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Estimation of the filament temperature of an incandescent lamp from an energy balance in steady-state conditions

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Abstract

The detailed balances of the different energy contributions in a commercial electric light bulb are presented. Previous studies on the physics of electric bulbs have been accomplished under some simplifying hypotheses. The present study tries to establish a rigorous balance of the supplied and dissipated powers in the lamp, to quantify the different contributions to this energy balance. The energy balances have been carried out for the filament and the bulb. In steady state, the supplied energy to the light bulb is entirely dissipated by conduction, convection and thermal radiation. In such conditions, the filament acquires a constant temperature depending on the supplied power. In this paper, the temperature of both the filament and the bulb were estimated from the solution of the energy balance equations in the system. We have analyzed a vacuum lamp, in which the convection is only external, and a gas-filled lamp, in which the convection is both external and internal. In addition, the relevance of the thermal conduction versus the radiation has been evaluated. This thorough study aims to be a great contribution to the analysis of heat transfer processes so important nowadays due to the recent concern about scarcity energy and environmental questions.

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Abbreviations

D :

Diameter

d :

Cement ring thickness

g :

Gravitational acceleration

J :

Flux

k :

Thermal conductivity

L :

Length

Pr:

Prandtl number

Ra:

Rayleigh number

S :

Surface

T :

Temperature

σ :

Stefan–Boltzmann constant

ρ :

Reflectivity

α :

Absorptivity

τ :

Transmissivity

ε :

Emissivity

ν :

Viscosity

κ :

Thermal diffusivity

q:

Conductive heat flux

hi:

Internal convective heat flux

he:

External convective heat flux

f:

Filament

i:

Internal gas

g:

Glass of bulb envelope

b:

Bulb (bulb envelope + base)

s:

Internal surface of the bulb hidden by the base

e:

Environment

k:

Kinematic

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Matter Structure, Thermal Physics and Electronics, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    M. A. Izquierdo-Gil, V. M. Barragán & J. P. G. Villaluenga

Authors
  1. M. A. Izquierdo-Gil
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  2. V. M. Barragán
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  3. J. P. G. Villaluenga
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Correspondence to M. A. Izquierdo-Gil.

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Appendix: Definitions of physical magnitudes

Appendix: Definitions of physical magnitudes

Absorptivity/absorbance: It is the fraction of the radiant energy incident on the surface unit that is absorbed.

Efficacy: It is the total luminous flux from all wavelengths divided by the total power input given.

Dimensionless efficiency: It is the ration of the power emitted in the visible part of the spectrum to the total input power given.

Emissivity: It is the fraction of the radiant energy emitted by the unit of surface of the emitter gray body, with regard to the radiant energy emitted by the unit of surface of a black body.

Reflectivity: It is the fraction of the radiant energy incident on the surface unit that is reflected by the surface.

Transmissivity: It is the fraction of the energy radiant incident on the surface unit that is able to cross a thickness of longitude unit of the body on which it impacts.

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Izquierdo-Gil, M.A., Barragán, V.M. & Villaluenga, J.P.G. Estimation of the filament temperature of an incandescent lamp from an energy balance in steady-state conditions. J Therm Anal Calorim 144, 1381–1387 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-09609-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-09609-8

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