TYPE OF ELECTRIC LAMPS

1). Incandescent lamp 2). Discharge lamp

(a) Incandescent vacuum (a) Sodium discharge lamp.

lamp.
(b) Low pressure mercury
(b) Incandescent gas filled discharge lamp.
lamp
(c) Neon lamp.

(d) High pressure mercury

discharge lamp.
1a). Incandescent • The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or
incandescent light globe is a source of electric light
that works by incandescence (a general term for
Lamp heat-driven light emissions which includes the
simple case of black body radiation). An
electric current passes through a thin filament,
heating it until it produces light. The enclosing glass
bulb prevents the oxygen in air from reaching the
hot filament, which otherwise would be destroyed
rapidly by oxidation. Incandescent bulbs are also
sometimes called electric lamps, a term also applied
to the original arc lamps.

• Incandescent bulbs are made in a wide range of

sizes and voltages, from 1.5 volts to about 300
volts. They require no external regulating
equipment and have a low manufacturing cost, and
work well on either alternating current or direct
current. As a result the incandescent lamp is widely
used in household and commercial lighting, for
portable lighting, such as table lamps, car
headlamps, flashlights, and for decorative and
advertising lighting.
1a). Incandescent • Some applications of the incandescent
Lamp bulb make use of the heat generated,
such as incubators, brooding boxes for
poultry, heat lights for reptile tanks,
infrared heating for industrial heating
and drying processes, and the
Easy-Bake Oven toy.

• In cold weather the heat shed by

incandescent lamps contributes to
building heating, but in hot climates
lamp losses increase the energy used by
air conditioning systems
1a). Incandescent Vacuum
Lamp • When an electric current is passed
through a fine metallic wire, it raises
the temperature of the wire, and thus
heat energy and light energy will be
radiated at high temperatures.

• The incandescent lamp consists of an

evacuated glass bulb having a fine
metallic wire within it.

• The vacuum prevents the oxidation of

the filament.
The metal which can be
used as a filament must
have the following
(1) It must be capable of being
properties :- worked at very high
temperatures, i.e. its melting
point must be high.
(2) It should have low temperature
co-efficient.
(3) It must be ductile.
(4) It must be very strong
mechanically to withstand
vibration during normal use. .
(5) It must have low vapor pressure.
Tungsten is the most common material used as
filament in modern lamps. It is being preferred
to carbon and tantalum due to the following
reasons:

• (i) Its melting point is high, of the order of 3400° (no doubt
it is less than that of carbon, but it can be worked at higher
temperatures).

• (ii) its vapor pressure is low.

• (iii) It is very strong and can be made ductile. (iv) Its

temperature co-efficient is 0.0051.
1b). Incandescent
gas filled lamp
lead-in wire
Electric conductor carrying the current to
the filament.
inert gas
Gas inserted in the bulb to slow down
evaporation of the filament.
base
Metal end of a light bulb inserted into a
socket to connect it to the electric
circuit.
exhaust tube
Glass tube used to empty the air from
the bulb and then to fill it with inert gas
before it is sealed.
pinch
Part in which the lead-in wires are
attached.
heat deflecting disc
Metal disc placed at the entrance of a
lamp’s neck to protect the pinch and the
base from the heat.
1b). Incandescent
gas filled lamp
stem
Button support.
button
End of the stem; the filament supports
are attached to it.
support
Metal wire holding the filament.
filament
Very thin metal wire, usually made of
tungsten, emitting light rays when an
electric current passes through it.
bayonet base
Base fitted with two short metal pins so
that it can be placed in the
corresponding socket.
screw base
Base fitted with a screw pitch so it can be
inserted into the corresponding socket.
bulb
Gas sealed in a glass envelope into which
the luminous body of a lamp is inserted.
2. DISCHARGE Working Principle of
LAMPS Electric Discharge
Lamp.

• Such lamps have a

transparent enclosure and
contain a gas or vapor at low
pressure (sometimes the
pressure is several
atmospheres).

• At the two ends of the lamp

electrodes are provided for
connecting the lamp to the
mains.
2. DISCHARGE
LAMPS
The principle of
such lamp is that the
light is obtained from
the excited atom of
the gas. In the
discharge space there
are three kinds of
particles such as
neutral atoms or
molecules of gas or
vapor, positive ions
and electrons.
2. DISCHARGE
LAMPS
When the potential is
applied to the electrodes
the neutral atom will not
respond to potential
gradient but will have a
motion at random
depending upon thermal
conditions; but the
positive ions and
electrons will have an
axial drift towards the
cathode and anode
respectively
 2. DISCHARGE
LAMPS

The figure on right hand

side illustrates the various parts
of a incandescent discharge lamps
2. DISCHARGE
LAMPS

The figure on right hand side

illustrates the various parts of a
incandescent discharge lamp.
2a) Sodium discharge
lamp.

