self cooling, 100 watt equivalent LED bulb by GE

the new LED bulb by GE incorporates an internal cooling jet to offer the same intensity and quality of light as 100-watt incandescent equivalents

at light fair international 2012, GE presented its ‘energy smart’ LED lightbulb, offering increased energy efficiency by incorporating airstream jet technology to cool down the LEDs themselves.

the 27-watt bulb provides 1600 lumens of soft white light, the equivalent to an incandescent 100-watt bulb, while retaining the same dimensions and shape (A-19) as the conventional unit.

although LEDs need much less power than tungsten filmanent bulbs, the units are also much more sensitive to heat because they are composed of silicon. this created the greatest challenge of creating a 100-watt-equivalent light, especially because fan technology does not offer a lifespan as long as that of the LEDs, and so thus could not be utilized. GE solved the constraint by partnering with nuventix cooling technology innovators. together, the engineering teams created a miniaturized synthetic jet (‘synjet’), whose vibrational movement pushes hot air away from the LEDs.

next the teams approached a methodology to create soft white light (a consumer preference according to research metrics) from the LEDs, which unlike conventional bulbs do not shine evenly in all directions but instead only forward. GE developed a special optical system that sends light around the ‘synjet’, creating the desired scattering effect.

the new GE 27-watt bulb is expected to be in production within the first half of 2013. the units were designed to last approximately 25,000 hours (22.8 years with average use) each, although GE has not released a price estimate for the bulbs.

left: full profile view; right: closer view of the bulb frame

although the technology needed to be miniaturized and modified for the GE LED bulb, the above video demonstrates the foundation of nuventix’s ‘synjet’ if you cannot view the movie above, click here to open in a new window