LED
LED
Short for Light-Emitting Diode. The go-to modern day light source, LEDs have come a long way from their humble beginnings as little red indicators. In addition to visible light, they can be used to generate infra-red and even ultra-violet light.
LEDs have many advantages over other light sources, including low energy consumption and longer lifespan.
LED technology has advanced very quickly, particularly in the last decade. Like we have seen with computer processing power, the lumens an LED can produce has gone through the roof. For Ex luminaires, this is a mixed blessing: we can make very bright luminaires now, but the risk of them igniting particles in the air has to be factored into the design equation. Optical radiation, or ‘op is,’ plays an increasingly significant role for Ex luminaires with LEDs. For more information, have a look at this informative presentation by Tarmo Rintala: Are LED luminaires causing higher risks in Ex areas?