Energy Education Science and Technology Part A: Energy Science and Research

2012 Volume (issues) 30(1): 637-644

An investigation into the usability

of straight light-pipes in Istanbul
Nazmi Ekren1, Sertac Gorgulu2,*
1
Marmara University, Technology Faculty, Electrical Technology Department, 34722 Goztepe, Istanbul, Turkey
2
Kirklareli University, Technical Education Faculty, Electrical Education Department, Kavakli Kirklareli Turkey

Received: 19 December 2011; accepted: 08 April 2012

Abstract
With the impact of global warming, recent years has witnessed a tremendous revival of interest in
environmental issues. At the moment, the world’s electricity generation mainly depends on the fossil
fuels which are eventually going to be run out. On the other hand, fossil fuels have an extremely
negative effect on the environment. Therefore, electrical energy savings have become an important
factor in the protection of environment. All over the world, lighting of the domestic and commercial
buildings as an average consumes about 30% of the electricity produced. One way of the saving
electricity in lighting is the utilization of natural daylight. In fact, natural daylight can be a solution for
the lighting requirements of the buildings, especially during the daytime. The benefits of using
daylight are manifold, such as economical and environmental advantages and the positive effects on
human beings. Although there are several methods to use daylight for the illumination purposes, light-
pipes are the most simple and versatile of them. In this study, the performance of a light-pipe was
investigated in one area, which is a laboratory. The measurements were conducted between February
and June. The results of the investigation were presented as the graphs of indoor-outdoor lux versus
time. The highest illumination was 449 lux, which was obtained on 12th of May whereas the lowest
illumination was 7.51 lux, which was obtained on 26th of February.
Keywords: Daylight; Light-pipe; Energy savings
©Sila Science. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The most harmful human activity on earth is the burning of fossil fuels. This activity has
been releasing pollutants into the atmosphere resulting in an increase in the global warming
which in turn leads to the depletion of the ozone layer. In order to get improvements in the
current situation, there is a need to decrease the energy and therefore, fossil fuel consumption.
Nearly one third of produced electricity is consumed through domestic, commercial and
office buildings for the lighting purposes. At this point, becomes the use of natural daylight
very important. In fact, the use of natural daylight for lighting purposes in buildings both
saves energy and improves the internal environment for occupants during the daytime.

_______________
*
Corresponding author. Tel: +90-288-246-1666; fax: +90-288-246-1650.
E-mail address: sertac.gorgulu@kirklareli.edu.tr (S. Gorgulu).
638 N. Ekren, S. Gorgulu / EEST Part A: Energy Science and Research 30 (2012) 637-644

In our bodies, there are some biological processes that rely on sunlight. It is well known
that daylight has some positive physical and psychological effects on human beings in
working environments. Insufficient daylight in working/living spaces is also accepted as the
cause of “seasonal affective disorder” (SAD). Efficiency of the people working in locations
having natural daylight is observed to be higher than those of working under artificial
lighting. Besides, studies have shown that success ratio and participation to a course in
classrooms having natural daylight is also high [1].
It was suggested that as little as 50 lux of daylight could provide considerable relief from
isolation feelings for people working in dark areas such as under-ground work places. On the
other hand, there may be problems with glare and potential thermal discomfort resulting from
direct solar input with some natural daylighting systems [2].
There are some parts in the buildings that enough natural daylight cannot reach. Moreover,
in some of the buildings, natural daylight coming from the sky cannot reach to the remote
corners of the buildings. Therefore, there is a need for artificial lighting sources in these
locations during the daytime and nighttime depending on the type of the building.
However, natural daylight can still be employed in the lighting of those remote areas in
the buildings during the day. There are several methods of getting natural daylight into the
buildings [3]. Using the light-pipe is one of the methods of the transmitting natural daylight
into the buildings. Many experimental studies and mathematical models were performed for
the light-pipe [1, 4-23]. Some studies were interested in light-pipe materials [2, 24].
This work describes the daylight performance of the passive type straight light-pipes in a
laboratory room which is located in building-F at the Marmara University Goztepe Campus in
Istanbul.
2. Light-pipes
There are two types of light-pipes, which are active and passive light-pipes. Active light-
pipe systems have been moving parts to collect light. Here, the moveable part effectively
follows the sun. In systems with moveable parts, daylight is collected by means of mirrors
and then reflected to the internal surfaces of light-pipe. On the other hand, system does not
contain moving parts, which are called “passive light-pipe system”. A passive type light-pipe
will be used throughout this study. Passive light-pipe systems generally consist of three parts
as shown in Fig. 1 [7]. Investigations conducted by Oakley et al. [7], Paroncini et al. [21],
and Carter [11] can be shown as examples of studies about passive light-pipes.

