US2280618A - Electric gaseous discharge device - Google Patents

Electric gaseous discharge device Download PDF

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Publication number
US2280618A
US2280618A US263763A US26376339A US2280618A US 2280618 A US2280618 A US 2280618A US 263763 A US263763 A US 263763A US 26376339 A US26376339 A US 26376339A US 2280618 A US2280618 A US 2280618A
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United States
Prior art keywords
tube
gas
mercury
amalgam
vapor
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Expired - Lifetime
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US263763A
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English (en)
Inventor
Besson Raoul
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General Electric Co
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General Electric Co
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Publication date
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/24—Means for obtaining or maintaining the desired pressure within the vessel
    • H01J61/28—Means for producing, introducing, or replenishing gas or vapour during operation of the lamp

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to electric gas eous discharge devices and particularly to those devices in which a critical mixture of gases or vapors is utilized to permit starting of a dis charge at a low potential.
  • a particular object of the invention is to provide means whereby such a critical mixture of gases may be maintained substantially constant throughout the life of the device.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide means to feed gas to a tube at a substantially constant rate to compensate for gas lost to the tube through the from an inspection of the accompanying drawing.
  • the invention consists in the new and novel combination of elements hereinafter set forth Discharge tubes with a gaseous atmosphere containing a rare main gas and a slight proportion of at' least one auxiliary rare gas or metal vapor, are well known.-
  • Discharge tubes with a gaseous atmosphere containing a rare main gas and a slight proportion of at' least one auxiliary rare gas or metal vapor, are well known.
  • auxiliary gas applies to the latter of-these two: gases; thus, in order to lower the starting potential of a discharge tube, there is added vto the main rare gas a trace of an auxiliary gas whose ionization potential is lower'than the excitation potential for the metastable state of the main gas.
  • auxiliary gas in order to lower the starting potential of a discharge tube, there is added vto the main rare gas a trace of an auxiliary gas whose ionization potential is lower'than the excitation potential for the metastable state of the main gas.
  • auxiliary gas in order to lower the starting potential of a discharge tube, there is added vto the main rare gas a trace of an auxiliary gas whose ionization potential is lower'than the excitation potential for the metastable state of the main gas.
  • xenon, krypton, argon, ormercury vapor in the case of a neon tube, one adds xenon, krypton, argon, ormercury vapor.
  • auxiliary gas it has been found that it is possible to overcome the disappearance of the auxiliary gas by placing the tube atmosphere in permanent contact with a body that retains auxiliary gas at the time of its introduction in thetube, and which, together with that auxiliary gas, brings about a system of. chemical divariant equilibrium, which admits as a gaseous phase, said gas or vapor.
  • the nongaseous phase of that system preferably consists, in the case of an auxiliary rare gas, of a silica gel, active carbon, alumina, or the. like, which has adsorbed that gas.
  • the nongaseous phase preferably'consistsof an alloy of suitable dissociation potential, especially zinc or tin amalgam, for instance with 10, per cent zinc or tin, if it is requiredto'lower the. starting-poten- .tial of .the. tube. it is preferably to prepare it by fusion, since the Wherea'n amalgam is used,
  • contact-type amalgam may permit a relatively important amount of free mercury to subsist, whose excessive tension would make the lumi lawn emission of, mercury predominant;
  • thepres'sure of equilibrium of the gas retaining body may .gb'e selected in such a way that the quantity of 'liberated'gas or vapor' v that iabsorbed in the will be slightly l ower ihan" 7 tube. durlng-operation.g
  • this speed is the higherwthe lower the gaseous pressure which intervenes in adsorbed xenon and this tends to re-establish continuously the xenon pressure, which otherthat equilibrium, and the higher the relative-- pressure variation due to the absorption in the tube of the auxiliary gaseous atmosphere.
  • Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show discharge devices con: taining amalgam, and represent various methods of arranging thatamalgam in the tube:
  • Fig. 4 shows a device utilizing an auxiliary rare gas.
  • the amalgam when used, the latter, which is represented at 3, may be placed in the sealing tube 2, of the discharge tube I, and outside (Fig. 1) or inside (Fig. 2) of this tube.
  • the amalgam may be also placed in a perforated glass ball 4, arranged within the tube (Fig. 3), or directly in the tube (not shown).
  • the only condition to be met is to avoid that the amalgam may lodge itself on the electrode, where, in view of the high temperature reigning there, it would be likely to become toorapidly dissociated. It is nevertheless possible to take even that case into consideration, when electrodes of large surface areas are used, provided the amalgam is placed at the far end of the electrode. In the case where the device is used for bringing about a reduction in the striking voltage, the following phenomena occur: At the start. the neon tube.
  • the neon tube which I have shown is provided with an appendix I which is closed within the tube by a very fine point 0, and which terminates at the other extremity by a stem I.
  • the carbon may be purged under vacuum, by suitable heating. After the carbon wise would decrease as time goes on. A few grams of carbon will insure a. sufficient pressure for several thousand operating hours.
  • An electric gaseous discharge device com-- prising -a sealed envelope containing a rare gas intermixed with a critically small percentage of another gaseous element having a lower ionizing potential than the metastable potential of the rare gas to lower the starting potential of said device and an additional supply of said gaseous element located out of the path of the discharge within said envelope and .bonded to another element in such a manner that its gaseous pressure is "reduced prior to the initiation of a discharge in said device,'to a value substantially equal to the partial pressure of the critically small percentage thereof required for lowering the starting potential of the device, the quantity of said gaseous element evolved from said bonded supply being less than the quantity thereof lost by clean-up during operation of the device whereby said device has the low starting potential characteristic of the gaseous mixture and emits light characteristic of the rare gas during operation.
  • An electric gaseous discharge device comprising a sealed envelope containing a principal gas intermixed with a critically small percentage of mercury vapor, the metastable potential of the principal gas being higher than the ionizing potential of the mercury vapor, said mercury vapor lowering the starting potential of said device, the partial pressure of said mercury vapor being less than that corresponding to mercury at room temperature, and an amalgam within said envelope at a point where it is not directly exposed to said discharge, the vapor pressure of the mercury in said amalgam being substantially equal to thepartial pressure of said mercury in the vapor-phase.
  • the quantity of mercury evolved from said amalgam being less than the quantity of mercury lost by clean-up during the operation of the device.-wherebysaid device has the low starting potential character-. istic of the gaseous mixture and emits light characteristic of the principal gas duringoperation.
  • xenon is introduced in 8 under a pressure of several mm. of mercury, after which the stem 1 is sealed.
  • the discharge tube is now closed in the well known manner and, the electrodes and the tube being thoroughly freed of gas, a high vacuum is produced in the tube by means of the evacuating stem I.
  • point I is broken in vacuum by any well known means (steel ball or high frequency), and one. adds the xenon, through pumping, into the tube, until the desired pressure is obtained (a few hundredths of a mm. if it is desired to' bring about a lowering of the starting potentiah a few tenths oi a mm. if.
  • An electric gaseous discharge device comprising a sealed envelope containing neon intermixed with a critically small percentage of mercury vapor, the partial pressure of said mercury cury at room temperature and an amalgam within said'envelope at a point where it is not directly exposed to said discharge, the vaporpressure of the mercury in said amalgam being substantially equal to the partial pressure of said mercury in the vapor phase prior to the initiation of a discharge in said device, the quantity" of mercury evolved from said amalgam being less than the quantity of mercury lost by clean-up during operation of the device, whereby the device has the low starting potential characteristic of the gaseous mixture and emits light characteristic of the neon during operation.

