Press Release
Shining a light on hazardous areas
Safe lighting solutions in hazardous environments
Waldenburg – In most production or process facilities, good visibility is crucial
for safety in the workplace. This is particularly true in hazardous areas.
Operators in refineries, on oil rigs or in clean rooms depend on electrical lighting
for a good view of day-to-day activities. However, conventional industrial
luminaires do not meet the strict standards for hazardous areas. Such
environments call for explosion-protected lighting systems. Only a few
specialised manufacturers can provide a versatile range of state-of-the-art
solutions for diverse needs in these conditions. Users not only expect a broad
portfolio of suitable lights to choose from, but also appreciate suppliers with
extensive expertise in both explosion protection and lighting system planning.
A range of different lights are required in hazardous areas, e.g. individual
luminaires, floodlights, compact luminaires, or even full-scale emergency light
solutions complete with a central battery system. One major trend in recent
years is the increasing popularity of LED technology for more and more of these
and other types of lamps – with substantial benefits for end users.
LED: Long-lived, efficient, dynamic
The reasons for the rise of LEDs are economical as well as technological. The
price of light emitting diodes has come down considerably in recent years as
improved manufacturing methods have taken hold and production quantities
have multiplied. At the same time, high-performance diodes have been
constantly enhanced and now offer an excellent light yield as well. In addition,
several LED characteristics are particularly well suited to harsh industrial
environments. For one, LEDs are hardly susceptible to vibrations at all.
Moreover, in hard-to-access locations, they enable compact lighting solutions
including intelligent systems that automatically adjust for changing ambient light
sources. LEDs also achieve several times the life span of incandescent and
fluorescent lamps. Notably, the energy efficiency of LED luminaires – and the
service life along with it – even increases at low temperatures. That makes LED
lights ideally suited to applications in very cold environments, e.g. oil and gas
industry facilities in arctic regions. Of course, this is a segment that is also
notorious for the prevalence of hazardous areas.
Page 2: Safe lighting solutions for various purposes in hazardous environments
Illustrations 1, 2, 3: LED technology is increasingly used for various types of
hazardous area luminaires – e.g. hand lamps, inspection lamps or portable lights.
Versatile range of LED luminaires
LEDs became popular early on for hand lamps and torches. These devices
used to be fitted with incandescent lamps with a relatively short life span that
only achieved a moderate light yield. In LED versions, the internal resistance of
the batteries is now usually sufficient to ensure a consistent supply current. The
fact that LEDs are typically limited to a narrow beam is largely irrelevant for
these types of luminaires. In signal lamps, LEDs are becoming a technology of
choice as well. These types of lamps benefit from the instant start functionality
of LEDs as well as from their tolerance for frequent switching without negative
repercussions on their service life. The low energy intake and therefore low
intrinsic heat is also a vital aspect that enables highly effective, yet at the same
time extremely efficient signal light solutions. A somewhat more recent
development is the foray of LED technology into the field of general-purpose
light fittings. These luminaires used to be the strongest domain of classical
illuminants until a few years ago. LED-based models such as the EXLUX 6002
and 6402 lines from R. STAHL, for example, now serve as very energy-efficient
general lighting solutions in Ex zones 1/21 and 2/22: one 52 W model of these
new LED devices can replace two standard 36 W fluorescent lamps while
ensuring a much better life span of 100,000 operating hours. Given a high
luminous flux of 5,800 lm, it also achieves an excellent light yield that surpasses
100 lm/W.
Page 3: Safe lighting solutions for various purposes in hazardous environments
Illustration 4: The new EXLUX 6402 general-purpose luminaires are easy
to install and achieve an exceptionally high light yield thanks to LED technology
Life cycle cost reduction
Accessories are compatible as well – existing facilities can therefore be easily
modified or retrofitted with LED technology. The new units also weigh at least a
third less than comparable competing standard products, which further
facilitates handling. R. STAHL also offers compact LED-based tubular light
fittings for use in Ex zones 1/21 and 2/22 that provide users with an innovative
alternative to typical linear luminaires. With a diameter of merely 55 mm, the
new lights take up less than half the space required by conventional linear
luminaires, and also weigh some 50% less. The tubular design makes the new
6036 series extraordinarily light-efficient: 30 such LED-based fittings with a
length of four foot (1240 mm), for instance, ensure an illuminance of
approximately 500 lx. That would usually require 35 linear luminaires with two
36 W fluorescent tubes each, or even 48 conventional box-type units retrofitted
with LEDs. However, R. STAHL’s new lights consume only about half as much
power and the specific power consumption per 100 lx amounts to a mere
1.5 W/m². Operating expenses are therefore greatly reduced – realistic cost
savings range from some 20% to more than 50%, depending on the relevant
time frame and specific solutions that are compared. They can also be fitted
with a light sensor to ensure automatic switch-off as long as sufficient ambient
light is available. In this case, operating costs can come down even further in
some applications.