Fig. 1. Passive light-pipe system.

 N. Ekren, S. Gorgulu / EEST Part A: Energy Science and Research 30 (2012) 637-644 639

(a) Outside collector: This part is the top part of the light-pipe situated on the roof. Since it has a
hemispherical shape, it is also called as the dome. This dome-shaped part is manufactured by using
polycarbonate material. Polycarbonate is a clear polymer which has a light transmission of 88% [17].
The duties of the outside collector are to transmit the daylight into the light-pipe after removing UV
radiation and act as a cap to prevent water and dust from entering the inside the light-pipe.
(b) The light-pipe: Commercial light-pipes are empty tubes along which light can be transmitted by
reflection into the interior of a building. The light is transported by multiple specular reflection through
the pipe itself. There are several manufacturers for light tubes having different features. Light tubes are
very versatile in that they can be installed in straight or angled assemblies. By this ease, they can bring
daylight into otherwise remote, inaccessible places within buildings. Internal surfaces of the light-pipes
are coated with highly reflective materials such as anodized aluminum or coated polymer films such as
Silverlux and Alcoa Everbrite. These coatings give rise to reflectances greater than 95% for the internal
surfaces of the light-pipes [10]. The pipe used in this study is made from polished aluminum sheets and
is believed to have a reflectivity of 95%. The underlying principle for light-pipes is high efficiency
reflection, and accordingly, the performance of straight light-pipes is better than angled ones as light
energy decreases with increasing reflection levels [7]. In a light-pipe, each bent may reduce light output
by about 8% [7]. The light-pipe also transmits less solar heat than ordinary windows, preventing
internal heat inputs in summer, and heat loss in winter.
(c) Diffuser: This part is also called as emitter or luminare and made from clear polycarbonate material.
Diffusers can vary in shape with different performances. Diffuser is the last part of the light-pipe
system, fitted to the bottom of the light-pipe. A diffuser is expected to ensure the even distribution of
the light throughout the room [8, 12].

3. Experimental studies

Illumination measurements were conducted in a room on the basement of building-F in

Technical Education Faculty in Goztepe campus at University of Marmara (Istanbul,
TURKEY). The area of the room where the light-pipes was set up was approximately 25 m2.
Dimensions of the room are 6.87 x 3.75 x 2.9 m3. There is no window opening outside within
the room. The windows opening to aisle were closed in a way that no light from outside can
enter the room. Two holes, which have the diameter of light-pipe, were drilled at the concrete
ceiling of the room to mount the light-pipe. The illumination measurements were conducted
by using a Lutron LX-1102 model luxmeter having a-±3% precision. The length of the light-
pipe is 90cm, and its diameter is 33cm. A view of the mounted light-pipe is presented in Fig.
2.

Fig. 2. A view of the light pipe which is mounted on its place.

Schematic representation of the positions of the light-pipes and measurement points (MP)
is given in Fig. 3.
640 N. Ekren, S. Gorgulu / EEST Part A: Energy Science and Research 30 (2012) 637-644

Fig. 3. Schematic representation of the positions of the light pipes and measurement points.

All illumination measurements were conducted at 7 different points, which were 75 cm

above the room floor. This height was chosen as the average working height. An outside
illumination sensor was also located in the middle of mounted light pipes. The measurements
were performed between February and June every day between 9 AM and 4 PM for every
fifteen minute.

4. Results and discussions

The highest illumination levels were obtained from number III and IV measurement
points, which were under directly the light-pipe I and light-pipe II. The second highest
illumination level was obtained from the measurement point with the number VII which was
located in the middle of two light-pipes.
Although the illumination measurements were performed every day during four months,
for the sake of detailed evaluation, four days each of which from every month were selected
randomly for the presentation of illumination measurements. The selected dates were as
follows: February 26, March 19, April 26 and 12 May. Some typical illumination data were
given below.
The plot from the values measured during the daytime on February 26 is shown in Fig. 4.
The weather on February 26 was partially cloudy. The highest value that was measured was
on point IV at 11:45 as 249.9 lx. The illumination intensity at the outside was measured as
74,500 lx. The lowest illumination intensity was measured as 97.6 lx at the measurement
point with number I. The mean of all points is approximately 156 lx. The lowest value during
a daytime was measured as 7.51 lx at the measurement point with number I at 4 PM. A sharp
decline was observed in the values measured from all points since the sky was temporarily
dark at around 10:30 AM.
The plot from the values measured during the daytime on March 19 is illustrated in Fig. 5.
The weather was open on March 19. The highest illumination value was measured as 270.3 lx
from the measurement point with the number IV at 12 AM. The illumination value at the
outside was measured as 79,900 lx. The lowest illumination intensity was measured as 82.2 lx
at the measurement point with number I. The mean of all points was approximately 162.37 lx.
The lowest value during the daytime was measured as 9.31 lx at the measurement point with
the number VI at 4 PM.
 N. Ekren, S. Gorgulu / EEST Part A: Energy Science and Research 30 (2012) 637-644 641

300 80000
70000
250
60000
200
50000

Outdoor lux
150 40000
Indoor lux

30000
100
20000
50
10000
0 0

Time

MP I MP II MP III MP IV

Fig. 4. Variation of indoor and outdoor illumination with respect to the hours of the day on
February 26.

