Halogen

About Halogen Lighting

Halogen light bulbs are incandescent lamps consisting of a tungsten filament inside of a transparent envelope. Halogen gas is used in the envelope. Compared to incandescent light bulbs, halogen runs at a higher temperature, resulting in higher luminous efficacy and color temperature.

Halogen lamps come in a variety of sizes, from small bi-pin capsules to very large wattage specialty bulbs used in stage/studio lighting. They are also used in a wide variety of applications, from household lighting to stage/studio to medical.

Because of the higher temperature that halogen lamps operate at, they emit a higher color temperature than incandescent bulbs of a similar wattage. The bulbs produce a continuous spectrum of visible light, from near ultraviolet to infrared.

Although halogen lamps are not considered ultraviolet bulbs, they can emit some ultraviolet radiation, especially halogens using high temperature filaments. Many halogen lamps use a UV blocking element in the glass envelope to prevent the ultraviolet radiation from escaping the bulb glass.

Halogen Lighting Applications

Halogen bulbs can be found in a wide range of products of various applications. Just a few of these are listed here.

• General lighting: From recessed cans in a ceiling using halogen PARs to low-voltage landscape lighting using MR lamps, halogen has been a popular lighting solution for general illumination. LEDs have largely replaced halogen in this application.
• Stage/studio: Halogen lamps are used widely in the theatrical and studio industries. Follow spots and PAR cans are two common applications. Manufacturers like Osram, Philips, and Ushio have developed special halogen technology just for the entertainment industry.
• Heating: Infrared quartz heater lamps are widely used in consumer and commercial heating equipment. They are used to transfer large amounts of heat but are absolutely controllable, with evenly heated zones.
• Projection: For legacy projectors like slide and overhead, halogen lamps were the most common lighting technology. Many ANSI-coded lamps are still manufactured and used in these projectors and for other specialized applications
• Medical: Halogen light bulbs are often used in medical devices, including dental and surgical overhead lights, examination equipment, microscopes and ophthalmoscopes, and surgery tools. They are can be manufactured extremely compact and the bulb replacement costs are relatively low, extending the life of medical devices.
• Transportation: Halogen bulbs have typically been used in automotive headlights, as well as for watercraft. In recent years, many of these applications have been replaced by LED light bulbs.