Basics of Light

What is light?

Light is an important physical phenomenon which forms the

one of the most essential part of our lives, it shows us the
path we have to go, gives us the positive energy to do the
things we need to do in life. It’s necessary to allow us
observing the world around us with all its beauty and
dangerous. It also affects our moods and emotions, it
inspires, attracts, communicates, sets the scene, enhance
our experience, trigger senses and facilitates our social
interactions and work processes.

Light also has a psychological effect on people. Early in the morning the cold light
makes people active in order to start their activities they have planned to do. At the
end of the day the “warm” light of the sunset causes people to be in a relaxed mood.

Warm light Cold light

The visualization of the colors is another important aspect of light. Thanks to light we
can enjoy the beautiful colors that are everywhere around us, or we can take care if
a color is warning us for possible danger. Light also enables us to see objects as
they really are in order to give us information needed to make the right decisions.

So, in short the three main aspects of light that needed to be considered are:

- Visualization of the world around us (light intensity)

- Activation and relaxation of our body through the color of the light (color
temperature)
- Visualization of the color of the objects around us (color rendering)
Light intensity

Generally said, the more light the better we see until there is too much brightness
and we need to shield off our eyes or to shield the source of the light to protect our
eyes because we cannot see anything anymore.

Light intensity can be described in 4 basic units

Luminous Flux (φ)

The total light coming from a source in all directions and is

expressed in the unit lumen (lm)

Luminous Intensity (I)

The light intensity coming from a light source in a certain direction

with a certain cone angle (cd)

Illuminance (E)

The amount of light falling on a defined unit of surface and

expressed in the unit (Lux) = lm/m2

Typical illuminance values are:

Full moon = 1 lux

Street light = 10 lux

Workspace lighting = 100 - 1000 lux

Surgery lighting = 10,000 lux

Plain sunshine = 100,000 lux

Luminance

The amount of light radiated by a defined unit of

surface in a given direction and expressed by
candela/m2

Color Temperature

Visible light is only a small section of the

electromagnetic radiation which produces a
sensation of brightness and color in the human eye.
The unit of measurement is the color wave length in nm.

The spectrum of electromagnetic wave radiation consists of the following colors:

Violet: 300 – 435 nm

Blue: 435 – 500 nm

Green: 500 – 565 nm

Yellow: 565 – 600 nm

Orange: 600 – 630 nm

Red: 630 – 780 nm

Daylight changes its characters during the day.

In the morning the light has a cold impression
because the spectrum contains relatively more
blue light while in the evening the light has a
more warm impression because there is a more
red light in the spectrum. These warm and cold
impressions are what we call color temperature
of light and is defined in the unit Kelvin (K).

The color temperature of a light source is

defined in comparison with a black body radiator
and the plotted on what is known as the
planckian curve as you heat a black body
radiator it will emit radiation with a given
spectrum. The hotter the black body radiator the
higher the blue content in the spectrum and the
whiter the emitted light becomes.

So the higher the temperature of the black body

radiator the cooler the light appears whereas the lower the temperature of the
radiator the warmer the color impression.

Lamps are very well defined in terms of color temperature for example an
incandescent lamp with warm white light, has a color temperature of 2700K, whereas
a daylight fluorescent lamp has a color temperature of 6000K.

In practice the following main categories are used:

Warm White < 3300K

Cool white 3300 – 5000K

Daylight >5000K
If you make a lighting scheme it is good to be aware that what happens in nature
(changing of the character of the light) also happens of you use lamps with different
color temperatures. In fact a room can get a fully different atmosphere.

For example the yellowish or warm color can be achieved using incandescent
halogens and compact fluorescent lamps with low color temperature ranges. The
use of warm colors can create a relaxing and comfortable ambiance inside a room or
space.

Also a white or cool white color can be achieved using a lamp with a color
temperature in the range between 3500-4500K gives a more bluish impression. The
daylight color from the lamp can make a person more active facilitating a better
progress during work hours

Daylight and cool daylight using a lamp with a color temperature well above 5000K
gives an even more bluish impression. It is mainly used for special tasks and in
special areas. This lamp color is for instance in industries and commercial type of
application.

Color Rendering

This is the second of important elements of light. The color that we see on an object
depends on the part of the spectrum reflected by the object. It is obvious that is
present in the light offered by the light source. In order to judge any light source on
its ability to faithfully produce the true colors with its light, the color rendering index
(CRI) or (RA) has been defined.

The sun and incandescent lamps provide the full spectrum of wavelengths and
therefore have an excellent color rendering since all possible wavelengths can be
reflected. Therefore they have the maximum value for the color rendering index of
100.

For instance the discharge lamps provide only a limited part of the spectrum and
thus have a lower color rendering. In this case the impression of the observed object
appears not natural and depends on which part of the spectrum is present in the light
provided.

As example: the high pressure sodium lamp used for street lighting contains mostly
yellow light and very little blue and some more red. This combination results in a
yellow impression of all the objects observed, as shown in the graph below, there is
a little green in the light therefore the leaves of the threes will be give a black
impression.

If on the other hand a HID lamp is used with a higher blue and high green content
the effect would be different. For instance the light would give the leaves on a tree
would get a very healthy green color.
Lighting system efficiency

The efficiency of the lighting system is determined by 3 elements:

- Gear efficiency
- Lamp efficiency
- Fixture efficiency

Gear efficiency

Gear has certain efficiency since power is dissipated in the electronic components.
These give an average of 8% for the electronic gear and up to 30% for the
conventional one.

Lamp efficacy

In the transformation of electrical energy to a visual light, energy gets lost because a
significant part is transformed into heat or radiation which is not or less visible for the
human eye. In the unit luminous flux there is a factor incorporated that corrects the
light radiated for what is visible for the human eye. The eye is most sensible for
yellow light, less sensible for red light and least sensible for blue light.

