Location: Poultry Research
Title: Effect of dimming wave characteristics on LED lamp performance during early operational lifeAuthor
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Purswell, Joseph |
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Rowland, Matthew |
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DAVIS, JEREMIAH - Auburn University |
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CAMPBELL, JESSE - Auburn University |
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McCafferty, Klinton |
Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/23/2024 Publication Date: 2/3/2025 Citation: Purswell, J.L., Rowland, M.R., Davis, J.D., Campbell, J.C., Mccafferty, K.W. 2025. Effect of dimming wave characteristics on LED lamp performance during early operational life. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 41(1):37-41. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.16164. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.16164 Interpretive Summary: LED lamps have been widely adopted in commercial broiler production due to their ability to significantly reduce electrical power usage. Early lamp designs were prone to shortened operational life, flickering, strobing, and reduced output. Over time improved lamp and dimming system design resolved many of the limitations observed during the early adoption period. However, in recent years, early lamp failures have been observed and may be linked to dimmer design and operation. The goal of this study was to evaluate the method of reducing power to the lamp to achieve dimming to determine what effects, if any, are observed on lamp life and output over time. A total of 10 flocks’ worth of lamp runtime were used during this experiment, equating to 12,210 hours, using a typical broiler house lighting program for heavy broilers. No lamp failures were observed during the experiment. Lamp output increased 15.7% during the first flock. Reductions in lamp output were observed during the second flock and ultimately resulted in an average output decline of 12.9 lumens per flock. Catastrophic failure of lamps in poultry houses are likely due to a combination of operational and environmental factors rather than the type of dimming waveform. Technical Abstract: LED lamps have been widely adopted in commercial poultry housing applications due to significant reductions electrical power requirements. While significant design limitations were identified during the early adoption period, these initial challenges were mitigated as lamp design evolved. However, in recent years, early lamp failures have been observed and were initially linked to dimmer design and operation, specifically the method used to modulate the AC waveform. A dimmer and lamp test system was developed to evaluate the effects of dimming method (leading edge, trailing edge, and hybrid) on lamp life and lumen maintenance. Seven combinations of dimmer and dimming method were tested with dimmers from four different manufacturers using a lamp common in broiler house applications. A total of ten flocks’ worth of run-time were completed (12,210 hours) using typical broiler house lighting program settings. Lamp output significantly increased by 15.7% during the first flock for all treatments (P = 0.0001). Lamp output began decreasing with the second flock at a rate of 11.7, 12.7, and 14.2 lumen/flock for the leading edge, trailing edge, and hybrid waveforms respectively and were not significantly different. No lamp failures were recorded during this experiment, indicating that sources of catastrophic failure in commercial broiler house applications are likely due to the housing environment or quality of power distribution. Future research should focus on sources of power quality degradation and use environment-based failures in broiler lighting systems and evaluation of mitigation methods. |