How a Basic Fluorescent Lamp Works

By: Jonathan Z. Kremer

General Design
The general design of a simple fluorescent lamp consists of a sealed glass tube. The tube contains a small bit of mercury and a gas (usually argon) kept under very low pressure. The tube also contains a phosphor powder, coated along the inside of the glass. The tube has two electrodes, one at each end, which are wired to an electrical circuit. The electrical circuit, which includes a starter and ballast, is hooked up to an alternating current (AC) supply.

General Operation:
When the lamp is first turned on, the current travels through the path of least resistance, which is through the bypass circuit, and across the starter switch. This current then passes through the circuit heating up the filament in each electrode, which are located at both ends of the tube (these electrodes are simple filaments, like those found in incandescent light bulbs). This boils off electrons from the metal surface, sending them into the gas tube, ionizing the gas. The mercury vapor becomes "excited" and it generates radiant energy, mainly in the ultraviolet range. This energy causes the phosphor coating on the inside of the tube to fluoresce, converting the ultraviolet into visible light.

The Starter:
The starter is basically a time delay switch. Its job is to let the current flow through to the electrodes at each end of the tube, causing the filaments to heat up and create a cloud of electrons inside the tube. The starter then opens after a second or two. The voltage across the tube allows a stream of electrons to flow across the tube and ionize the mercury vapor.
Without the starter, a steady stream of electrons is never created between the two filaments, and the lamp flickers.

The Ballast:
The ballast works mainly as a regulator. They consume, transform, and control electrical power for various types of electric-discharge lamps, providing the necessary circuit conditions for starting and operating them.
In a fluorescent lamp, the voltage must be regulated because the current in the gas discharge causes resistance to decrease in the tube. The AC voltage will cause the current to climb on its own. If this current isn’t controlled, it can cause the blow out of various components.