Halogen light
Halogen light bulbs are a fairly efficient light bulb that produce light from the flow of electricity. Halogen lights have many uses in television and film production, home and commercial lighting, and in motor vehicles.[2]
They are an advanced form of the incandescent light bulb, as they work very similarly yet last much longer.[2] There are two reasons for this:
- Higher pressures - the gas contained within the bulb is at a higher pressure (7-8 atm), meaning the bulb is much smaller than a normal incandescent. To maintain these pressures without breaking, stronger materials are used.
- Halogen gas - the gas inside of the halogen bulb combines with the tungsten vapor given off by the filament (the part that gets hot and emits light). If the temperature is high enough this vapor is redeposited on the filament due to the bulb's small size, thereby recycling the tungsten and extending its lifetime.[3]
Due to these reasons the bulb is able to get much hotter, producing more light per unit of electricity compared to an incandescent bulb. This is fairly hazardous however, as one could get severe burns if they touched it during its operation.[2]
Advantages
- Small, lightweight, and easy to produce.
- A typical incandescent light may last up to 1000 hours, while a halogen light can last over 2500 hours.
- Halogen lights produce a color temperature closer to that of the Sun, which is more white in color compared to the orange color given off by incandescents.[2] See the PhET simulation below for a comparison: incandescents operate at about 2800 K while halogens get up to 3400 K.[2][3]
- Longer lifetime, as explained above.
- Instant startup (no need to warm up)
Disadvantages
- Extremely hot (burn hazard).
- Could potentially explode due to high pressure, sending glass shards outward. This may be mitigated by a glass screen which acts as a shield to prevent injury.[2]
Phet Simulation
The University of Colorado has graciously allowed us to use the following Phet simulation. Explore this simulation to see changing temperature changes the amount of radiation given by a light bulb filament. Note that much of the energy is coming off as heat (in the infrared spectrum, to the right of the visible spectrum):
References
- ↑ Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Wolfram-Halogengl%C3%BChlampe.png
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Edison Tech Center. (Accessed Sept. 2, 2015). The Halogen Lamp [Online], Available: http://www.edisontechcenter.org/halogen.html
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 HowStuffWorks. (Accessed Sept 2, 2015). How does a halogen light bulb work? [Online], Available: http://home.howstuffworks.com/question151.htm
