Light barrel
A light barrel is a floating, luminous shipping sign .
The buoys use flashing lights in different colors and rhythms to mark the main and secondary waters , warning and restricted areas or shoals. They hold their position with steel anchor chains with concrete blocks. In total, there are around 1,000 light barrels in the German North and Baltic Seas , which are operated here by the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration .
The first usable light barrel was tested in St. Petersburg in 1876 by Julius Pintsch , who held the patent and thus the monopoly on gas-powered light barrels made in Germany until the 1920s, and who had been producing them in series since 1878/79. As a combustion agent served LPG, about rich gas , oil gas or blue gas that about five months operation ensured and five to six nautical miles was far visible. Propane gas has been used since the 1950s . The gas supply of around 300 kg was sufficient - depending on the light-time portion of the identifier - for continuous operation of around 18 months. The refilling took place from a ship, from which the gas was pumped into the float of the light barrel. The superstructures are used to attach the flashing lights or signal lights. Since the beginning of the 21st century, gas-powered bins have gradually been replaced by photovoltaic solar light bins, which have a lifespan of three to fifteen years and are also more environmentally friendly and less dangerous, as a gas barrel can explode in a collision with a ship. Since the solar panels supplied enough energy at the beginning of the conversion, but the available LEDs were not bright enough, several tons were built with conventional light sources ( incandescent lamps ) and an integrated 6-way light source changer. Some light barrels were also supplied with electricity from the land with a power cable .
With the latest generation of the light barrels, the lighting is done by a compact solar attachment (SKA - solar compact attachment). This integrates all the necessary components (battery, solar charge regulator, DC distributor, light signal, electronic control, etc.) in one housing. In the Baltic Sea in particular , light barrels with a quick-change coupling are used, which allow maintenance even by smaller ships that cannot bring the whole barrel on board. In addition, all modern bins can now be remotely controlled via infrared (2–5 m range) and radio (range approx. 100 m). The infrared transmitter is used for programming and the radio transmitter is used to test the barrel from a greater distance.
Technical data of the SKA
General
Temperature range: −25 ° C to + 40 ° C
Dimensions: diameter 1,000 mm, height 1,320 mm
Weight: 240 kg
battery
Battery type: Fixed, locked (VRLA) lead-acid battery, 6 cells with GEL electrolyte, Dryfit technology, maintenance-free Service
life: ≥ 15 years
Nominal voltage: 12 V (6 cells à 2 V)
Nominal capacity: 240 Ah (100 hours) Solar supply
Solar module: 4 × 30 Wp, 36 individual cells each Solar charge controller: SLR2020 BV21, Uhlmann Solarelectronic DC distributor: DP 1010 SBS, Fa. Uhlmann
Solarelectronic
Sea Lantern Sea lantern type: MB3, Trade Wind Energy GmbH Supply voltage: 11 V to 18 V / max. 3.6 W
nominal light intensities: red: 40 cd, green: 40 cd, yellow: 30 cd
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.abendblatt.de/region/norddeutschland/article278403/Die-erste-Solar-Luchtentonne-in-der-Foerde.html Hamburger Abendblatt from September 23, 2004
- ↑ Wasser- und Schifffahrtsdirektion Südwest ( Memento of the original from March 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 163 kB)
