Hazards caused by UV Rays of Xenon Light based High Performance Solar Simulators

Kurzfassung

Solar furnaces are used worldwide to conduct experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of solar-chemical processes with the aid of concentrated sunlight or to qualify high temperature resistant components. In recent years High Flux Solar Simulators (HFSS) based on short-arc xenon lamps are more frequently used. The emitted spectrum is very similar to natural sunlight but with dangerous portions of ultraviolet light as well. Hence, it is quite important to protect employees against serious injuries caused by ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in a range of 100 to 400 nm. It should be noted that the permissible workplace exposure limits for ultraviolet emissions significantly exceeded after a few seconds. Therefore, the biological effects on people exposed to UVR was investigated systematically to identify the existing hazard potential.