Low pressure (LP) mercury light sources have been known for quite some time. Until now, on some poles of intracity power lines, you can see the remains of lamps assembled on their basis. The mentioned source has several names, each of which indicates one of the characteristic features.
So, you can often hear the expression "fluorescent, or fluorescent lamp." However, the experience of using them for street lighting was unsuccessful. One of the reasons for this is the high complexity of the design and, accordingly, lower fault tolerance when compared with a solution based on a conventional incandescent lamp. As you may have guessed, dear reader, in the article we will tell you what fluorescent lamps are.
Benefits
Despite the simplicity of design and, as a result, the low cost of production of incandescent bulbs, the search for alternative solutions has not stopped since their appearance. Moreover, some researchers have chosen to develop fundamentally new areas (luminescent lamps), while others have chosen to improve an existing device.
The significance of their work can hardly be overestimated: high-pressure flasks were proposed, the luminosity of which is so high that 2-3 units with a power of 250-300 watts can illuminate a huge hall with high ceilings; the filament began to be placed not in a vacuum, but in an inert gas environment, which made it possible to significantly reduce the amount of natural evaporation of the incandescent material.
The reason for such an active search for a replacement for incandescent lighting fixtures is simple - the efficiency is too low. Thus, only 5% of the consumed energy is spent on the generation of visible light, and the rest is associated losses.
Fluorescent lamps made this problem a thing of the past. For example, with the same luminous flux as incandescent bulbs, the electric power of luminescent solutions is more than five times lower.
The next advantage is the ability to select the shade of light emitted by the device. Thus, the luminosity corresponding to the radiation of a body with a temperature of 4200 K gives daylight white light. A higher value - 6400 K - creates a white cold glow. Well, 2700 K is a cozy warm light.
Incandescent appliances “did not even dream of such a variety.”
Device of fluorescent lamps
Their design is quite simple: incandescent spirals are placed on two opposite sides of the glass tube. The inner surface of the glass is covered with a layer of phosphor - a special substance that glows under the influence of electromagnetic radiation (recall CRT-televisions). The desired shade of the glow is obtained by adding special additives to it. The tube is sealed and filled with inert gases and gaseous mercury. That is why the disposal of fluorescent lamps is a responsible matter and should be decided at the state level: it is impossible to throw a failed device into the garbage chute.
Let's get the job done
When turned on, a special starting circuit creates a high voltage pulse sufficient to electrically breakdown the gas gap between the coils. After that, the voltage is reduced to the nominal, the power of which is only used to maintain the arc.
Modern fluorescent lamps outwardly represent not only the usual straight tubes, but also twisted spirals. The famous "housekeepers" - this is one of the varieties of luminescent devices.
