A retrofit LED that makes hazardous environments a bit less hazardous

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Convenience” and “safety” are all too often mutually exclusive. But when you’re running a process environment where conditions can be harsh and hazardous, posing risks to people and equipment, it’s important to make sure that staying safe is as convenient as possible. Even when it comes to something as mundane as changing a fixture lamp.

When changing a lamp is a truly tough job

In a harsh or hazardous environment, operating conditions are a constant challenge. Whether it’s an industrial bakery where dust can become explosive, marine environments where saltwater is constantly corrosive, or a petrochemical complex where gas fumes are ever-present. A burned-out lamp can quickly become a costly, time-consuming and potentially dangerous event.

eLLK linear LED luminaires

Designed for use in outdoor and indoor hazardous and non-hazardous areas where moisture or corrosion may be a problem, such as offshore oil platforms, pharmaceutical plants, oil refineries and industrial locations.

When light quality is diminished, work areas are inherently less safe. But simply getting up on a ladder to change a lamp puts employees at risk. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, 43% of fatal falls in the U.S. in the last decade involved a ladder. And, among workers, approximately 20% of fall injuries were ladder-related. Add in the precautions needed for harsh or hazardous environments —from donning personal protection equipment to shutting down production areas—and, suddenly, the benefits of LED luminaires go far beyond energy efficiency.

Bringing benefits of LED to the harshest environments

Compared to fluorescent lamps, today’s LED lighting generates 20% energy savings, which can add up to thousands of dollars less in electricity bills each year. But many industrial LED luminaires have a useful life of more than 100,000 hours versus the expected ratings of around 20,000 hours for conventional fluorescent-based fixtures. Overall, LEDs offer the potential of 3–5x reduction in replacement maintenance costs.

But switching over from fluorescent to LED fixtures can be a daunting investment, so Eaton engineers set out to make the entire process simpler, easier and as safe as possible. After countless site visits and customer conversations, Eaton combined its market-leading LED technology and decades of experience in harsh and hazardous environments to create the eLLK 92 LED 400/800, Eaton’s explosion-protected series of linear LED light fittings.

Explosion-protected LEDs perfectly designed for replacing fluorescent fixtures

The beauty of the eLLK 92 LED is that it’s designed to convert a traditional eLLK 92 fluorescent light fitting into an LED luminaire. It simply clicks into existing fluorescent fixtures, as easily as replacing a lamp. There’s no re-cabling required; in fact, installation takes less than a minute. So gaining the longevity advantages of LED takes only a fast, easy retrofit. And all the safety benefits of reduced maintenance along with the reduced time and expense follow.

During site visits, engineers also realized that, because luminaires are typically hung at lower mounting heights, the glare of traditional LEDs can be blinding. In hazardous environments, this creates a safety concern. The eLLK 92 uses a specialized reflector system to direct the light output to the work plane while avoiding multi-shadowing, wasted light and disabling glare.

Energizing your business

eLLK92 fluorescent luminaires have an extensive installed base globally. And when you consider LEDs’ traditional benefits—long life, high resistance to shock and vibration, high-quality illumination and 20% energy savings—combined with the ease of a “snap and go” retrofit, it’s easy to see why the explosion-protected eLLK 92 LED 400/800 is an ideal solution for harsh and hazardous environments. Suddenly, convenience and safety are a perfect fit.

Learn more about Eaton’s explosion-protected eLLK 92 LED 400/800 series and see how Eaton innovation is helping customers across industries and around the world at The Power of Eaton.

Eaton solutions for harsh and hazardous environments

Our customers need to keep their people safe and their facilities running. With the strength of Eaton’s Crouse-Hinds series portfolio, including award-winning first-in-market technologies such as explosion-proof variable frequency drives and LED lighting, Eaton takes a market leadership position in providing electrical system protection solutions for harsh and hazardous environments. Our suite of hazardous area communications set the standard for safety. And our signaling, notification and surveillance systems protect, alert and inform employees of critical safety situations, making sure that people are always protected.