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A HOLISTIC APPROACH USING LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE TECHNOLOGY

This article discusses the effects of imple­ Background

menting a specialized holistic lighting design throughout
a new industrial petroleum-processing facility using high-
mast lights and the latest light-fixture technology rather
than conventional lighting design methods. Topics of engi­
neering justification for design decisions, the final design
outcomes, and the financial impacts of choosing the design
approach are presented in a case study, and additional
environmental and economic successes and failures of the
design philosophy are explored.
In 2010, a CAN$6 billion bitumen upgrading and refin­
ing project was announced in Alberta, Canada. The proj­
ect’s engineering team was challenged by the operating
mandate to build a plant that was both cost-effective
and environmentally responsible—not just from an ener­
gy and waste prospective but also respecting the sur­
rounding neighbors and wildlife. This meant the lighting
design would have to be dark-sky compliant [1] with
minimal light trespass [2]. The design process began by

Industrial Lighting
By Cletus Mullin, Rene Koltes, Mick Walton, and Jeff Krukowski

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MIAS.2017.2740462

Date of publication: 17 April 2018

1077-2618/18©2018IEEE J ULY /AUG US T 2018 œ IEEE Industry Applications Magazine 31

 leum facilities to specify LED fix­
Table 1. A comparison of typical lighting design requirements with case study tures site wide for a green-field
refinery requirements installation. The holistic lighting
design approach encompassed
IES Refinery
Uniformity Uniformity the selection of task-specific LED
Refinery Ratio Ratio fixtures and high-mast lights and
IES Minimum Initial Average (Maximum/ (Average/ optimized the lighting power dis­
Location Illumination (lx) Illumination (lx) Minimum) Minimum) tribution system.
General 10 30 10:1 8:1
process areas Lighting Technology
Selection and Design Criteria
Work areas 50 200 5:1 3:1
A major decision made early in
Instruments 50 200 5:1 3:1 the project was for the lighting
Operating 50 100 5:1 5:1 design to provide a more uni­
platforms form lighting level than what is
Ladders and 50 150 5:1 5:1 typically required, ultimately to
stairs offset inevitable light loss over
Fin-fan 50 100 5:1 5:1 time. This meant a shift from the
coolers traditional design parameters,
(interior) recommended by the Illuminat­
Loading racks 50 100 5:1 5:1 ing Engineering Society (IES), of
Loading 100 100 5:1 5:1 initial minimum illuminance and a
points maximum : minimum uniformity
ratio, to a new set of requirements
consisting of initial average illu­
minance and an average : minimum uniformity ratio
(Table 1). The updated lighting specifications are more
stringent than the IES recommendations normally used
on industrial sites, resulting in brighter, more uni­
form lighting.
The more stringent lighting design requirements may
lead to increased fixture counts for the refinery when
compared with similar facilities. The benefits of elimi­
nating temporary lighting for facility scheduled and
unscheduled maintenance and operations justified the
decision. The more exact lighting design would elimi­
Figure 1. A typical preliminary 3-D rendering of the lighting model. nate the need to add fixtures during project turnover
and commissioning.
To begin the process of selecting a lighting technol­
evaluating various lighting technologies. To help with ogy, conventional high-pressure sodium (HPS) and LED
the selection process, specialized lighting design per­ light sources were compared. Two lighting designs
sonnel were consulted. were completed for one of the larger processing units
Although light-emitting diode (LED) technology was using the preliminary three-dimensional (3-D) model
in its infancy, the engineering team predicted that by the that only contained major equipment and structures.
time construction of the project would begin in 2013, Figure 1 shows a typical 3-D rendering of the lighting
LED fixtures would have evolved and improved and that model used.
it would be the best technology for industrial lighting. One design was completed using conventional design
Based on a preliminary lighting design study of the refin­ practices with only HPS task fixtures. The second design
ery’s processing units, LED fixtures were chosen for the used an approach that incorporated the benefits of high-
project; however, specific fixtures were not selected. Final mast lights [3] and LED fixtures [4]. The high-mast design
product selection was delayed to take advantage of the utilized LED fixtures and was developed to improve
ongoing improvements and development of LED fixtures high-mast designs using HPS fixtures. The following six
in the marketplace. financial criteria were considered when comparing the
The fixture evaluation and selection was completed two designs:
in early 2012, just prior to the detailed design phase. 1) fixture quantities
This resulted in the project being one of the first petro­ 2) energy consumption

