LIGHT SOURCES

Their characteristics and application

 Incandescent Bulb
◦ What is an incandescent light bulb?
Basically, an incandescent light bulb is a controlled fire on
display. When electrical current makes contact with the base of the
bulb, electricity enters and heats the tungsten filament housed inside.
And when the filament heats up, “incandescence” is created, which
is light produced by heat. (1)
The light in an incandescent light bulb is really just that effect
occurring in a contained, controlled environment. As the filament
continues to burn, particles fly off the filament. And when there are
no more particles to burn, the light bulb burns out, which typically
takes place 800-1,200 hours into the life of the incandescent light
bulb.
Incandescent light bulbs, in fact, produce 90 percent heat
and 10 percent light. If you have ever touched a lit incandescent
bulb, you have experienced the 90/10 heat-to-light ratio. Those bulbs
are hot!

https://insights.regencylighting.com/what-is-an-incandescent-light-bulb-and-how-does-it-work. February 27, 2018

 Incandescent Bulb
So, if incandescent light bulbs are inefficient with energy, is
there a market for them?
Here are three applications that incandescent may work
well in:
◦ Residential
Incandescent light bulbs are the “purest” artificial
light source. It’s practically a fire put on display in a bulb ––
no chemical combustions or mercury needed, meaning the
quality of light is excellent. (1)
◦ Decorative specialty lighting (2)
◦ Heat lamps
As I mentioned earlier, incandescent bulbs are
great at producing heat. Even with the energy efficiency
legislation out there, heat lamps are still commonly used in
restaurants and other applications.

https://insights.regencylighting.com/what-is-an-incandescent-light-bulb-and-how-does-it-work. February 27, 2018

 Incandescent light bulb pros and cons
Incandescent light bulb pros
◦ Quality of light
These bulbs are as close to the gold standard (the sun) as you can get.
◦ Affordability
Looking to stay under your monthly light bulb budget? Pop a few incandescent bulbs in
your sockets and let someone else take care of the utility bills.
◦ Aesthetics
Even the lighting industry itself can’t deny that the aesthetics of a Incandescent light
bulb are hard to beat. (1)
◦ Dimmability
Incandescents are also the gold standard for dimmability. They don’t flicker or emit worse
light when paired with a dimmer switch, like some products using other lighting technologies. The
LED industry is working overtime just to make something that can dim like an incandescent.

https://insights.regencylighting.com/what-is-an-incandescent-light-bulb-and-how-does-it-work. February 27, 2018

 Incandescent light bulb pros and cons
Incandescent light bulb cons
◦ Short life
If your lighting maintenance bill is out the roof, incandescent bulbs aren’t going to help.
You’ll be replacing them every 3-5 months, assuming 8-10 hours of burn time a day.
◦ Energy consumption
90 percent of the energy used to make incandescent light is actually converted to heat.
◦ Option limitations
Compared to LEDs, incandescent bulbs are very limited in their color temperatures, lumen
output, directionality, and other specifications that help to customize lighting today.

https://insights.regencylighting.com/what-is-an-incandescent-light-bulb-and-how-does-it-work. February 27, 2018

 Fluorescent lamps
◦ The fluorescent lamp is a major advancement and a commercial success in small-scale
lighting since the original tungsten incandescent bulb. These bulbs are highly efficient
compared to incandescent bulbs.
◦ A fluorescent bulb consists of a glass tube with a phosphorus coating, a small amount
of inert gas (usually argon or krypton), mercury, and a set of electrodes. Contact points
on the outside of the tube carry electricity into the bulb.
◦ Fluorescent lights need ballasts (devices that control the electricity used by the unit) for
starting and for circuit protection. Ballasts require energy, and for some type of ballasts,
efficiency is only achieved if the fluorescent lamp is left on for long periods of time
without frequent on-off cycles.

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee102/node/2047. February 27, 2018

 Fluorescent lamps
◦ Full-size fluorescent lamps are available in several shapes, including straight, U-shaped,
and circular configurations. Lamp diameters range from 1" to 2.5". The most common
lamp type is the four-foot (F40), 1.5" diameter (also called T12) straight fluorescent lamp.
More efficient fluorescent lamps are now available in smaller diameters, including the
1.25 " (also called T10) and 1" (also called T8).
◦ Fluorescent lamps are available in color temperatures ranging from warm (2700 K)
"incandescent-like" colors to very cool (6500 K) "daylight" colors.
◦ Cool white (4100 K) is the most common fluorescent lamp color. Neutral white (3500 K) is
becoming popular for office and retail use.