Sodium Vapour Lamps are gas

discharge lamps which uses sodium in
an excited state to produce light. There
are two varieties of such lamps: low
pressure and high pressure. These
lamps are the most efficient
electrically-powered light source when
measured for photopic lighting
conditions. We have both low pressure
and high pressure Sodium Lamps
 2B) Mercury A mercury-vapor lamp is a
Discharge Lamp gas discharge lamp which uses mercury in an
excited state to produce light. The arc
discharge is generally confined to a small
fused quartz arc tube mounted within a larger
borosilicate glass bulb. The outer bulb may be
clear or coated with a phosphor; in either
case, the outer bulb provides
thermal insulation, protection from ultraviolet
radiation, and a convenient mounting for the
fused quartz arc tube.

Mercury vapor lamps (and their relatives)

are often used because they are relatively
efficient. Phosphor coated bulbs offer better
color rendition than either high- or low-
pressure sodium vapor lamps. Mercury vapor
lamps also offer a very long lifetime, as well as
intense lighting for several applications
 The mercury vapor lamp is a negative resistance
device and requires auxiliary components (for
2B) Mercury Discharge example, a ballast) to prevent it from taking excessive
Lamp current. The auxiliary components are substantially
similar to the ballasts used with fluorescent lamps. It
is used often for outside lighting (signs) and for
auditoriums and stages.

Also like fluorescent lamps, mercury vapor lamps

usually require a starter which is usually contained
within the mercury vapor lamp itself. A third
electrode is mounted near one of the main
electrodes and connected through a resistor to the
other main electrode. When power is applied, there
is sufficient voltage to strike an arc between the
starting electrode and the adjacent main electrode.
This arc discharge eventually provides enough ionized
mercury to strike an arc between the main
electrodes. Occasionally, a thermal switch will also be
installed to short the starting electrode to the
adjacent main electrode, completely suppressing the
starting arc once the main arc strikes.
2B) Mercury Discharge Operation
Lamp
When a mercury vapor lamp is first turned on, it will
produce a dark blue glow because only a small amount
of the mercury is ionized and the gas pressure in the
arc tube is very low, so much of the light is produced in
the ultraviolet mercury bands. As the main arc strikes
and the gas heats up and increases in pressure, the
light shifts into the visible range and the high gas
pressure causes the mercury emission bands to
broaden somewhat, producing a light that appears
more-white to the human eye, although it is still not a
continuous spectrum. Even at full intensity, the light
from a mercury vapor lamp with no phosphors is
distinctly bluish in color. The pressure in the silica glass
tube rises to approximately one atmosphere once the
bulb has reached its working temperature. If the
discharge should be interrupted (e.g. by interruption of
the electric supply), it is not possible for the lamp to
restrike until the bulb cools enough for the pressure to
fall considerably.
2b) High pressure mercury
discharge lamp
High Pressure Mercury Lamps This lamp
consists of a quartz arc tube sealed within an
outer glass jacket or bulb. The inner arc tube is
made of quartz to withstand the high
temperatures, resulting when the lamp builds
up to normal wattage. Two main
electronemissive electrodes are located at
opposite ends of the tube; these are made of
coiled tungsten wire. Near the upper main
electrode is a third, or starting, electrode  in
 series  with  a  ballasting  resistor  and
connected to the lower main-electrode lead
wire. The arc tube in the mercury lamp
contains a small amount of pure argon gas that
is vaporized. When voltage is applied, an
electric field is set up between the starting
 electrode  and  the  adjacent  main  electrode.
 This ionizing potential causes current to flow,
and, as the main  arc  strikes,  the  heat
 generated  gradually  vaporizes the mercury.
When the arc tube is filled with mercury vapor,
it creates a low-resistance path for current to
flow between the main electrodes. When this
takes place, the starting electrode and its high-
resistance path become automatically inactive.
2b) High pressure mercury
discharge lamp
Once  the  discharge  begins,  the  enclosed
 arc becomes a light source with one
electrode acting as a cathode and the other
as an anode. The electrodes will exchange
functions as the ac supply changes polarity.
The quantity of mercury in the arc tube is
carefully measured  to  maintain  quite  an
 exact  vapor  pressure under  design
 conditions  of  operation.  This  pressure
differs with wattage sizes, depending on
arc-tube dimensions, voltage-current
relationships, and various other design
factors. Efficient operation requires the
maintenance of a high temperature of the
arc tube.  For this reason, the arc tube is
enclosed in an outer bulb made of heat-
resistant glass that makes the arc tube less
subject to surrounding temperature  or
 cooling  by  air  circulation.  About half an
atmosphere  of  nitrogen  is  introduced
 into  the  space between the arc tube and
the outer bulb. The operating pressure for
most mercury lamps is in the range of two.
2d) Low pressure mercury
discharge lamp.

