GE High Intensity Discharge Brochure

8/3/2019 GE High Intensity Discharge Brochure

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"r n ~ r n r~ [ ( ] U ~ [ ( ] ~ ~ Ur n ~ ~ r n r n i l l r n r n~ [ i l l [ U J [ P ~G E N E R A L " E L E C T ~ _ , I 0 9 ~

~GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY 1975


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SECTION 1HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE LAMPS .. Page334455555556

General Operating Characteristics ..Arc TubePerformance Variations .Operating Pressure " .. ,." , ' .Starting Current.. .. , .Lamp Operating Voltage ,. .. ,,,.,, ..Lamp Operating Watts. ,." " ......... " ...

Ballasts for High Intensity Discharge Lamps, ,." ,."Why a Ballast "" .." ""'"Ballast Crest Factors ,

Specialty Discharge LampsSECTION 2MERCURY LAMPS .." .."." ..,"Mercury Lamp Design ", " " 7Phosphors, .. , " .."." .. " ' , ..".,....... 7Lamp Parts " " , " 9

Bulb Shapes and Sizes." ,...... 8,9Lamp Designations." ... " .."." ' ., , ,.. 10ANSI System .,... .. , "" , 10GE System "." ..... " ..... "., 10

11111212121212

Mercury Lamp Operation .. " .. "........ ..." .... " .. " . ..Starting and Warmup ,DC Operation ,'". , , .Voltage Interruption ... ,., .., ,.. , ' ' ,..OverWattage Operation. ,." " .. ,Effects of Temperature, " , " .. ".Burning Position " ..Spectra I Characteri st ics , ,....... ..

Performance .., ' ,12, 13

13Lumen Maintenance .... ,.. ,............ 13Life '.." "., .. , , 14Lamp Performance Data ", 15

Mercury Lamp 8allasts .. " .. "............................. 16Glossary of Ballast Terms .. "....................... 16Resistor Ballast. ,. '. ,.,....................... 16Reactor BallasL" ..,......., .. , ,........... 16Lag Ballast.".... .. .. ,.. "........ 17Regulator Ballast. . " .. ,..... 17Autoregulator Ballast. ....,.. 17Two-Lamp Ballast " .." .."".. ".,,,,,,'... . 18

Ballast Operating Characteristics". ' .. " . ."" .. "".. 18, 19Self-Ballasted Mercury Lamps ' ....... " ....... ,.. " . . ".. 20Conventional Selt- Ballasted. 20Solid State Selt-Ballasted , .... ,' .. ".. .. ......... 20, 21

SECTION 3MULTI-VAPOR LAMPS " .., 22232324242525

Construction and Operation ... . ' .. ,..".Starting and Warm-up (l-Iine) . ",,, ,..,,.Starting and Warm,up (Sta ndard line) .. " .. ,..Color . ."." .. .. " .. .. "Lumen Maintenance " ". "" .. , .Light Efficacy.

lline Multi-vapor Lamps.... .. ,.. " .. " ........ " ...... ,,,,,, . . ,. 25Standard Multi-Vapor Lamps. "." .. "." .." .., 261500-W Multi.Vapor Lamps '. ' .... "."" .. """ .. ,,,,,. 26Multi-Vapor Lamp Ballasts . "" .. " .. " .. " ..... , 26Interchangeability of Ballasts .. ,,, ... ,,.,,.. 27

Multi-Vapor Lamp Performance Data ... "....... 27SECTION 4LUCALOX LAMPS ... ", ....Construction and Operation .. " , ,..Starting and Warm-up ...Color ", .,

7

Types of Lucalox Lamps ",." " ,,"Lumen Maintenance .... " , ..""" " .Luminous Efficacy _ " .Lamp Voltage. , . ", ".Amalgam Reservoir Design , " ", .. ".

Lucalox Lamp Ballast Types. .. " ".General Operating Characteristics .. _ " ,..Reactor Ballast.." .. ,..... .. ,..Magnetic Regulator Ballast., .. "" .. , .. " .. ".Autoregulator Ballast.. .. .

Lucalox Lamp Designations,,,,, ..... " " . .,..Luca lox Lamp Performance Data .. " ..E-Z Lux Lamps . , " " .SECTION 5HID LAMP SUMMARYAND APPLICATIONS ..Comparison Tables of HID Lamps " .HID Lamps Summary by Type, " ..

l.ucalox Lamps " .. ,... .. " ,Multi-Vapor Lamps ". .." .." , ,Mercury Lamps " .. " ...... , " " ..,

Characteristic Guide. .... " " " .... "Interior General Lighting... " ...... ,,,, .......Outdoor Lighting. .... . " .."" .. " .. ,., ..

Cost Comparison of HID Lamps "." .. " .C,I.E. Color System. . " ,.Chromaticity , ,,, ,, ,, ,,Color Temperature. .. " ".".Chromaticity In-Service Effects " .

Ballast Interchangeability " " ..HID Lamps at WorkReferences and Subject Index.

3636, 3738

383839393939404141414343

.. 444647

2929303031313132323333343435353535


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HID LAMPS - SECTIO

Section 1HIGH INTENSITYDISCHARGE LAMPS

Shown here are the 400-watt lamps of the three principal lines ofGeneral Electric High Intensi ty Discharge lamps: the 400wat tmercury lamp (top); the 400-watt LucaloX!> lamp (center); and the400watt Multi-Vapo(t lamp. Reg is te red Trade mar keof tho Genera l Dlec tr ic Company.

General Electric high-intensity-discharge (HID)lamps include a wide variety of radiation sources,particularly the mercury, Multi-Vapor'" , and Lu-calox" lamp lines. Each HID lamp contains an arctube, which operates at a pressure and currentdensity sufficient to generate visible radiation with-in its arc alone. While many variations occur in size,physical configuration and arc material, the highintensity arc is common to all types.For many years, virtually all ofthe high intensity

discharge lamps of commercial significance weremercury vapor lamps. They trace their history backto the Cooper-Hewitt lamp developed in 1901 byPeter Cooper Hewitt. This lamp was about 4 feetlong and produced light of a distinctly bluish-greencolor quality, but the light was produced quiteefficiently compared to the incandescent lamps ofthe time.In 1934,the first high-pressure mercury lamp was

introduced. This lamp packed a 400-watt arc insidea special glass chamber about 7 inches long, whichwas encased in an outer glass bulb. Thus began theera ofcompact, high-output light sources that havebecome today's line of high-intensity-dischargelamps.

At first, lamp costs were relatively high and liveswereonly a fewtimes those ofincandescent generalservice lamps. The high-pressure mercury lamp ofthose days had two principal advantages: Its lumi-nous efficacy was nearly twice that of incandes-cents, resulting in lower electric energy costs; and itprovided relatively large quantities of light from asource small enough in size to permit easy mainte-nance and light control.Today, when the efficient use of electric energy

merits serious consideration in the design of light-ing systems, the HID lamps offer excellent possibil-ities.

THEORETICALEFFICIENCYOF-WHITE LIGHTLIGHT SOURCE EFFICIENCYIN LUMENS PER WAn

MULTI -VAPORFLUORESCENT (100)

MERCURY r - ( ~ 8 _ 3 ) _ ,_ _ _ _ _ _ " ,~ . . . ._ _(63)

CARBON(4)

You can use the Table above as a reference forcomparing commonly used incandescent and flu-orescent lamps with HID lamps, ona lamp for lampbasis.

HID LAMPSGENERAL OPERATINGCHARACTERISTICSIn electric discharge lamps, light isproduced by a

more complex process than in incandescent Lamps.Incandescent lamps have filament wires which areelectrically heated to a temperature that causesthem to glowbrilliantly. In discharge lamps, light isproduced in a manner analogous to the lightningbolt, except that-instead of occurring in a brief


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ECTION 1 - HID LAMPS

INDUSTRY SHIPMENTS OF HID LAMPS(GENERAL LIGHTING)

(/)5 7 ~------------------------------------: : : ;::l6~---------------------------;;!:~ 5 1--------------------owit 4 ~----------~=-I(/) 3 ~-------

(/)C L " .:;;:2so 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73

YEARSGraph shows growth of shipments of HID lamps. Widespreaduse of these lamps, particularly in roadway and area lighting. ledto their further development and refinement for use in cornmer-cial interiors.

IDEAS FOR CONVERTINGEXISTING SYSTEMS TO MOREEFFICIENT HID LAMPSFor relative efficiencies of lamp types, see Pg. 38,

I f You 'Now ConvortUse To GE Watts Extra E:I!:traSaved UghI life

200A- 120V LUI50200A/99 -120V LUI50300M- 120V LUI50300M - 120V H 175DX3922300M - 120V H250DX375300M/99-120V LUI50300M 199 - 120V H 175DX39"223OOM/99 - 120V H250DX375SOO- 120V LUISO500 - 120V H250DX375500 - 120V H400DX331500 - 120V MV400500 - 120V LU400500/99 - 120V LU 150500/99 - 120V H250DX375500/99 - 120V500/99 - 120V500199-120V500 - 120V500/99 - 120V750 -120V750- 120V750 - 120VlOOO-120V1500 - 120V1500 - 120V1500 - 120VH175DX3922H250DX375H400DX331HlOOODX36154F40CW2F96CW/HO2F95PG/CW

H400DX331MV400LU400HSB300/SSHSB450LUI50LU250/SLU400LU400LU400L U I O O OH1000D X36' 15LUI50LUI50lU250/SLU400LUI50LUI50LU250lS

25 4X 21X25 4.7X 6.4X125 25X 21X100, 1.3X 32X+25 19X 3 2 X +125 3X 6.4X100 1.6X 9,6X +25 2,3X 9,6X +

325 1.5X 16X225 1.1X 24X +65 2,OX 24X +45 3, IX lOX30 4,6X 20X325 1.7X 6.4X225 1.3X 9.6X +65 2.5X 9.6X +45 3.7X 4X30 5.5X 8X

200 .7X 20X50 1.1X 6.4X

575 ,9X l5X430 1.7X, is x290 2.9X 20X540 2.1X 20X1040 I.4X 20X370 4X l5X420 l.8X 24X +25 18X .66X100 1,3X ,66X140 1.3X .6X620 .8X ,8X25 1.3X .s x66 .9X9X155 .9X IX

flash-the radiation issustained. Within the sealedarc tube of a discharge lamp are two electrodes andsome form of metal, which can be vaporized andionized, to conduct current in an electric arc fromone electrode to the other, For electrical details ofMercury, Multi-Vapor and Lucalox lamps, seepages 11, 23 and 30 respectively ..Arc TubeIn a high intensity discharge lamp, the arc cham-

ber contains-in addition to the metals used for thelight-producing arc-a starting gas which ionizesreadily. When the lamp is energized, individualparticles of the starting gas become electricallycharged by the presence ofan electric field betweenthe starting and main electrodes. As these chargedparticles fill the tube, the resistance across thestarting gap is reduced, and electrons flow readilythrough the gap. The flow of charged particlesbegins to ionize evapora ted particles of the basic arcmaterial, and the heat generated by the arc causesmore of the material to evaporate. It evaporatesuntil there are enough ionized particles of vapor-ized metal in the tube to reduce the resistancebetween the main electrodes, to a point where thevoltage available from the ballast can strike an arc.The arc current then increases, as more and moreparticles enter the arc stream, until it reaches thecurrent rating of the lamp. This process can takeseveral minutes to reach stabilization.The current in the arc consists of the very rapid

movement ofelectrons and ions ofthe arc metal. Inthis process, a great many collisions occur betweenparticles. When the collisions occur, electrons inthe outer ring of the atoms (the valence electrons)acquire energy which shifts them to an orbit fartherfrom the nucleus, and then they lose this energyand return to closer orbits.Asthey return, the energy given up is in the form

of radiation of a specific wavelength that is deter-mined by the distance of"fall." Because the valenceelectrons are limited to specific orbital paths, theradiation occurs only at the individual wavelengthsrepresenting the various level changes that cantake place between the allowable paths. Becausethe number of particles in the arc tube is so great,and because the collisions are so frequent, it ap-pears that the entire arc path continuously gener-ates radiation at each of the wavelengths that arecharacteristic of the arc material.Performance VariationsThe radiation characteristics and electrical char-

acteristics of high intensity discharge lamps areclosely related to the vapor pressure within the arctube. Pressure, in turn, depends on the internaltemperature, the volume of the tube, and thequantity of arc material inserted into the tube. Thestabilized arc tube temperature is fairly well con-trolled by the presence of the outer bulb.


