As the symbol of innovation, the incandescent light bulb is not very innovative.

It hasn't changed much

since Thomas Edison introduced it in 1879. Even today, it still generates light by heating a tungsten
filament until it reaches 4,172 degrees Fahrenheit (2,300 degrees Celsius) and glows white-hot.
Unfortunately, all of that white light is not very green. A good deal of electricity -- electricity from coal-fired
powered plants responsible for spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere -- is required to make an
incandescent bulb burn brightly. Only 10 percent of that juice goes toward making light. The rest is wasted
as heat.
Luckily for our CO2-soaked planet, there's a new type of light bulb that stands poised to replace Edison's
most famous invention as the icon of ideation. It's known as the compact fluorescent light bulb, or CFL,
and its illumination comes by way of a much different mechanism. Instead of a glowing filament, CFLs
contain argon and mercury vapor housed within a spiral-shaped tube. They also have an integrated
ballast, which produces an electric current to pass through the vaporous mixture, exciting the gas
molecules. In older CFLs, it took several seconds for the ballast to produce enough electricity to ramp up
the excitation. Newer CFLs have more efficient ballasts and require a shorter warm-up. Either way, when
the gas gets excited, it produces ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light, in turn, stimulates a fluorescent
coating painted on the inside of the tube. As this coating absorbs energy, it emits visible light.
Believe it or not, CFLs are the descendants of the lightsaber-shaped fluorescent bulbs that still flicker in
garages and workshops all over the world. But these are not your father's fluorescents. Despite their
heritage and their similarities to incandescent bulbs -- they both require electricity, they have a glass
cover, they have a threaded base -- CFLs are emerging as the biggest thing in interior illumination since
the candle.
This article will explain what all the fuss is about. It will examine the good, the bad and the ugly of CFLs
so that you can use them with confidence. Let's start with the good -- the many benefits that come from
using compact fluorescent bulbs.
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http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-tech/sustainable/cflbulb.htm

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) The CFL is a compact variant of the fluorescent
lamp. The overall length is shortened and the tubular discharge tube is often folded
into two to six fingers or a spiral. For a direct replacement of tungsten filament
lamps, such compact lamps are equipped with internal ballasts and screw or
bayonet caps. There are also pin base CFLs, which need an external ballast and
starter for operation. The luminous efficacy of CFL is about four times higher than
that of incandescent lamps. Therefore, it is possible to save energy and costs in
lighting by replacing incandescent lamps with CFLs. Today, CFLs are available with:
different shapes, with bare tubes or with an external envelope (look alike for

incandescent lamp) Figure 5-4. Comparison of tube diameter of different fluorescent

lamps. T12 ~ 38 mm T8 ~ 26 mm T5 ~ 16 mm 5 LIGHTING TECHNOLOGIES 102
different CCT (warm white, cool white) instant ignition (some) diminished
sensitivity to rapid cycles dimmable (some) Advantages of compact fluorescent
lamps good luminous efficacy long lamp life (6000-12 000 h) the reduced
cooling loads when replacing incandescent lamps Disadvantages of compact
fluorescent lamps expensive E-27 based are not dimmable (apart from special
models) light output depreciates with age short burning cycles shorten lamp
life the current waveform of CFLs with internal electronic ballast is distorted
contain mercury Figure 5-5. Different types of Compact fluorescent lamps. Tips
The advantage of pin base lamps is that it is possible to replace the burnt lamp
while keeping the ballast in place A physical limit of the CFLs is that a really
instant ignition is incompatible with long life CFLs are ideal for situations in which
long burning times are expected Care should be taken in the choice of the proper
luminaire. It is very easy to unscrew a traditional incandescent lamp and replace it
with a screw based CFL, but the result may be unsatisfying. This is because how the
light is distributed around the CFL is very different compared to traditional
incandescent lamp
http://www.lightinglab.fi/IEAAnnex45/guidebook/5_lighting%20technologies.pdf

What are they?

The compact fluorescent light bulb or lamp is a type of fluorescent lamp generally designed as a
replacement for incandescent or halogen lamps. There are two major types of compact fluorescent lamp,
screw-in and plug-in. Screw in lamps are self-ballasted and can generally be placed in an existing screw
socket without any additional equipment, plug-in bulbs require a ballast and a socket that corresponds to
their specific base configuration. These are also sometimes referred to as integrated (screw base) and
non-integrated (plug base). Both come in a wide variety of wattages, sizes, color temperatures, and base
types, and they are known primarily for their efficiency, long life, low cost, and ease of upgrading.

Where did they come from?

Although compact fluorescent lamps are considered to be a fairly recent technology,

this
bulb type was actually over 100 years in the making. Circline and U-bent bulbs were both created to
reduce the overall length of fluorescent bulbs and were precursors to the CFL as it is known today.
The modern CFL was invented by Edward Hammer, an engineer at General Electric, but was not
produced at the time due to high production costs. In 1980, Philips became the first manufacturer to

mass-produce a compact fluorescent bulb with a screw-in base. Over the last 30 years, the technology
has continued to improve. Todays CFL is smaller, produces more light per watt, warms up more quickly,
has better light quality, and is much cheaper than those in years past.

How do they work?

Compact fluorescent lamps are functionally identical to

linear fluorescent bulbs. Both are gas-discharge lamps that use electricity emitted from cathodes to excite
mercury vapor contained within the glass envelope, using a process known as inelastic scattering.
Phosphors and a noble gas such as argon are also contained within the glass envelope. The mercury
atoms produce ultraviolet (UV) light, which in turn causes the phosphors in the lamp to fluoresce or glow,
producing visible light.

http://www.bulbs.com/learning/cfl.aspx

Shapes, sizes and bases

The most common form of fluorescent lamp is a straight tube. The
diameter of the tube is described in eighths of an inch, as it is for
incandescent lamps, so a fluorescent lamp 1 inch in diameter (eight
eighths) is a T8. Sizes range from T2 to T17.
A 5-watt, 25-watt, or 300-watt incandescent bulb can be screwed
into an Edison socket and they will all work as they are supposed to.
One socket; any wattage. That is not true of fluorescent lamps,
because the lamp must match the ballast in the fixture. different

lengths are associated with different wattages; for example, 4-foot

bulbs were 40-watts (at one time).
The nominal lengths of T12 and T8 lamps are not measured on the
lamp, but the fixture: it is the distance between the inner faces of the
lamp holder sockets. The real length of the lamp is a fraction of an
inch shorter.
The nominal length of a T5 lamp, however, is almost 2 inches
longer than the real end-to-end length of the bulb.

At the ends of the tube are bases that connect to the sockets in the
fixture. Most bases have two pins and are called bi-pin bases. They
come in several sizes, but the most common in homes is the medium
bi-pin, found on T12 and T8 tubular lamps. A smaller version, the
miniature bipin, is found on T5 lamps.

Single pin bases are found on long (8 feet, for example) tubular
T12 and T8 instant-start lamps. They are rarely found in homes.
Recessed double contact bases are also largely commercial and
industrial.
Mogul bi-pin bases are rare. They are found on 60 T17 preheat
lamps, usually of 90 watts, but 82 watts in energy-efficient versions.
They are also used on 40-watt instant start lamps: 48 T12's and 60
T17.

http://sizes.com/home/fluorescents.htm