CFL Full Form Detail

What is the Full form of CFL?

The CFL Full Form is Compact Fluorescent Lamp, also called an energy-saving light or a compact fluorescent tube, is a type of fluorescent lamp made to replace an incandescent light bulb. Some types fit into light fixtures made for incandescent bulbs.

The lamps have a small electronic ballast in the base of the lamp and a tube that is bent or folded to fit into the space of an incandescent bulb.

History of CFL

• Peter Cooper Hewitt came up with the first kind of fluorescent lamp in the late 1890s. The Cooper Hewitt lamps were used in photography studios and factories.
• In 1927, Edmund Germer, Friedrich Meyer, and Hans Spanner made a high-pressure vapour lamp and got a patent for it. Later, George Inman worked with General Electric to make a fluorescent lamp that worked. It was sold in 1938 and got a patent in 1941.
• The length of fluorescent light fixtures was cut down by making round and U-shaped lamps. At the 1939 New York World’s Fair, the first fluorescent light bulb and fixture were shown to the public.The CFL is updated again in the 1976 century and cost became cheap.
• In 1976, Edward E. Hammer, an engineer at General Electric, came up with the spiral CFL as a response to the 1973 oil crisis. The design did what it was supposed to do, but it would have cost GE about $25 million to build new factories to make the lamps, so the idea was put on hold. In the end, others copied the design.

Working principle of CFL

• CFLs are different from incandescent bulbs in how they make light. In an incandescent, an electric current flows through a wire filament and heats it up until it starts to glow. A CFL works by sending an electric current through a tube that has argon and a small amount of mercury vapour.
• This makes invisible ultraviolet light that excites a coating on the inside of the tube called phosphor, which then gives off visible light.

Diagram of CFL

Advantages of CFL

• CFLs can save up to four times as much energy as regular bulbs. You can use a 22-watt CFL in place of a 100-watt incandescent bulb to get the same amount of light. CFLs use 50–80% less energy than traditional incandescent lights.
• It lasts much longer than regular lamps and uses less energy, so it’s much cheaper in the long run.
• It helps in decreasing on CO2 emissions because CFLs give off less CO2 than incandescent lamps.
• CFLs are very flexible and can be used anywhere incandescent bulbs would normally be used.
• They come in enough shapes and sizes that you can use them in recessed fixtures, table lamps, track lighting, or ceiling lighting.
• It gives off less heat because most of the energy is turned into visible light. This means that it transfers much less heat.

Characteristics of CFL

• Spectrum of light
• Lifespan
• Energy efficiency
• Cost Effective

FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions )

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