BASF, a global chemical company, approached Eaton with a request to update their existing lighting fixture installments in their Geismar, Louisiana facility. The company’s firewater diesel storage area had existing lighting, but it was fed from a panel that did not have a lighting contactor or photocell. This resulted in the lights running at full brightness 24 hours per day.
Eaton presented the Champ VMVL LED Intelligent Lighting control system to M. Lee Perry, Jr., Electrical Design Engineer, BASF, to help address his concerns.
BASF expressed interest in the intelligent lighting option and needed to understand the cost and security of the system before proceeding with an expanded lighting installation.
M. Lee Perry, Jr., Electrical Design Engineer, BASF, said “Sustainability is at the core of our business, so finding a way to control our light usage in our facility was very important.”
Challenge
Reliable lighting is a critical aspect of workplace safety and productivity. Lighting systems must provide high visibility while minimizing shadows and glare to help create a safe and productive work environment for employees.
In a chemical plant, unique challenges such as the potential for extreme temperatures, humidity, corrosion, dust and hard to reach and maintain areas needed to be considered. Each of these factors could severely impact the lifetime and performance of the light fixtures and potentially increase the amount of maintenance.
To achieve their cost and safety goals, BASF needed a lighting solution that could provide reliable lighting in harsh and hazardous classified areas while optimizing energy usage to minimize expenses.
Solution
Eaton selected Champ VMVL Intelligent Lighting as the ideal solution and showcased both the Champ Intelligent Lighting fixture and Eaton’s Brightlayer digital solutions App. Together, they provided BASF with the ability to easily and securely manage their lighting setup with features such as intelligent scheduling, occupancy sensing and daylight harvesting.
Champ fixtures are designed for reliable performance and backed by Eaton’s 100+ year legacy of reliability and safety in harsh and hazardous classified areas. The Champ VMVL fixture met the NEC Division and Class requirements that existed at the BASF fire water and diesel storage area.
The Brightlayer app, which is supported by Eaton’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, adheres to strict security standards and helped to address BASF’s need for secure and reliable fixture management. Additionally, the Brightlayer app connects directly to Champ Intelligent Lighting fixtures without the expense and complexity of separate gateway hardware.
By implementing intelligent scheduling, BASF significantly reduced unnecessary light usage while smart sensors ensure consistent and safe illumination whenever occupancy is detected.Eaton
With intelligent scheduling, BASF was able to dramatically reduce unnecessary light usage. The lights now operate on a schedule and the intelligent sensor ensures that the lights maintain a safe level of illumination anytime occupancy is detected. The Brightlayer app allows BASF to easily set and modify their lighting schedule based on shift times and the needs of their operation.
Along with reducing energy usage and C02 emissions, intelligent scheduling can extend the life of each fixture up to twice as long, allowing BASF to realize immediate energy savings and minimize potential repair and replacement costs in the future.
Lee Perry, Jr. said, “We are very pleased with the energy cost and CO2 savings we have seen to date and are exploring Champ Intelligent Lighting for other areas of our facilities.”
Results
- 65% total energy cost savings.
- 1,220 TONS potential reduction in CO2 emissions.
- 14.5 HOURS daily runtime decrease.
Benefits
There are several key benefits to implementing intelligent lighting solutions in hazardous environments. First and foremost is improved workplace safety, with fixtures designed to provide reliable illumination even in classified hazardous areas. Additionally, real-time insights enable proactive measures, ensuring that damaged or non-functional lighting is identified and replaced promptly.
These systems also support reliable fixture performance to maintain uptime. By eliminating the need for 24/7 always-on lighting through intelligent scheduling, they help conserve energy while still meeting operational needs. Preventative and predictive maintenance features further contribute to reduced downtime, ensuring smoother operations.
Shoumi Sen, Global Director of Digital Solutions, Eaton
Shoumi Sen is the Global Director of Digital Solutions at Eaton.