Table 13-1 Comparison of Several Railroad Passenger Car
Lighting Systems. Power Supply- Line Volts Nominal Wattage of Lamps Lamp Designation Watts input per lamp including control unit losses Lamp output (lumens, 3,500 white)* Approx. motor-alternator effi- ciency (per cent) Approx. lamp regulator effi- ciency (per cent) Battery output (watts per lamp) Lumens per battery watt Efficiency relative to 40-watt, a-c fluorescent Number of lamps required to furnish equal footcandles rela- tive to 40-watt, a-c fluores- cent Rated life (hours) * Number of lamp replacements relative to 40-watt, a-c fluores- cent FLUORESCENT DC 15 in. T-12 23.4 475 80 29.25 16.2 63 4.4 1,500 7.3 A-C 18 in. T-12 19.5 615 60 32.5 18.9 73.5 3.4 2,500 3.4 24 in. T-12 24.5 900 60 40.8 22 85.5 2.3 2,500 2.3 36 in. T-8 36.25 1,450 60 60.4 24 93.5 1.45 2,500 1.45 48 in. T-12 49 2,100 60 81.67 25.7 100 1.0 2,500 1.0 INCANDESCENT DC A-23 100 1,800 80 125 14.4 56 1.17 1,000 2.9 50 25 A-21 A-19 50 25 820 345 80 80 62.5 13.1 31.25 11.03 51 43 2.56 1,000 6.09 1,000 6.4 15.2 A-17 15 175 80 18.75 9.35 36.4 12 1,000 30.0 Changes in the lumen output and life of the lamps will cause other items to change. Variations in voltage affect the light output of fluorescent lamps only one- third as much as that of incandescent filament lamps. Though the larger luminous cross section of fluorescent lamps makes it more difficult to control the distribution of their output, their large area and relatively low brightness minimize the need for control. System efficiencies. Table 13-1 shows that because of the low efficiency of d-c operated, 14-watt fluorescent lamp systems, their efficiency relative to that of a-c operated, 40-watt fluorescent lamp systems is 63 per cent. The 1,500-hour life of the d-c operated, 14-watt lamp added to the greater number required means that about 7.3 d-c operated, 14-watt lamp replace- ments can be expected for every a-c operated, 40-watt lamp replaced. In addition, the larger number of connectors and receptacles increases the cost of installation and maintenance. It will be noted that as fluorescent lamp length and incandescent lamp wattage are increased, the relative system efficiency increases. Since the comparisons depend on the lumen output and life of each type of lamp, when changes are made in these characteristics the balance may shift in favor of one type or another. Installation plans and luminaire characteristics. Lighting systems used in railway cars are of the direct, indirect, or semi-indirect type.