Revision of Threshold Luminance Levels in Tunnels Aiming to Minimize Energy Consumption at No Cost: Methodology and Case Studies

Lambros T. Doulos, Ioannis Sioutis, Aris Tsangrassoulis, Laurent Canale and Kostantinos Faidas
Additional contact information
Lambros T. Doulos: School of Applied Arts, Hellenic Open University, Parodos Aristotelous 18, 26335 Patras, Greece
Ioannis Sioutis: Nea odos S.A., Nea Erythraia, 15780 Athens, Greece
Aris Tsangrassoulis: Department of Architecture, University of Thessaly, 38221 Volos, Greece
Laurent Canale: LAPLACE (Laboratoire Plasma et Conversion d’Energie), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, 31077 Toulouse, France
Kostantinos Faidas: Nea odos S.A., Nea Erythraia, 15780 Athens, Greece

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-23

Abstract: Because of the absence of lighting calculation tools at the initial stage of tunnel design, the lighting systems are usually over-dimensioned, leading to over illumination and increased energy consumption. For this reason, a fine-tuning method for switching lighting stages according to the traffic weighted L20 luminance is proposed at no additional cost. The method was applied in a real –case scenario, where L20 luminance of the access zone at eleven (11) existing tunnels was calculated. The traffic weighted method of CR14380 was used in order to calculate the actual luminance levels for the entrance zone. The new transition zone, which decreases luminance curves, was produced and compared with the existing ones. Thus, a new switching control was proposed and programed for the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system of the tunnel. The signals of the corresponding eleven L20 meters for a period of eight days were used and the corresponding annual energy consumptions were calculated using the proposed switching program for each tunnel. The results were compared with a number of scenarios in which the existing lighting system was retrofitted with Lighting Emitting Diodes (LED) luminaires. In these scenarios, the new luminaire arrangement was based not only on the existing luminance demand value for the threshold zone, but also on the newly proposed one with two different control techniques (continuous dimming and 10% step dimming). The fine-tuning method for switching resulted in energy savings between 11% and 54% depending on the tunnel when the scenario of the existing installation at no extra cost was used. Energy savings, when LED luminaires were installed, varied between 57% (for the scenario with existing luminance demand value for the threshold zone and 10% step dimming) and 85% (for the scenario with the new calculated luminance demand and continuous dimming).

Keywords: energy savings; lighting; optimal control; performance evaluation; tunnel lighting; sustainable tunneling; threshold zone luminance; tunnel management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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