Publisher’s version / Version de l'éditeur:
Construction Innovation, 3, Nov 1, pp. 8-9, 1997-11-01
READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS WEBSITE. https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/copyright
Vous avez des questions? Nous pouvons vous aider. Pour communiquer directement avec un auteur, consultez la
première page de la revue dans laquelle son article a été publié afin de trouver ses coordonnées. Si vous n’arrivez pas à les repérer, communiquez avec nous à PublicationsArchive-ArchivesPublications@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
Questions? Contact the NRC Publications Archive team at
PublicationsArchive-ArchivesPublications@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca. If you wish to email the authors directly, please see the first page of the publication for their contact information.
NRC Publications Archive
Archives des publications du CNRC
This publication could be one of several versions: author’s original, accepted manuscript or the publisher’s version. / La version de cette publication peut être l’une des suivantes : la version prépublication de l’auteur, la version acceptée du manuscrit ou la version de l’éditeur.
Access and use of this website and the material on it are subject to the Terms and Conditions set forth at
Researchers evaluate the performance of different lighting systems
Tiller, D. K.
https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/droits
L’accès à ce site Web et l’utilisation de son contenu sont assujettis aux conditions présentées dans le site LISEZ CES CONDITIONS ATTENTIVEMENT AVANT D’UTILISER CE SITE WEB.
NRC Publications Record / Notice d'Archives des publications de CNRC:
https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=d94771df-11f7-49ff-a88f-4b0e86f26cf5 https://publications-cnrc.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=d94771df-11f7-49ff-a88f-4b0e86f26cf5
ConstructionInnovation
ARCHIVED – Indoor environment v3n1-8
Researchers evaluate the performance of different
lighting systems
Technological improvements in the lighting industry have resulted in many choices for designers, specifiers and consumers. New lamps, ballasts and control systems are appearing in the marketplace with ever increasing frequency. Recent years have seen the introduction of narrower lamps with a 25-mm diameter (T8) as replacements for lamps with a 32-mm diameter (T12), and even narrower lamps (T5) are expected to be introduced in North America within the next year.
Purchasing and specifying decisions for lighting products can be difficult since information comes from many sources, and new, improved products are continually being introduced. More importantly, information about how lighting systems will perform under conditions that might occur in real buildings is often nonexistent, since it would be difficult for manufacturers to test their products in conjunction with all the other systems and components that might exist at a particular site.
The performance of fluorescent lighting systems varies as a function of electricity supply characteristics, luminaire design, ambient temperature, air-flow patterns, and the
combined effects of all these variables. Since the ambient conditions specified for laboratory bench tests reported in a manufacturer’s literature rarely correspond to the conditions under which fluorescent lighting systems operate in real-life situations, the results of bench tests may not generalize to real-world applications.
Over the past several years IRC researchers have conducted tests to characterize the operating characteristics of fluorescent lighting systems. Results from this work are used by clients, such as Public Works and Government Services Canada, to guide procurement. One series of tests investigated the operating characteristics of linear fluorescent lighting systems using a realistic lighting test facility consisting of eight, two-lamp luminaires in a lay-in ceiling. Ambient temperature and power supply to the testing facility were controlled, while light output, power consumption and power quality were measured for several lamp and ballast combinations.
Results from a series of tests investigating fluorescent lighting systems show the difference in performance for a variety of lamp ballasts. Ballasts that demonstrate superior performance are clustered in the lower right quadrant of the figure, whereas those that exhibit poor performance are clustered in the top left quadrant
Dr. Dale Tiller examining a fluorescent lighting fixture in the test facility.
The figure depicts the results from one series of tests and shows the relationships between measured total harmonic distortion (THD), one measure of power quality, and light output (or relative efficacy in terms of measured light level at the floor per unit of input power) for a variety of fluorescent lamp ballasts. Ballasts with superior
performance on these two measures – that is, high relative efficacy and low THD – cluster in the lower right quadrant of the figure, whereas those exhibiting poor performance cluster in the top left quadrant.
Besides demonstrating clear differences in ballast performance, these tests also showed that fluorescent lighting systems often operate at higher than optimal
temperatures. Since building lighting systems will operate at equilibrium after stabilizing, it is important to ensure ambient conditions favour the most efficient system operation possible. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America notes that fluorescent lamp output peaks at 35°C to 40°C. In these tests, the lowest mean lamp temperature observed was 43.63°C, while the highest mean lamp temperature was 49.83°C. These findings suggest that further research into practical techniques for optimizing luminaire thermal conditions would be a useful step in improving lighting system performance.
