Product category:
Plant services equipment
News Release from: Acrilex | Subject: Photoluminescent lighting
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 02 April 2007
Photoluminescent lighting, out-of-box
applications
The most common application for photoluminescent lighting is in standard commercial buildings, but there is a plethora of other, more "exotic" applications; Acrilex discusses the options.
Imagine you're on an oil rig in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico Because the rig is not tied into the mainland's power grid there is no electric current; consequently, generators are supplying all of the rig's power
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 4 Jan 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Photoluminescent lighting needs no backup power
The concept behind photoluminescent lighting is to provide illumination without backup power sources during a power outage, or to extend the period of illumination once battery backup fails.
Plastics materials meet government standards
US supplier of acrylic, polycarbonate, styrene, PETG, PVC, and many more in sheets, rod, tubes and extrusions can satisfy the strict requirements of government, medical and military manufacturers.
Suddenly, a vicious storm knocks out generator power.
You're in the middle of the Atlantic in pitch darkness, there are no exterior light sources, there is no ambient light, and you can't see your hand in front of your face.
Maybe the rig has back-up generators which will kick in momentarily, maybe it doesn't.
Further reading
Compressed air pipe system made of polybutene
With the innovative Bekoflow system, Beko Technologies has set out to solve all the specific problems associated with compressed air piping.
A fine balance with high quality finishes
Producing high quality stainless steel finishes for the architectural market requires a fine balance between aesthetics and performance.
Designing a smoother ride for elevators
Stephen Scales of HID Limited explains how Hitachi has addressed the issue of a smoother elevator ride with a new inverter that offers significant advances for lift engineers.
In terms of marine disasters, it's not exactly on par with 'The Perfect Storm'.
Still, it can be quite uncomfortable.
The rig is fraught with potential hazards even in the brightness of day.
In complete darkness, however, the ways in which you can hurt yourself or others - tripping over equipment, accidentally hitting a critical valve - are magnified.
On the plus side, oil rigs generally do have lit emergency exit signs to aid egress onto the main deck.
But once there, what do you do? And that's not the worst of it.
Because the rig is essentially an explosive environment, the use of electrical power must be managed with extreme caution.
Even with generators, there is always the possibility of sparking; if the primary generators fail, the switchover to the secondary units can present a dangerous situation.
The rig might switch over from generators to a battery back-up instead, but depending on the location of the battery back-up, this situation might be worse.
The above scenario is one in which photoluminescent lighting can provide significant value.
And while the most common application for photoluminescent lighting is in standard commercial buildings, there are a plethora of other, more "exotic" applications for which PL should be strongly examined - if not for enhanced safety, at least for comfort.
One of these exotic applications is in the mining industry.
Whether miners are digging for coal or diamonds, mines have virtually no ambient light and no power grid for electrical connections.
As a result, if the generators fail, there is the possibility of total blackness until the secondary generators kick in - if there are any.
With the range of potential hazards in the area such as heavy equipment, sharp tools, etc., the use of photoluminescent lighting can be a very effective stopgap measure, even if it provides just enough illumination for a miner to locate his or her flashlightG.
A less dangerous but still uncomfortable situation can arise in a restaurant's interior walk-in freezer.
An employee turns on the light switch (often located outside the freezer), opens up the door, walks inside, and the door closes.
Now the power goes out.
There are no windows, and often there are pointed objects around, not to mention the intense cold and the sense of panic that some people might feel in closed-in areas.
Photoluminescent lighting, in the form of acrylic fixtures like those made with Acriglo from Acrilex, or simple floor markers, can provide enough lighting for the employee to find the way out.
While protection of people would be a top priority in considering the use of photoluminescent products, the protection of property is a very close second.
Suppose crooks decide to rob a casino - not a spur-of-the-moment idea but a well thought-out plan.
They cut the power supply and plunge the main area of the casino into darkness.
If they are professionals, and assuming they have already figured out where the money is kept, a few minutes might be all the advantage they require to complete the deed.
Photoluminescence can provide enough light to stop them in their tracks.
Government buildings often contain sensitive and confidential materials and records which must be diligently safeguarded.
However, government agencies are also characteristically burdened with restrictive budgets.
So while there may be emergency lighting systems in certain parts of the facility, they may not be located in the areas where the sensitive materials are maintained.
