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    Fluorescent lamps are made of a tubular bulb having an electrode sealed into each end. The inner walls of the bulb are coated with fluorescent phosphors. There are two types of fluorescent ballasts available: the electromagnetic type and the electronic type.

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    KB Light FL

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    Fluorescent lamps are made of a tubular bulb having an electrode sealed into each end. The inner walls of the bulb are coated with fluorescent phosphors. There are two types of fluorescent ballasts available: the electromagnetic type and the electronic type.

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    Fluorescent lamps are made of a tubular bulb having an electrode sealed into each end. The inner walls of the bulb are coated with fluorescent phosphors. There are two types of fluorescent ballasts available: the electromagnetic type and the electronic type.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    17 views2 pages

    KB Light FL

    Uploaded by

    JDBEngineering
    Fluorescent lamps are made of a tubular bulb having an electrode sealed into each end. The inner walls of the bulb are coated with fluorescent phosphors. There are two types of fluorescent ballasts available: the electromagnetic type and the electronic type.

    Copyright:

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    Lighting System Basics: Fluorescent

    There are three main groups of lamp types available: incandescent, fluorescent, and high
    intensity discharge. Each lamp type has different characteristics that must be considered when
    choosing a lamp type for a particular application: color temperature, color rendering, efficiency,
    and lamp life. This article will look at fluorescent lighting.

    The fluorescent lamp is made of a tubular bulb having an electrode sealed into each end and
    containing mercury vapor with a small amount of inert gas for starting. The inner walls of the
    bulb are coated with fluorescent phosphors. When voltage is applied, a flow of electrons –
    traveling at a high rate of speed – is driven from one electrode and is attracted to the other.
    Collisions between the electrons and the mercury gas atoms in their path cause a state of
    excitation which results in the emission of ultraviolet radiation; the fluorescent phosphors
    transform the ultraviolet rays into visible light. (The glass of the bulb allows light to pass
    through while allowing only a minimal amount of ultraviolet rays to pass through.)

    Unlike an incandescent (also known as filament) lamp, a fluorescent lamp cannot be operated
    directly from the electric circuit. If it were, the lamp would not operate and when the discharge
    between the electrodes was established, the current would continue to rise until the lamp was
    destroyed. Therefore, each fluorescent lamp must use a device known as a ballast. The main
    function of the ballast is to limit the current and to regulate the voltage necessary to operate
    the lamp. There are two types of fluorescent ballasts available: the electromagnetic type and
    the solid state electronic type. The electromagnetic ballast has been used since the beginning of
    fluorescent lighting. The ballast, also known as "core and coil" type, consists of a core of steel
    laminations surrounded by two copper coils. This transforms the electrical power to control the
    lamps. In ballasts which are "high power factor," there is also a capacitor that improves the
    power factor.

    The electronic ballast starts and regulates fluorescent lamps by using electronic components
    rather than the core and coil assembly. The basic advantages of the electronic ballast versus the
    core and coil ballast are increased efficiency, quieter operation, and cooler operation, which in
    turn reduces air conditioning costs.

    Advantages

    Two major reasons fluorescent lamps are a popular choice for many design applications are
    longer lamp life and higher efficiency. For example, compared with a 75-watt incandescent
    lamp which has an initial lumen (lumen refers to the amount of light that a lamp produces)
    output of approximately 750 lumens and a lamp life of 2000 hours, a comparable fluorescent
    lamp (18-watt compact) has an initial lumen output of about 1250 lumens and a lamp life of
    10,000 hours. Note that the fluorescent lamp, while using 18 watts, produces more light than
    the incandescent lamp which uses 75 watts. Another factor to consider is that fluorescent
    lamps can be operated at 277 volts while most incandescent lamps must be operated at 120
    volts. The advantage to using 277 volts is apparent on larger installations: by using 277 volts, a
    greater number of light fixtures can be connected to a circuit, thus reducing installation costs.

    © JDB Engineering, Inc. | York, PA & Hunt Valley, MD | Engineering the Built Environment to Sustain the Natural Environment
    Most of the new fluorescent lighting installations use light fixtures with electronic ballasts. In
    fact, a typical four lamp fluorescent fixture using four 32 watt lamps with electronic ballasts
    consumes approximately 106 watts while the same fixture with standard 40-watt lamps using
    an electromagnetic ballast consumes approximately 176 watts.

    Color

    Color temperature and color rendering are two properties of lamps that can effect the way a
    space and the objects in that space appear to the eye. A warm color has a feeling of intimacy or
    coziness while a cool color has a more businesslike or institutional-type feeling. The color
    temperature of a lamp is based on the Kelvin temperature scale and is expressed in degrees
    Kelvin. Lamps that have a bright-white to blue-light appearance have a high color temperature
    (4000K and above) and are considered cool white. (Note that the color temperature pertains to
    the color of the light from the lamp and not actual temperature.) Lamps that have a yellow-
    white to a red-white color have a color temperature of 3000K and below are considered warm
    white. For comparison, incandescent lamps and candlelight have a warm color and a color
    temperature of about 2700K.

    Color rendering is the measurement of how accurately a lamp renders the color of the objects it
    illuminates (compared with daylight). This measurement is known as the Color Rendering Index
    (CRI). It is based on a scale with a maximum number of 100 (daylight). A typical fluorescent bulb
    will have a CRI in the 80 to 90 range.

    Generally, the higher the CRI, the more natural or true to life the objects within the space
    appear to the eye. The use of lamps with a high CRI can have a positive effect on worker
    comfort, thus reducing eye strain and increasing productivity.

    JDB Engineering, Inc.


    www.jdbengineering.com

    3687 Concord Road


    York, PA 17402

    120 Cockeysville Road #101


    Hunt Valley, MD 21030

    PA: 717.757.5602
    MD: 410.771.3433

    © JDB Engineering, Inc. | York, PA & Hunt Valley, MD | Engineering the Built Environment to Sustain the Natural Environment

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