O. Rabaza

A new methodology for calculating roadway lighting design based on a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm

Highlights? The problem of uniformity and installation efficiency in public lighting is optimized. ? The most accurate values of height and spacing have been determined with NSGA-II. ? The results have been successfully compared with a well-known and reliable free software. This paper presents a new method for calculating the design of roadway lighting. Apart from its accuracy, this method, which is based on a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, has the added advantage of enhancing the energy efficiency of lighting installations. This is positive because the economic use of energy resources is evidently a priority in the world today. In our study, an exhaustive calibration process was used to fine-tune the accuracy and precision of the new method presented. The results obtained were then compared with those of DIALUX, a well-known free software program that is frequently used for the design of lighting installations. In the second phase of this research, the lighting installation was made more complex in order to verify the applicability of this new method to a wide range of different contexts.

All-Sky brightness monitoring of light pollution with astronomical methods

This paper describes a mobile prototype and a protocol to measure light pollution based on astronomical methods. The prototype takes three all-sky images using BVR filters of the Johnson-Cousins astronomical photometric system. The stars are then identified in the images of the Hipparcos and General Catalogue of Photometric Data II astronomical catalogues, and are used as calibration sources. This method permits the measurement of night-sky brightness and facilitates an estimate of which fraction is due to the light up-scattered in the atmosphere by a wide variety of man-made sources. This is achieved by our software, which compares the sky background flux to that of many stars of known brightness. The reduced weight and dimensions of the prototype allow the user to make measurements from virtually any location. This prototype is capable of measuring the sky distribution of light pollution, and also provides an accurate estimate of the background flux at each photometric band.

A simple method for designing efficient public lighting, based on new parameter relationships

Abstract New parameter relationships for public lighting design (i.e. average illuminance, luminaire spacing, and mounting height) were calculated from a large sample of data sets optimized with a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. Optimization criteria included maximum energy efficiency and overall uniformity. The relations thus derived are a simple and elegant method for designing any type of public lighting installation without the need to use complex, expensive and/or unavailable software. It would therefore be desirable that manufacturers include such parameters in the product datasheet in order to make the calculation easier.

A Continuous Liquid-Level Sensor for Fuel Tanks Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance

A standard problem in large tanks at oil refineries and petrol stations is that water and fuel usually occupy the same tank. This is undesirable and causes problems such as corrosion in the tanks. Normally, the water level in tanks is unknown, with the problems that this entails. We propose herein a method based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to detect in real time the interfaces in a tank which can simultaneously contain water, gasoline (or diesel) and air. The plasmonic sensor is composed of a hemispherical glass prism, a magnesium fluoride layer, and a gold layer. We have optimized the structural parameters of the sensor from the theoretical modeling of the reflectance curve. The sensor detects water-fuel and fuel-air interfaces and measures the level of each liquid in real time. This sensor is recommended for inflammable liquids because inside the tank there are no electrical or electronic signals which could cause explosions. The sensor proposed has a sensitivity of between 1.2 and 3.5 RIU−1 and a resolution of between 5.7 × 10−4 and 16.5 × 10−4 RIU.

A new method of measuring and monitoring light pollution in the night sky

This paper describes a method of measuring and monitoring light pollution in the night sky. This method is capable of instantly quantifying the levels of artificial radiance and monochromatic luminance of the sky glow by means of a system that includes an all-sky camera as well as several interference filters. The calibration is done with an integrating sphere where the measurement pattern used is obtained from the light reflected from the inner wall of the sphere which comes from radiation emitted by a calibration lamp with a known luminous flux. The inner wall of this sphere is a Lambertian surface, which ensures that the light reflected or falling on it is uniformly dispersed in all directions (i.e. the surface luminance is isotropic).

New rules of thumb maximizing energy efficiency in street lighting with discharge lamps: The general equations for lighting design

New relationships between energy efficiency, illuminance uniformity, spacing and mounting height in public lighting installations were derived from the analysis of a large sample of outputs generated with a widely used software application for lighting design. These new relationships greatly facilitate the calculation of basic lighting installation parameters. The results obtained are also based on maximal energy efficiency and illuminance uniformity as a premise, which are not included in more conventional methods. However, these factors are crucial since they ensure the sustainability of the installations. This research formulated, applied and analysed these new equations. The results of this study highlight their usefulness in rapid planning and urban planning in developing countries or areas affected by natural disasters where engineering facilities and computer applications for this purpose are often unavailable.

Application of Translucent Concrete for Lighting Purposes in Civil Infrastructures and its Optical Characterization

The discovery of translucent concrete some years ago, opened a new horizon in Civil Engineering. Many researchers have looked for applications in matter of structural mechanics in order to replace classical concrete by this new and challenging material. However, the scientific and technical communities working in Civil Engineering seem to be still far away from clear ideas and strategies to take profit of one of the main properties of this material: its possibility to transmit light. The reason is complex: on one hand, most of the researchers are mainly interested in the mechanical properties and other researchers, more interested on lighting, maybe find it as a decorative element, but not as a functional one from the point of view of lighting. In this work, two lines concerning its optical characterization (which must be always the first step) and some applications to road tunnels are presented. We will see that more active and multidisciplinary research is still needed before fully understanding and accurately use this material for lighting purposes.