Solid state lighting for industrial locations

Advances in LED (light emitting diode) technology are creating broader applications in general illumination. Customer requirements, including long life, high brightness and reliability for industrial, harsh and hazardous locations can be achieved with current LED technology. This paper will bring awareness of LED technology and show its applicability and benefits to hazardous and industrial locations. Once considered only for exit signs or specialty indicators, LEDs are now targeting opportunities in down lights, flood lights and street lights. When compared to conventional light sources such as fluorescent or metal halide, LED light sources can have longer life with energy savings, plus equal or better light characteristics that will provide years of maintenance-free operation with a quantifiable return on investment. Along with the benefits come challenges due to the demands of the applications and the constraints of LED technology. Thermal management, optical control and LED selection top the list of challenges that luminaire manufacturers face when developing new fixtures using LED technology. End users of this technology must be aware of the limitations of both LED technology and suppliers. LED technology does not lend itself well to a simple screw-based solution and is not the solution to every lighting application. The benefits and drawbacks of new designs, environmental concerns, system considerations and market trends in solid state lighting will be discussed further, as well as a detailed description of the components of LED-based illumination systems.