1.

3 Various Types of Lamps: Low Pressure Mercury Vapour Lamps (Fluorescent Tube), Compact
Fluorescent Lamps (C.F.L), High Pressure Mercury Vapour Lamps, Sodium Vapour Lamps, Metal Halide
Lamps, LED Lamps.

Low Pressure Mercury Vapour Lamps (Fluorescent Tube)

Fluorescent lamp, in principle is low pressure mercury discharge lamp with internal surface coated with
suitable fluorescent material. Tube contains argon or krypton gas to ease starting with small quantity of
mercury under low pressure. At start, current is passed through filaments which get heated up and emit
electrons which strike ’Hg" to give out radiations which fall on fluorescent material thus emitting light.
Tube contains argon gas in small amount in vapour form and mercury in globular form i.e. not in pure
vapour form. Argon gas is to initiate the arc.

Fluorescent lamps with glow type starter

Starter is made of two electrodes E1 and E2 out of which E1 is fixed and E2 is of bimetallic strip. They are
fitted into a glass tube having Helium and Hydrogen at low pressure. Normally, the contacts E1 and E2
are open and when supply is applied, full voltage is received by glow switch, this voltage is sufficient to
start glow discharge between bimetallic strips E2 and E1 and heat generated bends E2 to make contact
with E1 thus completing main circuit through choke and lamp electrodes A and B. Current starts flowing
through A and B and are heated in incandescent and argon gas which is in immediate vicinity is ionized,
by this time glow is shorted out and so E2 and E2 cools and contacts open again. Sudden rate of change
of current induces a voltage surge of about 1000 V across choke and initiates a discharge of argon gas
and heat is produced. This heat is sufficient to vaporize mercury and potential difference falls to 100 to
110 V.
Fluorescent lamps with thermal type starter

Two bimetallic strips are initially closed so that current flows through filaments, heater coil, thus the
electrodes A and B are heated to incandescence and argon gas is ionized, Meanwhile, one of the
bimetallic strip near to heater coil gets heated and bends thus interrupting filament current producing
inductive voltage surge across electrode; establishing discharge through mercury vapour. Starting time is
very much less in this type starter.

Choke exclusively performs two functions

Advantages:
If condenser is connected across surplus, efficiency is about 90.5%.
Its life is three times more than filament lamp.
It has low surface brightness - so less glare and it casts soft shadow.

Disadvantages:
High initial cost due to use of choke and starter.
Available in small wattage rating than incandescent lamp.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (C.F.L)

A typical CFL consists of a gas filled gas tube with two electrodes mounted in an end cap. It contains a
low pressure mix of argon gas, mercury vapour and liquid mercury and is coated on the inside with three
different phosphors. They give off light when exposed to ultraviolet radiation released by mercury atoms
as they are bombarded by electrons. The flow of electrons is produced by an arc between two electrodes
at the end of the tube. Ballast provides the high initial voltage required to create the starting arc and then
limit current to prevent the lamp from self destruction, Ballast themselves can be "standard"
electromagnetic, "energy efficient", electromagnetic or electronic and may have power factor correction,
radio interference, suppression or other features unheard of in the world of incandescent light. With
development of more efficient "tri-phosphor" coatings came smaller CFL with light in red, blue and green
giving white light when blended together.

CFL have colour rendering index (CRI) of 82

At very low temperature lamp output can decline to one third of the rated value or less. The optimum lamp
wall temperature for CFL is generally (38°C).
High Pressure Mercury Vapour Lamps

It consists of two tubes. Inner tube contains neon or argon gas under low pressure, two main electrodes
in the form of oxide coated coils and starting or auxiliary electrode near the cap end side of main
electrode. Inner tube is made of hard glass and in an evacuated outer tube, which maintains high
operating temperature of the inner arc tube. When supply is given, electric field is setup between the
starting electrode and the adjacent main electrode. This causes discharge first to take place between
them through limiting carbon resistance. This discharge through argon gas vaporizes all mercury and for
the lamp to reach full brilliance requires 4 to 8 minutes depending upon the design. Once arc tube is filled
with mercury vapour a low resistance path is created for current to flow between the main electrodes. The
arc then shifts to main electrodes. Path of starting electrode automatically becomes inactive. Electrodes
are kept in electron emitting condition by the bombardment of heavy mercury ions. Should the lamp go
out while in services, it will not restart till mercury vapour pressure has fallen low enough to allow for
restarting of discharge between main and auxiliary electrodes. Mercury discharge lamps are made in five
sizes viz. 80, 125, 250, 400 and 1000 W. In case of mercury vapour lamps, magnitude of the striking
voltage is very much affected by ambient temperature. Efficiency of these lamps is of 30 to 40
lumens/watt and life is about 5000 hr.

Application: These are used for high ceiling manufacturing bays street lighting, stage lighting, sports
grounds, garages and petrol station lighting, railway marshalling yards and park lighting.
Sodium Vapour Lamps

It consists of inner tube of U shape fitted with neon gas and globules of sodium. For good performance,
300°C temperature is to be maintained. To protect discharge tube it is contained in evacuated double
walled glass jacket. This prevents heat loss. At starting, electric discharge is to be established through
neon gas till sodium gas vapourized, so at start for 10-15 min. discharge through lamp will be pink and
then as sodium vaporizes, it will turn to yellow. For this voltage of about 410 is required white normal
voltage is about 165. Supply is given through a leak transformer which has high leakage reactance. As
soon as discharge through the tube starts, heavy voltage drop takes place in the transformer so that
required operating voltage is automatically impressed across the cathodes. PF of these lamps is 0.3
lagging and therefore condenser can be used for PF connection.
Precaution: Care should be taken in handling these lamps, for if inner tube is broken and sodium comes
in contact with moisture, fire will result.
Life: Normal average life of sodium vapour lamps is 2500 hrs.
Applications: Due to yellow light its use is limited to street lighting, flood lighting of docks, quarries etc,
Sizes available: 45, 60, 85, 140 W.
Metal Halide Lamps

This lamp is known as mercury halide or metal halide lamp. It has a short arc tube. Inside It there are
series of lamps combined within a single arc tube with output characteristics of different mixtures of
elements, When such metals (like thallium, indium, sodium, dysprosium) are introduced into mercury arc
tube, the mercury spectrum is suppressed reducing the ultraviolet radiation but added metal atoms partly
compensate by causing a wide range of spectral bands to be emitted. It is possible to produce white or
green light, If the metals are used in the element form they attack the discharge tube. To avoid this
instead of metals in element form its halide is used like iodide Le. sodium Iodide. The lamps require high
starting voltage, This is provided by ignitor which is connected across the lamp terminals. This type of
starter (ignitor) enables the lamp to be restruck within a minute of being switched off.

Application
Used for high bay interior and high mast exterior installations.
Sports stadium where coloured T.V. transmission is expected.
Flood lighting projectors.
LED Lamps

The working principle of LED is similar to diode (P-N junction) whenever DC current flows through the
light emitting diode, if the current path is from anode to cathode there will be voltage drop across the
diode. Ti is 1.5V to 2.1V then light will be emitted through this diode. The LED lamps are energy saving
lamps, The power consumption of the single LED is very less. It is in mw. So by using series & parallel
combination of LED. The LED lamp is manufactured the available wattage for the LED lamps are 1W,2W
3W, 5W etc. The LED lamp is available is various colours and diameter. The life of LED lamp is very high
minimum 10000 working hours.