Model of a low pressure argon-xenon positive column

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:63078

Sommerer, T J ^[1]

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1. General Electric Co., Schenectady, NY (United States). Corporate Research and Development

The authors are investigating various discharge-phosphor systems with the goal of developing a mercury-free replacement for existing fluorescent lamps. The initial work centers on a low pressure argon-xenon positive column discharge combined with a quantum splitting phosphor. This talk will outline the modeling issues and report results from modeling of the argon-xenon positive column. The model predictions will be compared with experimental measurements described in detail elsewhere at this conference. Xenon is the active radiating gas in a low pressure argon-xenon positive column, emitting resonance radiation near 147 nm. Argon serves as a relatively inactive buffer gas to retard diffusion of the charged species to the wall and thereby control the electron temperature. For use in a fluorescent lamp, they want to find conditions which maximize the efficiency for conversion of input electrical power to emitted 147 nm radiation. Acceptably high efficiency must be obtained simultaneously with power densities comparable to existing argon-mercury fluorescent lamps, around 0.4 W per cm of tube length. Seven to none electronically excited levels of the xenon atom are included in the present model. For the conditions modeled to date, they find that xenon ions are produced predominantly by electron impact on the lowest-lying excited xenon levels.

• OSTI ID: 63078
• Report Number(s): CONF-940604--; ISBN 0-7803-2006-9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESIGN
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY CONVERSION
FLUORESCENT LAMPS
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
RADIATION TRANSPORT