Oil Field Lighting
LED Oilfield Lighting
Our oil field lighting solutions are trusted by electrical contractors, government agencies, oil and gas engineers, and safety managers across the world.
These lighting solutions include LED explosion proof lights that are certified C1D1, C1D2, as well as other classes/divisions required by various global regulatory bodies. Our fixtures are stocked in the U.S, ready to ship, and can ship internationally if needed.
Oilfield Lighting Overview
On-shore oil fields are facilities that are dedicated to harvesting oil from land. These facilities may or may not operate next to water. We offer top quality drilling rig lights and other LED oilfield lighting systems. Many of our fixtures are Class 1 Division 1 Certified to withstand hazardous locations where lighting fixtures are at risk of explosion due to the buildup of gasses. We also offer a variety of other fixtures for non-hazardous locations at a lower price point.
Oilfield Lighting By Area
An oil field is a complex environment with various areas that require specialized lighting to ensure safety, operational efficiency, and security. Here are the different parts of an oil field that typically need lighting:
Drilling Rigs - Require safe, reliable illumination for all operations around the rig floor, derrick, and surrounding work areas. Explosion-proof lights, both linear and area types, are essential in hazardous zones to prevent any potential ignition of flammable gases. General LED floodlights are used to cover broader areas, ensuring that the entire rig is well-lit, while task-specific lighting is critical for control rooms and instrumentation panels to ensure precise operation and monitoring.
Wellheads - Need to be well-lit to ensure visibility during monitoring and maintenance tasks. Explosion-proof area lights are crucial here, as the environment around the wellhead often has a high risk of flammable gases being present. Proper lighting ensures that workers can safely and effectively manage the well and its components.
Pipelines and Transfer Stations - Must be illuminated to provide clear visibility along pathways and at connection points where oil or gas is transported. Explosion-proof linear lights are typically used along the pipeline and at transfer stations to enhance safety during routine checks and maintenance, ensuring that any potential hazards are easily spotted and managed.
Processing Facilities - Demand high-intensity lighting to ensure that all equipment and operational areas are well-lit. Explosion-proof lights are necessary to cover large processing areas, providing broad illumination for safety and efficiency. Additionally, focused lighting is required for critical equipment like compressors and separators to ensure that these vital components are clearly visible and accessible for monitoring and maintenance.
Storage Tanks - Require effective perimeter and vicinity lighting to ensure safe monitoring and operations. Explosion-proof floodlights are commonly used around the tank area, particularly focusing on valves and access points where visibility is crucial. General area lighting is also important for overall security and to ensure that the storage areas are clearly visible at all times.
Refinery and Production Units - Need consistent and reliable lighting for the complex machinery and operational tasks involved in refining and production processes. A combination of explosion-proof area lights and task-specific lights is used to provide comprehensive illumination across these units. Special attention is given to hazardous zones like reaction chambers and distillation columns, where the risk of flammable materials is higher, requiring enhanced lighting solutions.
Loading and Unloading Zones - Must be well-lit to ensure the safe transfer of materials onto and off the site, whether by truck, rail, or ship. Explosion-proof area lights are used to cover large loading docks, while specific lighting is installed for critical tasks such as hose connections and monitoring gauges. Proper illumination in these areas is essential to prevent accidents and ensure efficient operations.
Walkways and Stairwells - Throughout the oil field need to be illuminated to provide safe passage for workers moving between different areas. Explosion-proof linear lights are typically installed along these pathways, stairwells, and corridors to ensure that visibility is maintained in potentially hazardous environments, reducing the risk of slips, trips, and falls.
Control Rooms and Monitoring Stations - Are key areas that require bright, focused lighting to ensure that all monitoring and control equipment is clearly visible. Task-specific lighting ensures that control panels, screens, and instrumentation are easy to read and operate, with explosion-proof fixtures used where necessary to maintain safety in hazardous areas.
Emergency and Evacuation Routes - Must be equipped with reliable lighting systems to ensure safe evacuation during emergencies. These lighting systems often include battery backup, designed to activate in case of a power failure, and may incorporate explosion-proof lights depending on the specific area to maintain safety even in the most critical situations.
Perimeter and Security Lighting - Crucial for providing overall security and surveillance across the oil field, particularly at the boundaries. High-powered LED floodlights, often motion-activated, are used to illuminate the perimeter and key security checkpoints, ensuring that any unauthorized access or potential threats are easily detected and managed.
Maintenance and Workshop Areas - Require focused, task-specific lighting to ensure that equipment is properly serviced and repaired. Explosion-proof fixtures are often used in these areas, especially if they are within hazardous zones, to provide clear visibility while maintaining safety for workers as they perform critical maintenance tasks.
Oilfield Lighting Design
LED Drilling Rig Lights
Drilling rig lights are specialized lighting systems designed to illuminate drilling rigs, which are large structures used in the extraction of oil, gas, and other resources from beneath the earth's surface. These lights are critical for ensuring the safety, efficiency, and productivity of drilling operations, particularly in low-light conditions such as nighttime or during adverse weather.
The drilling rig lights we offer are IP66 and IP67 Rated to withstand water, dust, and other harsh environmental factors.
