Lumen Depreciation and Lamp Mortality Analysis

Two of the most notable benefits to the Tri-R solution are the decreased lumen depreciation and the extended lamp life. This document is provided to better explain these benefits through a technical explanation of how they are calculated and proven.

Ballast Types

Most common High-intensity discharge lamp (HID) ballasts are referred to as ‘magnetic’, being an iron-core transformer that operates at 60Hz, power line frequency, and drive the bulb at the same frequency. Magnetic ballasts use a capacitor and/or igniter, are generally heavy, run hot by design, are sometimes noisy, making an audible ‘hum’ when in use and tend to lose their electromagnetic strength over time. The latter is known, typically, as degradation and is an unavoidable result in the magnetic field the ballast uses to operate the lamp.
Other electronic ballasts offer some improvements over magnetic, but still operate at relatively low drive frequencies (between 60Hz, power line frequency, and 50kHz). They are able to offer a “softstrike” and “dormant-mode” through the use of a microprocessor. The microprocessor generates extreme heat (similar to a computer, which requires a cooling fan) and therefore these other electronic ballasts attempt dissipating this additional heat through “fins” on the exterior of the ballast. Even with the “fins” design, major failures due to overheating have occurred with other electronic ballasts, which have jeopardized their success in the industry. Additionally, they typically come with upper temperature limits which exclude them from most exterior applications as well as those utilizing a sealed fixture design such as hazardous locations and other adverse conditions

Tri-RHID is an electronic ballast operating at over 100,000Hz bulb drive frequency. Tri-RHID is able to offer all of its benefits through Tri-R Systems‟ patented NON-microprocessor design. Due to the absence of a microprocessor, Tri-RHID is able to operate at a much lower temperature creating a reliable environment for the electronic components.     Additionally, all Tri-RHID ballasts are completely sealed with an epoxy potting material and together the entire design system has gained UL® certification for “inside” or “outside” the fixture.

Tri-RHID Technology Overview

Lamp Re-strike Sequence

The Tri-RHID ballast design provides a control system strike sequence that is significantly slower
and less often than other ballasts on the market. It takes into consideration any existing lamp
conditions such as being hot or being dormant for some time. An initial cold lamp strike will
generally occur approximately 30 seconds after power is applied, and a hot lamp re-strike is much
quicker than other magnetic and electronic ballast technologies. So, the lamp is struck less, thus
reducing wear on striking electrodes.

Strike/Run Mode Sensing

The Tri-RHID ballast uses a soft-strike sequence and through its ‘run condition sensor’ that
disables the striking process and prevents unnecessary lamp striking. As the lamp begins its
warm-up and run, sensors within the ballast determine the lamp‟s state as being within acceptable
limits. In the case of a shorted lamp (or sometimes referred to as a false-run) the run mode is
terminated and is restarted from a “re-strike condition” sequence.

Strike, Lamp Warm-up Process

The Tri-RHID ballast begins the strike sequence with, a ‘gas excitation sequence‟ being applied to
the lamp for approximately 1.5 Seconds. Being of less voltage than a strike, it actually enhances
the lamp condition for striking by causing motion in the gases. This is by inducing a small
electromagnetic field between the striking electrodes which helps the lamp gases to blend. These
gases often segregate when cooled and this separation often cause the need for additional strikes
between the electrodes to effectively strike the lamp, thus reducing electrode life when using other
ballast technologies.

Strike Voltage Incline Process

The Tri-RHID ballast follows the ‘gas excitation sequence’ with it‟s patented lamp strike
sequence‟ for a period of 0.5 seconds. During this time, the voltage is slowly increased, so that
when the lamp accepts the strike voltage (creating a successful arc), it is at a ‘minimum’ acceptable
level for the lamp and not in excess. In the case of a hot lamp, the voltage ramp is terminated at
the ANSI maximum level so that excessive electrode wear is eliminated. When an effective strike
occurs in the lamp, the ballast drive power is restricted to prevent the unnecessary lamp abuse
caused over-power while in a run condition.

