Emergency lighting is a mandatory safety measure for crowded places, recommended in personal homes and apartments. The sudden onset of darkness causes a panic of the crowd, complicates directional movement, increases the likelihood of injury. Limited visibility impedes the functioning of schools, kindergartens, museums, cafes, restaurants, etc. Disabling main lighting is the result of an equipment accident, electrical wiring, fire, weather conditions: thunderstorms and strong winds. Emergency equipment comes into operation after de-energizing the main light sources. Its purpose is to prevent the negative consequences of falling visibility. Standards and rules for the organization of emergency lighting are regulated by the national standard GOST R 55842–2013. The document is compiled in accordance with the international ISO 300061: 2007 “Emergency lighting”.
Types of emergency lighting
According to their purpose, 2 types of emergency lighting are distinguished.Reserve AO ensures the continuity of the work process in case of power outages. It performs 30+% of the working illumination of the space.
Find a way out of a potentially dangerous room evacuation lighting. It is classified as follows:
- Anti-panic is installed in spaces of 60 m2 or more, so that people can see each other and obstacles in front of them (including at an altitude of up to 2 m above the floor). The intensity of 0.5 lux.
- Lighting escape routes - visibility when moving towards the exit of a building or to a safe place, the ability to find fire extinguishers, respirators and other safety equipment. The duration of action is at least 1 h, the intensity of 0.5 lux (1 lux along the axis of the passage).
- In hazardous areas, standardized lighting should remain at 100% and be interrupted for a maximum of 0.5 s in order to stop work that is potentially hazardous to human health and life. Intensity 15 lux.
Location of emergency network elements
In extreme conditions must be covered:
- primary fire fighting means;
- evacuation plans;
- fire exits, passages and corridors on the way to them;
- every flight of stairs (especially the extreme steps);
- floor level differences;
- crossing and changing directions;
- points of medical care, emergency communications;
- outside - final exits.
Inconsistency in the placement of evacuation schemes and fire extinguishers at the design stage of the wiring will entail subsequent problems with gating the walls for finishing.
For some places, separate emergency lighting standards have been taken into account. GOST R 53780–2010 informs that elevator cabs should be equipped with a luminaire with a minimum power of 1 W. Visibility persists for up to an hour after the disappearance of tension.
GOST R 50571.28–2006 and SP 31–110–2003 will be useful in planning emergency lighting for medical institutions. In rooms where the procedures are vital for the patient (including intracardiac ones), 50% of the lamps are connected to the emergency line. In other rooms intended for emergency events and manipulations, there must be at least 1 emergency light.
Selection of fixtures and occasions
SNiP 23–05–95 (SP 52.13330.2016 “Natural and artificial lighting”) provides for general rules for the lighting systems equipment, glare, pulsation.When choosing illuminators, you should check the markings of the rated voltage, operating mode, requirements for the replacement of lamps and battery. The parameters of electric consumers must meet the fire safety rules of NPB 249 - 97, the requirements of GOST IEC 60598-2-22-2012.
For emergency lighting, LED, fluorescent and incandescent lamps are more suitable. The discharge ones are not always able to provide ignition and re-ignition without delay. No starters are used in the circuit. The resumption of normalized illumination should occur quickly: 50% after 5 s, 100% - 10 s.
There are various requirements depending on the type of fixtures.
- When powered by a centralized spare source (uninterruptible, gas or diesel generator), you can follow the general rules.
- Autonomous devices (all elements are within 50 cm: lamp, battery, control unit) are accompanied by instructions on the time of continuous operation (1 h, 3 h), the date of manufacture, and the life of the power supply (from 4 years).
- In combined versions, the wiring of the working and emergency power supply should be separated by reinforced double insulation or a grounded shield. Be sure to have an indicator that indicates the power mode.
Stationary or remote network switching control is required for devices with standby mode.
Built-in batteries are nickel-cadmium or lead-acid batteries protected against polarity reversal. The voltage inside is respectively 0.8 V and 1.6–1.7 V. They are sealed (replacement of electrolytes is not possible) or have a valve. The latter are not suitable for installing the lamp in any position, should be specifically designed for emergency operation. Batteries wear out quickly, the replacement period depends on the duration stated on the marking.