300 90000
80000
250
70000
200 60000
50000
Outdoor lux
Indoor lux

150
40000
100 30000
20000
50
10000
0 0

Time

MP I MP II MP III MP IV

Fig. 5. Variation of indoor and outdoor illumination with respect to the hours of the day on
March 19.

The plot from the values measured during the daytime on April 26 is illustrated in Fig. 6.
The weather was generally partially cloudy during the daytime. The highest illumination
value was measured as 352 lx from the measurement point with the number IV at 12:30 AM.
The illumination value at the outside was measured as 105,100 lx. The lowest illumination
intensity was measured as 98.8 lx at the measurement point with the number I. The mean of
all points was approximately 209.03 lx. The lowest value during the daytime was measured as
21.32 lx at the measurement point with the number VI at 4 PM.
642 N. Ekren, S. Gorgulu / EEST Part A: Energy Science and Research 30 (2012) 637-644

400 120000
350
100000
300
80000
250

Outdoor lux
Indoor lux 200 60000
150
40000
100
20000
50
0 0

Time

MP I MP II MP III MP IV

Fig. 6. Variation of indoor and outdoor illumination with respect to the hours of the day on
April 26.

The plot of the measured values on May 12, during the daytime is shown on Fig. 7.
Finally, on this day weather was open during the daytime. The measured highest illumination
intensity value was 449 lx from the measurement point with the number IV at 1:15 PM. The
illumination value at the outside was measured as 120,100 lx. The lowest illumination
intensity value was measured as 124.4 lx from the measurement point with the number I. at 4
PM. The lowest illumination intensity value during the daytime was measured as 9.24 lx from
the measurement point with the number VI at 4 PM. The mean of all points was
approximately 257.7 lx.

500 140000
450
120000
400
350 100000
300 80000
Outdoor lux
Indoor lux

250
200 60000
150 40000
100
20000
50
0 0

Time

MP I MP II MP III MP IV

Fig. 7. Variation of indoor and outdoor illumination with respect to the hours of the day on
May 12.

From the above results, it is obvious that there are considerable differences in the
measured illumination values. The differences take place depending upon a number of factors.
The first and well known factor is angle of sun light, which change with respect to seasons,
 N. Ekren, S. Gorgulu / EEST Part A: Energy Science and Research 30 (2012) 637-644 643

months, days even hours. The second factor is the presence/absence and movements of
clouds. The above two factors are natural factors. The third factor is the location of the
building [25-31]. This factor obviously is not a natural factor but is a permanent factor. The
location affects the hourly variations in some portions of the day. Although the natural factors
were dominant in the variations of illumination values, the location of the building were also
highly influential in this study. The light-pipes were not able to receive the sunlight directly in
the afternoons due to the high walls of nearby buildings. As can be seen from all four plots,
there are sharp declines in the intensity of illumination values in the afternoon hours again of
course depending upon seasons.
5. Conclusions
In this study, the performance of the light-pipes between the months February and June
were investigated in Istanbul (Turkey). The measurements were conducted in a room at the
basement of the building-F of the Technical Education Faculty of Marmara University. The
light-pipe was set up in a room that did not possess any window and the illumination during
the measurements was established only by the light coming from the light-pipes. While the
highest measured value in the days given as an example was 449 lx on May 12, at 1:15 PM,
the measured value at the outside was 120,100 lx at the outside. The lowest measured value
was 7.51 lx on February 26 at 4 PM, where as the measured value at the outside was 7,830 lx
at the outside.
From the above results, it can be concluded that the light-pipes can be easily utilized in
Istanbul in buildings where the artificial light is needed to illuminate the rooms during the
daytime. Measured light intensity values seem to be enough to illuminate the buildings at
least some hours of the day.
6. Acknowledgements
This study is supported by Scientific Research Board of Marmara University with date
November 28, 2002 with Project number BSE–022/020103.
References
[1] Jenkins D, Muneer T. Modelling light-pipe performances – a natural daylighting solution.
Build Environ 2003;38:965‒972.
[2] Smith GB. Materials and systems for efficient lighting and delivery of daylight. Solar Energy
Mater Solar Cells 2004;84:395‒409.
[3] Kischkoweit-Lopin M. An overview of daylighting systems. Solar Energy 2002;73:77−82.
[4] Shao L., Riffat S.B., Hicks W., Yohannes I. A study of performance of light pipes under cloudy
and sunny conditions in the UK. Right Light 1997;4−1.
[5] Shao L, Elmualim AA, Yohannes I. Mirror lightpipes : Daylighting performance in real buildings.
Lighting Res Technol 1998;30:37‒44.
[6] Elmualim AA, Smith S, Riffat SB, Shao L. Evaluation of dichroic material for enhancing light
pipe/natural ventilation and daylighting in an integrated system. Appl Energy 1999;62:253‒266.
[7] Oakley G, Riffat SB, Shao L. Daylight performance of lightpipes. Solar Energ 2000;69:89‒98.
[8] Chirarattananon S, Chedsiri S, Renshen L. Daylighting through light pipes in the tropics. Solar
Energy 2000;69-4:331‒341.
[9] Zhang X, Muneer T. Mathematical model for the performance of lightpipes. Lighting Res
Technol 2000;32:141‒146.
[10] Edmonds IR. and Greenup PJ. Daylighting in the tropics. Solar Energy 2002;73:111–121.
[11] Carter DJ. The measured and predicted performance of passive solar light pipe systems. Lighting
Res Technol 2002;34:39‒52.
644 N. Ekren, S. Gorgulu / EEST Part A: Energy Science and Research 30 (2012) 637-644

