INCANDESCENT LAMP

Incandescent lamp
Theincandescent light bulb,incandescent
lamporincandescent light globeproduces light by heating
a filament wire to a high temperature until itglows. The
hot filament is protected from oxidation in the air with a
glass enclosure that is filled with inert gas or evacuated.
The light bulb is supplied with electrical current by feedthrough terminals or wires embedded in the glass. Most
bulbs are used in a socket which provides mechanical
support and electrical connections.
The incandescent lamp is widely used in household and
commercial lighting. Incandescentbulbs are manufactured
in a wide range of sizes, light output, andvoltageratings,
from 1.5 volts to about 300 volts.

History

Use
They

require no external regulating equipment,

have lowmanufacturing costs, and work
equally well on either alternating current or
direct current.
It is used for portable lighting such as table
lamps, carheadlamps, andflashlights, and for
decorative and advertising lighting.
Some applications of the incandescent bulb
use the heat generated by the filament, such
as incubators, brooding boxes forpoultry, heat
lights forreptiletanks,infrared heatingfor
industrial heating and drying processes, and
theEasy-Bake Oventoy.

Parts of incandescent lamp

Outline of Glass bulb
2. Low pressure inert gas (argon,
nitrogen, krypton, xenon)
3. Tungsten filament
4. Contact wire (goes out of stem)
5. Contact wire (goes into stem)
6. Support wires (one end
embedded in stem; conduct no
current)
7. Stem (glass mount)
8. Contact wire (goes out of stem)
9. Cap (sleeve)
10.Insulation (vitrite)
11.Electrical contact
1.

Functioning
Incandescent

light bulbs consist of an air-tightglassenclosure

(the envelope, or bulb) with a filament oftungstenwire inside the
bulb, through which anelectric currentis passed. Contact wires
and a base with two (or more) conductors provide electrical
connections to the filament. Incandescent light bulbs usually
contain a stem or glass mount anchored to the bulb's base that
allows the electrical contacts to run through the envelope without
air or gas leaks. Small wires embedded in the stem in turn
support the filament and its lead wires
The bulb is filled with aninert gassuch asargon(93%)
andnitrogen(7%) to reduceevaporationof the filament and
prevent itsoxidationat a pressure of about 70kPa
(0.7atm).Early lamps, and some small modern lamps used only a
vacuum to protect the filament from oxygen.
An electric current heats the filament to typically 2,000 to 3,300 K
(3,140to 5,480F)), well below tungsten's melting point of3,695
K(6,191F). Filament temperatures depend on the filament type,
shape, size, and amount of current drawn. The heated filament
emits light that approximates acontinuous spectrum.

Electrical characteristics
Power

Incandescent lamps are nearly pure

resistive loads with apower factorof 1. This
means the actual power consumed
(inwatts) and the apparent power (involtamperes) are equal.
Current and resistance
The actual resistance of the filament is
temperature-dependent. The cold resistance
of tungsten-filament lamps is about 1/15 the
hot-filament resistance when the lamp is
operating

Light output and lifetime

For

a supply voltageVnear the rated

voltage of the lamp:
Lightoutput is approximately
proportional toV3.4
Powerconsumption is approximately
proportional toV1.6
Lifetimeis approximately proportional
toV16
Color temperatureis approximately
proportional toV0.42

Cost of lighting
The

initial cost of an incandescent bulb is

small compared to the cost of the energy it
uses over its lifetime. A comparison of
incandescent lamp operating cost with other
light sources must consider the luminous
efficacy of each lamp. The comparison must
include illumination requirements, capital
cost of the lamp, labor cost to replace lamps,
various depreciation factors for light output
as the lamp ages, effect of lamp operation on
heating and air conditioning systems, and
energy consumption as well

Efficiency and environmental

impact
An

upper limit for incandescent lamp luminous

efficacy is around 52 lumens per watt, the
theoretical value emitted by tungsten at its
melting point
For a given quantity of light, an incandescent
light bulb produces more heat (and consumes
more power) than afluorescent lamp. In
buildings whereair conditioningis used,
incandescent lamps' heat output increases load
on the air conditioning system.Heat from lights
will displace heat required from a building's
heating system; generally space heating
energy is of lower cost than electricity.

Although

some sources claim fluorescent lighting causes

more health problems than incandescent lighting
(seeLight sensitivityandOver-illuminationfor
discussion), more research needs to be done in this field.
According to the European CommissionScientific
Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health
Risks(SCENIHR) in 2008, the only property of compact
fluorescent lamps that could pose an added health risk is
theultravioletand blue light emitted by such devices.
The worst that can happen is that this radiation could
aggravate symptoms in people who already suffer rare
skin conditions that make them exceptionally sensitive to
light. They also stated that more research is needed to
establish whether compact fluorescent lamps constitute
any higher risk than incandescent lamps.

Advantages
The

first major advantage of incandescent light

bulbs is their convenience. Incandescent light
bulbs can be purchased in multiple shapes,
wattage and colors. In addition, incandescent light
bulbs fit most lamps and other lighting fixtures, as
such fixtures have been built with incandescent
light bulbs in mind.
The second major advantage of incandescent light
bulbs is their color tone. Incandescent lights
provide overall warmth to rooms.
They provide light indoors and when it is dark
outside, without having to light a candle or an oil
lamp. They are also relatively safe, clean and easy
to operate.

Disadvantages
The

primary difficulty with incandescent light bulbs is that they

are not very energy efficient. About ninety-percent of the
energy that goes into an incandescent light bulb is turned into
heat rather than into light. This can increase the cost of lighting
your home, and it has a negative environmental impact as well.
A corollary of this disadvantage is that incandescent lights are
very hot. The ninety-percent of energy that turns into heat can
provide inconvenience and even a fire hazard. Incandescent
lights need to be placed away from anything flammable,
including wallpaper, wood or other decorations. This can make
placing them tricky. In addition, they can cause fires if anything
should lean against them inadvertently.
Incandescent lamps operate at shorter lives than most other
lighting sources. Some applications such as high ceiling make
lamp replacement very difficult. Incandescent lamps should
only be used in areas that can be easily serviced. Hard to reach
areas should use a source with a longer life.