SP 6.13130.2009 indicates that the cable for JSC must be fire resistant and emit a small amount of halogens and combustion products. These properties are characteristic of wires marked -ng-LSFR or -ng-HFFR.
Signposts
During evacuation, be sure to follow the special signs. Their location is determined by the standard GOST R 12.4.026. Safety signs are installed in public premises and auxiliary if more than 50 people can be there at the same time. If the lighting is artificial - more than 30 people. The measure is mandatory for areas of more than 100 m2. In educational, children’s, pre-school, medical institutions, places of permanent residence of handicapped groups, signs are set regardless of the number of people at the same time. The equipment of light railings in such rooms is allowed.
The brightness of the evacuation signs on any part of the surface should be at least 2 cd / m2. In this case, the distribution of illumination along the edges is no more than 5 times less than in the center (10 for plates with a brightness of 100 cd / m2). With smoke, the minimum figure is 10 cd / m2.
The best option is to design LED pointers with contours due to the ability of LED strips to consume little energy and glow in different colors.
Evacuation light indicators complement safety lighting in industrial and public buildings without access to natural light if the space accommodates 20 or more people at a time. Equipment in rooms with a constant flow of people works from the main electrical system under normal conditions. The safety power generator or battery must not be used in normal operation. Photoluminescent plates, which do not belong to the AO system, are used as indicator lights.
Tests for checking the power supply
Emergency lighting is not considered valid unless it has been tested after installation. This is especially true for home-made home networks. In operating conditions, verification is carried out by an external inspection or imitation of a malfunction.
Local monitoring involves testing each element individually through a manual test button. In addition, a stand-alone lamp can be equipped with an integrated tester or switching device with a remote test device. The rules are specified in the manufacturer's instructions.
The button is mounted on the housing of the power receiver, its function is to open the network. By the reaction of the device, you can evaluate how quickly it goes into emergency mode, whether it goes into general, the brightness of the light, the battery level. The method is laborious, does not give data on the duration of the glow.
Central monitoring conducted through an additional data cable by transmitting telemetric information through it. This is possible if the devices have a built-in interface for the data cable.
Central address monitoring is carried out automatically through the central unit. It is possible thanks to the addresses that are assigned to each lamp or index. Data is transferred via power lines. Various types of tests are performed at the required intervals. To receive reports from luminaires, the LON, BACnet protocols can be used in the building scheduling system, RS485 via the Internet.
Safety lighting can act as an evacuation if it meets the requirements for the latter.
Scheme and installation
Power supplies for working and backup lighting must be independent. Bred them from the substation shield. If the input of the power line into the building is one, then divide it on the input distribution device. Install control units, use common cabinets and group shields is unacceptable for regular and spare power networks. The norms do not recommend the joint laying of the main power line, safety wiring and evacuation in one box, tray or mounting profile, but it is allowed if special measures are taken to protect emergency cables from damage to workers: the presence of partitions, corrugated pipes.
The scheme in which the worker and AO use 2 types. The lamps are separate.
L1 - the main incandescent lamp, L2 - emergency. K1, K2 - contact relays, B1 - rectifier, Pr1, Pr2 - fuses, AB - battery.
The lamp L1 is connected through a closed circuit with the help of switch K1 to the network. The battery is connected to the battery rectifier B1, is constantly in charge mode. Power outage — K2 contacts close automatically, and a constant voltage from the backup battery is supplied to the L2 lamp.
Installation of independent sources involves 2 power supply lines: to a permanent and emergency light. The main light source may consist of all types of lamps. For emergency operation, low-power devices are used: LED, halogen and incandescent lamps of 12 watts.
Emergency lighting scheme. 1 source and lamps of all types.
The circuit is assembled from the main and emergency lamps L1, contact relays K1, K2, rectifier B1, fuse (Pr1), inverter I1, and AB battery.
The inverter converts the charge of the battery into alternating current. An unstable mains voltage passes through the rectifier and inverter, the power of the L1 lamp from the network. Such inclusion excludes premature burnout of lamps, their blinking.
Circuit breakers may be included.
Emergency LED lighting is the most relevant and effective due to low power consumption, low brightness, the ability to use LEDs of different colors to design evacuation plates.Neglect of installation rules and timely verification of the capacity of the emergency network leads to tragic consequences.
