Estimation the Performance of Solar Fiber Optic Lighting System after Repairing the Glass Fiber Cables in a South Korean Residential Building

Abstract

The solar fiber optic lighting system consists of the solar ray concentrating apparatus, the tracking control, lighting transmission and emission parts. This system was installed on a 20-storey apartment building in South Korea. Many residents had concerns about its long-term maintenance. The most common maintenance difficulties are sun tracking problems and damaged glass fiber cables. Sometimes fiber optic lighting systems should not be repaired with splices. Splicing glass fiber cables often results in decreased system efficiency and further cable damage. In this study, the cost of replacing the cables was prohibitive; hence, the drop in efficiency of the damaged cables was answered by repairing through splicing. These damaged cables were repaired by specially process of cutting and polishing. Results showed that the luminous intensity ratio improved by 0.391%, though this was still lower than the recommended guideline of 0.725%. Accordingly, on average 55% of luminous intensity was increased.