The designers from LED - SOLAR, who develop LED modules for mining luminaires, were able to see for themselves the difficulty of the mining craft. At the invitation of the employees of Hornonitrianské mines Prievidza, a.s. they went into the black depths of the mine in Nováky.

The goal was clear: to experience first-hand the conditions in which mining luminaires have to work. During the on-site tour of the underground premises, the expert electrical maintenance staff showed what the mining luminaires have to endure. A major part of finding out information relevant to the direction of the development of LED modules for mining luminaires was a discussion of the operational requirements for mine lighting.

Current status

The basic requirement of the miners was to change the source structure of the luminaires and replace the originally used discharge lamps and incandescent lamps with LED technology. Due to current European Union legislation, light sources for mining luminaires have become unavailable on the market. The LED replacements that miners were able to buy routinely failed the tests in the harsh environment. The cause was the high temperature in the luminaire that developed while the LED substitute was lit. And it was the inadequate cooling of the LEDs that caused the collapse. The frequent replacements of the LED bulbs were unbearable. The huge number of luminaires in use at the same time and the high cost of new ones created an investment barrier for the company. LED - SOLAR, s.r.o. was therefore asked to design and construct an LED replacement that would fully comply with the technical regulations and handle the demanding operating conditions.

LED modules for mining luminaires - technical solution

The result of the work of LED-SOLAR developers is a massive construction of the insert equipped with LEDs. The LED modules for mining luminaires have an input power of approx. 15 to 18 W. Therefore, this new light source is classified as a highly efficient device. In addition to the white light for standard mining area lighting, the designers have also developed replacements for signal luminaires in various colours - red, green, blue, orange,... Another interesting feature is the possibility of controlling the intensity of the luminous flux, which should prevent possible dazzling of miners at work.

Currently, the verification operation is successfully underway and LED-SOLAR is fully prepared to handle this demanding custom production.