So when a lamp radiates more yellow and red lights it will be more efficient. This also
explain why lamps with good color rendering are less efficient, because there are
wavelengths needed to which the eye is less sensitive.

Fixture efficiency

The light coming from the lamp must be directed into the right direction, this is done
by an optical system in a fixture. Not all the light will come out of the fixture because
a large part is absorbed by the optical system. The optical system is composed of
the housing, reflector and if resent the front or cover plate. Also light will get lost by
internal reflections or due to the fact that it is absorbed by the internal components or
by the lamp itself. The efficiency of a reflector is mainly determined by the purity of
the aluminum and the anodization whereas the efficiency of a front cover is mainly
determined bu the translucency.

Total Efficiency

It is the sum of the 3 elements mentioned above and is expressed by lm/W. the
efficiency of the total light system is the total luminous flux divided by the installed
power provided by the mains.

Types of Lamps
Incandescent Lamps
A light source which generates light using a thin filament wire that is heated b y an
electric current passing through it making it light, it is mainly used in homes or home-
like applications, in Europe legalizations has been put in place to ban these lamps
because they are very inefficient.

Halogen Lamps

A short name for Tungsten-Halogen lamp. They are high

pressure incandescent lamps containing halogen gasses
such as iodine or bromine, which allow the filaments to
be operated at higher temperature and higher efficacies.

High-Intensity Discharge Lamps (HID)

A general term for metal halide, high-pressure multi-

vapor and arcstream. HID lamps contain compact arc
tubes, which enclose carious gases and metal salts operation at
relatively high pressures and temperatures. Discharge lamps have
to be operated with control gear to limit the current. There is a
choice of conventional, low-loss or electronic control gear. An
important factor as far as quality is concerned is their power loss
which together with the lamp wattage, is used to calculate the
system wattage.

Fluorescent Lamps

A highly efficient lamp using an electric discharge through

low pressure mercury vapor to produce ultraviolet energy.
The UV energy excites phosphor materials applied a s a thin
layer on the inside of a glass tube which makes up the
structure of the lamp. The phosphors transform the UV to
visible light.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL)

The general term applied to families of smaller diameter

fluorescent lamps. Some types have built-in ballasts and medium
screw bases so that they can be used to replace incandescent
lamps. fluorescent bulbs use approximately 60% to 80% less
electricity than regular incandescent lamps with comparable
lumen rating. Also they last 20 times longer and produce warm
white tones that closely duplicate incandescent light.

Emitting Diode (LED)

Seen by many as the lighting technology of the future.

They are solid-state semiconductor devices that can
convert electrical energy directly into light. The heart of a LED is a semiconductor
chip of which one side is attached in the top of an anvil to the negative power lead
and the other side connected with a whisker to a positive power lead. It is the core of
the LRD and it is entirely encapsulated in an epoxy resin enclosure. Though LED
has certainly a great potential, the technology is not fully ready yet to replace all the
traditional lamps. Main challenges are color rendering, efficiency and heat versus
lumen lifetime and cost.

Control Gears
There are three types of control gears:

- Conventional gear
- Low-watt loss gear
- Electronic gear

Conventional Control Gear

Also known as electromagnetic ballast and consists of a

large number of winding of copper wire on a laminated
iron core. In general these control gears are quite heavy
and sometimes also bigger in size.

This is a simple self-inductance comprising an iron core

around which copper wire is wound. Because of its ohmic
resistance there is considerable power losses and from self lamp operated with
conventional control gear is 32W. in other words the power loss is 5W (23%). By
contrast, the system wattage with an ECG is 28W, which corresponds to a power
loss of only 7.5%

The various operating modes are as follow:

- Switch-start operation
- Starter less operation
- Control gear with temperature limitation

Special lamps are needed for started-less operation. Whereas fluorescent lamps
connected to a 230-240 V mains can be operated with simple
chokes and an additional preheating transformer.

While lamps with 120 V supply has to be transformed with two

additional heater winding on the control transformer.

Low-Loss Gear (LLG)

Compared to the conventional gear, it has lower power loss but is larger and more
costly because of the improvement of the design and the larger iron cores.

Electronic Control Gear (ECG)

Electronic gears operate at frequencies above 30 KH

z which means they offer significant gain in efficiency.
These gains are based essentially on two
mechanisms.

- A reduction in electrode losses

- An increase in luminous efficacy, which is due
almost entirely to more efficient conversion of
electrical energy into the UV lines of the
mercury atom at 185 nm and 354 nm

The usage of ECG has led to significant increases in lighting comfort, economy and
reliability.

Lighting Comfort

- Flicker free starting

- Pleasant flicker free light with no stroboscopic effects
- Silent operation with no annoying hum from chokes
- No flashing of faulty lamps
- Automatic restart of replacement lamps
economy
- Up to 30% savings in power input compared
with CCG/LLG thanks to pre heat start
- Low maintenance costs
- Suitable for use in emergency lighting
systems to VDE 0108
- Reduction in energy costs for air-conditioning
systems.

The European Ballast Directive

All ballasts have been classified in terms of their energy efficiency. The most
inefficient types will be legally banned from sale in
Europe form may 2002. The aim of that directive is to
encourage the widespread use of electronic control
gear which are the best in terms of energy efficiency.

Reliability

- Safe shutdown of defective lamps

 - Compliance with the specific standards for safety and EMC
- Protective circuit to guard against transient voltage surges and prolonged over
voltages

Some electronic control gears enable the fluorescent lamps to be dimmed smoothly
and without flicker from 100% to 3% luminous flux and tubular fluorescent lamps
from 100% to 1% luminous flux. Control of the gear is enabled via a separator 1-10V
interface or a digital addressable lighting interface (DALI)