Wondering how fluorescent lights work? This article will give you all the required information about how fluorescent lights work in general. The information contained in this article will enable you to get all the required information so if you need to change a 2 pin fluorescent light bulb, you will be able to do so. A sealed glass tube is the main component of a fluorescent lamp. The tube is filled with a small amount of mercury and an inert gas, usually argon, that is kept at a very low pressure. A phosphor powder is also deposited along the interior of the glass of the tube. The tube contains at each end two electrodes and they are properly wired with an electrical circuit. An alternating current (AC) supply is connected to the electrical circuit, which we’ll look at later.
How Do Fluorescent Light Bulbs Work?
The current passes through the electrical circuit to the electrodes when you switch on the bulb. Because the electrodes have a high voltage, electrons will migrate through the gas from one end of the tube to the other. Some of the mercury in the tube turns from a liquid to a gas as a result of this energy. Some electrons and charged atoms will clash with gaseous mercury atoms as they flow through the tube. The atoms are excited by these collisions, which cause electrons to jump to higher energy levels. When electrons return to their previous energy level, light photons are released.
The wavelength of a photon is dictated by the electron arrangement in the atom, as we saw in the previous section.
The electrons in mercury atoms are organized in such a way that they predominantly emit light photons with a wavelength in the ultraviolet region. Because ultraviolet photons are not visible to our eyes, they must be transformed into visible light in order to ignite the bulb.
This is when the phosphor powder coating on the tube comes into play. Phosphors are light-emitting compounds that emit light when exposed to light. When a photon strikes a phosphorus atom, one of the electrons in the phosphor leaps to a higher energy level, causing the atom to heat up. When the electron returns to its original state, energy is released in the form of another photon.
Because some energy was lost as heat, this photon has less energy than the original photon. The visible spectrum is emitted by fluorescent lamps; the phosphor emits white light that we can see. Using different combinations of phosphors, manufacturers can change the hue of the light.
How Do Conventional Incandescent Light Bulbs work?
Conventional incandescent light bulbs emit ultraviolet radiation as well, but none of it is converted to visible light. As a result, a significant portion of the energy consumed to operate an incandescent bulb is squandered. A fluorescent bulb, on the other hand, uses this invisible light and is hence more efficient. In addition, incandescent bulbs waste more energy due to heat emission than fluorescent lamps.
A typical fluorescent bulb is four to six times more efficient than an incandescent lamp in terms of overall efficiency. People prefer incandescent lights in their homes because they produce a “warmer” light with more red and less blue.
The entire fluorescent lamp system is reliant on an electrical current running through the gas in the glass tube, as we’ve seen.
Conclusion:
To conclude, fluorescent light bulbs are the next generation of lights which enables you to brighten your room with energy efficient lights with a very minimum cost. It allows you to work without get disturbed from the extra light that makes you depressed while working. There are many reasons of explaining working of fluorescent light bulb. As it is emerging in light industry just as many of us are switching our internet to Fiber Internet. I hope you understand how fluorescent light works and how you can take advantage of these lights.
