Intelligent system sheds light on Irish mail

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 14, 2003

As part of a major lighting scheme at the Northern Ireland Mail Centre in Belfast, over a thousand Cooper Lighting and Security batten luminaires have been linked into an intelligent lighting system.

As part of a major lighting scheme at the recently opened Northern Ireland Mail Centre in Newtonabbey, Belfast, over a thousand Cooper Lighting and Security batten luminaires have been linked into an intelligent lighting system to help minimise energy costs at the site.

Covering a vast area, the main sorting hall is illuminated by row upon row of Crompack 5 twin-tube 5ft fluorescent batten luminaires from Cooper's Crompton Lighting range of products, each fitted with a digital high-frequency regulating ballast and a standard metal reflector.

All the luminaires in the sorting hall are linked to one of 14 Intellect Groupmaster systems, which maintain a pre-determined lighting level on the floor 8m below by automatically adjusting the luminaire outputs to take account of the amount of daylight entering through the translucent roof.

Thanks to the use of digital technology, the luminaires dim or brighten gradually and therefore avoid becoming a source of distraction for people working underneath.

As well as minimising energy consumption by exploiting the available daylight, the Intellect Groupmaster system also ensures constant illumination regardless of the age of the tubes in the luminaires.

Approximately a third of the Crompack 5 batten luminaires in the main sorting hall are maintained emergency versions, providing at least 3h illumination in the event of a mains failure.

Energy management was a key consideration throughout the site, and over a 130 Intellect Moduspec intelligent recessed modular luminaires were fitted in the administration offices adjoining the main sorting hall.

The luminaires use a combination of occupancy-detection and daylight-sensing technology to save energy, and they also communicate electronically with each other, allowing them to be programmed to operate as a group.

So, if there are one or two people working late in an office, they will not end up in an isolated pool of light surrounded by intimidating darkness - which can easily happen with less sophisticated presence-detection systems.

The Intellect luminaires also offer "soft-on" capability, which means that, unlike conventional presence-detection luminaires, they switch on at minimum output and gradually rise to the preprogrammed working level, thereby eliminating initial bright flashes of light and providing a more pleasing effect for people entering an area.

When no movement has been detected for a specified period, the luminaires gradually dim down rather than instantly switching off.

A wide variety of other Crompton Lighting products were used at the Northern Ireland Mail Centre, including more than 400 standard Moduspec modular recessed fluorescent luminaires fitted with louvers or prismatic controllers depending on their location, some 270 Solstar recessed fluorescent downlighters, 70 Coolstar low-voltage downlighters, 80 Tufflite IP65-sealed fluorescent luminaires, 150 Cercla circular compact fluorescent luminaires, 80 Emergex exit signs and 50 Duospot emergency luminaires.

Starting from a greenfield site, the Northern Ireland Mail Centre was built in less than a year.

The lighting scheme was designed by National Design Consultancy, and the M and E contractor was Rotary Services.