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Operating PressureHigh intensity discharge lamps are sometimes

referred to as "high pressure" discharge lamps.Actually, "high" inthis context is used in compari-son with the near-vacuum conditions within such"low-pressure" discharge lamps as fluorescentlamps, for example. It should be noted that, exceptfor a few types, the internal pressure in the arctubes of high intensity discharge lamps seldom isgreater than 1}f to 2 times normal atmosphericpressure even after the arc material is fully stabi-lized.Starting CurrentThe starting current is the current available to

the lamp during the first half minute or so ofwarmup. If the current is too low, the lamp maynever warm up. Ifthe current is too high, life of thelamp will be shortened.Lamp Operating VoltageFor mercury and metal-halide lamps, the lamp

operating voltage is almost constant throughoutlife.Because ofmanufacturing tolerances, however,individual lamps may have a wide variation inoperating voltage.For example, the 400-watt mercury lamp has a

nominal operating voltage of 135 volts, but thevoltage ofa group of lamps may vary from 120voltsto 150volts. Depending on the type of ballast used,lamp wattage may vary considerably with the lampvoltage.For high-pressure sodium lamps in general, the

operating voltage increases throughout the life ofthe lamp, and the ballast must be carefully de-signed to minimize the change in lamp watts as thevoltage changes.Lamp Operating WattsAn HID lamp will operate at its nominal wattage

only if the lamp voltage and the line voltages arenominal. Theoretically, the total effect of thesevariables can cause the lamp watts to vary as muchas 20%from nominal. But due to the statisticaldistribution of these variables, almost all of thelamps in a large group will vary no more than10%from nominal.

BALLASTS FORHIGH INTENSITYDISCHARGE LAMPS

Why a BallastAll arc-discharge lamps have negative resistance

characteristics. This means that ifthe arc discharge

HID LAMPS - SECTIO

is placed directly across a non-regulated voltagesupply, the arc discharge will draw an unlimitedamount of current almost instantly and will quick-ly be destroyed. Therefore, a current-limiting de-vice called a "ballast" must beinserted between thearc-discharge lamp and the power supply to limitthe electric current flowthrough the arc discharge.Besides limiting the current flow, the ballast

also:1. Provides the correct voltage to start the arcdischarge by transforming the available linevoltage to that required by the lamp.

2. Provides the correct voltage to allow the arcdischarge to stabilize.

3. Prevents any voltage or current fluctuationscaused by the arc discharge from reflectinginto the line circuit.

4. Compensates for the low-power factor charac-teristic of the arc discharge.

All high-intensity-discharge lamps are arc-dis-charge types and, therefore, they must be operatedwith a ballast.Ballasts used with mercury, Multi-Vapor andLucalox lamps are described in detail in the corre-sponding lamp section.Ballast Crest FactorsThe crest factor isdefined as the ratio ofthe peak

(maximum) to the rms (root mean square) value ofcurrent or voltage waveforms. The crest factor of agiven ballast is determined by the magnetic circuitdesign (core and coil) of that ballast and is inde-pendent of the lamps and fixtures used with theballast. The crest factor of a sinusoidal waveformturns out to be 1.41, as shown in Figure A. As anexample,For sine wave: V kVoltage Crest Factor = --P_= 1.41VrmsFor d-e voltage:Voltage Crest Factor = Vpk = = 1Vrms

Figure A. Crest Factor of Sine Wave

Adistortion in the waveshape creates the condi-tion where the ratio of the peak to the rms valuebecomes greater than 1.41.An example ofa distort-ed waveform with a crest factor greater than 1.41isshown in Figure B.


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SECTION 1 - HID LAMPS

Figure B. Distorted, Non-Sinusoidal Voltage Waveform.Voltage Crest FactorBallasts can be designed with a sinusoidal volt-

age waveform, but ballast designs often utilize avoltage crest factor higher than 1.41; e.g., thedistorted curve shown in Fig. B has a crest factor of1.8.The reason for higher voltage crest factor is tominimize ballast system costs in providing, a) suffi-cient peak voltage to start the lamp and b) lowerrrns voltage to sustain the arc. Properly designedballasts that have a voltage crest factor higher than1.41 generally will not affect lamp life or lumenmain tenance characteristics.Frequently, the ballast magnetic circuit (core

and coil) is specifically designed to provide suffi-cient peak voltage. Another method is to add apeaking capacitor in the ballast circuit. I-lineMulti-Vapor lamps, that can be used with mostmercury lamp ballasts, should not be used onmercury ballasts that have a peaking capacitor(See Multi-Vapor lamps, Interchangeability ofBallasts, page 27).Current Crest FactorCurrent crest factor is the ratio of the peak

current to the rms value. An example of a distortedcurrent waveform with a current crest factor great-er than 1.41 is shown in Figure C.

Figure C. Distorted, non-Sinusoidal Current WaveformThe maximum permissible ballast current crest

factor is 2.0 for use with mercury lamps; 1.8 forMulti-Vapor lamps and Lucalox lamps. These lim-its have been set to minimize variations from ratedperformance caused byhigher current crest factors.The high peak current associated with a high

current crest-factor ballast can cause electrodedeterioration, which results in reduced lumenmaintenance. The degree to which the ballast cur-rent crest factor affects lamp performance dependson electrode design. General Electric carefully de-

6

signs all HID lamp electrodes to maintain ratedlevel of performance.

SPECIALTV DISCHARGELAMPSBesidesmercury, Multi-Vapor and Lucalox high-

intensity discharge lamps, General Electric manu-factures discharge lamps for specialty applications.Because of their limited use, and because some canonly be used in specially designed equipment, theyare not as widely available as most GE HID lamps.For information on the availability of the types oflamps discussed on these pages, consult the GEsales offices listed on the back cover.Tubular Mercury LampsTubular mercury lamps (see below, left and

center) with quartz arc tubes aremade in 400-,750-,and 1440-watt sizes; bulbs range from T-3 to T-7 indiameter, 4% to 26 inches in length. These aredesignated primarily as ultra-violet radiationsources for common officecopying and duplicatingmachines. They are also used as light sources inmaking lithographic plates.Sodium Lab-Arc"The NA-l lamp (see below, right) is a small

500-lumen source of low-pressure sodium radiation.Special laboratory equipment is available, includ-ing lamp and transformer. Principal application ofthe lamp is to generate modest concentrations ofenergy at the wavelength of the sodium resonancedoublet, about 589 nm, for optical and other re-search purposes requiring essentially monochro-matic light.


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MERCURY LAMPS - SECTIO

Today,mercury lamps are favored over incandes-cent or fluorescent lamps because oftheir combina-tion ofgood lumen maintenance and exceptionallylong life (24,000 + hrs. av.). The user may choosebetween the clear mercury lamp, which offersgoodoptical control, and the phosphor-coated mercurylamp, which provides good color characteristics.These features have been developed through refine-ments of long standing technology.Another consideration in choosing mercury

lamps is that they are more efficient than corre-sponding incandescent lamp systems. For example,if a lighting system presently uses 500-watt extend-ed service incandescen ts, a one-for-one trade with250-watt deluxe white mercury lamps will produce,at the very least, an energy saving of about 45%,anaverage ofnine times more life, and one-third morelight.Mercury Lamp DesignMost oftoday's mercury vapor lamps contain arc

tubes which are formed offused quartz. The quartztubes were originally made with ends of specialglass (called "graded seals"), to match the thermalexpansion characteristics of the metals used forlead-in wires to the electrodes.With the advent of techniques for forming leadsofprecisely rolled molybdenum foiland the metho-

dolgy ofmanufacturing synthetic quartz, it becamepossible to make relatively inexpensive all-quartzarc tubes. Molybdenum leads and all-quartz tubes,together with improvements in electrode design,have resulted in today's long lamp life and goodmaintenance of light output throughout life, andprovided an efficientand economical light source.Mercury arcs in quartz arc tubes radiate both

near-and-far-ultra-violet energy as well as visiblelight. General servicemercury lamps have a quartzarc tube within an outer bulb, usually made ofheat-resistant glass. The outer bulb absorbs all ofthe far-ultraviolet energy and narrows the spectraloutput of the lamp to only those energies providedin nature by the sun.PhosphorsSome mercury lamps have outer bulbs that are

internally coated with fluorescent materials (phos-phors) which, when activated by the near-ultravi-olet given out by the arc tube, emit visible energy.This energy is usually at wavelengths in the redportion of the visible spectrum and enhances the

E NO C LA MP

ARC TUBEMOUNTSrRUCTUREPINCH ---------'li-r--;:-:L~SEAL

QUARTZARC TUBENITROGEN FILL GAS--RAREEARTHCOATEDCOILEDTUNGSTONMAINELECTRODESSTARTINGELECTRODESTARTINGRESISTEROUTER-------~BULB

color of light from the arc.The newest of the phosphors, europium dopedyttrium vanadate phosphate, is used in the GE

Deluxe White (DX) mercury and GE Warm De-luxeWhite (WDX) mercury lamps. The improvedcolor characteristics of these lamps are well suitedto many indoor commercial lighting applications.(See spectral characteristics, pg. 12 and mainte-nance characteristics, pg. 13.The development in recent years of lower lamp

wattages has also increased the scope of applica-tions for mercury lamps. Mercury lampsfor generallighting are now available from 40 to 1000watts.


