect, instead having gaps between the lighting points where it would be quite a lot darker. There will also have to be a compliant emergency


lighting system in place; we use our own specifically designed system, which substantially reduces cost compared with the standard string version that offers an emergency light every certain distance. But there are many other applications for our INFINILED strip system, including shafts, vents, viaducts, bridges, anywhere a walkway or working area is to be lit up and for it to be installed extremely fast and easy. For example, we had to customise the colour temperature on a large viaduct walkway so it would not harm the vision of the bats flying in the vicinity, if you do not get the colour correct then it can be harmful to the local wildlife.


Q: What are the principles of lighting/ illumination used to address these different needs? Do they require quite different technical solutions, or have done in the past?


DW: Not really, the LED strip is quite a non-technical solution in that it is a constant line of light in a tunnel. Even if there are bends, then the flexibility of LED strip means that it will adapt to that situation, too. We also have a plug and play ‘festoon’ type solution, should the amount of illumination required be high, for example in larger project areas, where floodlights might be more suitable. You can adjust the different levels in lighting levels


required by simply using more strip. We could offer a design to achieve the compliant levels required for that task. The technical side is what goes on in the lab in producing INFINILED, and that it is reliable and fulfils the parameters required for temporary tunnel lighting, like using halogen-free housing, various voltage inputs, and


that repairs can be carried out safely and quickly under live conditions by only replacing the section that failed. The ingenious ring feed design guarantees functioning


lighting even when severed, further reducing the need for repairs.


Q: Today, is energy use/sustainability a further factor in assessing how to provide lighting/ illumination? Is that spurring new R&D efforts, or product development? Is it also reducing energy and replacement costs, etc?


DW: For sure. We are constantly looking at ways we can make our INFINILED design a more efficient solution for tunnel lighting and, in turn, be more environmentally friendly. It definitely takes less power to run our system than standard ‘festoon types’ and over large distances this can then matter greatly. We can have one emergency fitting every 50m, again


reducing material demand and power consumption. Due to the design of our INFINILED strip and its ability to work over ultra-long distances, the distances between power sources can become greater, resulting in less material demand again for transformers, etc, and, of course, bringing costs down substantially in the overall design of the temporary lighting system. The main components are copper and silicone, both recyclable at the end of life.


Q: Where does your company focus services and products, and what types are available?


DW: We focus on lighting and have the ability to work with clients to offer them a fully customised lighting scheme to suit their project. We have designed the lighting for the portals on infrastructure projects. For example, the manufacturing units, these can have many different demands, like super high ceilings, extreme temperatures, lights required to run constantly, and so on. We supply different sectors but have a strong


foothold in infrastructure project lighting, and commercial and industrial lighting. We also have various different solutions for the upgrading and retro-


September 2023 | 17


Above:


Easy installation of LED strips


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33