Modeling and measuring the rate of cooling of a fluorescent lamp electrode

Summary form only given, as follows. Rapid-cycle testing of fluorescent lamps has become a common practice as a way to accelerate the collection of lamp life data. However, the relationship of rapid-cycle data to standard life data is unknown, due to the dynamic thermal properties of the lamp electrodes immediately after the lamp is extinguished. This paper describes both a simple theoretical model of the electrode cooling process and empirical results of a experiment that measured electrode resistance during the cool-down period. Agreement between the model and the measured data was good. Results can inform recommendations for suitable cycle times for rapid-cycle testing.