Characteristics and scheme of fluorescent lamps

Today in the market there are lamps of different types and values. Each of them has its own technological and consumer characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. The most popular today are fluorescent lamps. Let us consider this topic in more detail.

Varieties

lamps are the following kinds of lamps:

1. Incandescent devices
2. Halogen.
3. LED Light.
4. Fluorescent.

Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Incandescent devices

For a long time these lamps had no worthy competitors. Today, of course, the situation is different. As for the shape of the products, it can be different. The same applies to power, which varies from 15 to 270 watts depending on the type of device.

Incandescent bulbs that are produced today are krypton or bispiral. The first uses an inert gas krypton. The minimum power of these products is 400, and the maximum is 100 watts. Unlike conventional lamps, they have a high light output.

There is also a considerable light output in bispiral lamps, which give light streams due to incandescence of a complex arcuate tungsten filament.

Incandescent lamps, regardless of their type, can have a different surface. It can be transparent, matte or mirror.

Halogen lamps

They give beautiful saturated shades, thanks to which they are often used for decorating interiors in ethno-style. Products can have different shapes. These lamps are used not only for general lighting, but also for highlighting individual areas.

There are several types of these fixtures:

1. Wall mounted.
2. Suspended.
3. Pointed.
4. Recessed.
5. Rotary.
6. Fixed.

LED lamps

The advantages of these lamps include:

1. Low power consumption.
2. Relatively low cost.
3. High light output.
4. Long service life.

There are options for products that do not require electrical wiring. They function on batteries or on solar panels. These lamps can operate at temperatures from -30 to +50 degrees.

Fluorescent lamps

These products have recently become more popular. They give a soft and diffused light. The power of fluorescent lamps can be from 8 to 80 watts. They function due to the action of ultraviolet radiation from a gas discharge on the phosphor. Such products require less electricity for operation, so they save money. Models of devices that fit the familiar cartridges E14 and E27, are widely used for lighting private and apartment buildings. Due to the availability and popularity of the lamp, fluorescent lamps can not be bought today.

If you compare an incandescent device and a fluorescent lamp of the same power, then the latter will have a luminous flux of 7-8 times more. In addition, such products can last much longer. Among the shortcomings, it should be noted that such devices are sensitive to temperature changes, and they can sometimes flicker.

Kinds of fluorescent lamps

Only seven types of fluorescent lamps differ:

1. Natural light with improved color reproduction( LEC).
2. Daylight with improved color rendition 1( LDC).
3. Cold natural light( LHB).
4. Cold white color( LHB).
5. Warm white color( LTB).
6. Daylight( LD).
7. White( LB).

Each of them differs with the used phosphor brand.

In form they can be:

• straight,
• in the form of a ring.

Direct lamps are gas discharge. The pressure of such devices is very low. They consist of a glass tube( cones) and two socles with contacts. In addition, there is a pair of cathodes made of a tungsten filament or a steel tube. The cavity of the lamp is filled with mercury vapor and an inert gas. Light output directly affects the length of the tube. Such lamps are installed in public transport and residential buildings.

Ring-type devices can be used in almost any room. Due to the small size of the tube, this lamp is convenient to use in flat-panel lamps. Quality and durability are the main characteristics of fluorescent lamps. The price of such lighting devices, as a rule, acceptable. Most often they are used to illuminate large areas.

Characteristics of fluorescent lamps

The advantages of these lamps are the following:

1. The bulb temperature is not as hot as incandescent bulbs.
2. Resistant to small voltage drops.
3. Long service life, which is much longer than incandescent.
4. Large range of colors. Allows them to be used in almost any room.
5. These lamps provide the same light flux, but at the same time they spend almost four times less electricity than incandescent devices.

The main drawbacks are the following:

1. Poor operation at fluorescent lamp temperature 0 and below.
2. When high temperatures are reached, the light flux decreases.
3. The flask contains approximately 40-60 millimeters of mercury. Therefore, a constant stay in a room with such devices can damage your health.
4. There are energy-saving luminescent instruments. The principle of their work is similar to conventional fluorescent lamps. Only they have a much smaller area of ​​the bulb.

Compared with incandescent lamps, they have several advantages:

1. Require 80% less electricity with the same amount of light.
2. It is possible to choose the color of the glow.
3. There is a cash saving due to a longer service life.
4. Long service life. Its exact value depends on the type of lamp.

Diagram and operating procedure

First of all, it must be said that it is more correct to call it not a lamp, but an electrical appliance, which consists of the following components:

1. Lamp.
2. Starter.
3. Throttle.

In order to create a discharge in the device, only 220 volts is not enough. The fact is that inside the bulb there is a gas that is not an electrical conductor. To generate a charge, it is necessary that ionization of the gas takes place. For this purpose the starter is designed. It is he who for a couple of seconds heats the electrodes that are in different parts of the lamp. When the electrode is heated, some electrons leave the surface from it. Then, due to the presence of electric fields, the electrons move in the direction opposite to the electrode. In this case, they periodically fall into the atoms of the gas.

As a result, the gas is ionized, which leads to an increase in the number of free charges inside the lamp. At this moment, the electrical charge appears in the flask. As a result, the collision of electrons with mercury atoms causes ultraviolet glow, which is not visible to our eye. Then it is converted to visible light by means of a phosphor applied to the internal surface of the device( a mixture of phosphorus with other particles).After the appearance of an electric discharge, the created electric charge is able, as a rule, to independently maintain the necessary level of ionization. Therefore, the heating of the electrodes is no longer necessary for this.

Wiring diagram using EMP

Fluorescent lamp circuit:

Electromagnetic Start-up Apparatus or EMPA is often referred to simply as a throttle. This scheme was actively used to connect luminescent devices in Soviet times. It is important that the power of this circuit corresponds to the total power of the lamps connected to it.

The principle of operation is as follows. When the power is turned on in the starter, an electric charge occurs. In this case, the bimetallic electrodes are short-circuited. As a result, a current is generated in the starter circuit and the electrodes, which is limited only by the internal resistance of the throttle. Due to this, the voltage in the working lamp increases three-fold. The electrodes are almost instantaneously heated. Together with this, the bimetallic contacts of the starter cool down and the circuit opens. With the help of self-inductance, the choke starts a special high-voltage pulse. As a result, a discharge occurs in the gas medium, which leads to the ignition of the lamp. Further, the voltage is no longer enough to re-close the starter electrodes. Therefore while the lamp burns, the starter with the opened contacts will be already inactive in work.

Wiring diagram with electronic ballast

The electronic ballast or electronic ballast supplies a voltage different from the mains frequency, namely high frequency current 25-125 kHz. This avoids the flashing of lamps, which can be unpleasant for the eyes of a person. Here, an autogenerator circuit is used, which includes a transistor output stage and a transformer. Connection diagrams are usually applied to the front of the unit.

Electronic ballast has several significant advantages. So, they increase the service life of fluorescent instruments. This is achieved through a special launch mode. In the process of work there is no unpleasant noise and glare. If you compare this scheme with the previous one, it allows you to save up to 20% of electricity. In addition, it does not have a starter, but it most often fails. Today, there are special models that allow you to adjust the brightness of the glow and have the ability to dimming.