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SECTION 2 - MERCURY LAMPS

BULB SHAPESAND SIZES

Most of the general contoursof mercury lamps are shown onthese two pages, with verbal de-scriptions of the code-used forthe shapes. The complete de-scription of a bulb also includesa number that represents themaximum diameter of the bulbin eighths of au inch. The E-37bulb, therefore, is elliptical inshape and 37 eighths or 4% inch-esat its maximum diameter: theR-80 is a reflector bulb with 80eighths or IO-inches maximumdiameter.

Bulb ShapesA ArbitraryBT - Bulged-TubularE EllipticalPAR - Parabolic AluminizedReflectorR ReflectorT Tubular

General Classes ofMERCURY LAMPSMercury lamps for general ap-

plications are available from 40to 1000 watts. The 175 and 400-watt sizes are by far the mostwidely used mercury lamps.While an exact separation ofthevarious mercury lamps by appli-cation is not possible withinthese pages, it is possible to de-scribe generally the applicationsfor the several wattage classifi-cations.

8

40/50 and 75wattMedium baseE-17 bulbs Deluxe White

100wattMedium baseA-23 bulb Deluxe White Clear

General lighting where small bulbsize is important - at higherlighting levels than incandes-cents emit.

General lighting and PostLanterns-provide twice as muchlight as standard incandescentlamps of same wattage.

100, 175, and 250wattMogul baseE23% and E28 bulbs Warm Deluxe White Deluxe White Clear

General lighting, residential andsecondary street lighting, andfloodlighting. (Clear lamps usedwith f ilter for black- light applica-tions.)

175watt lOO-wattMedium or Mogul Medium basebase. RAG bulb R40 bulb Deluxe White Deluxe White Inside Frosted Inside Frosted

Used for floodlighting of build-ings, parking lots, landscapes,and industrial applications.

400wattMogul baseR60 bulb" Deluxe White Clear

Special applications - commercialand industrial floodlighting.Two beam shapes available."Recommended minimumMounting height in workareas: 18 feet.

lOOO-wattMogul baseR-80 bulb Deluxe White

Special applications - High bayindustrial lighting. Three beamshapes available.


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85 and 100-wattMedium baseTlO bulb Clear UV Transmitting

Used in specialized laboratoryand optical applications.

400-wattMogul baseE-37 bulb Warm Deluxe White Deluxe White Clear

General Lighting - Widely usedlamp for industria I, street, andfloodlighting. (Also available inBT-37 shape.)

100wattAdmedium basePAR-38 bulb Clear

Used for building and landscapef loodlighting, and with ultravioletf il ter for black- l ight applications.Available with either spot orflood distribution.


400-wattMogul baseR-52 bulb Deluxe White Inside Frosted

700 and 1000*-wattMogul base8T-46 and BT-56 bulbs Warm Deluxe White(1000-W only) Deluxe White Clear

General Lighting - High-mountingindustrial applications.

General Lighting - street, indus-tr ial, and floodlighting. (1000watt lamps also available withsemi-reflector coating.)

"There are two different types oflOOO,watt lamps. The more corn-mon type is the high-voltage, low-current design (H3615); the other isa low-voltage, high-current design(H34-12). The H3615 lamps canoperate from 480-volt circuits withonly a choke as a ballast ..The H3412 lamps can operate from 240-voltcircuits, in a similar manner.

LAMP PARTSOUTER BULB-Helps to maintain nearly constantarc tube temperature. Efficient operation dependson high arc tube temperature: the outer bulbminimizes cooling caused by ail' circulation andreduces the influence of ambient temperature onarc tube temperature. Made ofheat-resistant glass,the outer bulb absorbs short wave ultra-violetenergy. In the event the outer bulb is broken andthe exposed bare arc tube continues operating (thelight color will appear bluish), turn the lamp offimmediately, allow it to cooland remove it fromthesocket. An inert gas, nitrogen, that fills the outerbulb protects inner lamp parts from oxidation.Also, the outer bulb can be phosphor-coated. (SeeEffects ofTemperature, page 12,for limits on bulb.)QUARTZ ARC TUBE-Confines mercury and theargon gas. Withstands high operating tempera-tures-about lOOOC.Transmits all energy radiat-ed by mercury arc. Ends ofsome mercury lamp arctubes are platinum-coated to insure faster andmore reliable warmup at low temperatures.


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CTION 2 - MERCURY LAMPS

MAIN ELECTRODES-Act as terminals for themain arc. On each half-cycle, one main electrodeacts as the anode, the other as the cathode. Theelectrodes change functions each time polarity ofthe supply changes. Each electrode includes adouble layer of tungsten wire in a "backwound"design that presents only smooth edges to the are,thus reducing electrode sputtering and arc tubeblackening. An emissive material made of rareearth oxidesis placed between the tungsten layers.Design of the electrode contributes greatly to thelong life, good maintenance characteristics and"easy" starting characteristics of today's mercurylamps. The electrodes are connected through thequartz arc-tube pinch seals by molybdenum foilleads.STARTING RESISTOR-Limits current in thestarting circuit to a very low value. The startingresistor is designed to withstand high-temperatureconditions present in a mercury lamp, and also the"hot restrike" conditions occurring in some seriesstreet lighting systems.ARC-TUBE MOUNT STRUCTURE-Positions thequartz arc tube within the outer bulb at thedesigned light center length (LCL), conducts elec-tricity to the electrodes and secures the assembly tothe outer bulb end. Made ofnickel-plated steel, theentire mount structure is carefully designed foradequate strength to meet service conditions, andto present the least surface area in order to mini-mize light absorption by the structure.BASE-Connects lamp mechanically and electri-cally to the lighting fixture and permits easy lampreplacemen t. Bases are generally made of brass.Mogul-base lamps use a mechanical method ofattaching the base to the bulb to assure maximumstrength throughout the life of the lamp underhigh-temperature conditions. Stamped on the baseare letters to represent months, and numbers torepresent years. These can be scratched to recordthe date of installation. The mercury lamp wat-tages 40 through 100watts and the PAR- and R-lamps use admedium or medium screw bases. (SeeEffects ofTemperature, pg. 12,for limits onbase.)

i [ LAMP DESIGNATIONSGE high intensity discharge lamps are identified

by a meaningful designation system which is de-signed to describe the characteristics of the lampsand identify the ballasts to use with them. Sometime ago, the American National Standards Insti-tute adopted a designation system so that similarlamps of various manufacturers would have the

10

same designations. All GE mercury lamps are as-signed ANSI codes. Both the GE and ANSI codesare shown in lamp schedules and on lamp cartonlabels. Lamps can be ordered by either code; how-ever, the GE code is recommended.

ANSI SYSTEMIn 1972; The American National Standards Institute revisedthe designati on system to i ncl ude the wattage of the lampinto its code.

H Indicates mercury lamp33 - Ballast numbersII II I I 400 - Lamp wattageI I I / WDX - Identifies type of phosphor orI I I / special glass coloring. (Optional

I I I // for each manufacturer. The G EIndicators are shown below.)I H33GL400/WDX I

GL - Two arbitrary letters which describe physicacharacteristics of the lamp

COLOR INDICATORSNo indicator - Clear GlassDX - Deluxe white phosphor coatedWDX - Warm deluxe white phosphor coated

GE SYSTEMH First letter indicates type of Iight source.(H from Hg, the abbreviation of the chemicalsymbol for Mercury).

400 - First group of numeralsindicates lamp wattage.Second grou p of lettersindicates buIb shapeand Ior glass treatment.

AIII I, II II I

II, 331 - Second group of numeralsindicates ballast (33 forBonus Line, 1 for 0 1 der type.Both numerals are shownbecause lamp workson either type.)

/H400A33-1 I

COLOR INDICATORS

IABlDX

WDX - Warm DeluxeWhite Phosphor

- Clear GlassBlack light fi IterDeluxe White Phosphor

BULB SHAPES & COATINGSIF Inside frosted RFL Reflector floodPFL PAR floodlight RSC Reflector- semi-PSP - PAR spotlight phosphor coatedR - Reflector bulb RSP - Reflector SpotlightRDX - Deluxe White SP - Spotlightphosphor-Reflector IT - TubularDXFL - Deluxe White IB T Bulged-Tubularphosphor- Reflector

flood


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I I MERCURY LAMP OPERATIONA typical mercury lamp consists of the parts

schematically illustrated at right. They are en-closed in an outer bulb made of borosilicate glass,which can withstand high temperatures-e-lmrCmaximum, and which is resistant to thermalshocks, thus reducing the possibility of shatteringwhen the lamp comes in contact with water.The outer bulb is filled with nitrogen, an inert

gas. This atmosphere maintains internal electricalstability to eliminate flashovers, provides thermalinsulation for the arc tube and protects the metalparts fromoxidation. The quartz aTCube containsa precise amount of high-purity mercury, and astarting gas, argon.

C100c;'"~ 90'"...'-"'l.U 80(!l.:(j:: 70.:(3: 600..: : ; ; : 50,,;. . . . . J040z.:(f- 30::Jc,f- 20:J0f- lO: : r :(9::; 0

TYPICAL REACTOROR AUTOTRANSFORMER BALLAST~, r ,I" , t," ,\, LINE CURRENT" . V___ I _ _ _LAMP .' . . __1--WATTAGE : J ~-r--- - - - r-1 \~./.. 1 1 . . - LIGHT OUTPUT... .' V_ . . . .V

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10TI ME (Minutes)

TYPICAL STABILIZED BALLAST- - ~. . " '" .). .. . .~" " - - 1 I /IN E. .~ CURRENT 'I. .. , . " :1I . . ./LAMPWATTAGE" 1 /. . . . . /.,~. ~ ./ LIGHT. V iTPr - ~. . /'. .. . .'-/'r"2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TIME (Minutes)

150C~140 l:l~130,_z;I.I.l120~::)l l O uI.I.lz100::;(!lz~e : : :I.I.l0..o

MERCURY LAMP-ELECTRICAL DETAILS

~ . ..~I -- - t- -MAIN ELECTRODEELECTRICD ISCHARGETHROUGHMERCURy--~-- - t t -~

QUARTZARC TUBESTARTINGELECTRODE

MA INELECTRODE

STARTINGRESISTOR

BALLAST

'---~ _ __J VOLTAGETO LAMP

Starting and Warm-upMost mercury lamps are designed to operate on

a-c circuits. The a-c circuit ballast usually consistsof (1) a transformer to convert the distributionvoltage of the lighting circuit to the required start-ing voltage for the lamp, and (2) inductive orcapacitive reactance components to control lampcurrent. In some ballasts, the capacitive reactanceserves also to improve power factor.Where the distribution voltage is sufficient to

start the lamp, the ballast may consist only of thecurrent-limiting impedance in serieswith the lamp.When the lighting circuit is energized, the start-

ing voltage is impressed across the gap between the


12/48

2 - MERCURY LAMPS

main electrode and the starting electrode, usuallylocated at the base end of the lamp. This voltagecreates an argon arc between the starting electrodeand the main electrode, and current is limited to avery low level by the starting resistor.The heat from this argon arc causes the mercury

to vaporize and the resistance between the mainelectrodes drops. When this resistance drops to apoint where the voltage available from the ballastcan establish an are, the main arc strikes, vaporiz-ingmoremercury. When all the mercury within thearc tube has become vaporized, the lamp is at itssteady-state condition. Because the resistance ofthe starting circuit isnowhigh, compared with thatacross the main gap, the starting arc ceases.The lamp warm-up process takes 5 to 7 minutes,

depending upon the ambient temperature condi-tions. Lamp characteristics during warm-up areillustrated in the graphs on page 11.Before the advent of the oxide-filled "Bonus

Line" electrodes introduced by General Electric in1958,reliable starting at low temperatures requitedthe use of a ballast that had higher open-circuitvoltage. The Bonus Line electrodes substantiallyreduced the gap between normal- and low-tempera-ture starting voltages. Result: Ballasts that oncecould assure starting only down to 50F now startlamps reliably at -20 F. Warm-up characteristicsare still somewhat slower at low temperatures,however.D-C OperationMercury lamps are designed for use on a-c cir-

cuits. They can, however, be operated successfullyon doc circuits, if d-e is the only type of voLtageavailable-as f01' local lighting on a travelingcrane-and can reliably start the lamp. A nominal240-volt d-e supply will normally start mercurylamps up to the 400-watt size and the lOOO-wattH34 type, in temperatures above 50 F. A seriesresistor type ofballast should beused to limit lampcurrent and a proper housing should beprovided toenclose the resistor.

