Ed Haslett, Divisional Director – Crucial Amenities UK & Eire at Zumtobel Lighting, explains how centralised lighting techniques and proactive monitoring can improve reliability, security, and operational effectivity in information centres.
When commonplace lighting fails, emergency lighting is a lifeline which offers adequate illumination to supply orientation, and effectively gentle an escape route, stopping panic and making certain that different security gear may be discovered instantly.
However what occurs when the emergency lighting fails? And what could be the trigger?
The activation of emergency lighting is designed to happen on failure of the electrical energy provide, when the batteries take over. Most emergency lighting techniques are designed to have one-, two- or eight-hours price of period.
Within the demanding atmosphere of knowledge centres, ambient temperatures in scorching aisles usually vary from 35-45°C. Right here, the operational limitations of integral battery emergency luminaires change into evident. The desired working temperatures for a lot of of those typical emergency luminaires usually cap at 25-30°C, highlighting a considerable efficiency hole. Producers might typically point out increased working temperatures, however it’s essential to tell apart between the case temperature of the emergency equipment itself and the examined working temperature inside a luminaire.
The elevated ambient temperatures pose a big problem for the integral batteries inside emergency luminaires. Ta, or ambient temperature, is a essential issue influencing the efficiency of emergency lighting techniques. Within the confined areas of a luminaire, the Ta contained in the becoming is affected by numerous warmth sources, together with the motive force, emergency converter, charging batteries, and the LED board. As information centres expertise rising temperatures, the Ta inside luminaires can escalate quickly, surpassing the operational limits of integral battery techniques.
Addressing temperature challenges
This rise in temperature inside emergency luminaires can result in untimely failure, significantly in situations the place producers state increased working temperatures that don’t align with the real-world circumstances of knowledge centres. Early failures not solely compromise the effectiveness of emergency lighting, but in addition lead to frequent replacements, putting calls for on time and budgets whereas introducing undesirable disruptions and visitors in high-security areas. Addressing the temperature challenges with a centralised emergency lighting system eliminates the reliance on integral batteries and ensures constant operation, even within the excessive circumstances prevalent in information centres.
In relation to human life, fail-safe efficiency is crucial. Which suggests security lighting should work always whereas complying with the related requirements.
The intention: to make sure long-term, fault-free operation with minimal upkeep.
A finest follow design comprising LED lighting expertise, an clever lighting management system and a central energy system (CPS) to assist a devoted emergency lighting system may have a optimistic impression on vitality utilization. As well as, it should cut back related guide upkeep prices while making a safer, extra versatile lighting resolution that may be rapidly and simply tailored to go well with altering necessities.
Emergency central battery techniques utilizing devoted emergency luminaires cannot solely cut back emergency lighting hundreds however the quantity of emergency lighting circuits too. This results in a cheaper preliminary set up and a better system to keep up long-term. As a basic rule of thumb, as soon as greater than 120 emergency luminaires are current on a mission, the DC central battery system usually pays for itself.
In relation to finest follow, we advocate designing your lighting technique particular to the specialist areas; depending on the cooling topology used throughout the area:
Scorching aisles
Any information corridor with a technical space working temperature above 35°C ought to use a Ta 45 rated lighting system to light up the areas of operation effectively.
Devoted emergency luminaires needs to be positioned remotely in a suitably temperature-controlled space to keep away from temperature-related battery degradation. These needs to be fed from a central battery system. By eradicating the batteries from the new areas, upkeep and complete price of possession is due to this fact improved.
For lighting controls, a method of absence/presence detection, resembling DALI2 microwave sensors, can provide management in each aisle and needs to be put in at every finish of the aisle, dealing with outwards from the center to make sure protection as crucial.
Chilly aisles
For ease of set up and upkeep, think about using the identical luminaire system. Each Microwave and PIR DALI 2 sensors needs to be thought-about with a guide override positioned on the native entrance of related aisles.
Circulation
We’d advocate the identical luminaire system in these areas for ease of set up and upkeep, once more with a devoted luminaire kind and output to finest facilitate probably the most environment friendly design to satisfy standards.
Emergency lighting also needs to be based mostly on the identical precept as the aisles, together with absence/presence DALI2 sensor management with a guide override positioned at every entrance for timed swap for lighting management of the realm, with the addition of exit legends put in on a monitor system or an adjoining wall to be fed from the central battery system.
CRAH aisles
CRAH aisles are sometimes designed to imitate chilly (underneath 35°C) or scorching aisle (over 35°C) lighting methods.
MMR/Unboxing rooms
Past the bodily infrastructure, proactive monitoring of emergency luminaires performs an important function in sustaining optimum efficiency and lowering upkeep burdens. Clever monitoring techniques repeatedly assess the well being and standing of emergency luminaires, alerting operators to any potential points earlier than they escalate into full failures. This proactive strategy minimises downtime and maximises the lifecycle of emergency lighting techniques, lowering the workload for website operators and services groups.
Security first
The ultimate a part of a lighting technique considerations life security. Knowledge centres current a novel set of challenges on this space, so it’s advisable to have a devoted, addressable emergency lighting system that enables for full automation of testing – excluding an annual period take a look at.
Innovative expertise can routinely report the standing of an emergency lighting system. Because the batteries have a 10-year life expectancy, the potential for human error is decreased and the prices related to routine upkeep are lowered. Utilising a distant CPS/eBox-based system additionally facilitates the assist of upper ambient temperatures, as there isn’t a want for a neighborhood battery provide to the emergency lighting, whereas a self-contained system may be simply prolonged with further luminaires as required. When contemplating a system, all the time do not forget that robustness is required, aesthetically pleasing is elective.
By implementing centralised emergency lighting provide techniques and proactive monitoring, information centres can obtain enhanced reliability, security, and operational effectivity. This mixture ensures that emergency lighting techniques stay operational even in difficult environments, offering a essential security internet for personnel and infrastructure.
