eLightBulbs Lighting Blog > LED Light Bulbs That Integrate Jet Engine Technology

Energy efficient light bulbs seem to be catalysts for technology integration.  I continually read about new light bulbs that use this technology or that technology, or combine these with those.  The newest combination I've seen is that of LED light bulbs and jet engine technology.  Ironically, it is jet engine cooling tech that is utilized; ironic because my first thought after hearing "jet engine" is generally not "cooling", but more like "burning" and "fire".

A research team at GE has invented a way to cool a prototype LED light bulb using the same technology that cools jet engines. The bulb the researchers made uses LEDs and can produce the same amount of light as a 100 watt halogen bulb. The prototype LED light bulb is rated for 1500 lumens!  That's an enormous amount of light for a single LED light bulb, and something we need to see more of if LEDs are going to catch on (in addition lower prices).

The jet engine cooling system used for the bulb has tiny micro-fluidic bellows-type devices that provide high velocity jets of air that can be aimed at the LED heat sink. The jets of air cool the heat sink faster than any current LED cooling technology which allows far more heat transfer.  That increased cooling in turn allows the bulb to use less LEDs to get the same light output allowing for smaller bulbs that are cheaper to make.  That last part is key: smaller LED light bulbs that are cheaper to make.

 

We're not that far off from consumers being able to pick and choose between outstandingly engineered, cheap LED light bulbs.  Such light bulbs will surely be available in any color temperature, and any color period.  As these light bulbs are adapted across the country and the world, energy use will drop precipitously and we'll be at least one step closer to a longer lasting planet.