Initial lumen output will be about the same asfor a-c operation but lumen maintenance will bepoorer. Lifewill be considerably shorter, estimatedbetween 4000 and 6000 hours average life withoutpolarity reversing for the 400-watt lamp. Polarityreversing will help extend lamp life.Voltage InterruptionWhen the mercury lamp circuit is turned off;

when a momentary outage occurs; or when lampvoltage drops, for more than one-half cycle, belowthat required to sustain the arc, the metallic parti-cles in the arc tube are de-ionized, and light radia-tion ceases. The lamp will not restart immediately,because it requires more voltage than the ballastcan provide to re-ionize the argon and mercurygases, while they are still hot and under higher

12

pressure. (See Extinction Voltage, page 18, fortolerance of voltage dips.)A period of 3 to 6 minutes-the exact time

depends on lamp wattage, operating conditions,and temperature characteristics of the fixture-isrequired for the arc tube to cool and for internalpressure to drop to the level at which the arc canrestrike.Over-Wattage OperationItis generally not advisable to operate mercurylamps at higher-than-design wattages. Over-wat-

tage operation usually imposes excessive tempera-tures on electrodes, arc tubes, and sometimes onouter bulb walls.This can lead to bulging ofthe arctube and possiblyshattering. The resultant higherlight output, proportioned to the increased wat-tage, is obtained at the expense of lumen mainte-nance and lamp life.Effects of TemperatureIn normal operation, the output of mercury

lamps is not materially affected by ambient tem-perature because of the insulating effect of theirouter bulbs and fixture enclosures. Abnormallyhigh temperatures of lamp parts (above 210Climitation on all screw-base lamps, or above 400QCon the bulb wall) can cause poor performance.Low ambient temperatures may produce a va-

por-pressure condition in arc tubes where lampswill fail to start at normal line voltage, or preventslamps from fully warming up. Ballast manufactur-ers publish the minimum temperatures at whichtheir equipment will produce satisfactory systemstarting.Burning PositionMercury lamps can operate in any burning posi-tion. But with vertical operation, initial light out-put is slightly higher (two to three lumens per watt)than with horizontal operation. Also, for verticaloperation, lumen maintenance of the mercurylamps (except the 1000-watt lamps) is usually 3 to4%higher.These differences between vertical and horizon-

tal operation result from a thermal change withinthe arc tube, caused by the bowing upward of thearc when the lamp operates horizontally.Typical lumen maintenance data are shown on

page 14.Spectral CharacteristicsThe mercury arc generates all ofits visibleradia-

tion at four wavelengths (405, 436, 546 and 578nanometers). Near-ultraviolet radiation is emittedat six wavelengths (280,297, 302,313, 334,and 365nm) which are transmitted to some extent by theouter bulb and other far UVwavelengths which areabsorbed by the glass. Typical quantitative distri-bution ofthe radiation isshown at right, along withdata and color descriptions formercury lamps with


13/48

outer bulbs that are phosphor-lined.Refer also to page 41, "Chromaticity,"The phosphors are designed to convert the 365-

nm ultraviolet energy to visible radiation contrib-uting to the spectral continuum primarily in thered region and, for the Deluxe White color, increas-ing initial light output.The phosphor-coated mercury lamp does exact a

penalty, for it reduces optical control in that theeffective optical size of the lamp is increased.Though of little importance when the lightingfixture is located close to the subject to be lighted,goodoptical control is critical in such applicationsas stadium and high-mast roadway lighting, wherethe lighting fixture must be located far from thesubject.The Deluxe White color, pioneered by GE in

1965,produces light at an apparent color tempera-ture of approximately 39000K. This is a somewhatwarmer temperature than that of Cool White flu-orescent-the most widely used light source incommercial and industrial lighting. The WarmDeluxe White, developed in 1971, produces stillwarmer tones of approximately 33000 K and isexpected to find wide acceptance-particularly inindoor commercial applications.For "Color Temperature," see page 41.I I PERFORMANCEAll electric light sources change somewhat "in

their electrical characteristics and light outputduring life, and mercury lamps are no exception.In mercury lamps, the depreciation that occursin light output throughout life isusually the resultof the combined effects of physical changes thattake place in the arc tube. These changes resultfrom temperature, radiation, or the chemical ef-fects of arc materials and trace impurities on thetube; the deposition of light-absorbing particles ofelectrodes or their coatings on the tube, after theyhave been "sputtered" off from prolonged impact ofarc particles; and the reduction in conversion effi-ciency of the phosphor.Lumen MaintenanceThe change in output of a lamp with burning

time is described graphically by the lumen mainte-nance curve, Curves typical of mercury lamps areshown on the next page. You should note that therating point of all common discharge lamps (flu-orescent and high intensity) is at 100 hours ofoperation."Seasoning" is necessary because these lamps

depreciate rapidly during the first 100 hours ofoperation, when "clean-up" of impurities takesplace. Lamps of the same basic design exhibit much


CLEAR MERCURY"2. . 600. .. ..t50 00;Eec~ 400

I-UI.TR''VIOtl+VOLET-+-e.lU--t--GRe:(N-t'i'e:I.,fO~A,NGft----REn-------

U U 7~ 7~575 600 -r--

r--

- - r--- - -l P J l . _ . . . . _ _ . . . . . !-.J1~ .-------

"';;300l:''"~o.~ 200~a:~ 100a~'"Q 0Ii 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 75

WAVELENGTH(Nanometers)

DELUXE WHITEMERCURY

'".;?500.e. .Ec~ 400

r-ulT.RA...OLET+v'olt-+-BlUE~GREEN--ty.Ll0RANGq---RE[]-

r - - -

r-r-r - - - r-

f-- - - f--- . . . . .-_tf~ \ 1n

. .~ 300ic~ 200'"~ 100u,> -, . .'"Q 0if 300 350 400 450 500 550 500 650 700 1

WAVEL~NGTH (Nanometers)

WARM DELUXEWHITE MERCURY

c oE.3 600 f--UlTRAVIOLH+VIOt..ET+8tUE~GRE;EN---t"1EJ. foRANGEt--RO-

-I-- r!-

r--- - r- - f-c--- - - t-- f- I---~'~ "/ ./ ' I \.f-.-/'" "

~! i i s o o'"Eoc'"Z 400s'",E 300~E~ 200ff i~1 i: 100> -z:


14/48

2 - MERCURY LAMPS

more consistency, from lamp to lamp, after they are"seasoned." Also, the decline in light output thenbecomes much more gradual,The data show the percentage decline in lumens

from the l(X)hour rating point to the rated averagelife of the lamp. The mean lumens produced duringthat time can be determined by integrating themaintenance curve over the entire burning period,dividing into two equal areas, and finding theheight of the common ordinate. The mean lumenmaintenance factor gives a value of average illumi-nation over the life of the lamp.Some lighting layouts are designed to maintain a

specific illumination level. In these designs, thelamp lumen maintenance factor at the specifiedrelampin.g interval is obtained from the curve and iscombined with the depreciation factors of the lumi-naire and room surfaces affected by dust and dirtaccumulation. This results in a "terminal mainte-nance factor."The mercury lamp lumen maintenance data

shown here illustrate the importance of the Bonuselectrode design, which was introduced in the USAby General Electric in 1958.Prior to the advent of the tungsten electrode

with rare-earth oxides imbedded in the coils, mer-cury lamps used electrodes of thoriated tungsten.These "old" electrodes sputtered an opaque blackdeposit on the arc tube throughout lamp life tocause significant absorption of light and, thus, poorlumen maintenance.The Bonus electrode, on the other hand, sputters

a translucent white deposit, which either reflects Ortransmits a large part of incident light. As a result,clear 400-watt mercury lamps of today produce asmuch light after 16,000 burning hours as earlierlamps produced after burning for only 3500 hOUTS.With the Bonus electrode, the light output of clearmercury' lamps at 24,000 hours ranges between 45and 75% of average initial lumens for the variouslamp wattages when burned vertically. Phosphorcoated Deluxe White tamps range between 33 and70%, as shown on the curve at right above.LifeThe operating life of mercury lamps is very long,

which accounts for much of their popularity inrecent years. General service lamps of 100 to 1000watts, with mogul screw bases, have average ratedlives of 24,000 + hours, while the 40/50-, 75-, and100-watt lamps with medium screw bases rangefrom 16- to 18,000 hours.Ratings are based on operation with properly

designed ballasts, with 10 or more burning hOUTSper start for the lamps with mogul screw bases, and5 or more burning hours per start for the lampswith medium screw bases ..More frequent startingmay reduce life somewhat.With mercury lamps, the mechanism that results

in the end of life is not so simple as the break in a14

e:'~ 80r~~~+-~~_'~~~-r~=-~~~~-+~~~E["w 60r-~~-+~~~1-~~~~~~-+~~~+-~~~> -~ 40 r-~~-+~~~'_~~~~~~-+~~~~~c-~> -:;Jo> -~ 20r-~~-+~~~1-~~~r-~~-+~~~+-~~~: : : J

o ~ - - - - _ . - - -- - - ~ - - - - - -~ - - - - _ . - - -- - - . _ - - - -~o 4 8 12 16B UR NI N G. H OU RS (X 1000 )

20

MAINTENANCE CHARACTERISTICS{/")100zu.I: ; ; ;=' 80...J...J


15/48


tungsten filament that isdescribed as a "burn-out."As a mercury lamp ages, it undergoes changes atthe electrodes and inside the arc tube that requiremore voltage to produce ionization and strike thearc, or to produce warm-up to full output. If theballast cannot provide the needed voltage, the lampwill not start and the life of the lamp is ended.The lamp mortality curve below,shows a typical

end-of-life pattern for mercury Lamps.High-inten-sity discharge lamps are life-tested and rated onballasts that deliver propel' operating characteris-tics.Rated average lifeof 24,000+ hours has a signifi-

cant meaning. Normally at average rated life, 50%,statistically, no longer operate, while 50% of thelamps do operate. For mercury lamps, the point of50%"burnouts" occurs at a time in excessof 24,000hours.However, because of the low lumen output ofthe

mercury lamp at 24,000hours, the average life of24,000+ hours was chosen as an "economic" lifebased on lamp maintenance. The -1 = indicates theactual average life, or point of 50% "burn-out,"occurs in excess of 24,000 hours. Note on themortality curve, that at 24,000 hours, only 33%"burn-outs" are expected.

