CFL Full Form: Compact Fluorescent Lamps / History, Advantages & Disadvantages

What is the full form of CFL?

The full form of CFL is Compact Fluorescent lamps. Commercially known as fluorescent tubes. They consist of glass tubes with two electrodes at their ends, inside which are small amounts of argon and mercury vapor; the inner surface is coated with fluorescent substances (phosphors) that transform ultraviolet radiation into red, so the light they emit is white.

History Of CFL

1. The fluorescent phenomenon had been known for a long time, but the first fluorescent lamps were developed in France and Germany in the 1930s.
2. In 1934 the fluorescent lamp was developed in the United States.
3. Fluorescent lamps were introduced commercially in 1938, and their rapid acceptance marked a major development in the field of artificial lighting.
4. It was not until 1944 that the first public lighting installations with fluorescent lamps were made.
5. Fluorescent lamp developments included high-frequency ballasts that eliminate flickering light and the compact fluorescent lamp that has gained acceptance in domestic environments.

Fluorescent lamps

A fluorescent lamp is a glass cylinder inside which is housed in a series of materials that together produce light. Each component is essential for the light to be produced and for the light to have a certain color.

Materials used 

• A glass cylinder: Match. The phosphor coats the inside of the glass cylinder as a whitish film. Care must be taken if the fluorescent is broken as this coating takes the form of a whitish powder, as if it were talc, and is toxic. For this reason, fluorescent lamps should not be thrown away if they are not recycled properly.

• Mercury vapor: Inert gases such as Neon and Argon.

• Electric components: Fluorescent lamps are normally ready to mount, with all their devices already interconnected and fixed on a base and the electrical connection should only be made using the following materials.

• Primer: The primer generates the electrical impulse necessary to turn on the fluorescent, after that impulse and if it has achieved the objective of activating the process, it stops working. Therefore its mission is short in time, but vital. Without a primer, there is no possibility of fluorescent lighting.

• Reactance: The reactance is to control that the fluorescent is not destroyed. The hotter gases are, the less electrical resistance they oppose, which is why they absorb more intensity. In this way, if they are connected directly, they will end up destroying themselves. The function of the ballast is not to allow more intensity than that tolerated by the lamp.

• Condenser: In some installations, you will find capacitors. The function of the capacitor is to compensate for the use of reactors that use a type of power called reactive. Reactive power forces power companies to make larger investments in materials and is often penalized. Using capacitors this reactive power is reduced, with which consumption is not penalized. You don’t necessarily have to have capacitors in fluorescent tubes.

Advantages and disadvantages of fluorescent lights

Advantages : 

1. The primary advantage is savings. Fluorescent lamps need less power to illuminate the same space.
2. They do not waste energy in heat, they are cold to the touch.
3. They last vastly longer than traditional incandescent lamps (bulbs).
4. They have different shades depending on the purpose for which they are intended.
5. The most important are:
6. The current consumption can be up to three times less than that of an incandescent lamp.
7. Better color response. It is easy to see that the colors are more faithful to the true one.
8. The light emission is 4 to 6 times greater than that of an incandescent lamp of the same power.
9. It provides a more uniform and less dazzling light because the illumination area is greater. Reduced heating.
10. The average life span is 7500 hours under normal conditions.

Disadvantages

1. The flicker: The emission of light is not continuous and with time a flicker can be observed that can cause a headache. This is due in addition to the wear of the material itself to the nature of the alternating electric current.
2. Turning these lamps on and off too many times reduces their useful life considerably, which is why they are not suitable for spaces where lights must be switched on and off continuously.
3. They have a certain delay from when they turn on until they deliver all the light power.