Swapping out the existing lenses and installing the photoluminescent variety can provide sufficient backup illumination in the event that somebody tries knocking out the power in sensitive areas.
What's more, if there are security cameras in these areas operating off generator back-ups, the use of photoluminescent lighting will also provide enough brightness to allow the cameras to capture usable imagesG.
Given the need to provide life-saving and life-supporting equipment to their patients, hospitals boast the best emergency backup lighting systems of any type facility.
However, these backup systems may not extend to every area of the hospital.
One part that may be excluded is the hospital pharmacy.
While lives rarely hang in the balance in the pharmacy, the volume of drugs stored there make it a highly desirable target - not only for patients but nurses, doctors, orderlies and other hospital employees who might harbor some criminal intent.
(This is also true of veterinary clinics, where powerful drugs like PCP have become highly sought after by drug addicts and dealers.) The fact is, prominently displaying the word "RESTRICTED" on the pharmacy door will not deter anyone who truly wants access - particularly a hospital employee who knows exactly where the drugs are, as well as the optimal time to affect a theft (based on staff coverage and other factors).
Photoluminescent lighting can curtail these attempts before anyone can even formulate the thoughtG.
Hospital operating rooms are also excellent candidates for photoluminescent products.
Granted, these areas are typically supported by backup lighting systems.
But the lag between the loss of power and the activation of secondary power, which might be only a few seconds, can seem an eternity when a patient is lying on the table with a surgeon's hand holding a scalpel inside their body.
Photoluminescent lighting may not provide quite enough radiance to continue the surgery, but it will at least help the surgeon see his hands, allowing him to remove them - and the scalpel - safely.
A more common but still somewhat out-of-the-ordinary example is the physician's examination room.
Generally, examination rooms do not have emergency backup lighting and don't even have windows.
But they do have cabinets stocked full of drugs - samples provided by high-profile drug manufacturers.
If the power goes out and a patient is left alone in an examination room with the door closed, there are several potential problems.
One, obviously, is the theft of these drugs, not just by people who complain of phantom pains and hope to come away with one or more prescriptions, but by honest patients who might get caught up in a "crime of opportunity." There is also the possibility of losing more than drugs: stethoscopes, tongue depressors, syringes, even expensive medical equipment are all tempting items to the patient with less-than-honourable intentions.
Last but not least is the actual patient.
Since the patient is in unfamiliar surroundings, he or she may have difficulty finding the door.
To make matters worse, patients who have just reached a complete state of undress when the lights go out may have trouble finding their clothes, much less the door.
A closed MRI would be, frankly, a horrible place to be stuck in the event of a power outage.
The MRI tube is small and cramped; even for people without claustrophobia, it can be a shaky experience.
If the lights fail, it can take a few minutes or more to get the patient out, as medical personnel paw their way through the dark.
Without power, it may not even be possible to get the patient out of the electrically operated machine.
What then? Besides the discomfort to the patient, it is a matter of potential liability for the facility (many procedures such as MRI's are performed in offsite medical buildings which are not equipped with the same level of emergency lighting that hospitals are).
Photoluminescent lighting, as in all of the other cases, would at least allow personnel to reach the patient and figure out the next step while comforting the patientG.
While most people immediately think of doctors' offices when they hear the words "medical examination," they should remember that dentists' offices qualify as well.
A dentist's office, in fact, can have three or four different rooms in it with a number of patient chairs.
In the event of a power failure, a patient can be in any one of a dozen precarious situations - in the middle of drilling, getting a tooth pulled, etc.
Needless to say, the re-appearance of lighting is a welcome sight for the patient in any of those scenarios.
Until that time, photoluminescent lighting can be an effective solution.
It's no secret that the retail environment is plagued by a sizable percentage of what is euphemistically termed "shrink" - not as much from shoplifters as from employees.
In fact, employee theft represents one of the top concerns for management of many retail establishments.
They know where the merchandise is.
They know where the security cameras are.
They know the layout of the stockrooms.
While it's difficult to eliminate employee theft, it is possible to reduce the factors that spur its occurrence.
A loss of power - and the subsequent loss of light - would certainly provide an effective backdrop for an incident.
Photoluminescent lighting can remove that backdrop the second it appears.
Commercial facilities and office buildings will always be a fertile area for the benefits that photoluminescent lighting can provide.
But some of the more specific applications should not be overlooked.
Rather, they should be held up to the light and carefully examined.
• Acrilex: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