100 - - - . . . . . ~~

MERCURY LAMPMORTALITY

ClZ~ 80=:Jco-'-~ 60~:25 40LLor-Z~ 20a:UJc,

o o 2012 2416HOURS OF OPERATION (X 1000)

L M PERFORMANC DATA-MERCURYApproX. Lumens for

lamp Ordering ANSI M.O.L. Avg.l\ated VertiCj' OperationWalls Code Code Bulb Base (In.) life (Hours) Initi et Mea., iii

CL.EAR L.AMPS-Producing light having the characteristic blue-green color of the mercury spectrum.100 HI00A38-4 H38HT1Q0 E23'/2 Mog. 7'h 24.000+ 3,850 3,120

H100A384t A23 H38LL-100 A-23 Med . SV,. 18,000 3,700 3,000175 H175A39-22 H39KB-175 E-28 Mog_ 81J. 24,000+ 7,950 7,470250 H250A375 H37KB-250 E-28 Mag, 8'!4 24,000+ 11,200 10,300400 H400A33-1 H33CDAOO E-37 Mag. ll'h. 24,000+ 21,000 19,1001000 HlOOOA3615 H36GV-IOOO BT-S6 Mog, 15'/,. 24,000+ 57,000 48.400

H 1000A3412 H34GV-1000 BT-56 Mog. 15'!., 16,000+ 56,000 48,700DELUXE WHITE L.AMPS-Phosphor coated40 H40/S0DX4S-46 H45AY-40t50!DX [.17 Med. 5 1 1 " 16.000 1,140 91050' H40 t 50DX45-46 H45AY-40/50tDX [.17 Med. 5!'" 16,000 1,575 1,26075 H750X43 H43AV-75/0X E-17 Med. 5Y,. 16,000 2,800 2,250100 HI00DX38A H38JA-J 001 OX E-23'h Mog. 7 11 2 24,000+ 4,200 3,530

HI 000X38-4! A23 H3SMPIOO/OX M3 Med. 5" 18,000 4,000 3,040175 H 1750X3922 H39KC-175/0X [-28 Mog, 81J4 24,000+ 8,600 7,650250 H250DX375 H37KC-250/DX E-28 Mog, 8';, 24,000+ 12,100 10,400400 H4000X331 H33GL-400/DX E-37 Mog. 1 1 1 1 . 24,000+ 22,500 19.1001000 HIOOODX36-15 H36GW-1000/DX BT-56 Mag_ 151J,. 24,000+ 63,000 47,500

HIOOODX3412 H34GW-1000/0X BT-56 Mog. 15'1i. 16,000+ 62,000 47,700WARM DELUXE WHITE LAMPS-Phosphor coated175 H 175WDX39-22 H39KC175/WDX E28 Mog. 8';, 24,000+ 6,500 5,760250 H250WDX37-5 H37KC-250/WDX [28 Mog. 81;, 24,000+ 9,500 7,600400 H400WDX33-1 H33GL400/WOX U7 Mog. 11%. 24,000+ 20,000 16,4001000 H 1000WDX36-15 H36GW-1000/WDX BT-56 Mog. 15'1i. 24,000+ 58,000 39,440FOr I a test ratings, see GE lamp Catalog, Fonn 9200_'On lamps whose avg. rat ed life is 24.000 n r s . . mean lumens are based on 16,000 nrs. For 5O,watt operation U"", H46 ballast.


16/48

ECT;ION 2 - MERCURY LAMPS

I I MERCURY LAMP BALLASTS]Ballast terminology, unfortunately, is confusing

because much overlapping has occurred by namingballasts either according to their reactive element>;or various electrical characteristics, Sometimes thesame terms are used to describe different ballastsand more often, different terms are used to describethe same ballast,Resistor BallastThe simplest mercury ballast of all is a plain

resistor that limits the lamp current, Its electricalefficiency is only about 50%because somuch poweris dissipated in the resistor. Also, such a system is

Sl-Inl::!Tf1L{)t::SAtlY l)F BALLAST TERMSINDUCTIVE. BALLASTHigh Power Factor Reactor Ballast (when capac -itor is connected across the line)Low Power Factor Reactor BallastNon-Stabilized BallastReact 01'(Sometimes also called "Lag Ballasts")

LAG BALLASTAutoreactor BallastAutotransformer BallastHigh Power Factor Autotransformer Ballast(when capacitor is connected across extendedhigh-voltage winding, or when added to prima-ry circuit)

Low Power Factor Autotransformer BallastNon-Stabilized Ballast

REGULATOR BALLASTCWConstant Wattage BallastLead BallastPremium Constant Wattage BallastSaturated Inductive and Capacitive Ballast(Some designs may have a shunting capacitor,"peaking or tuning" capacitor across the sec-ondary winding)

Stabilized BallastAUTOREGULATOR BALLASTSAutostabilized BallastAutotransformer and Regulator BallastCWACombined Inductive and Capacitive BallastConstant Wattage Autotransformer Ballast

very sensitive to dips in line voltage, and a dip ofonly a fewpercent will extinguish the lamp. Aplainresistor ballast should beused ond-c systems only,Reactor BallastThe simplest magnetic ballast for a-c circuits is

the reactor, Itissimply a wire coilwound on an ironcoreplaced in serieswith the lamp. Its only purposeis to limit the current in the lamp. Since this circuitis highly inductive, a low line power factor ofapproximately 50% is obtained, The power factormay becorrected with an across-the-line capacitor,

IIL ~

R EA CT OR B AL LA ST, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - lI REACTORIL IN E V OL TS LAMP

REACTOR BALLASTr - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - lREACTOR:

p,F . C AP ,(OPT IONAL )IN E VOLTS

ADVANTAGES: The reactor ballast is least expen-sive and is the smallest, lightest) and most efficientballast. It inherently provides good regulation oflamp watts with variation in lamp volts-about 3%change in lamp watts with 11% change in lampvolts. It has a very low current crest factor-between 1.4-1.5, and provides high starting currentto the lamp for fast warmup, as high as 2~ times thenormal operating current.DISADVANTAG'ES: It has a lowpower factor unlesscorrected by a capacitor. Lamp watts vary ::t 10%with a 5%change in line volts, Itcan only be usedon line voltages which provide reliable starting andlamp stability-this isusually 240volts or 277voltsfor the lower wattage lamps and 480 volts for thehigher wattage, The line current is higher for


17/48

starting than operating, which must be taken intoaccount when installing wiring, fusing, or circuitbreakers.For reasons of both cold-weather starting and

regulation, its use is limited to lines where 5%line voltage ismaintained. In spite ofits drawbacks,the reactor ballast, when properly applied, canmake a good,reliable, lowcost lighting installation.Lag BallastThe lag ballast, in effect, consists of an auto-

transformer plus a reactor combined on a singlestructure, This ballast givesperformance similar tothe reactor ballast, but may be used when thenormal line voltage is lower or higher than therequired starting voltage of the lamp.

L AG B AL LA ST, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , I

LAMP

LINEVOLTS

I IJ

ADVANTAGES: Like the reactor ballast, the lagballast provides goodregulation oflamp watts withvariations in lamp volts, very low current crestfactor-i-between 1.4-1.5,and high starting currentto the lamp, Its chief application isfor operation on120-volt circuits, with no power factor correctionrequired..DISADVANTAGES: The lag ballast is necessarilylarger than the reactor ballast and, therefore, issomewhat costlier and has higher electrical losses.Like the reactor, the lag ballast has an inherentlylow power factor, and its application is limited tosystems where 5%linevoltage ismaintained. Thepower factor may becorrected by using a capacitor,operating on an extended higher voltage winding tosave capacitor costs.The lag ballast is seldommadetoday for high power-factor operation because itsadditional cost puts it in the same price class asother ballasts that provide better performance.Regulator BallastThe regulator ballast has primary and secondary

windings electrically isolated from each other. Cur-rent limiting is provided by a capacitor in serieswith the lamp as well as the ballast. The currentlimiting function is normally split approximately

MERCURY LAMPS - SECTION

50/50%between the ballast and the capacitor. Thecapacitor makes it a "lead" rather than a "lag"circuit. In some designs, a separate "peaking" ca-pacitor may be used to increase the open-circuitvoltage for low-temperature starting. The ballast isdesigned so that the secondary portion of the coreoperates in magnetic saturation. The secondarycurrent remains essentially constant over a widerange of primary voltage variations, providing ex-cellent regulation, or stabilization, of the lampwattage.

R EG U L A T OR . B AL L A S T, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,I SERIES CAP. III III I

SEClrEAKING:-r- CAP. II(IF USED) ' LAMP, ,, I: ,I ,I ILINEVOLTS

I,I I~

ADVANTAGES: Regulator ballasts have becomevery popular because of their electrical characteris-tics. In particular, any line voltage can be accom-modated with this design. Dual voltage ratings areavailable, such as 120/240, or 240/480, with theprimary coils connected in parallel or in series.This ballast provides excellent regulation in re~

sponse to changes in line voltage..Lamp watts varyonly 2 or 3%with line voltage changes of 13%.The power factor, usually about 95%,is inherentlygood, and the line current during starting is alwaysless than it is during operation. Line voltage dipsare lessof a problem with this ballast because it willtolerate dips of about 50% for at least 4 secondsduration. Another advantage is the complete elec-trical isolation of the secondary winding from thesupply line.The chief virtue of the regulator ballast is its ease

of application. It can be installed on any circuitwith minimum concern for line voltage variation,voltage dips, grounding or fusing, and will providegood performance. It isolates the electrician fromthe main power supply and reduces the possibilityof electrical shock.DISADVANTAGES: The regulator ballast is costlierthan the reactor ballast and its current crest factorissomewhat higher-varying between 1.65and 2.0,depending on the wattage.Autoregulator BallastThe autoregulator ballast combines an auto-

transformer with the regulator circuit. Because aportion ofthe primary winding is commonwith thesecondary, its size is reduced. Since only the sec-


18/48

ECTION 2 - MERCURY LAMPS

18

ondary winding contributes to goodregulation, thedegree of regulation depends on the amount ofprimary voltage coupled into the secondary.