32 IEEE Industry Applications Magazine œ J ULY/AUGUST 2018

 Capital Cost and
Fixture Count Five-Year Energy Cost (Millions)
1,400 CAN$5
1,176
1,200
CAN$4 CAN$3.69
1,000
725 CAN$3
800
CAN$2.27
600 CAN$2
400
CAN$1
200

0 CAN$0
HPS LED HPS LED
(a) (b)

Figure 2. The (a) fixture counts and (b) costs of the preliminary designs.

3) distribution requirements Final Design Results

4) emergency lighting requirements
5) construction lighting
6) maintenance costs.
Of the six financial criteria, the capital cost of the fix­
ture quantities and the energy consumption in the span
of five years were deemed most important. These two
criteria were fully evaluated when the two designs were
compared, and the results of the two designs are shown
in Figure 2.
In addition to the direct financial criteria that affected
project costs, the following three environmental factors
were considered:
1) dark-sky compliance [1]
2) light trespass [2]
3) facility CO2 emissions.
At the time of the design comparison, LED fixtures
were approximately 230% more expensive than HPS.
However, considering the reduction in fixture quantities,
the results of the study indicated that, when mounting
hardware and labor were included, an LED-based design
approach could reduce capital cost by 32%. When energy
reduction for five years of operation was included, the cost
reduction increased to 38%.
To maximize the benefits of the lighting design, the
best approach was to implement an all-encompassing
design where all aspects of lighting design were handled
by a specialized contractor. The design would encompass
the following items:
1) light-fixture selection
2) lighting calculation and fixture locations for high-mast
and task fixtures
3) light-fixture installation details
4) site-wide philosophy for lighting power distribution
5) emergency and egress lighting design.
Based on the study results, the holistic lighting design
philosophies were used throughout the refinery.
Fixture Count
As indicated in the “Lighting Technology Selection and
Design Criteria” section, the lighting design philosophy
using LED and high-mast lights was implemented through­
out the refinery. The refinery’s six primary processing
units totaled 5,457 LED task lighting fixtures. The design
was completed using 17 fixture types and nine standard
installation types, either ceiling, wall, or stanchion mount­
ed. The ratio of the fixtures for the LED design mount
was: stanchion, 50%; ceiling, 38%; and wall, 12%.
A lighting design for two of the six processing units
was also completed using a conventional design practice
with HPS fixtures. The difference in the fixture quanti­
ties from these units extrapolated to include the entire
refinery with 8,318 HPS fixtures. The ratio of fixtures for
the traditional HPS design mount was: stanchion, 60%;
ceiling, 23%; and wall, 17%. Table 2 offers a summary of
fixture counts.
When comparing the fixture counts for the two process
units, the LED design reduced the task fixture quantity by
34%. This reduction was the result of the holistic design
approach, taking advantage of primary lighting supplied
Table 2. The task-lighting fixture count reductions
Traditional
HPS Design LED Design
Mounting Fixture Count Fixture Count
Stanchion mount 4,970 2,718
Ceiling mount 1,907 2,087
Wall mount 1,441 652
Total 8,318 5,457

J ULY /AUG US T 2018 œ IEEE Industry Applications Magazine 33

 (a) (b)

Figure 3. (a) The HPS design: nine fixtures for an average lighting level of 32 lx. (b) The LED design: five fixtures for an average lighting level
of 41 lx.

