The gas filled tube (bulb or burner)

 

Coiled glass coated with phosphorus Mercury vapor filled inside circuit boards with rectifier A filter capacitor Two switching transistor as high frequency resonant series DC to AC. tube + ballast + Edison screw In a single unit.

Electronic ballast
  

Integrated CFLs
 

CFLs are produced for both AC and DC, later are popular in recreational vehicle, offoffthe grid housing, solar panels etc.

Working of FLs


Starting of Fluorescent Lamp



When the lamp first turns on, the path of least resistance is through the bypass circuit, and across the starter switch Current passes through the electrodes on both ends of the tube. These electrodes are simple filaments Electricity heats up the filaments. This boils off electrons from the metal surface, sending them into the gas tube, ionizing the gas.

How light is emitted



Ionized electrons will migrate through the Argon gas from one end of the tube to the other, this changes some of the mercury in the tube from a liquid to a gas some of them collide with gaseous mercury atoms, bumping electrons up to higher energy levels Electrons returning to their original energy level, release light photons in UV range. Phosphors are substances that give off visible light when they are exposed to UV light.

The ballast
    

negative resistance in conduction through gases If the current in a fluorescent light isn't controlled, it can blow out the various electrical components Thus ballast is needed to control the current flow which is either of the opposing device R,L or C. Magnetic ballast uses inductor Electronic ballast produces high frequency A.C and high peak voltage

ballast constantly channels current through both electrodes difference between the two electrodes, establishing a voltage across the tube. Less bulky inductor is needed for high frequency A.C

Lifespan

8 to 15 times more average life CflCfl-6000 and 15000 hours and IL- 750 or 1000 ILhours Depends on operating voltage, manufacturing defects, exposure to vol. spikes, mech. Shock, freq. of cycling on and off, lamp orientation and operating temperatures. for 5 min. on-off life reduces to 85%, it is suggested ondont switch off if leaving for 15 min.

CFLs V/s Incandescent



Energy Efficiency

For a given light output CFL uses 20%to 30% of the power of equivalent IL.

Energy efficiency contd.

Electrical power equivalents for differing lamps Compact Fluorescent (W) 913 1315 1825 2330 3052 Incandescent (W) 40 60 75 100 150 Luminous (lumens) 450 800 1,100 1,600 2,600

Table showing electrical power equivalent for different lamps

Figure showing energy consumption from different light bulbs.

CFLs V/s Incandescent



Embodied Energy

While CFLs require more energy in manufacturing than incandescent lamps this embodied energy is more than offset by the fact that they last longer and use less energy. While the purchase price of an integrated CFL is typically 3 to 10 times greater than that of an equivalent incandescent lamp the extended lifetime and lower energy use will more than compensate for the higher initial cost

Cost

CFLs V/s Incandescent



Starting Time

Incandescent reach full brightness a fraction of a second after being switched on. As of 2009, CFLs turn on within a second, but may still take time to warm up to full brightness Some CFLs are marketed as "instant on" and have no noticeable warm-up period, but others can take up to a warmminute to reach full brightness, or longer in very cold temperatures. Some that use a mercury amalgam can take up to three minutes to reach full output.

Luminous efficacy


Luminous efficacy is the measure of the lamps ability to convert input electric power, in watts, into output luminous flux, in lumens, and is measured in lumens per watt (lm/w). The luminous flux of a light source is the electromagnetic radiation within the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum multiplied by the sensitivity of mans eyes to that part of the light from the source. A typical CFL is in the range of 17 to 21% efficient at converting electric power to radiant power based on 60 to 72 lumens per watt source efficacy The luminous efficacy of CFL sources is typically 60 to 72 lumens per watt, versus 8 to 17 lm/W for incandescent lamps.

Ave. Lm/Watt Incandescent FTL High Lumen FTL CFL LED Halogen HPSV LPSV

Ave. Lm/Watt 14 50 90 60 150 20 90 150

Life, Hrs 1000 5000 15000-18000 1500080008000-10000 50000 2000-4000 20006000-12000 60006000-12000 6000-

Every extra phosphor added to the coating mix causes a loss of efficiency and increased cost. Good quality consumer CFLs use three or four part phosphors to achieve a 'white' light with a CRI (color rendering index) of around 80. Color temperature can be indicated in Kelvin or mired (1 million divided by the color temperature in Kelvin). a CFL with a CRI of 83 and a color temperature of 4,700 K would be given a code of 847

Color temperature 'Warm white' or 'Soft white' 'White' or 'Bright White' 'Cool white' 'Daylight'

Kelvin 3,000 K 3,500 K 4,000 K 5,000 K

mired 333 M 286 M 250 M 200 M

Health issues

According to Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) CFLs UV radiation cause skin diseases.

Mercury emission

CFLs contain 3-4mg of mercury Coal fired power plants produce mercury

Broken and discarded lamps

crushing in a machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a mercurymercury-absorbing filter or cold trap The crushed glass and metal is stored in drums, ready for shipping to recycling factories.

Size

CFL light output is roughly proportional to phosphor surface area In addition to the wear-out failure modes, the electronic wearballast may fail. Replaces Less lumen producing Incandescent lamp

End of life

Incandescent replacement wattage inflation

Design and application issues contd.



Dimming

The dimming range of CFLs is usually between 20% and 90% but now come with 2% and 100% Below lower limit flickering, above higher limit full 100% light. Using regular CFLs with a dimmer is ineffective at dimming, can shorten bulb life and will void the warranty of certain manufacturers

Design and application issues contd.



Perceived coldness of low intensity CFL

When a CFL is dimmed the color temperature (warmth) stays the same

other light sources (such as the sun or incandescent) where color gets warmer as the light source gets dimmer Electronic devices operated by infrared remote control can interpret the infrared light emitted by CFLs as a signal CFLs, much as other fluorescent lights, may emit a buzzing sound, where incandescent normally do not

Infrared signals distortion

Audible noise

Design and application issues contd.



Iridescence

Fluorescent lamps can cause window film to exhibit iridescence. This phenomenon usually occurs at night . CFLs are available with cold-weather ballasts, which may be coldrated to as low as 23 C (10 F ) Can damage paintings and textiles which have light-sensitive lightdyes and pigments, polymer degradation.

Outdoor use/cold weather use

UV emission effect on paints and textiles.

Power factor and Total harmonic disturbance (T.H.D)

Traditional, electromagnetic equipment will draw sinusoidal current from a sinusoidal voltage. But electronic equipment, which converts ac power to dc power does not draw current for the entire voltage waveform interval. The resulting current irregularities can cause disturbances, such as impulses and voltage loss, on the power distribution system

What Is THD ?


Harmonics

distortion of the supplied waveform caused by "non-linear," (distorted) loads, which include "nonmotor controls, compact fluorescent lamps etc. High harmonics increase line losses and decrease equipment lifetime. Refers to the difference between the shape of the current wave drawn by a device, and the shape of the voltage wave supplied to that device. Measures the degree to which the input is distorted, and is the relative value of all the harmonics combined, as a percentage of the fundamental current.

Harmonic distortion

Total harmonic distortion (THD)

What is Power Factor ?

 

Power factor is a measure of how the current is being used to transmit power. When a load draws current that is not "in phase" with the voltage waveform, or draws a current that differs from the sinusoidal waveform provided by the utility, the power factor is less than 1 Poor power factor causes inefficiency in the delivery of electricity to the end-user, requiring more energy to compensate for losses endon the line For example, a load with a power factor of .5 will require twice as much current as a load with a power factor of 1 for the same amount of usable power. A low power factor is a power drain that decreases system efficiency

THD and Power Factor of CFLs