Can any type light bulb be powered by gas?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether halogen and incandescent light bulbs can be powered by gas instead of electricity. Participants explore the principles of how these bulbs operate and the feasibility of using gas as a power source, touching on concepts of incandescence and the nature of gas lighting.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question if halogen and incandescent light bulbs can be powered by gas, suggesting that incandescent bulbs only require a heated filament.
  • One participant proposes the idea of a hollow filament with hot gas passing through it to heat the filament.
  • Another participant notes that gas lamps do not contain light bulbs, implying a distinction between gas lighting and electric bulbs.
  • There is a suggestion that the burning gas would produce more light than the filament itself, raising questions about the practicality of using gas in this context.
  • A participant mentions the historical existence of gas-powered incandescent mantles, referencing a specific invention by Carl Auer von Welsbach.
  • There is uncertainty expressed regarding whether the light produced by flames is considered incandescence, with some participants discussing the definitions and implications of incandescence in relation to gas lighting.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether gas can effectively power halogen or incandescent light bulbs. Multiple competing views are presented, particularly regarding the definitions and applications of gas lighting versus electric bulbs.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the distinction between gas lamps and electric light bulbs, and there are unresolved questions about the definitions of incandescence and the legality of different types of lighting in specific contexts.

stickythighs
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Can a halogen light bulb be powered by gas, or can a halogen light bulb only be powered by electricity?

Can an incandescent light bulb be powered by gas, or can an incandescent light bulb only be powered by electricity?
 
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stickythighs said:
Can a halogen light bulb be powered by gas, or can a halogen light bulb only be powered by electricity?

Can an incandescent light bulb be powered by gas, or can an incandescent light bulb only be powered by electricity?

An incandescent light bulb only needs the filament to be heated, so I suppose you could have a hollow filament with very hot gas passing through the centre and heating it.

A halogen light bulb is just an incandescent light bulb whose filament is surrounded by a halogen, which let's it get hotter while lengthening its life. :smile:
 
tiny-tim said:
An incandescent light bulb only needs the filament to be heated, so I suppose you could have a hollow filament with very hot gas passing through the centre and heating it.

Are there (or have there ever been) incandescent light bulbs that were powered by gas and mass-produced?
 
No. I'm not even really sure what the point would be. The burning gas would give off more light than the filament!

Judging by your other thread, I'm not sure you understand something here: a gas lamp doesn't have a ligth bulb in it.
 
russ_watters said:
The burning gas would give off more light than the filament!

That's why I'm putting it inside the filament! :wink:
 
russ_watters said:
No. I'm not even really sure what the point would be. The burning gas would give off more light than the filament!

Do you concur with tiny_tim that a gas light is basically just a torch that is powered by gas?


Judging by your other thread, I'm not sure you understand something here: a gas lamp doesn't have a ligth bulb in it.

I've seen gas lights in which the flame is enclosed in a glass box. By definition, does a light enclosed by glass have to have a filament that is lit by incandescence in order to be a light bulb?
 
Yes, a gas light is just a torch. The flame gives off light. I'm not sure it that is incandescence or not. I think it is - the flame glows because it is hot and contains impurities. Some types of flames give off light via other processes though, so I'm not certain if that's really incandescence or not. We've had that question enough times though, I aught to know by now...
 
tiny-tim said:
That's why I'm putting it inside the filament! :wink:
Yeah, missed that part, sorry. That would be interesting - I wonder if its ever been done (it is done for infrared, but I haven't heard of it for visible light).
 
  • #10
russ_watters said:
The flame gives off light. I'm not sure it that is incandescence or not.

Incandescence is light due to heat - it is an important question because the law in the UK said that you had to have an "incandescent light" which banned LED bike lights.

It got changed recently when EU car makers started fitting LED lights.
Until then you could be stopped for having an LED light which both exceeded laser eye safety limits and wasn't considered accepatable illimunation!
 

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