Flame Protected Optic Luminaire Enclosure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing luminaires used in environments with flammable gases do not effectively encapsulate flames, posing a risk of fire transmission outside the luminaire.
Innovation Solution
A luminaire system with a flame encapsulating enclosure, featuring a luminaire enclosure cover and backing, a PCB board with light emitters, an LED protective lens array, and a luminaire flame protective lens, which forms a mechanical seal to prevent flame transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing luminaires are used in environments with flammable gases, then light emission function is maintained, but flame encapsulation capability is insufficient allowing fire transmission outside the luminaire
Solution Approach 1:
The luminaire is divided into multiple flame-tight sealed compartments, each containing individual light emitters. This segmentation ensures that if one compartment experiences ignition, the flame is contained within that specific compartment and cannot propagate to other areas or outside the luminaire, thereby improving flame encapsulation capability while maintaining light emission function.
Solution Approach 2:
Flame barriers are introduced as intermediary elements between the light emitters and the luminaire exterior. These barriers act as mediators that block flame transmission while allowing heat dissipation, effectively preventing fire from escaping the luminaire without compromising the light emission function.
2Reliability
If flame barriers are added to prevent flame transmission, then flame encapsulation is improved, but light transmission capability may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The flame barriers are designed with locally differentiated properties: they possess flame-blocking characteristics in the radial direction while maintaining light transmission capabilities in the axial direction. This local quality differentiation allows the barriers to prevent flame transmission outside the luminaire while ensuring that light from the LEDs can still effectively illuminate the desired areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The flame barriers are constructed using composite materials that combine flame-retardant properties with optical transparency. These composite materials enable the barriers to simultaneously achieve flame encapsulation by blocking flame propagation while allowing light transmission, thus resolving the contradiction between fire safety and illumination effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The luminaire system effectively encapsulates flames within the enclosure, preventing them from escaping and ensuring safe operation in environments with flammable gases, while allowing light to be transmitted from the interior to the exterior.
Implementation Method 1
a mechanical seal that disallows a flame from travelling into or out of at least one of the protective lenses is formed between the LED protective lens array and the pcb board
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments described herein are directed to luminaire components that prevent flame transmission from the inside of a luminaire to the outside of a luminaire. In certain aspects, the luminaire can be used in an environment containing flammable gas, for example, in specialized lab work or testing applications. This application discusses components that can be used to prevent flame transmission from the inside of a luminaire to the outside of a luminaire, thereby yielding a flame encapsulating luminaire. Accordingly, the components and assemblies described herein can be safely integrated with systems that operate in the presence of flammable gas.