Lamp Lumen Depreciation and Early Life Failure

Lamp Striking:

A primary factor affecting the decline in the lumen output of a lamp over time is the harsh
environment that a magnetic ballast creates through the effect of its electromagnetic transformer.
Magnetic ballasts will strike a lamp at every 60Hz voltage peak, which means there are 7200 strikes
per minute until the lamp ignites. The Tri-RHID ballast soft strike only strikes a lamp a maximum
of 2 times per minute. The strike sequences have been captured in Figure 1.1 below.

Electrode Deterioration in Electronic Ballast

The ineffective and unnecessary re-striking of magnetic ballasts (as shown above in Figure 1.1)
greatly deteriorates the electrodes. Evidence of this additional abuse is shown in Figure 1.2 below.
Each of these electrodes has driven lamps for 4,000 hours in a 12 hours on and 12 hours off
sequence to emulate typical dusk until dawn operation.

Through the diagnostics available within the Tri-RHID ballast, it is able to determine that the lamp
has failed and enters a dormant, "non-striking" state, not using unnecessary energy and not causing
any unnecessary harm to the ballast or components. This helps to extend the life the Tri-RHID
ballast significantly.

Visually Effective Light:

The following is an explanation as to the Lumen output and subsequent lumen maintenance of our induction lamps.

Many people, who see induction lights, comment on how bright they appear and what they feel is a higher quality of light being emitted from the fixtures. However, when individuals compare a Tri R Lighting induction light to a conventional lamp with a light meter, the induction lamp is generally measured as producing less light than the conventional lamp. This has led some people to ask “why” – even though they use 50%+ less energy – as they expect that the areas lit by them will not be bright enough when compared to conventional lighting. All this, even though their eyes are telling them they are the same if not brighter.

The issue is not with the induction lights and their ability to produce acceptable light. Today’s standards for light meters are calibrated using the 1951 CIE Colour Space Standards. They have not evolved with advancing technology in the lighting arena. This standard used to set the sensitivity curve for light meters does not take into account the contribution of Scotopic vision (night vision) to the sensitivity of the eye. Scientific studies have shown that the eye is more sensitive to blue wavelengths than the measurement curve of the light meter. Blue light, acting on human night vision (scotopic vision) is largely responsible for “visual acuity” or sharpness of vision. Simply put, the light meters and the 1951 standards by which they measure light, are wrong. Consumers are therefore paying for products with yesterdays lighting quality while not taking advantage today’s products, such as induction lighting that offer reduced costs and a better quality of light.

The human retina contains @ 125 million rod cells and @ 6 million cone cells. These respond to different frequencies (colors / wavelengths) of light in different ways. Cone cells are adapted to detect colors and function well in bright light, while Rod cells are more sensitive but do not detect color well as they are adapted to low light.

Photopic Vision: Is the scientific term for human color vision under normal conditions during the day (i.e. human perception of red, green and blue that the brain integrates to form full color images of the world around us).

Scotopic Vision: Is the scientific term for the visual perception in dim light (night vision).

Mesopic Vision: is the scientific term for the combination of the Photopic and Scotopic visions taking into account the total sensitivity of the rod cells in the eye for the blue range, with the color perception of the cone cells.

Visually Effective Light

The ratio of Photopic light versus Scotopic light in a lamp is called the S/P ratio. This ratio determines the apparent visual brightness of a light source. This is why the Tri R Lighting 200 watt lamp will appear as bright or brighter to the human eye than a Sodium vapor or metal halide of twice the wattage.

Here’s how this works:

Light is measured in lumens (Lux or foot candles). The S/P ratio of a lamp is important as it provides a number that can be used to multiply the output reading of a lamp using a 1951 standard conventional meter to determine how much light that is useful to the human eye, a lamp produces. These are known as Visually Effective Lumens (VEL).

Firstly, using a conventional light meter or spectrometer, the light is measured to determine the Photopic vision sensitivity curve, and then using the same light source with a light meter calibrated to the Scotopic, the scotopic sensitivity curve is determined. The resulting numbers form a ratio that can be expressed as a single number.

S/P ratio is used as a multiplier to determine the amount of light the lamp is emitting that is useful to human vision. A good example of this is as follows:

A) Metal Halide – 400 watt has a manufacturers rating of 56.9 lumens per watt. This results in 400 x 56.9 = 22,760 lumens x 1.49 (S/P ratio) = 33,912 Visually Effective Lumens.

