A Life Cycle Cost Comparison of Low-pressure Sodium Lamp and Fluorescent Lamp for Tunnel Lighting

The number of tunnel has fast increased with the rapid expansion of highway network. Tunnel should be designed to provide for drivers both safety and pleasant driving conditions. In this perspective, the design for tunnel lightning is very important in order to provide its safety, pleasantness, and cost-efficiency of maintenance, all of which should be considered and analyzed for a better tunnel lighting. This paper attempts to compare the low-pressure sodium lamp, which have usually been used for tunnel lighting, with the fluorescent lamp, which we consider as an alternative for the former. In an effort to determine the number of lamps to meet the required illuminance in the tunnel, this research employs a simulation technique which would allow us to conjecture, with the aid of basic model, the life cycle cost for illumination per each tunnel. This analysis is expected to provide a basic method and related information for tunnel development and design.