A UT OR EG UL AT OR B A LL AS Tr---------------l

SERIES CAP, :

LA M PIN EVOLTS PRI .

IL J

ADVANTAGES: The autoregulator is the most pop-ular ballast in new installations. It is designed as atradeoff between the regulator and the lag ballasts.The autoregulator provides lower cost, size andweight than the regulator, and its losses are some-what lower. Its regulation or lamp wattage stabil-ity is very good, though somewhat less than theregulator-lamp watts usually vary about 5%forline voltage changes of 10%. It enjoys the otherregulator advantages, including high power factor,low linestarting current, and lowline extinguishingvoltage.DISADVANTAGES: A disadvantage of the auto-regulator as compared to the regulator ballast is itslack ofisolation between its primary and secondarywinding. Also,it iscostlier than the reactor ballast.Its current crest factor varies between l.65 and

2.0, depending on the wattage.Two-Lamp BallastTwo-lamp ballasts are frequently used to reduce

ballast cost and installation cost per unit of light.These ballasts use one or more ofthe basic circuits,either singly or in combination, to provide the bestchoice of performance and economy. They areavailable for two-lamp series operation or two-lampparallel operation.Two-lamp series designs are the more popular

because they offer the advantages of lowest cost,minimum size, and weight. Only two ballast lampleads are required. Both lamps go out when onelamp fails, and there isno damage to the good lamp.Two-lamp parallel designs have two independent

ballast circuits and therefore al'e more expensivethan series designs. Three ballast lamp leads arerequired. Failure ofone lamp doesnot affect opera-tion of the second lamp.The parallel designs are available either as a lead-

lag ballast or as a regulator ballast. The lead-lagballast consists of a lag circuit similar to a lagballast but, in addition, the lead circuit has acapacitor connected in series between the reactor

and the lamp. This ballast has a high power factorand the line starting current is lower than theoperating current. As with the single lamp lagballast, the line voltage should not vary more than5%.In all two-lamp ballast designs, the lamp sockets

can be grounded according to NEe and most localcodes.

BALLAST OPERATINGCHARACTERISTICSEfficiency Watts loss of a ballast adds to theuser's power bill just as much as the useful wattsconsumed by the lamp. The user whose principalinterest is cost of light might well consider using asimpler ballast and sacrificing some ballast per-formance fO T improved operating efficiency.Ninetypercent efficiency means that 90%of the power ismaking light and 10%is heating the ballast.Line Current On some ballast types, the linecurrent as the lamp starts is less than the finaloperating current, so that fuses and circuit breakerratings can be based strictly on the operatingcurrent values.For other ballasts, the line starting current may

be considerably higher than the final operatingvalue, sofuses, circuit breakers, and control switch-es must be sized to accommodate this higher cur-rent.Power Factor To be classed as "high power fac-tor," a ballast must have a power factor of at least90%. Anything less is considered "normal powerfactor" or "low power factor." Most ballasts whichare normal power factor are down to around 50%.This means that a normal power factor ballast hasalmost twice the line current as a high power factorballast, and makes less efficient use of the distribu-tion system. This requires larger wire sizes, largerswitches, circuit breakers, and distribution trans-formers for the equivalent connected load.Line Voltage Regulation Line voltage regulationis the change in lamp watts due to variation in linevoltage. Consideration should be given to the ex-pected variation in line voltage on a particularsystem where HID lamps will be applied. Most newpower distribution systems are regulated to operatebetween 5%of nominal line voltage, while oldersystems may vary as much as 10%or more fromnominal voltage.Extinction Voltage All power systems are subjectto dips in the line voltage as loads are switched inand out, or as other transient conditions occur. Agood, well-regulated distribution circuit will sel-


19/48

r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,I I,I,

....I-. . , . . . .,I,,------'I II IL ~

Typical Two Lamp Series Baliast-RegulatorCircuit.r---------------,I II II IIIIIIII-_

IIIIII . . . _

Lead-LagCircuit[----------,I I

I IL _jRegulator Circuit

Typical Two-Lamp Parallel Ballasts

domsee voltage dipsofmore than 10%,but on somecircuits, dips of 20-30%may be encountered occa-sionally. If the ballast is not capable of "ridingthrough" the voltage dip and sustaining the lamp,the lamp will extinguish and recycle. Most com-mercial reactor or lag ballasts will tolerate at least15%dips for several cycles, and should cause littleor no trouble on well-regulated circuits. Regulatortype of ballasts will tolerate more line voltagefluctuation-40 to 50%dips.Line Voltage Variation Mercury lamp ballastsshould be connected to circuits of the voltage andfrequency for which they are labeled. Some ballastsare tapped to accommodate more than one linevoltage (such as 120/240), and some have taps forline voltages that differ from nominal values (suchas llO/120V). When the input voltage to the ballastdiffers from design values, the lamp performancewill be altered. The graph shows the effect of theprimary voltage on lamp wattage for three typicalmercury ballast designs. Within the limits of thegraph, lamp lumens are approximately proportion-al to lamp watts. Therefore, these curves can alsobeused to approximate the change in lamp lumens,as the ballast primary voltage varies.


85.L- ~--~~--~~--~----~----~85 90 95 100 105 110 115LINE VOLTAGE(Percent)

M ER CU RY LA MP B ALLA STSEFFECTOF LINE VOLTAGEON LAMP WAITS

1101----+_- AUTOTRANSFORMER-hr--.....I-----iOR REACTORBALLAST1 l 105i---t----1----1--/--zCu~~ 100~---~--~~~~~~~~~_4----~5:c,: ; ; ::5

Fusing of Ballasts It is sometimes desirable toprovide individual fuse protection for dischargelamps as part of the ballast or part of an integral-ballast luminaire, Ballast manufacturers can pro-vide specific recommendations best suited to eachlamp-ballast combination. The application ofsmallcartridge fuses to ballasts or to fixtures with inte-gral ballasts appears to be growing. These fusesserve to open the circuit to the ballast-in the eventof a ballast failure-or as the result of an error inwiring. This has the advantage that the remainingfixtures on the circuit remain in operation insteadof being turned off"by the opening of the branchcircuit fuse or breaker. Also, the location of thefault is immediately evident.There are also safety advantages when circuits of

higher voltage and current are used. For instance,on a 480-volt, 50-ampere circuit, a single 400-wattlamp might beprotected by a 3-or4-ampere fuse. Ifa ballast should fail, this fuse will open much morequickly than would the 50-ampere branch circuitbreaker or fuse. Thus, the amount of sparking orburning at the fixture will be reduced. In the eventof an error in wiring, incorrect line voltage, dam-aged wiring or components, etc., lamp and ballastdamage will be reduced.The advantages of individual unit fusing vary

considerably according to the type of installation.About the only disadvantage beyond the relativelysmall cost added is the occasional unnecessary fuseoutage which may be encountered for a variety ofcauses not associated with any failure or fault.There is also the necessity ofstocking the individu-al fuses required.


20/48

SECTION 2 - MERCURY LAMPS

20

E - Z MERCSELF-BALLASTEDMERCURY LAMPS

Registered t rademark of the Gene ral Elec tr ic Company

A.~.R,I A p pr ox . i Jl m . . .S E ~rj"i'o UI. I" V ' ~ i " lD~"'li"~oJt, W.II, Cod . 8,10 Bl!!u 1 1 . " " " 1 1,111.1 M,. ."

Solid-State Starting Self-Ballasted Lamp$'120 160 HSB160/SS/M E23lf2 Medium 20000 2700 1910Skirted120 300 HSB300/SS/M [28 Medium 20000 7800 5500Skirted120 300 HSB300/SS E28 Mogul 20000 7800 5500Conventional Sell-Ballasted Lamps'120 450 HSB450 BT37 Mogul 16000 9500 7125120 750 HSB750R!l20 R57 Mogul 16000 14000 10500240 750 HS8750R/24O R57 Mogul 16000 14500 123251. Operating ambient temperature r ange, 50F mi n. to 122F max.2. Oper ating ambient temperature r ange: 5F mi n. to 122f max.3. Meao Iumens over 16000 hours.For latest ratings, ae .. GE Lamp Catalog. Form 9200.

LAMP DESIGNATIONS GE ORDERING CODEFirst letter indicates type ofI l ight source. H for Mercury.

I ,Grol .lr of two let ters S8 indi.I I cates self-bal lasting type ofI / lamp.I I ,Group of numerals indicatesI I I lamp wattage.I I /IGroup of letters SS indicates/ / /I solid state starting. If a nurn-I I /I ber, it indicates voltage inI / case of same wattage lampsI I / I available in two voltages.II/ I I "If letter M, it indicates medi-I I I I .; um base. No letter indicates

i / .' /./ mogul base.I H58 300 155I M IAll high intensity discharge lamps require a

ballast to limit the linecurren t and provide startingand operating voltage. Efforts to eliminate theseparate ballast have resulted in a design where theballast circuit is a filament in the lamp itself. Suchlamps are called "self-baUasted".Self-ballasted mercury lamps are used as a re

placement for incandescent lamps since they can beinstalled directly into the socket without a separateballast.Compared to incandescent lamps, the E-Z Mere

line offers substantial energy savings. A 300-wattE-Z Mere lamp, on averages, consumes 40% lessenergy than a 500=wattincandescent type while itdelivers only about one-third less light. Italso lastsabout 20 times as long.Substantial savings can be realized over the life

of the E-Z Merc lamp in applications where labor

maintenance costs for replacing lamps are high. Acomparable incandescent lamp must bereplaced atleast six times for each replacement of the self-ballasted E-Z Mere lamp.Exercise caution when replacing incandescent

with self-ballasted lamps. Substitution is generallylimited to open fixtures with porcelain sockets andadequate wiring. Enclosed fixtures should be de-signed for at least rated lamp wattage.Conventional Self-Ballasted LampsFor conventional self-ballasted mercury lamps,starting current flows through the closed bimetalswitch, the filament heater coil in the arc tube andthe filament ballast. Heat from the filament ballastopens the bimetal switch and the filament heatercoil which aids in the ionization of the gas as thestarter electrode starts an arc to one of the mainelectrodes. The voltage drops across the main elec-trodes and an arc isstruck. While the arc stabilizes,the filament ballast limits the line current until thearc takes over.The H8B450 and HSB750R/conventional self-

ballasted lamps can be operated within room am-bient temperature limits of 5F minimum to 122Fmaximum. Below 5F, hard starting occurs due toinsufficient voltage to ionize the mercury and strikethe arc. The 122 F maximum is established so thatthe bimetal switch will function properly and sothat both bulb and base temperatures are keptwithin operating limits.

C ON VE NT IO NA L S ELF -B ALLA ST ED L AM PSSTARTER ELECTRODE

STARTERRESISTOR

I~---.JI---ARCTUBE

. . .. JUl.


