Selection for Street Light Luminar-(PART-1)

OCTOBER 5, 2014 15 COMMENTS

Terminology for Road Light Illumination:

(1) Luminance (E):

Luminance is the amount of light falling on a surface.

The luminance refers to the incidence of the light flux on a surface, per unit of surface.

E = Phi / A (lx)

The luminance is expressed in lux (lx).

Full moon has 0.1 Lux ,Emergency lighting has 1 Lux ,Street lighting has 10 Lux ,Winter day has 10 000 Lux
, Summer day has 100 000 Lux

(2) Lumen (lm):

Lumen is a unit of measure of the quantity of light.

One lumen is the amount of light which falls on an area of one square foot every point of which is one foot
from the source of one candela.

A light source of one candela emits a total of 12.57 lumens.

(3) Lux:

Lux is a metric measurement of light on a surface.

The illumination of light flux is expressed in Lux hence unit of luminance is Lux.

The luminous flux per unit area of 1 square meter on a sphere of radius 1 meter is called 1 Lux.

1 Lux= 1 Lumen per square Meter.

Lux = Lumens / Area (sq meter).

1 Lux equals 0.0929 foot candle

Difference between Lumens and Lux

One Lux is defined as being equivalent to one lumen spread over an area of one square meter.

Measurement of lux (light intensity) tells us how many lumens (total light output) we need in the given area
of illumination.

Lighting a larger area to the same measurement of lux requires a larger number of lumens which is usually
achieved by increasing the number of light fixtures.

(4) Foot candle (fc):

It is the English unit of Illuminance.

It is the amount of light flux density. It is the unit of measure used when describing the amount of light in a
room and expressed in lumens per square foot.

It is the amount of light that falls on the area we want to illuminate. We also want to know the lumens per
square foot or square meter in a space.

This quantity called Light Flux Density is the common term Foot-candle (fc).

Foot candle = Lumens / Area

Example: A 40-watt fluorescent lamp 120 centimeters long produces 3,200 lumens of light in a room having
a general dimensions of 10 x 20 ft. Find the illumination on the floor.

Foot candle (fc) = Lumens / Area

Foot candle (fc) = 3,200 lm / 1020 ft = 16 foot candle

The foot candle is an important unit of measure in calculating the desired illumination and layout of fixtures.

(5) Foot candle (fc):

The unit of luminance = the luminous fl ux per square foot on a sphere of radius 1 foot.

One foot-candle is approximately 10 lux.

(6) Luminance:

Luminance indicates the degree of brightness with which the human eye perceives a light source or an
illuminated surface.

L = E/A (cd/m2)

The luminance is expressed in candela per square meter (cd/m2).

The amount of light reflected from a surface. It is sort of the brightness we see, i.e. the visual effect of the
luminance.

It depends on the amount of luminance and on the reflective properties of the surface as well as on the
projected area on the plane perpendicular to the direction of view.

The unit is candela per square meter (cd/m2), or candela per square foot

(7) Lamp Circuit Efficacy:

Amount of light (lumens) emitted by a lamp for each watt of power consumed by the lamp circuit, i.e.
including control gear losses. This is a more meaningful measure for those lamps that require control gear. Its
Unit is lumens per circuit watt (lm/W)

(8) Uniformity ratio:

G = Emin/Egem (%) The uniformity ratio is the ratio between the minimum luminance and the average
luminance on a surface. This figure indicates the degree of evenness. E = 1 indicates complete uniformity.

(9) Utilization Factor (UF):

UF (%) The utilization factor indicates how well a lighting installation uses the luminous flux of the lamps.
This is indicated as the ratio between the luminous flux that reaches the working plane and the light source of the
bare lamps, expressed as a percentage.

The utilization factor of lamps is the ratio of luminous flux which is arrived to the road from the full luminous
flux of lamp. It is calculated by using the curse sign of utilization factor which is different from each lamp.

(10) Coefficient of Utilization (CU):

A design factor that represents the percentage of bare lamp lumens that are utilized to light the pavement
surface. This factor is based on the luminaries position relative to the lighted area.

Coefficient of Utilization
Fixture Description

cu

Efficient fixture, large unit colored room

0.45

Average fixture, medium size room

0.35

Inefficient fixture, small or dark room

0.25

(11) Lamp Lumen Depreciation Factor (LLD):

As the lamp service life increase, the lumen output of the lamp decreases. This is an inherent characteristic
of all lamps.

