Halogen Lighting

Halogen lighting is not used in electrical engineering design as much as it once was but it still serves a useful purpose. At one time it was a common exterior lighting fixture but it now serves a role as the source for low voltage decorative interior lighting.

A halogen lamp is a lamp in which a tungsten filament is sealed into a compact transparent envelope filled with an inert gas and a small amount of halogen such as iodine or bromine. In most cases, halogen lamps are manufactured with enough halogen to match the rate of tungsten evaporation at their design voltage.

12 volt to 24 volt MR-16 reflector lamps of 20w to 50w were originally conceived for the projection of 8mm film but are now widely used for accent lighting in commercial environments due to their compact size and quality light output.

Halogen lamping is still used for exterior applications but by and large has been replaced by either metal halide or fluorescent. In older projects, halogen lamps still appear as wall mounted life safety lighting.

The biggest drawback to halogen lamps is that they get hotter than regular incandescent lamps because the heat is concentrated on a smaller envelope surface and because the surface is closer to the filament. Because of the very high temperatures, it can pose fire and burn hazards. That is why they are only used as accent/decorative lighting instead of the main lighting source. Not to mention, they are not very energy efficient as they bear so many of the main characteristics of incandescent bulbs.

Below are samples of the most commonly used halogen lamps:

Here are some of the most common halogen lighting fixtures:

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