CFL; Working of CFL, Types of CFL, CFL Vs LED; Wattage of CFL

Full form of CFL –

The full form of CFL is Compact Fluorescent Lamp.

What is CFL – 

CFL is a kind of bulb which produces light when electrical supply is given to it. Working detail of CFL is given below –

Working principle of CFL–

The working principle of CFL is same as normal fluorescent lamp. It’s a compact version of fluorescent lamp. Its smaller & easier to install. It can be fixed in the holder of Incandescent bulb. The glass tube is bent& both ends are fixed on to the base where ballast is fixed.

When the lamp is switched on, a component called the ballast produces a high voltage between the electrodes, which is necessary for the initial ionization of the gas in the tube. Once the lamp starts operating, the current and light output can be maintained using a much lower voltage.

CFLs save energy in two ways:

• To get the same amount of light, you can replace an incandescent with a CFL that has just one fourth its rated wattage. A 100 watts incandescent lamp can be replaced by a CFL of just 25 watts without any reduction in brightness.
• CFL produces very less heat as compared to Incandescent lamps so it reduces air conditioning load in office & commercial establishments.

A CFL saves energy due to its higher efficiency, producing the same amount of light with much lower consumption of power while generating very little heat as a byproduct.

TYPES OF CFL–

There are two types of CFLs –1) Integrated CFL  2) Non Integrated CFLs

• Integrated CFL – Integrated lamps combine a tube, electronic ballast and either an Edison screw or bayonet fitting in a single CFL unit. These CFLs are easily fit in the holder of incandescent lamps. Integrated CFLs work well in many standard incandescent light fixtures, which lowers the cost of CFL conversion.
• Non-integrated CFLs –There are two types of bulbs: Two-pin tubes designed for conventional ballasts and Four-pin tubes designed for electronic ballasts and conventional ballasts with an external starter.

The two-pin tubes have an integrated starter in the base so it operates with conventional ballasts hence it is incompatibility with electronic ballasts.

There are different standard shapes of tubes available in market: single-turn, double-turn, triple-turn, quad-turn, circular etc.

 

SELECTION OF CFL –

Following points must be taken care while placing an order for CFL –

• Wattage,
• shape (round, tubular, spiral etc),
• fixing arrangement – like for normal holder or threaded holder, 2-pin type, 4-pin type etc,

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on CFL –

Q1) How to dispose off CFL bulbs?

Ans) CFL is an electronic device that contains small chip, glass coated with phosphor & filled with mercury vapour. It’s a kind of e-waste so after use , it should be disposed-off carefully.

Therefore, consumers or bulk consumers of electrical and electronic equipment shall ensure that e-waste generated by them is channelized through collection center or dealer of authorized producer or dismantler or recycler or through the designated take back service provider of the producer to authorized dismantler or recycler.

But, If CFL is not in use at home, then it should not mixed with other waste items. Put it in a plastic bag, write e-waste on it & keep it separate from other waste. Handover this packet to the garbage collector of your area. 

Q2) Where to recycle CFL bulbs?

Ans) CFL bulb recycling is possible only at large scale automated unit. The standard process to recycle CFL bulb is given below –

1. Lamps are put in automated machine where mercury is removed so that it doesn’t spread in environment.
2. Then phosphor power is separated from other parts of the lamp.
3. Glass & end caps are separated & stored.
4. Finally, all these items are collected for re use.

Q3) What is CFL light?

Ans) A CFL light is small form of fluorescent lamp which gives light when it is connected with electrical supply. It is used for lighting purpose such as at home, offices, educational institute, hospitals etc. These CFL lights have gradually replaced incandescent bulbs because of its efficiency & it doesn’t generate heat when it’s ON.  

Q4) CFL lamps become so popular because? Or Why is CFL is recommended for extensive use? Why CFL is better in comparision to other bulbs?

Ans) CFL lamps are popular because –

1. They consume less energy as compared with incandescent lamps,
2. They generate less heat as compared with incandescent lamps.
3. They can be installed in the same holder of incandescent lamps.
4. Life cycle is more as compared to incandescent lamps

Q5) Wattage of CFL bulbs?

Ans) CFL lamps are available in following watts – 5W (25W), 11W (60W), 14W (75W), 15W (75W), 23W (125W) where wattage given in bracket is equivalent wattage of incandescent bulbs.

Q6) Difference between CFL & LED bulbs? or CFL vs LED?

Ans) CFL & LED are different in many ways, details are given below –

1. Technology – CFL works on ionization of mercury vapour which produce ultra-violet light. On the other hand, LED is a solid-state device emits light when P-N junction diode gets activated.
2. Heat generation – LED bulb produces a little amount of heat when it’s On while CFL produces some amount of heat when On (but less as compared with incandescent bulb).
3. Energy saving – CFL consumes more energy as compared with LED lights.
4. Life span – CFL’s life is less (around 8000-10000 Hrs) as compared with LED lights which has life of aprox 50,000 hrs.
5. Cost – CFL is cheaper than LED. LED bulbs are costly.
6. Size – LED bulbs are smaller in size as compared to CFL for same amount of light.
7. Weight – LED bulbs are lighter in weight as compared with CFL bulbs.
8. Safety – LED bulbs are safer than CFL because CFL lights are made up of glass, mercury & phosphor while LED bulbs are made up of electronic chip & plastic.

Q7) What is average CFL efficiency?

Ans) As we have seen in above question that CFL is much more efficient than normal incandescent bulbs & that is around 80% energy efficient.

As per study done by CSE (Centre for Science & Environment)- CFL’s lighting efficiency ranges from 45 lumen per watt to 60 lumen per watt.  While incandescent bulb converts 5% of electricity into light & 95% of power into heat. In other words, we can say that incandescent bulb generates only 14 to 16 lumen per watt.

Energy saving is directly linked with carbon emissions. Less power consumption for same amount of light generates less carbon emissions. CFLs also save heat trapping carbon dioxide emissions. While a 60 W incandescent bulb emits 65 g/hr of CO2, a 15 W CFL emits only 16 g/hr.

Q8) What alternative can be used in place of CFL?

Ans) The alternative that can be used in place of CFL is LED light/bulbs. These days CFLs are being replaced by LED because LED bulbs are more energy efficient & produce less heat.