Variations in temperature and performance in a standard and thermally bridged compact fluorescent fixture

The spatial temperature distribution in an enclosed, screw base, 13 W compact fluorescent retrofit fixture and the surrounding environment was investigated for a typical recessed fixture application. The minimum lamp wall temperature and light output were measured over time with and without a thermal bridging system. The experimental data were used to design an efficient thermal bridge and to evaluate the performance of the bridge, which was found to increase the relative light output of the fixture of about 20%