21/48

SOLID STATE STARTING E-Z MERe LAMPSFILAMENTBALLASTMAINELECTRODESTARTERRESISTORMAINELECTRODE

The 120-volta-c input isrectified to full-wave d-evoltage. The capacitors provide approximately 300peak volts as the starting pulse. An arc is struckbetween the starter electrode and the cathode, andthe starter electrode circuit path becomes a highresistance path as the arc tube voltage builds up.The filament ballast wattage, while initially high,drops as the arc tube voltage builds up.Operating characteristics and light output ofsolid-state lamps during warm-up are shown in thetwo graphs on this page. Note that the normaloperating current of2.50amps for the HSB300/SS

n !i500z;~ 6000:::J_J 5500

500045004000


lamp is reached after 150 seconds and normallumen output is reached after 90seconds. Restart-ing time is4 to 6minutes, similar tomercury lampsoperating with an external ballast. Similar curvesare also characteristic of the HSB160/SS/M lamp,except, of course, that the wattage is 160 andoperating current is 1.33amps.Extinction voltage is 105volts a-c for all solid-

state starting lamps. Ifthe line voltage drops below105V for three cycles or longer, the lamp will goout. The lampwillnot operate onDC input voltage.Room ambient temperature limits are 50 F mini-

mum and 122F maximum. Ifthe ambient tempera-ture falls below50F, the solid-state circuit will notbe able to start the lamp. Starting requires aminimum of 110 volts a-c, input voltage. If the122F upper limit ofambient temperature isexceed-ed, the 375F maximum allowable temperature atthe base will also be exceeded, and the solid-statecircuit willbe damaged, causing failure ofthe lamp.Solid-state starting, self-ballasted mercury lampshave an average rated life of 20,000hours as com-pared to only 16,000hours for conventional self-ballasted lamps, The longer lifehas been achievedbecause of the greater reliability of the solid-statedesign, and elimination of the bimetal switch in thestarting circuit.

WARM-UP CHARACTERISTICSHSB300/SS E-Z MERC48 046044042 0400'"~ 380

~36034 032 0300

~ . . . . . . . '-


22/48

ECTION 3 - MULTI-VAPOR LAMPS

M UL T I-VA PO R LA MPSSection 3

(Metal-Halide lamps)

22

Present design ofmetal-halide lamps stems fromresearch that led to a basic design patent, filed in1961and issued to General Electric in 1966. Thisresearch yielded the first practical system foradding other metals to a mercury discharge thatimproved both the radia tion characteristics and theoverall efficiency.Starting with an arc tube containing mercury,

the desired metals are added in the form of theirhalide salts, usually iodides, creating an "amal-gam" ofmercury with selected iodides.Present GEmetal-halide lamps comprise two lines. The I-lineMulti-Vapor lamps employ iodides of sodium, thal-lium and indium, in addition to mercury. Thestandard Multi-Vapor lamps employ iodides ofscandium and sodium, in addition to mercury. Theresult is Multi-Vapor lamp designs, which whilestill undergoing rapid development, generate lightwith more than half again the efficacy of themercury are, offer a small light-source size foroptical control, and provide good color renditionwhen compared with clear mercury.Outer bulbs ofMulti-Vapor lamps', like mercury

lamp bulbs, are made of heat-resistant glass thatabsorbs short waveultra-violet energy. In the eventthe outer bulb is broken and the exposed bare arctube continues operating, turn the lamp off imrne-diately, allow it to cool and remove it from thesocket.Multi-Vapor lamps are available in three sizes:

400 watts, 1000watts and 1500watts. For specifictypes and sizes, refer to Performance Table onpage27.Applications for Multi-Vapor lamps include in-

door commercial and industrial lighting, outdoorroadway lighting, and floodlighting; also, sports-facility lighting, where the color quality and re-quired optical control for color telecasts can mosteconomically be met with Multi-Vapor lamps.Where optical control is less important than colorrendition, a phosphor isadded to the inside surfaceof the standard Multi-Vapor lamp to obtain bettercolor rendition. Lamps of this design are usedprimarily indoors. For the future, it is anticipatedthat further improvements in the color rendition ofthe Multi-Vapor lamp could result in more diversi-fiedindoor applications such as offices,commercialestablishments and schools.

EN D CLA MP

MAINELECTRODE

-OUTERBULB

PINCHSEAL"'VACUUM-l-Iine MYNITROGEN-StandardM


23/48

CONSTRUCTIONAND OPERATIONS

Multi-Vapor lamps are quite similar in physicalappearance to conventional clear mercury lamps.Major differences in internal construction and ap-pearance can be seen by comparing the illustrationson pages 7 and 22.The arc tube of a Multi-Vapor lamp is made of

fused quartz, and is of slightly smaller size thanthat of the same wattage in mercury. The arc tubeend or ends, depending upon the type of lamp, aretreated with a special reflective coating. This coat-ing redirects radiant energy in such a manner as toachieve near uniform temperature over the totalarc tube, so that variations in lumen output andcolor from lamp to lamp will be very small,The Multi-Vapor arc tube; similar to the clear

mercury arc tube, contains argon and mercury; butit also holds important additives according to thetype of lamp. Most important, the amounts of thesematerials exceed those needed to stabilize the arc.Thus, a "pool" of excess amalgam is located some-

MULTIVAPOR LAMP-ELECTRICAL DETAILS

'-_---'VOLTAGETOLAMP

MULTI-VAPOR LAMPS - SECTIO

where within the arc tube. The position of the poolis determined by gravity and temperature.For the Lline Multi-Vapor lamps, the important

additives are small quantities of sodium iodidethallium iodide, and indium iodide. For the stand-ard Multi-Vapor lamps, the additives are scandiumiodide and sodium iodide.The temperature of the pool of additives deter-

mines the lamp chromaticity and light output.Thus, the lamp, unlike the mercury lamp, is sensi-tive to wattage variations.Although parts for Multi- Vapor lamps are gener-

ally similar to those for clear mercury lamps, anotable exception is that Multi-Vapor lamps em-ploy a bimetal switch needed to short-circuit thestarter electrode to the adjacent main electrodeafter the arc has been struck. This eliminatespossible buildup of a small voltage between theseelectrodes, which would cause electrolytic failure ofthe pinch seal.The bimetal switch requires positioning in the

hottest portion of the lamp: in base-up use, close tothe base; in base-down use, close to the end oppo-site the base. Thus, Multi-Vapor lamps are ofa non-universal burning design. Each lamp wattage hastwo lamp designs: one for base-up operation; onefor base-down operation. (See Multi-Vapor LampPerformance Data, pg. 27, for angular burninglimita tions.)Another mechanical feature of the Multi- Vapor

lamp is its frameless construction. This minimizesthe possibility of the are, and materials within theare, being disturbed by a-c current flowing throughthe frame creating a pulsing magnetic field. Theouter lead is made of non-magnetic tungsten and ispositioned as far away from the center-mounted arctube as bulb size will allow.Multi-Vapor lamps are for use on a-c circuits

only.Starting and Warm-up(l-llne lamps)During the first stages of starting and warm-up,

Multi-Vapor and mercury lamps are similar, Anargon arc is struck between the starting electrodeand adjacent main electrode. When the arc-tuberesistance is reduced to a point where the ballastvoltage can "jump the gap" between the mainelectrodes, the main arc is struck. As the arc-tubetemperature rises, the iodides vaporize and separatein the arc-into elementary iodine and three addi-tive metals. Mercury, sodium, thallium and indiumare ionized in this process, and their ions provide allof the lamp radiation.The various metals form a multi-layered vapor

sheath around the mercury arc. First and closest,the indium vaporizes and forms a blue sheatharound the mercury arc; next, the thallium vapor-izes and forms a green sheath around the indium;


24/48

3- MUL TIVAPOR LAMPS

and last, the sodium vaporizes and forms a yellow-red sheath around the thallium.Starting and Warm-up(standard Multi-Vapor lamps)Starting and warm-up for the standard Multi-

Vapor lamp are the same as for the I-line lamps,except that the added iodides are those ofscandiumand sodium. Mercury, scandium and sodium areionized, in that order.ColorBecause of the properties of the added metals,

radiation occurs at different wavelengths. Thisradiation is shown graphically at right in terms ofthe spectral energy distribution data.Since sodium is the metal that goes into the arc

and radiates last, and that emits radiation in themost sensitive portion of the human eye's sensitivi-ty curve, it affects color of the Multi-Vapor lampmost drastically.The metal-halide type of lamp is therefore very

sensitive to variations in lamp wattage. Operationat lower-than-rated wattage results in less sodiumbeing ionized and, therefore, lossofyellow and redenergy. The result is a marked change of the lampcolor visible to the eye. Operation at a higherwattage results in more sodium being vaporizedand a color shift toward pink.Variations in line voltage, coupled with ballast

and fixture characteristics and lamp voltage, cancause some lamp-to-lamp wattage variations, asmuch as 20%at times on adjacent lamp circuits.The T-I ine lamp in particular is sensitive to

wattage differentials because the pool of amalgamis much more difficult to control with the three-iodide design. Standard Multi-Vapor lamps have atwo-iodide design which makes the amalgam poolmuch easier to controL The size, position andtemperature of the excess-amalgam pool, whichremains in liquid form at the bottom of the arctube, not only determine the color ofthe light, but

;: -E3600 U~TRAoIIOLET+VIOLH-t--BLUE.---t- GR~~N___El.toRANGe:r----- R.E.O--U66 5

r-r-~

t---I~.:-- ~~ -lJlj--.V"-J..r;. I\" -n

'"_'"E 500'"ce;;_400o~c,f 300~ol200'""s :1 t tO O, _Z-cis 0ti : 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750

WAVELENGTH(Nanometers)Spectra l Character is tics o f l -Line Mult i- Vapor Lamps.

4

100 ]0 HRISTART-METAL HALIDE.LAG 8. LEAD-LAG MERCURY.80r- __ -+~~4-~~~C~O~NT~I~NU~O~U~S--~ALFl~A~P~PR~O+V~ED~8~AL~LA~S~T=S

if)z'"~60r_--_T----;_----~~~-----r_--_+--~~~~:3_J-c~~r_--_T----;_----r_---r----r_~~~~+_--~?;If.20r_---+----;-----r_---r----r_---+----+_--~

HOURS 0, OPERATION (X 1000)Lumen Maintenance of 400-W l-Line Mult i-Vapor Lamps.

100


25/48

"2 !-UL'"AVIOL'r+"O .. '+"lu'---I--C'tE"--+VRjO""'""I------AEO-,~ 600_J n;0- I~ 500


26/48

3- MULTI-VAPOR LAMPS

approved mercury ballasts, they can deliver 50 to300%more light-with no increase in electric powerconsumption.See "Interchangeability of Ballasts," page 27 for

approved mercury ballast information.Although an I-line lamp has a shorter average life

than a comparable mercury lamp, it gives morelight throughout its operating life than a mercurylamp of the same wattage. This holds true becausethe l-Iine lamp provides much higher averageinitial lumens.The l-line lamps are intended for vertical burn-

ing (within 15), primarily in indoor industrialapplications. Lamps should not be burned in thehorizontal position. The 400-watt l-line lamp islimited to indoor service when used on a mercuryballast, since it requires an ambient temperature of50F minimum for reliable starting. Itcan also beused in lower ambient temperatures-for example,outdoors, but then a higher minimum open-circuitrms starting voltage is needed. In that case, the 1-line lamp should be used only with a metal-halideballast.See Lamp Performance Table on page 27 forminimum starting voltage requirements.