Oilfield Safety & Dark Sky Light Pollution
In the demanding environment of oil fields, the importance of high-quality LED lighting cannot be overstated. Proper illumination is essential for ensuring the safety of workers and the efficiency of operations, especially in hazardous conditions. However, it's equally critical to minimize light pollution, particularly in regions where preserving dark skies is vital, such as near observatories or natural reserves.
To illustrate this point, The report titled "Oilfield Lighting Can Coexist With Dark Skies" discusses the challenges and solutions related to managing lighting on oil fields near the McDonald Observatory in West Texas. The observatory, known for its dark skies crucial for astronomical research, is increasingly threatened by light pollution from nearby oil and gas operations. The report highlights the conflict between necessary oilfield lighting and the preservation of dark skies.
To address this, the report suggests that oilfield lighting can be managed to reduce skyglow without compromising safety. Techniques include the use of glare shields, proper aiming of floodlights, and the adoption of LED technology with specific features like lower color temperatures to minimize glare and improve visibility. The report emphasizes that with careful planning and innovative lighting solutions, it is possible to protect the dark skies while maintaining safe and efficient oilfield operations.
In other words, by using advanced LED technology that balances brightness and precision with reduced glare and controlled light direction, oil fields can achieve the dual goals of enhancing safety on-site while protecting the surrounding environment from unnecessary light pollution.
Oilfield Lighting Classes & Divisions
Class I, Division 1 – Class I Division 1 lights are necessary in areas where concentrations of vapors, liquids, or gasses such as gasoline exist within the environment under typical operating conditions.
Class I, Division 2 – Class I Division 2 lights are necessary in areas where concentrations of vapors, liquids, or gasses such as gasoline exist within the environment under atypical operating conditions.
Class II, Division 1 - Class II Division 1 lights are necessary in areas where combustible dust such as coal exists within the environment under typical operating conditions.
Class II, Division 2 - Class II Division 2 lights are necessary in areas where combustible dust such as coal exists within the environment under atypical operating conditions.
Class III, Division 1 - Class III Division 1 lights are necessary in areas where ignitable fibers or combustible flyings such as sawdust exist within the environment under typical operating conditions.
Class III, Division 2 - Class III Division 2 lights are necessary in areas where ignitable fibers or combustible flyings such as sawdust exist within the environment under atypical operating conditions.
Explosion Proof Lighting Groups
Explosion-proof lighting fixtures are classified into various letter groupings to identify the types of hazardous materials they are designed to safely operate around. These letter groupings, usually ranging from Group A to Group G, are part of a classification system that denotes which types of gases, vapors, and dusts the lighting fixture can be safely used with.
- Group A: Acetylene
- Group B: Hydrogen, butadiene, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, acrolein
- Group C: Ethylene, carbon monoxide
- Group D: Propane, gasoline, naphtha, benzene, butane, ethyl alcohol, acetone, methane
- Group E: Metal dust including aluminum, magnesium
- Group F: Carbonaceous dust including coal, carbon black, coke
- Group G: Grain, flour, wood, plastic, and chemical dust
Understanding these letter groupings is essential for ensuring the safe operation of lighting fixtures in hazardous environments. Always consult with an expert or refer to the specific guidelines and standards, such as those provided by organizations like the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL), when selecting explosion-proof lighting.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section provides answers to commonly asked questions in relation to explosion proof and oilfield lighting. There is a lot of overlap between these two topics. Visit our hazardous lighting FAQ page for a full list of expert answers to commonly asked questions.
Q. What lights are used for oilfield lighting?
Two of the most common types of oilfield lighting fixtures are Explosion-proof linear lights and explosion proof square lights. Explosion-proof linear lights are best for smaller, enclosed areas or pathways within the oilfield. While explosion proof square lights are a flexible type of fixture that can be used as a high bay or a flood light. These are used in large, open areas or high-activity zones where broad, powerful lighting is necessary.
Q. What lights are used for drilling rigs?
Drilling rigs are a specific structure within the oilfield. Explosion-proof lights are designed to prevent any sparks or heat generated by the light from igniting the surrounding atmosphere. Explosion proof linear lights are typically used in confined spaces such as control rooms, equipment sheds, walkways, and stairwells on the rig. They provide consistent and safe illumination in areas where flammable gasses may accumulate. On the other hand, explosion proof square/area lights are used to illuminate larger open areas on the rig, such as the drilling floor, derrick, and deck areas. They are mounted on structures to provide broad, uniform lighting across these critical zones.
Q. What is a Class 1 Division 1 Area?
A Class I Division 1 (C1D1) area is a location where ignitable concentrations of flammable gasses, vapors, or liquids are present continuously, intermittently, or periodically under normal operating conditions. This means that in such areas, the presence of hazardous materials is expected during regular operations, and there is a high risk of these materials igniting.
Q. What is a Class 1 Division 2 Area?
A Class I Division 2 (C1D2) area is a location where ignitable concentrations of flammable gasses, vapors, or liquids are not normally present during regular operations but may appear in the environment under abnormal or unusual conditions. In these areas, the risk of a hazardous atmosphere forming is lower, but it is still possible due to equipment failure, leaks, or other unexpected events.