Date of Award

8-2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Legacy Department

Electrical Engineering

Committee Chair/Advisor

Collins, Edward R

Committee Member

Bridgwood , Michael

Committee Member

Komo , John

Abstract

This thesis presents the results of tests that were performed on incandescent lamps and compact fluorescents lamps (CFLs) in order to observe their sensitivity to voltage fluctuations that can occur on a power system. The lamps tested were designed for use in a 120V, 60Hz system. They are models that are commonly available in the United States.
In this research, the lamps in question were exposed to four separate tests. The first set of tests analyzed the response of each lamp to a series of long voltage fluctuations that were applied long enough to allow the light output from the lamps to reach a new steady state output. The second set of tests consisted of short duration voltage sags that were applied for only a few 60Hz cycles. The third set of tests consisted of non-rectangular voltage fluctuations that resemble those found in a real system. In the final tests, data was collected to propose a new flicker curve that is based on CFLs.
In each test performed, the response of the CFL was shown to be superior to that of the incandescent lamp. In the long duration tests, the percentage reduction in light observed by the incandescent lamp was 4 to 6 times greater than that observed by the CFL. The light fluctuation of the CFL during the short duration tests was also shown to be less than that of the incandescent lamp. The drop and recovery times recorded indicated that the response of the CFL to the voltage fluctuation was much quicker than that of the incandescent. The non-rectangular tests provided confirmation that the trends observed in the previous tests apply to real conditions. The final tests performed provided data to propose a new flicker curve based on CFLs.

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