How Do CFL Bulbs Work?
Incandescent light bulbs have been the workhorse of electrical lighting for more than a century. Their inefficiency and relatively short lifespan have spurred the creation of new types of light bulbs. The compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is the most popular alternative. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Incandescent
-
Incandescent light bulbs waste energy by converting more energy into heat than into light. Since Thomas Edison patented the incandescent light bulb more than 100 years ago, its basic technology has not changed much. An electric charge is passed through a filament of a highly resistant material. Since the filament does not conduct electricity very well, the filament gets very hot. As it heats up, it begins to glow. This is how incandescent bulbs produce light.
CFLs
-
Fluorescent light bulbs had traditionally been very long until Ed Hammer coiled them into smaller shapes. There is no filament in a CFL. A CFL is filled with argon and some mercury vapor. These gases produce invisible, ultraviolet light when electricty passes through the CFL.The inside of the bulb is coated with a phosphor. This is a substance that illuminates, or fluoresces, when ultraviolet light reaches it.
-
History
-
Ed Hammer created the CFL. He made his first fluorescent light bulb in 1973. This was a typical long, tube-shaped bulb. In 1976, he developed a method to coil the tube and created the first compact fluorescent light bulb. Earlier CFLs were disliked because of the buzzing sound made by their ballasts. Newer CFLs have electronic ballasts that regulate voltage in the bulb and do not hum.
Benefits
-
The major benifits of CFLs are lower power consumption and longer bulb life. Since CFLs use less energy, they are cheaper to operate. Similary, since CFLs last longer than incandescent bulbs, they don't have to be replaced as often. They are required by law to receive a two-year warranty. So even though CFLs are a more expensive investment than incandescent bulbs, they are a money saver in the long run.
Environment
-
Using less energy is generally thought of as an environmental benefit. But CFLs contain mercury, a toxic heavy metal. Even though the amount of mercury in CFLs is small, they need to disposed of at special recycling centers. Most communties have drop off locations that will accept old CFLs. Mercury also means that special care must be taken to clean up broken bulbs.
-
References
- Photo Credit hand holding a cfl and incadescent lightbulb image by Silverpics from Fotolia.com Light bulb image by Mart61 from Fotolia.com blue hue of cfl lightbulb on black image by Silverpics from Fotolia.com