From top to bottom, N shape, U shape, W

Low pressure mercury- shape and a straight tube type LP Hg lamp
vapor lamps[2] have usually
a quartz bulb in order to
allow the transmission of
short wavelength light. If
synthetic quartz is used,
then the transparency of
the quartz is increased
further and an emission line
at 185nm is observed also.
Such a lamp can then be
used for the cleaning or
modification of surfaces
A low-pressure mercury lamp (LP Hg lamp) is a highly
efficient UV light source of short wavelength
2c) Neon lamp
A neon lamp is a gas discharge
lamp containing primarily neon gas at
low pressure. The term is sometimes
used for similar devices filled with
other noble gases, usually to produce
different colors.
 Description
2c) Neon lamp • A small electric current, which may be AC or DC, is allowed through the
tube, causing it to glow orange-red. The exact formulation of the gas is
typically the classic Penning mixture, 99.5% neon and 0.5% argon, which
has lower striking voltage than pure neon. The applied voltage must
initially reach the striking voltage before the lamp can light. Once lit, the
voltage required to sustain operation is significantly (~30%) lower. When
driven from a DC source, only the negatively charged electrode (cathode)
will glow. When driven from an AC source, both electrodes will glow
(each during alternate half cycles). Neon lamps operate using a low
current glow discharge. Higher power devices, such as
mercury-vapor lamps or metal halide lamps use a higher current
arc discharge.

• Once lit, a neon lamp has a negative resistance characteristic: increasing

the current through the device increases the number of ions, thereby
decreasing the resistance of the lamp and allowing even more current.
(This behavior occurs between the points labeled A and B on the lamp's
current vs. voltage graph.) Because of this characteristic, electrical
circuitry external to the neon lamp must provide a means to limit current
through the circuit or else the current will rapidly increase until the lamp
is destroyed. For indicator-sized lamps, a resistor is conventionally used to
limit the current. Larger neon sign sized lamps often use a specially
constructed high voltage transformer or ballast to limit the available
current, usually by introducing a large amount of leakage inductance in
the secondary winding.
2c) Neon lamp When the current through the lamp is lower than
the current for the highest-current discharge path, the
glow discharge may become unstable and not cover the
entire surface of the electrodes. This may be a sign of
aging of the indicator bulb, and is exploited in the
decorative "flicker flame" neon lamps. However, while
too low a current causes flickering, too high a current
increases the wear of the electrodes by stimulating
sputtering, which coats the internal surface of the lamp
with metal and causes it to darken.

The flickering effect is caused by the differences of

the ionization potential of the gas, which depends on
spacing of the electrodes, temperature, ambient
radiation, and the pressure of the gas. The potential
needed to strike the discharge is higher than what is
needed to sustain the discharge. When there is not
enough current to ionize the entire volume of the gas
around the electrodes, only partial ionization occurs and
the glow forms around only part of the electrode surface.
Convective currents make the glowing areas flow
upwards, not unlike the discharge in a Jacob's ladder. A
photoionization effect can also be observed here, as the
electrode area covered with the discharge can be
increased by shining light at the lamp.
 In comparison with
2c) Neon lamp incandescent light bulbs, neon lamps have much
higher luminous efficacy. This is due to the fact
that incandescence is heat-driven light emission,
thus a large portion of the electric energy put
into an incandescent bulb is converted into heat.
Non-incandescent light sources such as neon
light bulbs, fluorescent light bulbs, and
light emitting diodes are therefore much more
energy efficient than normal incandescent light
bulbs. Green neon bulbs can produce up to 65
lumens per watt of power input, while white
neon bulbs have an efficacy of around 50 lumens
per watt. In contrast, a standard incandescent
light bulb only produces around 13.5 lumens per
watt.[1]
THE END