B) Tri R Lighting Induction – 200 watt (6500k) has a manufacturers rating of 80 lumens per watt. This results in 200 x 80 = 16,000 lumens x 2.25 (S/P ratio) = 36,000 Visually Effective Lumens.

INDUCTION LIGHTING – BENEFITS

1. Induction Lamp Cost Savings:

   Immediately reduce your electric costs by 30%-50%

2. Induction Lamp Maintenance Savings:

   Practically maintenance free, the induction bulb & ballasts last 100,000 hours.  This eliminates the high cost of constant maintenance and re-lamping.

3. Induction Lamp Environmentally Safe:

   contains solid amalgam mercury which is 100% recyclable. Eliminates the high levels of mercury added to the environment by disposed lamps.

4. Reduced Carbon Footprint:

   There is a direct link between CO2 and global warming.  By using energy saving induction lamps you directly reduce your organization’s carbon footprint.

KEY PRODUCT FEATURES

• 100,000 hour life time
• 5-year warranty
• No electrodes & no filaments
• Wide range of color temperatures (3500K – 6500K)
• Instant on and re-strike
• Wide operating temperatures (-40F to +122F)
• White/daytime light (90+ CRI)
• 100% flicker free / no hum
• Lumen maintenance of 80% at 90% of rated life span
• Wide range of wattages

120 volt – 277volt

Corporations large and small are lowering their energy consumption, and at the same time creating a safer, healthier environment by using TriR’s Induction Lighting, as part of their overall “green initiative.”

Please find below a brief overview of our eco-friendly, energy efficient Induction Lighting solution.

The benefits of Induction Lighting include:

A.

Induction Lighting Practically Maintenance Free:

Our lamps and ballasts are engineered to
last for 100,000 hours. This means that your maintenance staff does not have to re-lamp, on average, for 22.8 years (based on 12 hours per day 7 days per week), or longer depending on your company’s hours of operation.

B.

Induction Lamp Energy Savings:

Our induction lighting offers significant reduction in
energy consumption. Based on energy analysis that we have been doing for our customers, we are seeing cost savings between 30-70%, with an average ROI between 10-24 months.

C.

Environment Friendly:

Our induction lamp contains solid amalgam mercury
(which is 100% recyclable), versus the highly volatile liquid mercury found in other lighting products such as Fluorescents, High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide. This eliminates the high levels of mercury being added to the environment by disposed lamps. This makes Tri R Lighting’s induction lighting a “green” product.

Lamp and Ballast Dimensions

Lamp Dimensions:

Round –

40 W size – across – 5.9 inches (152 mm)         height – 3.27 inches (83 mm)
80 W size – across – 8.4 inches (214 mm)         height – 3.6 inches (93 mm)
120 W size – across – 10.7 inches (274 mm)   height – 3.6 inches (93 mm)

150 W size – across – 10.7 inches (274 mm)    height – 3.6 inches (93 mm)

200 W size – across – 12.3 inches (314 mm)     height – 4.0 inches (103 mm)

Rectangular -

40 W size – length – 7.08 inches(180 mm)    width – 4.8 inches (114 mm)   height – 3.2 inches (83 mm)

80 W size – length – 11.1 inches (282 mm)     width – 5.4 inches (138 mm)   height – 3.6 inches (93 mm)
120 W size – length – 13.8 inches (352 mm)    width – 5.4 inches (138 mm)   height – 3.6 inches (93 mm)

150 W size – length – 13.8 inches (352 mm)    width – 5.4 inches (138 mm)    height – 3.6 inches (93 mm)

200 W size – length – 17 inches (432 mm)    width – 5.7 inches (146 mm)    height – 4.5 inches (103 mm)
Ballast Dimensions:
Ballast – 40 W size – length – 8.38 inches (213 mm)    width – 3.7 inches (95.5 mm)    height – 2.28 inches (58 mm)
80 W size – same as 40 W (same as 40W)

120 W size – length – 9.3 inches (238 mm)    width – 4.0 inches (103.5 mm)    height – 2.4 inches (61 mm)

150 W size – length – 9.3 inches (238 mm)    width – 4.0 inches (103.5 mm)    height – 2.4 inches (61 mm)

200 W size – length – 9.3 inches (238 mm)    width – 4.7 inches (119.5 mm)   height – 2.8 inches (72.5 mm)

Self Ballasted (screw in) Dimensions:

Specifications

I’ve decided to post this and the Induction Lighting FAQ as sticky posts so everyone can read about it first before digging further into other articles and papers about induction lighting. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.
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1. What is the difference between traditional fluorescent light and induction light?