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  • Discharge Lamp (AREA)
  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
US263763A 1938-03-25 1939-03-23 Electric gaseous discharge device Expired - Lifetime US2280618A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH588707X 1938-03-25

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2280618A true US2280618A (en) 1942-04-21

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ID=4521985

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US263763A Expired - Lifetime US2280618A (en) 1938-03-25 1939-03-23 Electric gaseous discharge device

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US2280618A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE433316A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH217337A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE734790C (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR852066A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB588707A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
NL (1) NL53407C (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3025745A (en) * 1953-06-30 1962-03-20 Beckman Instruments Inc Method and apparatus for analyzing gases
US3331977A (en) * 1965-03-15 1967-07-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp High output discharge lamp with vapor pressure control means
US3373303A (en) * 1965-04-29 1968-03-12 Westinghouse Electric Corp Amalgam-containing fluorescent lamp with integral starting aid
US3504215A (en) * 1967-11-30 1970-03-31 Westinghouse Electric Corp Planar fluorescent lamp with integral amalgam type mercury-vapor pressure control component
US3675067A (en) * 1968-02-02 1972-07-04 Csf Optical resonance cell with means for regulating internal vapor pressure
US3688148A (en) * 1970-11-17 1972-08-29 Anatoly Stepanovich Fedorenko Amalgam housing means for a fluorescent lamp
US3855543A (en) * 1972-02-21 1974-12-17 Philips Corp Device for producing stimulated infrared emission
US3898720A (en) * 1972-09-28 1975-08-12 Westinghouse Electric Corp Method of providing a fluorescent lamp stem with an integral mercury-vapor pressure regulating means
US4020378A (en) * 1972-09-28 1977-04-26 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Integral mercury-vapor pressure regulating means for fluorescent lamp
US4145634A (en) * 1978-02-17 1979-03-20 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Fluorescent lamp having integral mercury-vapor pressure control means
US4393325A (en) * 1979-08-15 1983-07-12 U.S. Philips Corporation Low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp with mercury amalgam
US20070216308A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
US20070216282A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1086804B (de) * 1958-04-29 1960-08-11 Patra Patent Treuhand Elektrische Quecksilberniederdruckentladungslampe, insbesondere Leuchtstofflampe
NL7903285A (nl) * 1979-04-26 1980-10-28 Philips Nv Ontladingslamp.
NL7903286A (nl) * 1979-04-26 1980-10-28 Philips Nv Ontladingsbuis.

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3025745A (en) * 1953-06-30 1962-03-20 Beckman Instruments Inc Method and apparatus for analyzing gases
US3331977A (en) * 1965-03-15 1967-07-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp High output discharge lamp with vapor pressure control means
US3373303A (en) * 1965-04-29 1968-03-12 Westinghouse Electric Corp Amalgam-containing fluorescent lamp with integral starting aid
US3504215A (en) * 1967-11-30 1970-03-31 Westinghouse Electric Corp Planar fluorescent lamp with integral amalgam type mercury-vapor pressure control component
US3675067A (en) * 1968-02-02 1972-07-04 Csf Optical resonance cell with means for regulating internal vapor pressure
US3688148A (en) * 1970-11-17 1972-08-29 Anatoly Stepanovich Fedorenko Amalgam housing means for a fluorescent lamp
US3855543A (en) * 1972-02-21 1974-12-17 Philips Corp Device for producing stimulated infrared emission
US3898720A (en) * 1972-09-28 1975-08-12 Westinghouse Electric Corp Method of providing a fluorescent lamp stem with an integral mercury-vapor pressure regulating means
US4020378A (en) * 1972-09-28 1977-04-26 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Integral mercury-vapor pressure regulating means for fluorescent lamp
US4145634A (en) * 1978-02-17 1979-03-20 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Fluorescent lamp having integral mercury-vapor pressure control means
US4393325A (en) * 1979-08-15 1983-07-12 U.S. Philips Corporation Low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp with mercury amalgam
US20070216308A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
US20070216282A1 (en) * 2006-03-16 2007-09-20 Kiermaier Ludwig P Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury
US7288882B1 (en) 2006-03-16 2007-10-30 E.G.L. Company Inc. Lamp electrode and method for delivering mercury

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB588707A (en) 1947-06-02
FR852066A (fr) 1940-01-23
DE734790C (de) 1943-04-24
BE433316A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
NL53407C (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH217337A (fr) 1941-10-15

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