Design and Application of Water-Cooled Luminaire

The ever-increasing trend towards higher footcandle levels has created problems of heat removal. Air handling luminaires are now the most popular way of removing this excess heat. Water-cooled luminaires provide a more efficient way of removing heat from the occupied space and offer advantages of versatility as compared with conventional, or air handling type, fixtures. Design criteria, problems of potential corrosion, and installation and maintenance procedure are discussed. Curves are provided to indicate performance of these fixtures and to show typical heating and cooling system comparisons between water-cooled and other types of systems. Water flow rates of 1/2 gallon per minute of 77??F water can effectively remove 70 percent of the heat generated in a water-cooled fixture.