by the high-mast lights and a comprehensive 3-D lighting made up of several parts that must be assembled on site,
design. This approach incorporated light contribution from whereas the LED fixtures come as complete units from the
fixtures on adjacent structures and equipment, along with factory. Typical material and installation rates for the fixture
the inherent advantages of LED technology. mountings in an industrial facility are shown in Table 3.
The directional light output of LED fixtures allows The holistic design for the six main processing plants in the
better control of light distribution when compared to refinery also included 24 high-mast lights. Table 4 details
conventional HPS light fixtures. Selecting appropriate the typical cost for high-mast light installation. Comparing
task-specific LED fixtures generally resulted in fewer the total installation costs of the traditional HPS lighting
required fixtures. An example of an LED design versus design with the LED design and the high-mast lights result­
an HPS design for a typical pipe rack is shown in Figure 3, ed in a total reduction of CAN$1.9 million for the project
where the controlled optics of LED fixtures can provide when the holistic design approach was followed.
comparable or better lighting with fewer fixtures than
with HPS lighting. Energy Savings
The installation time for modern LED fixtures is also Reducing the number of fixtures compounded with the
shorter than traditional HPS fixtures because they are inherent reduction in fixture wattage resulted in sig­
nificant energy savings when compared
to traditional HPS lighting designs with a
holistic LED philosophy. The lower energy
Table 3. The typical fixture installation cost in an industrial facility
consumption resulted in a lower carbon
(in CAN$) footprint for the facility. Figure 4 illustrates
HPS Fixtures LED Fixtures the reduction in energy consumption and
CO2 emissions [5] for the holistic design
Fixture Labor Fixture Labor approach with light fixtures operating, on
Mounting Cost Cost* Total Cost Cost* Total average, 12 h per day.
Stanchion 416 2,392 2,808 832 2,133 2,965 The total reduction in power for the
six main processing units was 714 kW,
Ceiling 399 906 1,305 649 827 1,476
resulting in total reductions of 3,128 MW/h
Wall 420 1,683 2,103 1,091 1,603 2,694 and 1,614 t of CO2 emissions per year.
*Labor costs include all material except the fixture. Using the refinery’s electricity rate of
CAN$0.08 kW/h, the resulting energy
savings per year is CAN$250,288, and
CO2 credits are not included in this value.
Table 4. The typical cost of a single high-mast light pole (in CAN$)
Distribution Requirements
Screw Pile Pole The traditional approach to lighting dis­
Description Material Foundation Installation Total Cost tribution in an industrial plant is to place
dedicated transformers and associated
80 ft-high-mast 158,000 6,555 30,000 194,555 panel boards throughout the processing
pole with 22
LED fixtures plant using individual contactors in a mo­
tor control center (MCC). The transformers

34 IEEE Industry Applications Magazine œ J ULY/AUGUST 2018

and panel boards are powered from the main electrical transformer and panels with junction boxes on a one-to-
distribution building or yard. Lighting transformers are one basis is identified in Table 6. Combining the cost reduc­
typically 45 kVA, and the panel boards are typically 24 tions from Tables 5 and 6 results in a total of CAN$867,342
or 42 circuit and must be rated for hazardous areas. To in lighting distribution when the holistic design philosophy
switch the outdoor lights, each MCC lighting contactor is used.
must be operated using an automated lighting control sys­
tem, complete with relays.
With the LED lighting design, the power consumption
was reduced so that even the largest processing plant in 6,000 5,680.1
the refinery could be supplied using fewer than 24 circuits
5,000