[12] Zhang X, Muneer T, Kubie JA. Design guide for performance assessment of solar light-pipes.
Lighting Res Technol 2002;34:149‒169.
[13] Jenkins D., Muneer T. Light-pipe prediction methods. Appl Energy 2004;79:77‒86.
[14] Canziani R, Peron F, Rossi G. Daylight and energy performances of a new type of light pipe.
Energy Build 2004;36:1163‒1176.
[15] Rosemann A, Kloss SH, Müller T, Aydinli S, Kaase H. The photometry of hollow light guides.
Lighting Res Technol 2005;37:60‒72.
[16] Rosemann A, Kaase H. Lightpipe applications for daylighting systems. Solar Energy
2005;78:772‒780.
[17] Jenkins D, Muneer T, Kubie JA design tool for predicting the performances of light pipes. Energy
Build 2005;37:485‒492.
[18] Jenkins D, Zhang X, Muneer T. Formulation of semi-empirical models for predicting the
illuminance of light pipes. Energy Convers Manage 2005;46:2288‒2300.
[19] Al Marwaee M, Carter DJ. A field study of tubular daylight guidance installations. Lighting
Res Technol 2006;38:241‒258.
[20] Al Marwaee M, Carter D. Tubular guidance systems for daylight: Achieved and predicted
installation performances. Appl Energy 2006;83:774–788.
[21] Paroncini M, Calcagni B, Corvaro F. Monitoring of a light-pipe system. Solar Energy
2007;81:1180‒1186.
[22] Mohelnikova J. Tubular light guide evaluation. Build Environ 2009;44:2193–2200.
[23] Li DHW, Tsang EKW, Cheung KL, Tam CO. An analysis of light-pipe system via full-scale
measurements. Appl Energy 2010;87:799‒805.
[24] Swift PD, Smith GB. Cylindrical mirror light pipes. Solar Energy Mat Solar Cells
1995;36:159‒168.
[25] Orosa JA. New methodology to define probability of buildings energy consumption. Energ Educ
Sci Tech-A 2012;28:891−902.
[26] Orosa JA, Oliveira AC. A new understanding of building energy consumption. Energ Educ Sci
Tech-A 2012;29:531−542.
[27] Mahlia TMI, Ng HM, Olofsson T, Andriyana A, Hasanuddin I. Energy and cost savings of
optimal thickness for selected insulation materials and air gaps for building walls in tropical
climate. Energ Educ Sci Tech-A 2012;29:549−662.
[28] Geetha NB, Velraj R. Passive cooling methods for energy efficient buildings with and without
thermal energy storage – A review. Energ Educ Sci Tech-A 2012;29:913−946.
[29] Deniz E. Comparative examination of vacuum insulation panels and classical insulation materials
used for external insulation of buildings. Energ Educ Sci Tech-A 2012;28:799−810.
[30] Jing L, Fei M, Yimin L. Effect of traffic-related pollutant on indoor air quality in buildings along
main roads. Energ Educ Sci Tech-A 2012;29:139−148.
[31] Kazancioglu FS. Estimation of passive heat gain of traditional buildings in Turkey using artificial
neaural network. Energ Educ Sci Tech-A 2012;29:507−518.