Lamp types: The right light source for every application
The consumer may be baffled by the range of lamps available today. But there is a reason for this diversity: the right light source is available for every application.
Lamps can be divided into three groups based on the way they generate light:
Thermal radiators
Thermal radiators generate light by heating a tungsten filament. This group includes
Discharge lamps
Discharge lamps generate light by sending an electrical discharge through an ionised gas or metal vapour. Depending on the gas used, they either radiate visible light directly or convert UV radiation to light through interaction with a fluorescent coating on the inside surface of the glass enclosure. The operating pressure inside a discharge lamp is either low (low-pressure discharge lamps) or high (high-pressure discharge lamps).
High-pressure discharge lamps are real energy-savers: small and compact, they nevertheless deliver lots of light over a long life. Other points in their favour are good colour rendering and low heat radiation.
Low-pressure discharge lamps include:
- linear fluorescent lamps,
- compact fluorescent and energy-saving lamps,
- induction lamps,
- low-pressure sodium vapour lamps
High-pressure discharge lamps include:
LEDs
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) work with semiconductor crystals which generate light when energised. Radiation occurs when electrons pass between different energy levels.
