Prismalence sheds new light

Sales in the first six months of 2007 are already up 50% on the whole of last year, adds Steve Cameron, Principal of CMR, marketing agent, global maritime transport, for Prismalence UK. Prismalence is gaining ground thanks to a number of important advantages over conventional high pressure sodium lights, says Cameron. Chief among these is a great improvement in human night-time vision. Compared to the ‘yellow’ glow cast by conventional high pressure sodium lights, Prismalence offers a ‘bright white’ light that is much closer to natural daylight.

‘Prismalence uses less than half the power of equivalent high pressure sodium systems’

Cameron explains: “While high pressure sodium lights only use 10-20% of the available light spectrum, the Prismalence system is based on a broad-spectrum CDM light source that is 90% equivalent to daylight. The colour of the light is therefore much more comfortable for port workers and gives much better clarity, with obvious health, safety and security benefits.” Prismalence also uses less than half the power of equivalent high pressure sodium systems, with the latest 150 Watt Prismalence booster lights claimed to provide comparable performance to high-pressure sodium lights of between 600 and 650 Watts. The system also offers a considerably extended life span – typically over 16,000 hours for the light source and 30 years for the armature. As the name suggests, a critical element in the Prismalence system is its use of prismatic lens technology. Made up of hundreds of different prisms, the patented lens is able to capture, focus and direct light in an extremely efficient way, reducing glare to the minimum while creating a clearly defined lighting footprint with little light pollution. Various lens configurations are available to suit different applications for narrow focus or wide area lighting footprints. “Our initial expectation was that the main interest in the port market would be for high mast lighting towers,” says Cameron. “However, we have seen a much wider range of applications emerge, including mooring dolphin areas, container and reefer inspection areas, terminal yards, warehouses and cargo handling equipment – especially straddle carriers, container gantry cranes and mobile harbour cranes. “Handling equipment represents a particularly demanding application,” adds Cameron. “Equipment is often mobile and subject to high levels of vibration that can cause premature light failure. Precisely defined light footprints are required for the cargo handling area, for instance under the spreader, while equipment such as straddle carriers often has limited power production capabilities. A system that can cope with high levels of vibration while providing increased visibility at reduced wattage therefore offers significant advantages to the operator.” CMR has already supplied Prismalence lights for straddle carrier operations in Tilbury and to other UK operators. A south coast container terminal operator is reviewing its lighting options for use on ship-to-shore gantry cranes and at present Prismalence is the preferred option due to its power efficiencies. Another operator in the UK North-East is now testing Prismalence lights on a Gottwald mobile harbour crane and CMR is talking with a number of other terminals and handling equipment manufacturers about various projects. Prismalence’s first application in the UK was for a Dolphin mooring platform at the Port of Dover, where it replaced a 1000-watt sodium light with a 150-watt Prismalence light, improving light (lux) readings at ground level from 70 to 140 lux. The Port subsequently expanded its initial order to take in additional ro-ro berths. Dover is now testing 20 new Prismalence 250 watt booster lights, with a view to using the system on a 30-metre high lighting tower that demands a footprint extending 100 metres from one side of the lighting tower to 40 metres on the other. With the growing success of Prismalence in the UK ports sector, CMR now has enough reference sites to take the product to the international market, says Cameron.

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