US3087083A

US3087083A - Vapor lamp and radiator

Info

Publication number: US3087083A
Application number: US85792A
Authority: US
Inventors: Katz Leonhard
Original assignee: Astro Dynamics Inc
Current assignee: Astro Dynamics Inc
Priority date: 1961-01-30
Filing date: 1961-01-30
Publication date: 1963-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1980-04-23

Description

April 23, 1963 L. KATZ 7 3,087,083

VAPOR LAMP AND RADIATOR Filed Jan. 50, 1961 IN V EN TOR.

leawarof I 42 United States Patent 3,087,083 VAPOR LAMP AND RADIATOR Leonhard Katz, Woburn, Mass., assignor to Astro Dynamics, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Jan. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 85,792 1 Claim. (Cl. 313-44) 4 While this invention is applicable to any lamp contaming material which has to be vaporized in use, it is particularly applicable to mercury vapor lamps of the high output type which have a heater in each end to vaporize the mercury while in use. Ordinarily these lamps contain argon or other inert gas in addition to the mercury. Owing to their high output these lamps tend to overheat, which reduces their efficiency.

Objects of the present invention are to prevent overheating of the lamps and to cause them to operate at maximum efliciency, without substantially obstructing the emission of light. Other objects are to provide a cooling device which is simple and economical in construction and which can be applied to a lamp quickly and easily.

The present invention involves the combination of a tube containing mercury or the like, a heater in the tube to vaporize the mercury and cooling means juxtaposed to the tube to maintain a limited area of the interior of the tube at a low temperature, thereby to limit the vapor pressure of the mercury in the tube. Preferably the tube is elongate and has a heater in each end and the cooling means is located intermediate the heaters. In the preferred embodiment the cooling means comprises a metal radiator fitting over the tube. Preferably the radiator comprises a ring having a narrow annular surface bearing on the tube, the ring being wider than the surface and having a plurality of fins on its outer surface to radiate heat, the ring being split and having a diameter slightly less than the outside of the tube so as yieldingly to bear on the tube.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is aside elevation;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a section on line 44 of FIG. 3,

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration comprises an elongate glass tube 1 having at each end a re-entrant portion 2, a cap '3, a ring 4 for holding the cap on the tube, a heating filament 5 supported on conductors 6 and 7, a metal disk 8 having openings to receive the conductors 6 and 7, the disk being fast to the conductor 7 at 9 and being insulated from the conductor 6 by means of a circular insulator 1'0, and

contacts

11 and 12 mounted on the cap 3 and connected to the conductors 6 and 7. This is a standard tube made and sold by Sylvania Corporation under the designation Powertube F48T12-CW-VHO.

According to this invention a metal ring 13 is slipped over the tube from one end. Extending around the inside of the ring is an annular rib 15 and projecting outwardly from the ring are fins 16 to radiate heat. The ring is split at 14 and the diameter of the surface of rib 15 is slightly less than that of the tube so that the rib is pressed yieldingly against the tube to make good contact with the tube and hold the ring in position on the tube.

For maximum efficiency of the aforesaid tube the heat radiated should be only enough to keep one spot of the tube at a temperature approximately 40 C. in an ambient of 25 C. which will control the vapor pressure of the mercury at the desired level. When the ring is made of aluminum the rib 15 should be about one-eighth inch wide and the other dimensions in proportion.

It should be understood that the present invention is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

For use with a tubular mercury vapor lamp, a split ring radiator comprising a split ring body part having on its inner surface a circumferential band of reduced area, and, on the outer surface of the ring body, a plurality of disk-shaped fins which are coaxial with the ring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,897,586 Pirani Feb. 14, 1933 1,924,368 McCullough Aug. 29, 1933 2,966,602 Waymouth Dec. 27, 1960