An induction light is similar to a fluorescent light in that mercury in a gas fill inside the bulb is excited, emitting UV radiation that in turn is converted into visible white light by the phosphor coating on the bulb. Like fluorescent, the phosphor coating determines the color qualities of the light. Fluorescent lamps use electrodes to strike the arc and initiate the flow of current through the lamp, which excites the gas fill. Each time voltage is supplied by the ballast and the arc is struck, the electrodes degrade a little, eventually causing the lamp to fail. induction lamps do not use electrodes. Instead of a ballast, the system uses a high-frequency generator with a power coupler. The generator produces a radio frequency magnetic field to excite gas fill. With no electrodes, the lamp lasts longer. induction lamps, in fact, last up to 100,000 hours, with the lamp producing 70% of its light output at 60,000 hours. In other words, their rated life is 5-13 times longer than metal halide (7,500 to 20,000 hours at 10 hours/start) and about seven times longer than T12HO fluorescent (at 10 hours/start).

2. How efficient or energy saving is it?

While induction lamps can generate more lumens per watt compared to metal halides (80 v. 70), it is not as efficient as T5’s that powers 100+ lumens per watt.

3. What kind of application is induction lighting for?

induction lamps are ideally suited for high-ceiling applications where the lamps are difficult, costly or hazardous to access. They are also ideally suited for such applications where the advantages of fluorescent lighting are sought but a light source is needed that can start and operate efficiently in extremely cold temperatures. As a result, induction lighting is a suitable for a wide range of applications, including not only warehouses, industrial buildings, cafeterias, gymnasiums, etc., but also signage, tunnels, bridges, roadways, outdoor area and security fixtures, parking garages, public spaces, and freezer and cold storage lighting.

For some applications, well-designed linear induction hi-bays are better than well-designed HID hi-bays with regard to glare, contrast ratios and vertical footcandles. Here are two examples. Imagine yourself playing volleyball. As you follow the high arching ball coming towards you, would you prefer having to look up into a point source HID bi-bay or a 4ft long induction hi-bay with one 400W lamp? Imagine yourself as a forklift driver having to deal with vertical surfaces and load and unload pallets in high warehouse racks. Compare vertical footcandles with well-designed 4-ft., 8-ft. or extended-row linear induction hi-bays mounted in the middle of rack aisle row parallel to the racks with well-designed HID hi-bays mounted in the middle of rack aisle row. Envision how easily a loaded pallet can block the light from the point source HID lamp.

4. What are the increased costs to use induction lighting?

The increased costs occurs in the induction systems themselves – which could be 5 to 6 times more than metal halide systems, and also in new fixtures, which can inflate payback periods and reduce return on investment. But you also generally get a 30% reduction in capital and operating costs immediately from the reduced number of fixtures made possible by the higher light output. You also get 15% more efficiency just because the induction system (lamp and electronic ballast) is more efficient. Apply that over ten years plus replacement and maintenance costs and suddenly it makes a lot of sense to go into induction lighting systems.

5. What advantages are there for induction lights v. metal halides

I think the biggest advantage that induction lighting has over metal halides is the ability to instantly start and shut off. The reason I said that is because we see the fastest growing replacement of metal halides to induction in areas like tunnel and street lighting. Why? Because a driver driving at 55mph cannot afford to be inside a pitch dark tunnel for more than 2 minutes waiting for the metal halides to restart! Many tunnel lighting fixtures have an emergency direct current backup where the light will run on batteries until the electrical power is back up. Metal halides, once turned off in an outage require a cooling off period for the gases to return to a solid state before it can restart itself. A solution to this problem is to install fluorescent lamps such as T5’s or CFL lamps, as emergency lamps that will light up immediately. But that in turn increases the installation of fixtures and lights, as well as periodically testing these back up lamps to see if they are still functional. Not to mention that these are usually installed in minimum quantities and in low wattages that barely suffice as emergency lighting. Our tunnel fixture installed with AMERICAN induction lamp will switch to DC power immediately and keep the tunnel lit as if nothing has happened.

