The
rental company Lumière & Son, based in Paris, has been the official
supplier of equipment for the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix for years. In this
edition, the company decided to illuminate the known tunnel located between the
Fairmont Hotel and Casino Monte Carlo with LED lighting. To achieve this they
used 80 flood luminaire units for short throw SGM Q-7 and 170 RGBW wash units
SGM P-5 RGBW with 43º lens.
In the
early 90, under the request of the pilot Alain Prost, it was decided to
illuminate the tunnel for the first time. Given that the cars reach speeds of
up to 300 km / h, driving through a dark tunnel may result in a fatal outcome.
The effect multiplies the tunnel exit, when pilots must face the dangerous
glare produced by sunlight.
Emulating sunlight
The
tunnel was lit for years with two types of conventional lighting: halogen lamps
(with its easy to provide light instantly) and HPI-T lamps (high light
intensity). Always it considered important to install the two types of lights,
as discharge lamps HPI-T could not be reset in a few seconds if a power failure
occurs. Halogen lamps to provide light would be responsible if such a thing
happen.
LED
technology with SGM IP65 certification was presented as a solution to the
problems caused to illuminate the tunnel. Pilots always had complained, among
other things, caused by the dominant yellowish halogen lights. SGM fixtures
using the problem was eliminated as they are capable of delivering a color
temperature very close to daylight. Pilots highly appreciated the change.
Another
major challenge for tunnel lighting is caused by the fact that there is a
closed end and another open to the sea side, so that any fixture installed in
that stretch has to face possible corrosion caused by constant splashing
seawater . This problem does not affect the P-Q-5 7 and SGM, which are
protected under IP65 certification luminaires. Pierre Heyligen, director of
Lumière & Son, said:
\”The
truth is that if we wanted to ensure high light intensity inside the tunnel, we
did not have too many alternatives to conventional luminaires. We had several
problems with different lighting, which despite being IP65, were not sealed
well enough to withstand the splashes of the sea. Now we can use the SGM LED
technology, which gives us a high light intensity and ensures a tight seal
waterproof \”.
