Design of Solar Optical Fiber Lighting System for Enhanced Lighting in Highway Tunnel Threshold Zone: A Case Study of Huashuyan Tunnel in China

Abstract

In this paper, the principle, structural composition, materials, and characteristics of solar optical fiber lighting system were discussed. The different luminance requirements of different zones of highway tunnel were identified on the basis of the analysis of tunnel lighting considering drivers’ visually self-accommodating physiological function for luminance change. Taken Huashuyan Tunnel of G109 Highway located in Hohhot of Inner Mongolia in China as the case study, the system design of solar optical fiber lighting for enhanced lighting in threshold zone of highway tunnel was made. It was indicated through calculation that the design length of solar optical fiber enhanced lighting was related to the design speed, longitudinal slope, and overhead clearance of the tunnel, and the design luminance of solar optical fiber enhanced lighting was related to the luminance outside the tunnel, the design speed, and the design traffic flow of the tunnel. Luminance analysis of the solar optical fiber lighting system of Huashuyan Tunnel was made based on the on-site experiment. Also, the 3D illuminance simulation results by DIALux software were made to indicate that the solar optical fiber lighting system in Huashuyan Tunnel still well met the enhanced lighting demand even not considering the contribution of LED lighting.

Financial and Environmental Impact of Combined Actions in Road Tunnels for the Decrease of Energy and Raw Material Consumption

“…The luminance in this zone is stronger than in the rest of the tunnel because the first step of the visual adaptation takes place there. This luminance ( L th ) depends on the maximum speed allowed in the tunnel and is given by (eqn (2) For normal tunnels in the South of Spain, the maximum speed allowed is 100 km/h.…”

Proposal to Foster Sustainability through Circular Economy-Based Engineering: A Profitable Chain from Waste Management to Tunnel Lighting

“…In recent years, research groups around the world have focused their efforts on the development of strategies to introduce natural light inside the tunnels [31][32][33], or to shift the threshold zone, which is the most consuming part, out of the tunnel, using a part of the sunlight, properly filtered and attenuated [34][35][36][37][38][39]. The most promising strategy in this last case is the use of pre-tunnel pergolas, whose construction before the portal gate can yield energy savings in the threshold zone of about 40% [35].…”

Italian Road Tunnels: Economic and Environmental Effects of an On-Going Project to Reduce Lighting Consumption

“…Pergolas imply lower energy savings and easier maintenance than tension structures [30]. The introduction of sunlight inside the tunnel with light-pipes [31] or optical fibers [32] is another option for more sustainable tunnels, but this strategy is difficult to use because of the relative position between the sun and light-pipes matrix [33]. When it is not possible to use natural light, the inner surfaces of the tunnel play a crucial role in the tunnel lighting design [34].…”