Lighting design considerations of reflectorized luminaires

A review of optical reflector technology and its application to lighting systems for new building construction is examined. Technological advances in reflective materials, manufacturing processes, and reflector design engineering used to produce 2*4 two-lamp fixtures that exhibit impressive photometric data and have proved commercially acceptable are discussed. Application of CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and manufacturing) technology to the design of reflectors has made possible the development of reflectorized lighting fixtures that exhibit acceptable photometrics with 23% reduction in input energy. Luminaire efficiencies exceeding 80% have been measured, and acceptable lighting uniformity has been observed with spacing-to-mounting height ratios of 1.2 to 1.4. Using the zonal cavity lighting calculation method, it has been shown that a properly designed 2*4 two-lamp reflectorized luminaire provides comparable illumination characteristics to a 2*4 three-lamp system. Actual field installations are cited to verify the theoretical computations. By using the reflectorized luminaire for new construction a system input energy requirement of less than 1.5 W/ft/sup 2/ is obtained.<>