Unit Lighting Load ^ W h 4,000

Operating Voltage ^ V h # 16 A/circuit
# of Circuits = , 2,930.9
3,000 2,551.5
98, 634 W 2,000
# of Circuits = = 22.3.(1) 1,296.8 1,316.6
277 V # 16 A/circuit
1,000 582.5
Therefore, each processing plant’s lighting system can be 0
supplied and controlled using a single smart-lighting con­ Total Energy CO2
trol panel, fed from one dedicated transformer. The smart- Power (kW) Consumption Emissions
(MW/h/Year) (t/Year)
lighting control panel utilizes programmable motorized
breakers that switch on the individual lighting circuits. Traditional HPS Holistic LED
The control panel was placed in the main electrical distri­
bution buildings where it would be located indoors and Figure 4. A comparison of total power, energy consumption, and
outside of the hazardous area in the processing plants. CO 2 emissions.
A comparison of the material
costs of the traditional and holis­
tic lighting control designs for the
Table 5. A comparison of lighting control system material costs (in CAN$)
six processing units is summa­
rized in Table 5. Total Cost
With light fixtures controlled
at utilization voltage from a panel Material
Cost (CAN$/ Traditional Holistic
in the main electrical distribu­ Description Quantity Unit) Design Design
tion building, the lighting trans­
formers and hazardous-area-rated MCC contactor 36 2,389 86,004
panels located throughout the Automated lighting 6 2,000 12,000
processing unit can be replaced control system
with simple, three-phase lighting Control system contactor panel 6 1,200 7,200
terminal boxes that include feed-
MCC feeder 6 3,483 20,898
through terminals. Geographi­
Distribution transformer 6 3,268 19,608
cal plant layout and light-fixture
grouping most often determine Smart lighting control panel 6 6,830 40,980
the location of the lighting dis­ Total 105,204 81,486
tribution equipment within the Cost reduction using holistic design 23,718
processing plant. Therefore, it
is safe to assume that a one-for-
one replacement of panel boards
with terminal boxes is a realistic Table 6. A comparison of lighting distribution equipment cost (in CAN$)
approximation when comparing
traditional distribution with the Typical Cost per
holistic approach. Installation Unit (Material and Total
Description Quantity Time (h) Labor) Cost
The preliminary estimate in
the refinery was 36 lighting panel Hazardous area panel 36 42 24,476 881,136
boards in the six main process­ board and transformer
ing units for a traditional HPS Lighting terminal box 36 6 1,042 37,512
design approach. The cost reduc­ Total cost reduction 843,624
tion associated with replacing the

J ULY /AUG US T 2018 œ IEEE Industry Applications Magazine 35

 Emergency Lighting Savings that, in a refinery process area without high-mast lights,
Emergency egress lighting is an area where holistic light­ approximately 20% of the light fixtures must be dedicated
ing design philosophy has the greatest impact. To meet the emergency light sources. This requires that dedicated dis­
Canadian Occupational Health and Safety code require­ tribution systems of transformers, panels, and cabling be
ments for emergency lighting [6], specific fixtures through­ installed to feed the emergency fixtures in addition to the
out the plant must be fed from a dedicated emergency normal power distribution.
source that is generally connected to the facility’s standby Each of the six main processing plants in the refinery
generator. These fixtures remain on during a power failure would require a minimum of two emergency lighting
to provide adequate lighting in all egress paths from work­ panels to adequately cover the plant area emergency
ing areas and platforms in the plant. Experience shows lighting. The cost of each lighting panel and transformer
was discussed in the “Distribu­
tion Requirements” section. Each
emergency lighting panel would
Normal Emergency Emergency
Power Bus Power Bus Power Bus also require an MCC feeder buck­
et to supply power and a power
cable from the MCC. The aver­
age length of the power cables
would be ~150 m. Using 20% of
the total number of HPS fixtures,
as shown in Table 2, the num­
LTG. LTG. LTG.
PNL PNL PNL
ber of emergency HPS fixtures
required for the facility is 1,664.
A conservative estimate of 20 m
of #12AWG cable for each emer­
gency lighting fixture results in
a total cable length of 33,280 m.
With the reduced power con­
sumption of LED design, the
approach to emergency lighting
is to put all of the plant light­
(a) (b)
ing on the standby generator.
Because of the standardization
of generator sizes and that light
Figure 5. A simplified lighting distribution: (a) a traditional design and (b) a holistic approach with
all lighting fed from the emergency power system. fixtures have negligible starting
inrush current, this can often
be accomplished without an
increase in generator size.
Table 7. A summary of cost reduction by removing dedicated emergency
An assessment was complet­
lighting panels, transformers, and cabling (in CAN$)
ed on the refinery lighting load
Typical Cost per prior to the standby generator
Unit of Unit (Material Line Item purchase. The results confirmed
Description Quantity Measure and Labor) Cost that the lighting load could be
added to the facility standby gen­
Hazardous area panel board 12 Each 21,852 262,224
erator capacity without having
Distribution transformer 12 Each 2,624 31,488 to change the generator size. By
Mounting bracket for 12 Each 1,397 16,764 adding all of the facility light fix­
transformer and panel tures to the emergency distribu­
Cable tray from transformer 12 Each 814 9,768 tion system, they would remain
to panel on in the event of a power fail­
MCC feeder buckets 12 Each 1,028 12,336 ure; therefore, only one lighting
#6AWG cable to 1,800 m 29.57 53,226 distribution system is required,
transformers and the dedicated emergency
#12AWG installed above 33,280 m 22.55 750,464 lighting transformers, panels,
grade in cable tray MCC buckets, and cabling could
all be  removed from the design
Total 1,136,270
(Figure 5). Table 7 summarizes