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee102/node/2047. February 27, 2018

 ◦ Compact Fluorescent Lamps

Fluorescent lamps Compact Fluorescent

Lamps are miniaturized fluorescent
lamps that usually have premium
phosphors which often come
packaged with integral or modular
ballast, as shown in the image
below.
Types of compact fluorescent bulbs available on the
market
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) come in a variety
of sizes and shapes including (a) twin-tube integral,
(b and c) triple-tube integral, (d) integral model with
casing that reduces glare, (e) modular circline and
ballast, and (f) modular quad-tube and ballast. CFLs
can be installed in regular incandescent fixtures, and
they consume less than one-third as much electricity
as incandescent lamps.

Credit: United States Department of Energy

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee102/node/2047. February 27, 2018
Fluorescent lamps
Compact Fluorescent Lamps have the following
characteristics. They:
◦ Typically have a standard screw base that can be installed
into nearly any table lamp or lighting fixture that accepts
an incandescent lamp.
◦ Come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are being used
as energy saving alternatives to incandescent lamps.
◦ Have a much longer life—6,000 to 20,000 hours (10 to 20
times longer), compared to 750 to 1000 hours for a
standard incandescent.
◦ Can replace incandescent bulbs that are roughly 3 to 4
times their wattage, but can cost up to 10 times more than
comparable incandescent bulbs.
◦ Are one of the best energy-efficiency investments
available. Although they cost more, they are very
economical in the long run.

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee102/node/2047. February 27, 2018

 High intensity discharge (HID) lamps
◦ High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps are similar to fluorescents in that an arc is generated between
two electrodes. The arc in an HID source is shorter, yet it generates much more light, heat, and
pressure within the arc tube.

Below are HID sources, listed in increasing order of efficacy (lumens per watt):
◦ mercury vapor
◦ metal halide
◦ high-pressure sodium
◦ low-pressure sodium (1)

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee102/node/2048. February 27, 2018

 High intensity discharge (HID) lamps
Advantages and Disadvantages of HID lamps
Advantages of HID lamps
•Relatively long life (5,000 to
24,000+ hrs)
•Relatively high lumen output
per watt
•Relatively small in physical
size
Disadvantages of HID lamps
•HID lamps require time to
warm up. It varies from lamp to
lamp, but the average warm-up
time is two to six minutes.
•HID lamps have a "restrike"
time, meaning a momentary
interruption of current or a
voltage drop too low to
maintain the arc will extinguish
the lamp.

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee102/node/2048. February 27, 2018

 High intensity discharge (HID) lamps
Types of High-Intensity Discharge Lamps
◦ Mercury vapor lamps
Mercury vapor lamps are widely
used to light both indoor and outdoor
areas such as gymnasiums, factories,
department stores, banks, highways,
parks, and sports fields.
 High intensity discharge (HID) lamps
Types of High-Intensity Discharge Lamps
◦ Metal Halide lamps
Metal Halide lamps are similar to
mercury vapor lamps but use metal halide
additives inside the arc tube along with the
mercury and argon. These additives enable
the lamp to produce more visible light per
watt with improved color rendition.
Wattages range from 32 to 2,000,
offering a wide range of indoor and
outdoor applications. The efficacy of metal
halide lamps ranges from 50 to 115 lumens
per watt, typically about double that of
mercury vapor.
High intensity discharge (HID) lamps
◦ Advantages and Disadvantages of Metal Halide Lamps
Advantages of Metal Halide Disadvantages of Metal
Lamps Halide Lamps
•High efficiency •The rated life of metal halide
•Good color rendering lamps is shorter than other HID
•Wide range of wattages sources; lower-wattage lamps
last less than 7,500 hours while
high-wattage lamps last an
average of 15,000 to 20,000
hours.
•The color may vary from lamp
to lamp and may shift over the
life of the lamp and during
dimming.
 High intensity discharge (HID) lamps
◦ High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) Lamp
The high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamp is widely used for outdoor and industrial
applications. Its higher efficacy makes it a better choice than metal halide for these applications,
especially when good color rendering is not a priority. (1)
The efficacy of the HPS lamp is very high (as much as 140 lumens per watt.) For example,
a 400-watt high pressure sodium lamp produces 50,000 initial lumens. The same wattage metal
halide lamp produces 40,000 initial lumens, and the 400-watt mercury vapor lamp produces only
21,000 initially.
Sodium, the major element used, produces the "golden" color that is characteristic of
HPS lamps. Although HPS lamps are not generally recommended for applications where color
rendering is critical, HPS color rendering properties are being improved. Some HPS lamps are now
available in "deluxe" and "white" colors that provide higher color temperature and improved
color rendition. The efficacy of low-wattage "white" HPS lamps is lower than that of metal halide
lamps (lumens per watt of low-wattage metal halide is 75-85, while white HPS is 50-60 LPW).