NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORT

7182

Temperature Measurementsof a

500-Watt, Flush Runway-Light Installation

by

James E. Davis

<SS|>U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

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NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS REPORTNBS PROJECT

0201-20-02414

NBS REPORT

Temperature Measurementsof a

500-Watt, Flush Runway-Light Installation

by

James E. Davis

for

Bureau of Naval WeaponsDepartment of the NavyWashington 25, D. C.

Project No. TO NBS SI-5009

IMPORTANT. NOTICE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF ?

Intended for use within th

to dddittonaf evaluation an

listing of this Report, elthr

the Office of tho Director,

however, by the Governme

to reproduce additional co^

Approved for public release by thedirector of the National Institute of

Standards and Technology (NIST)

on Octobers, 2015

' progress accounting documents

fortnally published It Is subjected

ig, reproduction, or open-literature

ilssion Is obtained In writing from

. Such permission Is not needed,

ly prepared If that agency wishes

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

71,82Report onTemperatyre Ifesistireinents

of a500-Watt, Fliish R\mx-jay”Light Installation

byJames E« Davis

ABSTRACT

The pis*pose of this test -was to investigate the rise

of temperature of the components of a 500-watt flush”type runway light when it was moiaited on a 16-lnch deepbase containing the Isolating transformer in an instal-lation similar to that used in a regtalar aii'field light-ing installation^ From these measurements the feasibilityof nising the 500-watt light in this type of Installationand the reqiiirements of components suitable for such

installations may be determined* Temperature raeasiff'ementg

made at foi^ points on the transformer, one on the light

assembly, two of the air inside the Imse, and of

certain ambient cmditions are given in this report* The

effects of positioning the transformer and of shieldingthe transforisBr from direct heat of the lamp hy the use of

aluminum foil were investigated* Because ©f the limitedrange of external ambient temperature droning these tests,

additional tests are being planned for a site where higher

temperatures xdll occur* Only one test showed any adverseeffects on the light or transforner. Dinging this test,

seams of the transfornBr opened allovring some pottingeompoxmd to rm out*

1„ MTERIAL TESTED

The light assenfcly used in the installation was a Glass B15 flush

light manufact’sired by I&alti-Eleetrie I-fenufacturing Inc* The lamj^

used in the tests were tjrpe 2QA/HIR56/3, 500-watt, 20=s?.mper© , HAR‘=’56

lamps® No filter ms used in the light during these tests* Th©

transformers used were 500=wntt, 6«6/20=€!m.p@rs, series-series, rubber-

covered transformers manufactured by Jefferson Electric Commny,catalog number 345“001=O13. These units were mounted in a type

IS24526 base assembly which had a depth of 16 inches and an Inside

diameter of 13 dnches® Tha base assembly was installed In th© gromdadjacent to the concrete apron at the Areata Airport® The top of th©

concrete encasement In which the top of the base asses^ly centered

was 30” X 30” X 4” thick and the loiter portion of the base assembly

was smT’Ounded hy approxlx^tely six inches of concrete* Conduit wm>

connected to one hub of the base assembly for connecting povjer to the

transformer and for bringing in the thermocouple wires for the tem-

perature measurements*

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Drsring each test, the lamp was energised at rated currentby adjusting the primary current to the transformer to its ratedcurrent, 6*6 amperes* A new lamp was used in each test* Thecurrent was controlled by a continuously rariabl© auto-tran^formerand a constant-voltage regulator was used to reduce the effects ofline voltage fluctuations* The lamps were energised continuouslyat rated current for periods of 4^ to 72 hours.

Temperature iiBasurements were made with a 16-point, self-balai^eiiig potentiometer using copper-constantan thermocouple sensing

Im-aied as shown on figure 1. Other thermocouple elenentsmr(B located in the internal free air and the external amfoient air.In the ground adjacent to the Installation, and as a reference inboiling water in the laboratory* The thermocouple sensing eleuients

were attached to the surfaces or points of measurement on thecomponents ©f the light i^ith "Scotch Brand" high-temperature elec-trical tape No. 27 and "Bisulment" cement to obtain good thermalcontact. The temperatures were recorded continuotisly for se^ralhours aft.er energising and after turning off the lamps and for fiveminutes at hoiirly intervals during the rest of the test*

Four tests were r^de v;ith test conditions as follows.

1® The trangforii^er m.s installed in the usual upright position,as shovm in figm*e 1. The test was made when the groundwas very dry and the ambient air temperature ranged from49 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit*

2. A second trar>«rormer ims ir the upr>i<yht 'Dositior

but with a thermal shield of two thicknesses of aluminum foil(kitchen warletyj Detween tne xransrormer and lamp* Thistest ms made after the gromd wa,s wet although it had not-

rained for two weeks* The outside air temperature rangedfrom. 29 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit*

3* A third transformer was laid on its side with prlnmry andsecondary leads near the bottom of the base assembljo Theground was wet but there was only lioited light rain, beforeand dircing the test. The outside air temperetTffe rangedfrom 29 t© 64 degrees Fahrenheit*

4e The transformer position was the same as in test NOo

but the transformer of test No, 3 was "usedo The gromdhad been soaked recently but there had been no min forone week. The ambient air temperat'ure ranged from 42to 59 degrees Fahrenheit,

Dtiring the first test the range of the recording potentiometerwas from -50 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and the temperatrires at

several of the test points exceeded the upper limit. The range ofthe recorder was changed to cover f^om 0 to 800 degrees Fahrenheitfor the other tests.

The components were examined for danage after completion of

each test.

3, PEsmirs

The restilts of the temperat-ure measurements are given in

figures 2 through 8, (See figure 1 for identification oftherDioconples e ) Test No, 1 was discontinued after 4^ hours but

tests No, 2j) 3^ and 4 were continued for a total of 72^ 67^ and 72

hours, respectively. The temperatures of only the first 4^ hours

operation are shown in the figures. For those tests in which the

lamps were operated longer, the temperatures rose less than 10degrees above those obtained at 4^ hours,

4o D1SCO5SI0N

The ftea air temperature inside the base may be over 100 degrees

higher near the top of the tese than near the bottom. Similarly, th©

temper8.tures on the surface of the transformer were related t© th©height above the bottom of the base. The lower temperatures of thetransformer when it was laid on the side in test No, 3 were largelythe result of the loiter positions of the theruioeouples relative tothe bottom of the base.

Droning test No, 1 the transforner case opened at the seams on

one side and at the bottom. Some of the potting corapound ran oiifc

and the rubber case sagged on the top. Sections of the secondary

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lead from the transformer to the lamp which were in the vicinity ofthe lamp became brittle and the insiilation cracked when the leadwas flexed* An oily substance was found on the ja'ism. This wasapparently from the prism mounting compound* This oily substancewas not observed during or after any of the other tests* Except for

a slight sagging of the top of the transformer case and for the sec-ondary leads becoming brittle, no damaging effects to the lightassembly or transfom^rs were apparent during the other three tests*The cover gasket remained soft and pliable throughout all of the tests*

Additional tests in an area where the otrtside air temperaturesare higher than those encountered during these tests are requiredbefore the maximum temperature rises can be determined and before re-quirements for components suitable for these worst possible conditionscan be determined* However, the restilts of these tests indicate thatby providing simple shielding between the lamp and transformer, byplacing the transformer on its side, and by properly positioning theprimary and secondary leads, satisfactory operation with the 500-watt

lamps and transformers can be obtained during the short 100-percent;-

intensity duty cycles which are typical of airfield lighting circuits*

JEDavisAugust 1961

OS COMM NBS DC

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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCELuther H. Hodges, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDSA. V. Astin, Director

THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

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