Glamox supplies TX60 LED light fittings to Chrysaor for installation across three North Sea oil and gas platforms

LED lighting specialist Glamox has supplied more than 1,400 TX60 explosion-protected (Ex e) linear LED light fittings to Chrysaor – the UK’s leading North Sea independent oil and gas company – which are currently being installed across three of its gas and condensate platforms in the Central North Sea.

Chrysaor has a diversified portfolio of interests in five of the 10 largest production hubs in the UK North Sea. It operates eight fields with 21 wells and partners some of the world’s largest companies in 17 non-operated fields with 147 wells. 

Chrysaor operates three gas and condensate platforms in the Central North Sea – Armada, Everest and Lomond. These platforms are currently part-way through replacing their T8 fluorescent light fittings with TX60 LED linear light fittings from Glamox.

The TX60 will replace the existing T8 fluorescents on a like-for-like basis without Chrysaor having to completely revisit the lighting design. 

Each platform is approximately one-third of the way through the lighting replacement programme. 

Chrysaor estimates that it will take up to four years to complete this process, as it needs to replace the lighting in stages in line with platform maintenance schedules.

After a very thorough lighting supplier evaluation process – which included detailed whole lifecycle calculations including lighting replacement & installation times, operational life, maintenance and servicing times and energy savings across the life of the lighting, Chrysaor decided to move away from fluorescent technology to LED. In doing this, Chrysaor will no longer have to deal with the ongoing disposal of mercury vapour tubes and the reduced energy demand from LED lighting aligns with Chrysaor’s commitment to reduce CO2 emissions.

Chrysaor is installing two versions of the TX60 across its platforms – the standard version and a through-wired, emergency battery variant – across all areas of the platforms, except for the living quarters. Most LED lights are installed in Zone 2 hazardous areas, with some in Zone 1 too.

Reduced TCO

TX60 LED light fittings are specifically designed to enable rapid, easy replacement of existing T8 fluorescent light fittings without requiring any additional design or installation changes. 

The TX60 LED is suitable for onshore and offshore oil & gas and marine installations, where reduction of lighting maintenance and operating costs are critical. 

Designed with comparable light distribution, lumen output, colour temperature and colour rendering to conventional T8 fluorescent light fittings, the TX60 LED can be installed indoors or outdoors in a Zone 1 or a Zone 2 hazardous area.

As there is no need for any lamp, ballast or driver replacements, the TX60 LED light fittings are fully sealed, virtually maintenance-free units. 

With its modular design, an IP66/67 Ex e enclosure and an IP66 Ex m LED, the TX60 is designed for harsh environments. The combination of LED technology, heat sink and limited sealing gasket length means that ingress of water and moisture to the light fitting (which can result in earth faults) is eliminated.

As Gordon Low, Area Sales Manager at Glamox states: “As well as having much reduced maintenance requirements over 100,000 hours, the TX60 also reduces energy costs, providing around 30% energy savings compared to conventional T8 HF fluorescent lamps.

“You can simply replace an existing T8 fluorescent fixture with a TX60 LED light fitting, without any additional design or installation changes.

“The latest through-wired battery-operated version extends our range even further, providing our oil and gas customers with an important easy-to-install version.”

As well as supplying the TX60 LED lighting to Chrysaor, Glamox also provided invaluable technical support when required, particularly on aspects such as energy usage and potential savings from LED lighting compared to fluorescent alternatives.

In addition to the TX60, Chrysaor will also install FX60 LED floodlights from Glamox across the three platforms. These floodlights will be installed in specific areas to illuminate flare and exhaust structures, as well as over-side escape areas.