Mercury light sources of low pressure (NL) have been known for quite some time. Until now, on some piers of intra-city power lines, one can see the remains of the 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, consequently, 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 the design and, as a consequence, the low cost of producing incandescent bulbs, the search for alternative solutions did not stop from the moment they appeared. Moreover, some researchers chose the development of fundamentally new areas (fluorescent lamps), while others chose the improvement of an existing device.
The significance of their work can hardly be overestimated: high-pressure bulbs were proposed, the luminosity of which is so great that with 2-3 units with a power of 250-300 watts you can light a huge hall with high ceilings; the incandescent filament began to be placed not in a vacuum, but in an inert gas, which allowed a significant decrease in the natural evaporation of the incandescent material.
The reason for such an active search for a replacement for incandescent lighting devices is simple - the efficiency value is too low. So, the generation of visible light takes only 5% of the energy consumed, and the rest is associated losses.
Luminescent lamps allowed to leave this problem in the past. For example, when the luminous flux is equal to the incandescent bulbs, the electric power of the luminescent solutions is more than five times lower.
Another advantage is the ability to select the shade of the light emitted by the device. So, 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 devices about such a variety and "did not dream."
The 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 (remember CRT televisions). The desired shade of light is obtained by introducing special additives into it. The tube is tight 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.
We will deal with work
When turned on, a special starting circuit creates a high-voltage pulse sufficient for electric breakdown of the gas gap between the spirals. After that, the voltage decreases to the nominal one, the power of which is used only to maintain the arc.
Modern fluorescent lamps externally represent not only the usual straight tubes, but also twisted spirals. Famous "housekeepers" - this is one of the varieties of fluorescent devices.