Another advantage induction lighting has over metal halide is lumen maintenance. Most significantly, at 40% of service life, metal halide’s light output and efficacy experience severe degradation. A 400W metal halide lamp, for example, may produce 36,000 lumens but 25,000 at 40% of life, a 30% decline. Therefore, unless the lamps are periodically group-relamped, a large system’s “average” performance over time is much lower than its initial ratings. Tests on the 400W AMERICAN induction lamps on the other side, retains 82% output after 20,000 hours (that’s already more than the rated hours on metal halides) and still puts out 70% after 60,000 hours. You would have replaced at least 6 metal halide bulbs by then and the last bulb will be running at 50% output.

6. How does induction light compare with LED?

Well we all know that Light Emitting Diodes are not considered for general lighting purposes because of its limited brightness and poor color rendering, but this is compensated by its high reliability and high color temperature. It is still a common mistake that many people make thinking that higher color temperature, say 6000k, means higher brightness.

LED however, does have the same theoretical lifespan of 100,000 plus hours as induction light, given that the integrated chip does not fail before the diode. Many LED manufacturers neglect to fit a decent high temperature IC or integrate some kind of heat dissipation device and their LEDs fail after only 10,000 hours.

Induction light on the other hand, offers the same stability and lifespan as LEDs but is available in much higher wattages and brightness that it can truly replace incandescent and discharge lamps as the next revolutionary lighting source. In the end, both are emerging technologies and are getting as much attention and improvements as the other so you can expect these problems to be corrected in the near future.

7. What about T5?

The T5 is a very effective fluorescent light because it tops 100 lumens per watt whereas the AMERICAN generates between 80 and 85 lumens per watt. The only problem is T5 is not available in higher wattages – you can generally find a T5 tube up to 58W, but there is a German manufacturer that produces a 90W T5 at a relatively high price. When you are limited to small wattages, you have no choice but to use multiple tubes together to increase the total lumens output, hence increasing your material costs in terms of additional inventory and lighting fixtures.

Magnetic Induction lights, also called electrodeless lamps, consist of a high-frequency power generator, a coupling device that generates a magnetic field (essentially a magnet), and a glass housing that contains the solid mercury in our case and phosphor coating. The main advantages of induction lighting are the ability to produce a substantial amount of light in a relatively compact package and an extremely long lamp as a result of the electrodes. The major drawback of induction lighting is high cost per product however as a result of the electricity savings and reduced re-lamping costs the return on investment is short. In applications where maintenance costs are high, though, induction lighting systems can be cost-effective.

Existing induction-lamp products are aimed at two distinct market niches. The higher-wattage versions available (55 to 165 W) offer very long life (up to 100,000 hours) and can be a good choice anywhere that relamping and maintenance are difficult or hazardous. These lamps have been used in all of the following locations:

• Escalator wells
• High-ceilinged spaces, including atriums (such as over open mall areas) and in warehouses and factories
• Parking garages
• Roadways, including bridges, tunnels, underpasses, and signs
• Exterior pedestrian lighting

Lower-wattage induction lamps which are commonly referred to as self ballasted induction bulbs (23 and 40 watts) are also available as direct replacements for medium-base incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps. They produce approximately 50 lumens per watt, Color Rendering Indexes of 82, and an expected life of 55,000 hours.

TRIRLIGHTING NOW CARRIES SOLARA PRODUCTS

Contact us for details

This is part 2 of the interview with Director of Marketing, Director of Marketing for _ AMERICAN induction lamps where he talks about the advantages of their product.

