Investigation of turbulence in an incandescent lamp with photothermal deflection spectroscopy

Abstract

A pioneering study was made to investigate the presence of turbulence in the recirculating gas flows inside an incandescent lamp. The convective flows generated by the lamp filament were demonstrated conclusively to have turbulent character. The photothermal deflection spectroscopic technique was used to measure the total turbulent energy dissipation along a track through the lamp from wall to wall and maps produced. The results are the first to demonstrate and quantify the effects of turbulence.