A wheat lamp is a type of incandescent light designed for use in underground mining, named for inventor Grant Wheat and manufactured by Koehler Lighting Products in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, a region known for extensive mining activity.[1][2]

A safety lamp designed for use in potentially hazardous atmospheres such as firedamp and coal dust, the lamp is mounted on the front of the miner's helmet and powered by a wet cell battery worn on the miner's belt. The average wheat lamp uses a three to five watt bulb which will typically operate for five to 16 hours depending on the amp-hour capacity of the battery and the current draw of the bulb being used.[3]

A grain-of-wheat lamp is an unrelated, very small incandescent lamp used in medical and optical instruments, as well as for illuminating miniature railroad and similar models.

References

  1. ^ City of Marlborough, retrieved July 7, 2011.
  2. ^ Erin Ann Thomas, Coal in Our Veins: A Personal Journey, University Press of Colorado, 2013, ISBN 1457184435. Chapter 23, first page.
  3. ^ L. C. Isley, A. B. Hooker, Permissible Electric Mine Lamps, US Department of Commerce Bulletin No. 332, 1930, pp. 32-34


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