When the big game kicks off on Sunday night, the Patriots will not be the only team from New England shining bright at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. Advanced Thermal Solutions, Inc. (ATS) will also be represented, although not on the gridiron, but rather helping to shine a spotlight on the action on the field.
Ephesus LED lighting solutions, with ATS thermal management design, will be used in the upcoming Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
In 2015, Ephesus Lighting (Syracuse, N.Y.) was chosen to provide LED lighting solutions for the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium. The Ephesus system allows for greater control and adjustment, whether responding to the amount of sunlight in the stadium or the light’s color temperature (Ephesus recommends a medium color temperature for football), and does not require a 15-minute window for reaching full brightness like typical stadium lighting. It will also provide energy savings of as much as 75 percent.
“We take the light and purposefully model around obstacles that are on the field, players, the balls, so it’s like being in a portrait studio with lighting behind, lighting in front, and you look perfect,” Ephesus Chief Technology Officer Joe Casper said in a 2015 Vikings.com article. “We take great care of taking light from various aspects of the catwalk, and it’s being aimed to create light from 16 different directions so it gives you the appearance that you’re in a studio.”
To keep their patented LED solution cool, Ephesus partnered with ATS for a casted heat sink, which is large, rugged, and reliable. By providing the proper thermal management, ATS has helped Ephesus optimize the performance of its LED, which have now been used in two stadiums that have hosted the NFL’s championship game.
The first time LED were used was at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. when the Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks.
For its assistance, ATS and other Ephesus partners received special thanks from the lighting company:
The casted heat sink design that ATS devised had several advantages, including a reduced part count, having the enclosure and heat sink in a single unit, and reducing the manufacturing complexity of the thermal solution. With ATS help, the lighting was able to be delivered and installed on time for the game, just as it was for the opening of the new stadium in Minneapolis.
For more information about the design that ATS delivered, read this case study with the engineers that worked on the project: https://www.qats.com/cms/2015/04/28/casting-a-light-on-led-cooling-with-die-cast-heat-sinks.
To learn more about the thermal challenges that LED present, read this article from Design World written by Dr. Kaveh Azar, founder and CEO of ATS: https://www.designworldonline.com/lighting-the-way-for-led-development/#_.
Thanks to the LED expertise of Ephesus and thermal management capabilities of ATS, fans will have a perfect view when the Patriots take the field in search of a sixth title.
For more information about Advanced Thermal Solutions, Inc. (ATS) thermal management consulting and design services, visit https://www.qats.com/consulting or contact ATS at 781.769.2800 or ats-hq@qats.com. To learn more about ATS LED products and consulting, visit https://www.qats.com/Applications/LED-Applications.
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