Chalmit unveils 'maintenance free' led technology

The Solas is designed for use in both Zone 1 hazardous areas and harsh marine environments. According to Chalmit, it provides the same level of light output under either normal or emergency conditions. "We are excited about the possibilities the new Solas led can provide," said Chalmit marketing manager, Gareth Bruce. "The initial concept was to replace an existing emergency floodlight, the 261E. In this product the batteries were contained in a separate Ex e box. The use of leds and smart driver technology has allowed the complete solution to be contained within the luminaire enclosure. Not only is the Solas a more efficient, compact and price competitive replacement for the 261E, it has also created a host of new applications due to its increased flexibility." Traditionally, battery backup emergency floodlights have been reserved for specific platform abandonment applications. The development of quality long life leds is proving to have a much wider appeal. Such floodlights can now be used for continuous operation under normal lighting conditions. Chalmit says that unlike high intensity discharge floods, the Solas is effectively maintenance free offering more than 60,000hours of continuous operation. It has a high light output ratio resulting in more than 4000 lumens with minimal losses. These levels can be compared to a 70W high pressure sodium floodlight. However, unlike such lamps, the use of led results in a much whiter light closer to that of natural daylight.