Illustration 5: Thanks to extraordinary light efficiency, the new 6036 series of
Page 4: Safe lighting solutions for various purposes in hazardous environments
LED-based tubular light fittings ensures considerably lower operating costs
Innovative non-LED luminaires for hazardous areas
Of course, LEDs are not the only lighting option for hazardous areas. There are
also novel developments for luminaires using conventional illuminants. For
example, R. STAHL recently introduced a new generation of robust, hazardous
area light fittings with regular illuminants in the EXLUX 6001 line. These
achieve a higher energy efficiency and provide approximately 10% more
luminous flux than otherwise comparable products. Current EXLUX 6001
luminaires for use in Ex zones 1/2 and 2/22 also feature a design that is
considerably more compact, stable, and torsion-resistant than the preceding
generation. Depending on their performance class, new 6001 series luminaires
are a quarter to a third lighter than their predecessor models and other products
of this category. Other notable developments for R. STAHL are extra-tough
signalling devices for use in Ex zones 1/2 and 2/22. FX 15 series beacons are
designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions, e.g. a wide ambient
temperature range of -55 °C to +70 °C. A GRP enclosure combined with a
stainless steel guard and fixings provide a corrosion-resistant product. The light
source is a xenon tube providing a high light output. A polycarbonate Fresnel
lens helps to direct and enhance the impression from the 5 Joule xenon flash.
FX15 series beacons with a clear lens produce an excellent luminous intensity
of 49 effective candela.
Illustration 6: R. STAHL has designed robust FX15 series flashing beacons
for rugged conditions in zone 1/21 or 2/22 hazardous environments
Spotlight on luminaire development for hazardous areas
Comprehensive expertise in all three crucial fields – light planning, luminaire
technology and explosion protection for hazardous areas – is a rare
combination among manufacturers worldwide. R. STAHL has been a driving
Page 5: Safe lighting solutions for various purposes in hazardous environments
force of late: „We are continually growing in the market segment for luminaires
in hazardous areas. Today we already rank third among the manufacturers in
that segment and we aim to further boost our success e.g. with new products
based on LED technology“, says Martin Schomaker, CEO of R. STAHL AG. The
German company offers to engineer, manufacture and commission customised
illumination solutions, e.g. comprehensive lighting installations or complex
emergency lighting systems. R. STAHL’s dedicated production facilities can
also
manufacture
application-specific
luminaires.
What
was
already
considerable in-house expertise for lighting systems has been significantly
enhanced by the acquisition and integration of Clifford & Snell, the British
optical and acoustic signal device specialist, a number of years ago. In recent
years, R. STAHL has also expanded the main lighting products plant in Weimar.
Originally established in 1991 and now employing more than 100 staff, this
location serves as the R. STAHL competence centre for luminaires. Only
recently a 622 sqm laboratory and administration building, constituting an
infrastructure investment of some 1.5 mn EUR, was inaugurated at the Weimar
plant. As experts for hazardous area luminaires as well as for lighting system
planning, R. STAHL can provide machine engineers and plant operators with
very flexible solutions based on a wide range of suitable products with
conventional illuminants or LEDs. Users can therefore rest assured they will
always get a bright solution to shine a light on what is going on in hazardous
areas.
Company Background
For more than 80 years, R. STAHL has been a trendsetting manufacturer of safety technology for
hazardous areas. Based in Waldenburg, Germany, the company is one of the world's leading
suppliers of explosion-protected automation, control and distribution, installation, operating and
monitoring, lighting, signaling and alarm components and systems. Key products include customerspecific systems solutions for hazardous areas. R. STAHL's individual packages containing tailored
product combinations and a wide range of services such as consulting, project planning,
engineering and training courses for customers are designed to fully meet application requirements
and customer needs. International certifications, approvals and patents demonstrate the company's
expertise and allow for R. STAHL's products to be used throughout the world.
Page 6: Safe lighting solutions for various purposes in hazardous environments
Contact:
Press Contact:
R. STAHL
R. STAHL
Am Bahnhof 30
74638 Waldenburg
Germany
Kerstin Wolf
Phone: +49 7942 / 943 - 0
Fax: +49 7942 / 943 - 4333
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.stahl.de
Am Bahnhof 30
74638 Waldenburg
Germany
Phone: +49 7942 / 943 - 4300
Fax: +49 7942 / 943 - 404300
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.stahl.de