STANDARDMULTI-VAPOR LAMPSThe standard Multi-Vapor lamp design offers

several performance advantages over previous de-signs and other HID sources. Some of its mostimportant characteristics are: 1) Higher averageinitial lumens for the 1000-W lamps, 100,000 lu-mens for vertical burning and 98,000lumens avoforhorizontal burning, compared to 88,000lumens avofor vertical burning of the I-line lamp; 2) Goodcolor uniformity from lamp to lamp; 3) Better colorrendition compared to a mercury lamp; use of thephosphor-coated Multi-Vapor lamp allows evenbetter colorwith lower color temperature (Seepage41, for "color temperature" explanations); 4) Onlyminor change in color and lumen characteristicswith burning position.This design is the standard Multi-Vapor lamp

and is available in two sizes: 400 and 1000watts, inclear and phosphor-coated, and can be used in openfixtures for vertical burning ::!: 100 Enclosed fix-tures should beused for all other burning positions.Originally intended for outdoor applications, the

standard lamp can now be used in indoor commer-cial installations. Standard Multi-Vapor lamps ex-hibit color rendering characteristics that resembleCoolWhite fluorescent and are visually cooler thanDeluxe White mercury lamps. Using the phosphor-

26

coated lamp type provides a light source of evenhigher color rendering.The standard Multi-Vapor lamps should be used

with metal-halide ballasts only, although it is pos-sible to use a 1000-watt standard Multi-Vapor lampwith a 480-volt mercury reactor ballast that pro-vides 440 minimum open-circuit volts for starting.Such a ballast will start the lamp at temperaturesas low as OF. (See "Interchangeability of Bal-lasts," page 27.)

1500-WMULTI-VAPOR LAMPS

Besides the I-line and the standard Multi-Vaporlamps used for general lighting, General Electricmanufactures Multi-Vapor lamps of higher lightefficacy but lower average rated life for specialtyapplications.These lamps are rated at 1500watts and have alight output of 155,000lumens for vertical burningand 145,000 lumens for horizontal burning. Theiraverage rated life is 1500hours. After 500 and 1000hours ofoperation, they have average lumen main-tenance of95% and 91%of initial light, respectively,for horizontal operation.Refer to Performance Table on page 27 for com-

plete ratings. They are listed under ordering codesMVI500/HBU/E arid MVI500/HBD/E.These specialty Multi-Vapor lamps are for use in

enclosed fixtures only, and are designed for sportsarenas and stadiums where high light efficacy andoptical control are of primary importance. In suchinstallations, the lower rated life of the lamps is oflittle importance, because they operate for relative-ly fewhours each season and their life extends overmany years.

MULTI-VAPORLAMP BALLASTS

All GE Multi-Vapor lamps can be used withsuitable metal-halide ballasts, and some are inter-changeable with mercury lamps in certain existingmercury lamp installations. Standard Multi-Vaporlamps MV400/BUH or /BD are designed for usewith metal-halide ballasts only. All I-line lampsand the MV1000/BUH or I BD , MV15 00 /HBD /Eor /HBU/E lamps can be used with either metal-halide or certain mercury ballasts.In particular, replacing 400- and 1000-watt


27/48

MULTI-VAPOR LAMPS - SECTIO

INTERCHANGEABILITY OF BALLASTSMULTI-VAPOR LAMPORDERING CODE APPROVED MERCURY LAMP BALLAST"

MV400/BD/I and MV400/BU/I Single Lamp: Reactor ballast, or CW(or CWA) without peaking capacitor.Two Lamp: Lead-lag. Minimum ambient temperature: 50 F..Min imum open circu it RMSvoltage: 225 volts:MV 1000/ BU 1 I Same as400 watt above, except: Min imum ambient temperature: -20F_

Minimum open circuit RMS voltage: 400VMV400/BUH and MV/400/C/BUH None. MetalHalide ballast only.MV4001 BD and MV400 IC/ BD None. Metal HaIide ballast onIy.MVlOOO/ BUHand MVIOQOI CI BUH 480 V. Reactor bal la st. Minimum open ci rcuit RMS voltag~: 440 V_Minimum ambient temperature: 0 F.MVlOOO/BDand MVlQOO/C/BD 480 V.Reactor bal last. Min imum open circuit RMS voltage: 440 V.Minimum ambient temperature: QOF.MV150Q/HBU/E 480 V. Reactor baIlast. Min imum open circu it RMS voltage: 440 V.Minimum ambient temperature: - 20 F.MV1500/HBD/E 480 v. Reactor ballast. Minimum open circuit RMS voltage: 440 V.

Minimum ambient temperature: - 20" F.'See Mercury Ballasts on page 16 for description.

-ij'pr.,_Mi~i~qm,1 1 A ' l I . A w O L ~~mia L i I ' J r t M I .1 : 1 , 11 R M S l,mp R.lod IrJiliiill Mnn C.III" DvErallGH,.,p SlOrtlngo I U g e ' Op.,..II.! lila' L tm l l 3 l S 1 . 1 1 . . . . . . l"llI! Len~W'II' Orderi'lc' B u r n i n g P".i~ la-2CF O'F +SO.F V""ig. Bill pt " '1 Vortl 1 Hilruontal Vorti 1 ( i n . ' P I . ]400 MV400/BU/I "t-line" Burn 280 225 135 E37 15000 34000 - 26500' 7 115/16base UP(within:t 15 from vertical)MV400/BD/I "I-hne" Burn 280 -225 135 E37 15000 34000 - 26500' 7 11-5116base DOWN (within:t 15 from vertical)MV400/BUH and Base UPlo base 10' 382 135 E-37 10000' 34000 32000 27200 7 11-5/16MV400/Cf BUH BELOW horizontal. 26900Burn in enclosedf ix tu re if marethan 10 ' o ff vert ical .MV4oo/BO and Base DOWN to base 10 382 135 E-37 10000' 34000 - 27200 7 1I-5! 16MV400/C/BD BELOW horizontal. 26900Burn in enclosedfixture i f marethan 10 off vertical.

1000 MVIOOO/BU/I " I- line" Burn 400 265 BT56 10000 88000 - 70400 9-3/8 151116base UP(within15 ' f rom ver ticalMVIOOO/BUH and Base UP to base 10' 530 440 250' BT-56 10000' 100000 98000 80000 93/8 15-1/16MVlOOO/C/BU H BELOW horizontal. 79000Burn in enclosedf ixture if mo rethan 10 off vertical.MVlOOO/BD and Base DOWN to base 530 440 250' BT56 10000' 100000 - 80000 93/8 15-1116MVlooo/C/BD 10 BELOW horizontal. 79000Burn in enclosed

fixture if morethan 10 oft vertica I.1500 MVl500/HBUI E Base UP to base 15 440 280 BT56 1500 155000 145000 134900 9-3/8 15-1116BELOW horizontal. (Horiz.)Burn in enclosedfixtures only.

MVl5001 HBDIE Base DOWN to base 440 280 BT-56 1500 155000 145000 134900 93/8 15111615 ABOVE horizontal. (Horiz.)Bum in enclosedfixtures on Iy .

MULTI-VAPOR LAMP PERFORMANCE DATA

L All lamps have mGgul b~ se and clear tlnlsh except those wi!h!C in order code. whichindicale, phosphor coated.2, With bal la st which meets cur rent wave- fo rm requi rements.3_ At IO-Qf-more hour. pe r s tar t e xcept 1500 W lamp which is a\ 5 hours per start.Fo, 10to'l ratl~9s, see GE Lamp Ca1aloy. Form 9200.

4. With constant -wat tage (eW) Orconstant-wattage-aetotranstormer (CVlA) 26500 lumens forcontinuous operation. 20400 lUmens with 10 hours per star t.

5_ For vertical pos it ion. 245 vo lt s for honzon tal pos it ion.6. At vertical 30 position. All other pos it ions - 6000 hours.


28/48

3- MULTI-VAPQR LAMPS

, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,SE RI ES C A P.

A UT O-R EG UL AT OR B AL LA ST

L INEVOLTS

IL J

mercury lamps with l-line Multi-Vapor immediate-ly increases lighting levels from 50%to as much as300%,with no increase in wattage. First, however, itis necessary to check the fixture ballasts to makesure that they are acceptable.For the list of mercury ballasts approved for use

with Multi-Vapor lamps, refer to the Inter-changeability of Ballasts table, page 27.The metallic additives used in Multi-Vapor

lamps, due to the nature of their ionization phe-nomena, have two significant effects on the ballastrequirements, First, a higher ballast open-circuitvoltage is needed to start the arc at a specifiedtemperature. Second, a higher reignition voltage isneeded. During the warm-up cycle, a 'period of lowconduction of the arc occurs, and the reignitionvoltage needed to reestablish the arc each half cycleexceeds the sustaining voltage normally availablefrom a standard mercury ballast. I-line Multi-Vapor lamps are an exception since they are de-signed to operate on most mercury ballasts. Whenan unsuitable mercury ballast isused with a metal-halide lamp, this condition exists and the arc will beextinguished, the lamp will cool and restart, andcontinue to repeat this cycle. This condition wors-ens as the lamp ages and even though a mercuryballast may operate a new lamp satisfactorily,trouble usually starts after a fewthousand hours ofoperation.To overcome these deficiencies, a special ballast

type has been developed for the metal-halide lamp.This ballast is referred to as a "lead-peaked" or"peak-lead" ballast.The electrical circuit for this ballast is identical

to that of the mercury auto-regulator. The bigdifference is the magnetic circuit of the "peak-lead"

28

LAMP

baUast. Aportion of the core under the secondarywinding contains one ormore large slots, providinga localized restriction and saturation. This coreslotproduces a highly peaked wave shape of open-circuit voltage compared to the usual sine waveopen-circuit voltage of a mercury ballast. It isimportant to note that a mercury ballast with apeaking capacitor, even though it also provides apeaked open-circuit voltage, will not operate satis-factorily with a metal-halide lamp. The peakedvoltage disappears as soon as the 1amp fires,but thepresence ofthe capacitor connected across the lampcreates arc instability on warm-up, and cyclingresults,The core slot in the metal-halide ballast provides

a high-voltage peak for starting the lamp. It re-duces the rms value of the open-circuit voltage,which lessens the physical volt-ampere size of theballast. It provides a higher sustaining voltage tothe lamp sothat it will "ride-through" the warm-upionization deficiency without extinguishing thelamp. Itreduces the "off-time" of the lamp startingcurrent, the period during the current wave shapewhere the curren

Documents

GE High Intensity Discharge Brochure