More light from neater lamps
Studying energy and materials at the National Physical Laboratories
Alan Dinsdale works at the National Physical Laboratories, NPL, which is the United Kingdoms national standards laboratory. The laboratories provide important measurement services to government and industry.
Compact but bright
Alan works in the area of thermodynamics dealing with solid, liquid and gas phases. One area of his work is with compact fluorescent lamps. He tries to find what other elements he could add to the mercury to produce the maximum amount of light from the lamp.
His work therefore contributes to society in the development of these efficient lamps, which save money, energy and are good for the environment.
He also works with castings, providing data about how the molten metal sets in the mould of engine castings. (This led us on to an interesting discussion about molten chocolate!)
The pleasures and chores of working with science
Alan enjoys working as a scientist at NPL, as he does something that is unique and contributes to our knowledge. He didn't always want to be a scientist though, at school he fancied playing cricket for England! He went on to study chemistry at university and gained further qualifications whilst at NPL. The aspect of his work that he enjoys the least is having to fill in forms and do all the paper work!
Submitted by: P.Richards,W-J Mak and J.Meghani of Malden Oaks, 01 October 2002
