Determination of the cathode and anode voltage drops in high power low-pressure amalgam lamps

Journal Article · Thu Dec 15 04:00:00 EST 2011 · Plasma Physics Reports

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X11030172· OSTI ID:22047457

Kostyuchenko, S V; Sokolov, D V; Startsev, A Yu ^[1]; Kudryavtsev, N N ^[2]

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1. Joint Stock Company NPO LIT (Russian Federation)
2. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University) (Russian Federation)

For the first time, cathode and anode drops of powerful low-pressure amalgam lamps were measured. The lamp discharge current is 3.2 A, discharge current frequency is 43 kHz, linear electric power is 2.4 W/cm. The method of determination of a cathode drop is based on the change of a lamp operating voltage at variation of the electrode filament current at constant discharge current. The total (cathode plus anode) drop of voltage was measured by other, independent ways. The maximum cathode fall is 10.8 V; the anode fall corresponding to the maximal cathode fall is 2.4 V. It is shown that in powerful low pressure amalgam lamps the anode fall makes a considerable contribution (in certain cases, the basic one) to heating of electrodes. Therefore, the anode fall cannot be neglected, at design an electrode and ballast of amalgam lamps with operating discharge current frequency of tens of kHz.

• OSTI ID: 22047457
• Journal Information: Plasma Physics Reports, Journal Name: Plasma Physics Reports Journal Issue: 13 Vol. 37; ISSN PPHREM; ISSN 1063-780X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ANODES
CATHODES
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
HEATING
KHZ RANGE
LIGHT BULBS
MERCURY ALLOYS
PLASMA FILAMENT
PLASMA POTENTIAL
PLASMA PRESSURE
PLASMA PRODUCTION
VARIATIONS
VOLTAGE DROP