The initial lamp lumen value is adjusted by a lumen depreciation factor to compensate for the anticipated
lumen reduction. This assures that a minimum level of illumination will be available at the end of the assumed
lamp life, even though lamp lumen depreciation has occurred. This information is usually provided by the
manufacturer.

Mostly used LLD=0.80

(12) Luminaries Dirt Depreciation Factor (LDD):

Dirt on the exterior and interior of the luminaire, and to some extent on the lamp itself, reduces the amount
of light reaching the pavement.

Various degrees of dirt accumulation may occur depending upon the area in which the luminaire is located.
Industrial areas, automobile exhaust, diesel trucks, dust and other environs all affect the dirt accumulation on the
luminaire.

Higher mounting heights, however, tend to reduce the vehicle-related dirt accumulation.

Mostly LDD=0.9

(13) Maintenance Factor (MF):

The maintenance factor is the combination of light loss factors used to denote the reduction of the
illumination for a given area after a period of time compared to the initial illumination on the same area. It is the
product of the lamp lumen depreciation factor and the luminaire dirt depreciation factor (i.e., MF = LLD x LDD).

Consult the manufacturers data and the Electrical and Mechanical Unit for the appropriate factors to use.

Maintenance Factor
Enclosed fixture, clean room

0.8

Average conditions

0.7

Open Fixture or dirty room

0.6

(14) Color Rendering Index (CRI):

It is ability of a light source to render colors and make them appear normal.

The index scale runs from 0-100. A CRI of 100 means colors look normal, a low CRI means colors look
distorted.

CRI of 60 means the source renders 60% of the colors well and 40% poorly.

Halogen and Incandescent lamps generally have a CRI of 100.

Illumination Unit Comparisons
Term

English

Metric (SI)

Length

Feet

Meter

Area

Square foot

Square meter

Luminance Flux

Lumens

Lumens

Illumination Flux Density

Foot candles

Lux

Luminance

Foot lamberts

Lambert or Milli-Lamberts

Recommended Lux Level:

Illumination Level

Area

Lux Level

Very Bright Summer Day (Max)

Up to 100000 Lux

Very Bright Summer Day (Min)

20000 Lux

Nighttime Car Park

1 Lux

Nighttime Urban Street

10 Lux

Night Light on a Building

60 Lux

Machine shop

400 Lux

Offices

500 Lux

Kitchens (food preparation area)

400 Lux

Counters

240 Lux

Machine shop

700 Lux

Canteens

300 Lux

Waiting Rooms

80 Lux

Foyers

200 Lux

Entrance halls

160 Lux

Stairs

40 Lux

Warehouses

80 Lux

Passageways

80 Lux

Corridors

40 Lux

Illuminance for Various Roadway Types (ANSI/IES RP-8)

Road Type

Illuminace Lux

Urban Freeway

10

Freeway Interchange

14

Commercial Arterial

20

Residential Collector

Local

Light levels as per IS 1944

Classification of
road

Group A1

Average level
Type of road

of illumination

Min:Avg

(lux)
Important traffic routes
carrying fast traffic

Min:Max
(%)

30

0.4

33

15

0.4

33

0.3

20

0.3

20

Other main roads carrying

Group A2

mixed traffic, like main city

streets, arterial roads,
throughways etc
Secondary roads with

Group B1

considerable traffic like

principal local traffic routes,
shopping streets etc
Secondary roads with light

Group B2

traffic. important traffic routes

carrying fast traffic

Minimum Level of illumination in Lux

Road

Residential

Industrial

Commercial

Arterial Roads

10.0

13.0

17

Collector Road

6.0

10.0

13.0

Local Roads

4.0

7.0

9.0

Walkways & Pathways

4.0

Lanes

4.0

2.0

2.0

Recommended Levels of Illumination (BIS, 1981)Table 6

Avg
Road Characteristics

Illumination
(Lux)

Important traffic routes carrying fast

traffic

Type of

Min / Avg
Illumination (Lux)

Luminaries
Preferred

30

0.4

Cutoff

15

0.4

Cutoff

0.3

Cutoff or semi-cutoff

0.3

Cutoff or semi-cutoff

Main roads carrying mixed traffic like

city main roads/streets, arterial roads,
throughways
Secondary roads with considerable
traffic like local traffic routes,
shopping streets
Secondary roads with light traffic

Recommended Average Horizontal Illumination level in Lux

Vehicular traffic Classification

Pedestrian
Traffic

Very light

Light

Medium

Heavy to Heaviest

Heavy

9.68

12.91

16.14

12.52

Medium

6.46

8.61

10.26

12.91

Light

2.15

4.30

6.46

9.68