There are several advantages to using induction lights. The extremely long rated life for one and energy saving for another. But the 4 most important advantages for _’s AMERICAN lights are the savings from a ridiculuously extended service life, the highest wattage outputs (up to 400 watts) amongst induction lighting systems, proprietary heat dissipation designs, and dimmable electronic ballasts.

The costs associated with servicing a lamp, say street lamp, include the replacement bulbs, the service crew, and the economic losses incurred when a lamp is out or produces too little light as it approaches the end of its service life (ie. a store sign that won’t lit, a dark corner at the shop floor, losing business to a new competitor with a bright and clean environment, and lastly, accidents). What’s more are the costs of warehousing that inventory, the logistic costs, the overhead costs of keeping a relatively large service crew such as training, insurance, salaries, etc. Using a lamp with a longer service lifespan means you can maintain a smaller crew and waste less time on organizing regular maintenances and the associated logistics. It gives management more flexibility and quick operations.

The higher wattage lamps makes replacement for high-bay metal halide solutions even more convincing. Higher wattage means higher ceilings, more coverage area (paired with the right fixtures), and more upfront savings on installation. Currently, _ AMERICAN is the first and only manufacturer in the world to produce and sell a 400 watt induction lamp – and this is one of the key reasons we are getting such great feedback from customers because they have been waiting so long for big players like Osram, GE and Philips to make induction lighting more applicable in industrial settings, public sectors, and commercial usages.

Speaking of application, proper heat dissipation and ingenious design is also another key. For long, lighting companies have relied on fixture manufacturers to integrate their product and deal with the “real world” problems such as dust, maintenance and heat dissipation. We thought that the issue was in the light and the ballast itself.

So working with some of Taiwan’s best CPU/GPU heat sink manufacturers, we cooperatively developed individual heat dissipation solutions for various parts in our product from the outer casing to copper heat pipes. You will see these in our 2nd generation ballasts and lamps in early 2007. Customers are already saying that it’s gonna be a homerun!

Last but not least, _ AMERICAN is the only induction system that is dimmable – we have developed a method to linearly dim the light down to 20%. You can integrate building systems and smart artificial intelligence controls such as photo sensors to control these lamps. At your office for instance, you can set the lamps to 40% during the morning, where lots of sunlight is coming through the windows, and at 80% during the evening when the sun is setting. At night when nobody is in the office, you can have the light at just 20% if you building has a light ordinance requirement.

We’ve been showing these features to customers in Hong Kong, Dubai, Taipei and pretty soon we’ll be at other cities in Europe and Americas. They really like what they saw.
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Practically maintenance-free, induction lighting offers many features that make it an attractive light source and is emerging as one of the newest technologies in lighting. With a 100,000 hour rated life, these systems seldom need replacing. Particularly useful in applications where lamp replacement is cumbersome and expensive, as in some outdoor applications and in hard-to-reach areas such as tunnels, airports, public facilities, freezers, and many others. Ultra-Long Life – 100,000 hour rated life*, perfect for hard-to-reach applications Low Total Cost of Ownership – reduced energy and maintenance costs Crisp White Light – choice of color temperatures Outstanding Color Performance – no shift over lamp life, high 80+ color rendering High Reliability – instant hot and cold start-up and re-start Stable Light Output – no variation over a wide range of temperatures and voltage fluctuations High efficacy Because its light output is not significantly influenced by ambient temperature, the induction lamp can start at very low temperatures, maintaining at least 85% of nominal lumens. Induction lighting produces high quality light in a variety of color temperatures. This makes it useful in a multitude of applications while still offering improved efficiency. This gives lighting designers more options in their designs. Relatively insensitive to line voltage fluctuations, its light output remains constant over a wide range of input voltages. The induction lamp is ideal for indoor and outdoor applications where durability and long life is certainly a high priority. As a compact source, the induction lamp can be used in a wide range of fixtures, adding further flexibility for the lighting designer. The induction lighting system provides a longer-life lamp, superior lumen maintenance, and the crisp white light currently available from similar wattage metal halide lighting systems. These product advantages could turn into major dollar savings when considering maintenance, labor, and replacement lamp cost of existing metal halide lighting fixtures. In most cases the payback in maintenance savings will more than offset the initial cost of the system
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