36 IEEE Industry Applications Magazine œ J ULY/AUGUST 2018

the estimated cost reduction at the refinery using the contractor. An on-site lighting survey concluded that the
holistic design approach. annual failure rate of HPS fixtures for the facility was
~8%. A total of 345 light-fixture repairs were completed
Construction Lighting that year. Of all the repairs completed, 88% were lamp
A distinct advantage of choosing a lighting design phi­ replacements. The average time to repair a fixture was
losophy prior to the detailed design phase of the project
is the ability to analyze permanent lighting fixture use
during the construction phase. This is not practical with a
traditional lighting design that does not incorporate high-
mast lights because the construction lighting is required
prior to the availability of structures and equipment that
support the permanent task fixtures. High-mast lights
with lowering systems allow for easy re-aiming of the
fixtures. This enables the designers to provide one set
of fixture-aiming angles for general area lighting during
construction and permanent-aiming angles that make the
best use of fixtures once construction is complete.
The high-mast lights need to be erected as early (a)
as possible to be in place prior to any major construc­
tion activities. Therefore, commitment from construc­
tion stakeholders is critical to achieve the full benefit.
Construction personnel need to be consulted as early
as possible regarding the location and operation of the
high-mast lights so their use can be incorporated into the
overall construction execution strategy.
It is standard practice for construction lighting to use
towable diesel-powered light plants with 4 # 1, 000-W HPS,
or metal halide, fixtures. A single high-mast pole can pro­
vide better lighting and replace eight of these light plants (b)
in a construction area. Figure 6 shows that the high-mast
light outperforms the towable light plants for general area Figure 6. A 100 m # 40 m construction area: (a) eight towable
illuminance and uniformity. The calculated lighting levels light plants and (b) a single high-mast light pole.
for the two designs are shown in Table 8.
In addition to the improved lighting, replacing towable
light plants with high-mast fixtures significantly reduces Table 8. Construction lighting illuminance levels
construction costs. The total monthly cost of operating the
eight towable light plants is shown in Table 9. Considering Towable High-Mast
each of the 24 high-mast poles erected in the refinery could Light Towers Light Pole
replace eight towable light plants, the total cost reduction in
Area (m) 100 # 40 100 # 40
construction lighting for the two-year construction period
would be CAN$27.3 million. An additional benefit to using Maximum illuminance (lx) 49.0 104.0
high-mast lights is the elimination of the noise and diesel Minimum illuminance (lx) 7.0 19.0
exhaust fumes produced by the towable light plants. Average illuminance (lx) 20.7 70.9
Maximum to 7.0 5.5
Maintenance Costs minimum ratio
Although not considered in the capital cost of any proj­
ect, the maintenance cost
of the plant lighting sys­
tem needs to be considered Table 9. The monthly cost of towable light plants (in CAN$)
prior to making any design
philosophy decisions. In Monthly Labor Monthly Cost Including
2014, an evaluation of the for Fueling Rental, Labor and Total
annual lighting maintenance Description Quantity (h/Light Plant) Fuel ($/Light Plant) Cost
in a similar oil-processing
4,000-W towable 8 20 5,930 47,440
facility was conducted by light plant
the facility maintenance

