Getting To Know The Way Halogen Light Bulbs Work
During 1958, a special kind of incandescent lamp was launched in the market. They called it halogen light bulb. It is capable of burning brighter and longer than typical light bulbs, making it the preferable solution during situations when super bright lights are required. Since halogen light bulbs burn with more strength and go on longer, they are much more useful as compared to ordinary incandescent light bulbs.
Halogen-containing light bulbs and incandescent bulbs have relatively the same designs, bearing in mind that the first mentioned were a variation of the second item. Similar to the ordinary incandescent light bulb, a halogen lamp consists of a tungsten filament which is covered in a bulb. However for the latter, the light bulb is made of quartz in place of glass. Quartz survives higher temperatures as compared to glass. Hence, the quartz bulb can be made close to the filament, consequently allowing such lights to become smaller than regular light bulbs.
As suggested by its name, halogen lamps have a halogen gas in the bulb encasement. Light bulbs need an inert or nonreactive gas in the bulb to prevent reaction with the tremendously warm tungsten. Incandescent bulbs have nitrogen or argon, though the new version has a halogen gas instead. In most cases the halogen gas is iodine.
Most light bulbs work by allowing electric current to move through the tungsten filament. Since this kind of filament is an extremely thin wire, it has increased amount of resistance which is transformed into heat the moment current enters. This heat accumulates until such time the line glows white hot. Voila! You have a functioning lamp. On the other hand, while the heat may cause the filament to shine, it is also this particular heat which leads to its slow deterioration. As tungsten is heated to really high heat, it disappears. Tungsten particles get deposited on inner surfaces of the light bulb in regular lamps. But in advanced lamps with halogen gas, the halogen responds to tungsten particles to restrain deposition as well as avoid blackening of lamps. Tungsten particles are subsequently accumulated again on the filament making it last longer.
As said before, any kind of halogen lamp burns brighter than an incandescent bulb. And since they shine brighter, they shine a lot warmer as well. The quartz encasing also is much hotter as a result of its nearness to the shining filament. This particular heat can be adequate enough to fire up a combustible product close by. So, as a precaution, halogen based bulbs must be installed far from flammable and combustible materials. Cautious storing of the bulbs must be practiced to prevent burns and accidents.
Experts don’t approve of holding halogen bulbs with uncovered hands since this may ruin the quartz surface with salts and oils from your skin. The unprotected quartz exterior turns into a weak spot to reduce the lifespan of the light bulbs. Therefore, the light bulbs should only be touched, after being cooled off inside the socket, with gloved hands. In the event that unintentional skin contact has been done, the bulb must be wiped completely.
