Emergency lighting. Autonomous lighting

Emergency lighting is an independent element of the central lighting system, the main purpose of which is to ensure the visibility and normal orientation of people on the objects during the occurrence of its breakdown or shutdown. In addition, it is indispensable for all kinds of disasters of man-made and natural origin. In connection with this, all public and industrial enterprises must necessarily be equipped with such a system.

Varieties of emergency lighting systems

In general, a system such as emergency lighting, it is common to divide into two main types: backup and evacuation. The main function of the first one is to provide the amount of light that is necessary to support the efficiency of enterprises belonging to the social sphere of activity, as well as those institutions, even a temporary stop of which can lead to harmful consequences. For example, here you can include medical and social facilities, as well as companies involved in various types of hazardous production. Here in each of the rooms at least two auxiliary lamps should be mounted.

As for the second system, this is evacuation lighting, which is necessary to ensure the emergency completion of all urgent work. In addition, it is designed to help evacuate the personnel of an enterprise in the event of a catastrophe or a threat to human life. Installation of evacuation lamps and lamps is always made in the way of safe exit at a distance that ensures the lowest degree of illumination in the center of the corridor.

Emergency lighting system design

Design and management of emergency lighting should be carried out taking into account not only the purpose and architecture of the building itself, but also the characteristics of the territories that adjoin it. After a thorough analysis of the project documentation, it is necessary to identify and identify the location of the fixtures. As a result of installation of these elements, the highest efficiency of their operation should be ensured taking into account the functional purpose of the room. At the same time, it is mandatory to take into account the service life for which each emergency light lamp is designed, as well as the sources of its power supply. It should be noted that in order to avoid significant financial costs in the future for repair or installation of a new system, it is important to carefully treat this issue at the design stage.

Installation

Installation of the emergency and central lighting system is in most cases carried out in parallel, but not together. The fact is that it is desirable that their power lines are not laid at all at the location of the main electrical wiring. According to the legislation in force in our country, emergency lighting management must be carried out from the premises, distribution or group points, from substations or other places, access to which is available only to maintenance personnel. Whatever it was, it is recommended that in the corridors there are no buttons for turning lights on and off.

As for the locations of their installation, they must necessarily be present above all emergency exit doors and safety signs, near fire-fighting tools and alarm buttons, on flights of stairs, in tunnels and on evacuation routes.

Service

Emergency lighting, regardless of its variety, is a system that is not used often and intensively. Along with this, if there is an urgent need for its application, the work of each of the elements must be trouble-free. In this regard, it is recommended to conduct constant inspections by specialists not only of the equipment itself, but also communication networks. Only in this case it is possible to speak with confidence about the functioning of the entire system.

Choosing fixtures

Every emergency lighting fixture should be selected, first of all, taking into account all normative documents, which provide requirements for them in terms of electrical and fire safety. Equally important is the reliability of the devices, since it is not known under what conditions they may be able to function. Cases of these lamps should be made of high quality materials. As for power sources, emergency lighting fixtures with a battery are used most of the time in various facilities. As practice shows, without additional recharging these devices can function for a period of time, ranging from one to three hours. Along with this, recently, variants with other sources of nutrition began to appear.

Types of fixtures

The lamps used in the emergency lighting system are divided into three main groups, depending on their functioning. The first of these includes permanent devices. Their distinctive characteristic is that the lamp works even if it is disconnected from the mains. The second type is luminaires of non-permanent action. Their lamps are switched on only if the main lighting system is malfunctioning. The third category includes combined devices. In their design, two or more lamps are installed. At the same time, one of them provides emergency lighting, while the others work from a common network.

Autonomous Lighting Systems

The usual incandescent lamps do not have a high coefficient of efficiency, and their use at various sites is very expensive. As a result, this leads to the constant emergence of new technologies and ideas in this area. One of the most interesting among them was autonomous lighting, which functions by converting solar and wind energy. The main advantage of such systems is the absence of the need for laying electric lines. In addition, they do not need constant maintenance. As practice shows, the most effective use of such systems in hazardous areas of highways (bridges, interchanges, railway crossings). Also from year to year they are appearing more and at many enterprises.

The self-lighting system itself is a high pole, on which a solar panel, a wind generator and an LED light are mounted. Throughout the day, the energy of the sun and wind is converted into electric current, which accumulates in the batteries installed in a special box at the foot of the pillar, and can be used at any time.