J ULY /AUG US T 2018 œ IEEE Industry Applications Magazine 37

 Table 10. A comparison of annual lamp replacement costs (in CAN$)
Total Number Annual Failure
Design Type of Fixtures Rate (%)
Traditional 8,318 8 665
Holistic 5,985 2 120
5.4 h, resulting in an average cost per repair of CAN$575,
excluding material.
LED lighting technology provides an inherent reduc­
tion in maintenance costs. HPS lamps typically have
a maximum life of 24,000 h (5.5 years at 12 h/day) [7].
LED light fixtures are covered under the manufacturer’s
­warranty for 94,949 h of maintenance-free operation (21.7
years at 12 h/day) [8]. With a lifetime of four times that of
HPS lamps, the fixture failure rate for LED is expected to
be only 25% of the annual HPS lamp failure rate.
The expected annual fixture maintenance costs for
the refinery were determined using the total fixture
counts in Table 2, and the costs are shown in Table 10.
Therefore, the LED design philosophy is expected to
reduce light fixture maintenance costs annually by
CAN$313,375.
Conclusions
When implemented early in the design stages of a proj­
ect, a holistic lighting design philosophy that includes
high-mast lights, detailed 3-D lighting analyses, and
task-specific LED fixtures can have a significant impact
on overall project capital and maintenance cost. The
evaluation of the holistic lighting design approach on a
50,000-barrel/day oil refinery was conducted based on
the following six criteria:
1) fixture quantities
2) energy consumption
3) distribution requirements
4) emergency lighting requirements
5) construction lighting
6) maintenance costs.
The results of the holistic design approach were a
reduction of 34% in task-lighting fixture quantities, 82% in
annual lighting maintenance hours, and 55% in electrical
energy consumed by lighting. Combining the total cost
impact for all the criteria evaluated resulted in a total capi­
tal cost reduction of CAN$31.2 million, an annual opera­
tion and maintenance reduction of CAN$563,663, and an
annual reduction in CO2 emissions of 1,614 t. Additionally,
the design is dark-sky compliant, eliminates light trespass
38 IEEE Industry Applications Magazine œ J ULY/AUGUST 2018
Annual Failure Rate Annual Fixture
(Number of Fixtures) Maintenance Labor Cost
382,375
69,000
into neighboring properties, and provides the additional
quality benefits of LED light sources, which include high­
er color-rendering index, instant restrike, enhanced cold
weather performance, and vibration resistance. If imple­
mented on future industrial projects, the holistic lighting
design approach is expected to provide similar results as
shown in this case study.
Author Information
Cletus Mullin (cmullin@chemco.com) and Jeff Kru-
kowski are with Chemco Engineering, Nisku, Alberta,
Canada. Rene Koltes is with North West Redwater Part­
nership, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Mick Walton is with
ILS Products, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Mullin, Walton,
and Krukowski are Members of the IEEE. This article
first appeared as “Industrial Lighting—A Holistic
Approach Using L.E.D. Technology” at the 2016 IAS
Petroleum and Chemical Industry Conference. This arti­
cle was reviewed by the IAS Petroleum and Chemical
Industry Committee.
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