US3204147A - Spark discharge lamp having a predetermined ratio between the cross-section of the electrodes and the inner surface of the tube - Google Patents

Spark discharge lamp having a predetermined ratio between the cross-section of the electrodes and the inner surface of the tube Download PDF

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Publication number
US3204147A
US3204147A US122843A US12284361A US3204147A US 3204147 A US3204147 A US 3204147A US 122843 A US122843 A US 122843A US 12284361 A US12284361 A US 12284361A US 3204147 A US3204147 A US 3204147A
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spark
discharge
electrodes
spark gap
vessel
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US122843A
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English (en)
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Frungel Frank
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Individual
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Individual
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Priority claimed from DEF31616A external-priority patent/DE1122168B/de
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01T—SPARK GAPS; OVERVOLTAGE ARRESTERS USING SPARK GAPS; SPARKING PLUGS; CORONA DEVICES; GENERATING IONS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO NON-ENCLOSED GASES
    • H01T2/00—Spark gaps comprising auxiliary triggering means
    • H01T2/02—Spark gaps comprising auxiliary triggering means comprising a trigger electrode or an auxiliary spark gap

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns spark discharge lamps, and particularly a type of lamp which is extremely useful for emitting light signals for the purpose of measuring visibility under varying atmospheric conditions and for determining the existence of fog in the atmosphere.
  • a spark discharge lamp having a gas-filled transparent bulb and a pair of spark electrodes spaced from each other to form a spark gap which increases gradually by disintegration of the electrode material under the action of repeated spark discharges, the disintegrated electrode material being dispersed and deposited as a substantially uniform layer on the inner surface of the transparent bulb, is characterized, according to the invention, in that the ratio between the cross-section of the electrodes and the inner surface of the bulb is such that the reduction of light permeability of the bulb by the deposited layer of electrode material is compensated by the increase of light output of the spark discharge which increase is caused by the increase of the spark gap by the disintegration of electrode material, whereby the amount of the light emitted from the lamp by consecutive spark discharges therein is maintained substantially constant in spite of increasing thickness of the layer of electrode material deposited on the inner surface of the bulb.
  • the circuit shown in the drawing is of a conventional type and comprises a source of high voltage energy 1 which is connected incircuit with an impulse capacitor 2 for charging the latter.
  • a spark discharge lamp 4 is connected in parallel with the capacitor 2 by short leads 3 having low inductivity.
  • the spark discharge lamp 4 comprises a transparent bulb shown in section and made of hard glass or quartz, a filling of gas 7, and at least two spark electrodes 5. In certain special cases it is advisable to provide also a separate igniting electrode 6.
  • the gas filling 7 should be one of the heavier rare gases because hereby the duration of the desired performance of the lamp according to the invention is prolonged.
  • the rare gas should be chosen so that it would not attack the electrode material.
  • An impulse discharge lamp as described and shown may be operated in the illustrated circuit for instance at a rate of 5 to 10 spark discharges per second.
  • the circuit contains no separate or additional compensating or regulating devices.
  • As high voltage energy is applied to the capacitor 2 the latter is charged, and as soon as the potential at the capacitor reaches the breakdown potential of the spark gap between the electrodes 5, the capacitor 2 discharges across the spark gap and pro Jerusalems the desired spark.
  • the spark gap is determined by a spacing d between the tips of the electrodes 5, the corresponding breakdown voltage is E and the resulting output of light is L, then the increase of the spark gap to a dimension al will result in an increased breakdown volt age E and in a corresponding increased light output L This may be expressed by the following equation:
  • the 50% absorption of light is to be compensated by a corresponding 50% increase of light emission from the spark.
  • This condition is met if the initial spark gap is 8.4 mm. because, with a gas filling of Xenon at normal atmospheric pressure, an initial breakdown or spark voltage of 3 kv. rises to 3.7 kv. when the spark gap has grown to 10.4 mm.
  • the variables to be selected in this manner are the cross-section of the electrodes 5 and the area of the inner surface of the bulb.
  • the electrode material disintegrated during an increase of the spark gap from d to d must be equal to the material deposited as a layer of the thickness 2 on the inner surface A of the bulb. This is expressed by the equation:
  • Equation q represents the cross-section of the electrodes 5.
  • these electrodes are, at least in the neighborhood of their tips, preferably cylindrical or prismatic. However, even if they are conical or pyramidal the result is not substantially different.
  • the size of the bulb i.e. the size of its inner surface area can be chosen depending upon the electrode cross-section q, :or the cross-section q can be chosen depending upon a given inner surface area A of the bulb.
  • the capacitor 2 is constituted by a condenser battery of 30,000 pf. which is connected 'by conductors 3 having an inductivity of only about .1 ,uH with a discharge lamp filled with Xenon at 1 atm. and having an inner surface area of 48 cm. or 4,800 mm.
  • the material of the electrodes 5 is tungsten and their cross-section is 1.2 mm.
  • the arrangement above described may be advantageously supplemented by scattering mirrors which, as is well-known, compensate the shimmying behaviour of the spark which do not remain always in line with the common axis of the electrodes so that an integration of a plurality of sparks, otherwise necessary in certain measuring procedures for obtaining a uniform measured value, is rendered unnecessary.
  • the absorption factor kt would be in this case 75%. Therefore, the experimenter would recognize that the absorption has increased 75% while the output of light has increased only 38%. From this he can draw the conclusion that the design of the lamp has to be changed either by reducing the cross-section q from 1.2 to .6 mm. or by increasing the inner surface area A to 4800 mm. because in either case the thickness of the deposit layer would be correspondingly reduced and the absorption would become equal to the increase of light output as shown in the above chart.
  • the filling gas should be so selected that the ions formed with every spark discharge do not react chemically with the electrode material.
  • Argon ions are as active as atomic chlorine and attack strongly the electrode material as for instance tungsten, While Xenon ions correspond approximately to Iodine and therefore attack the electrode material to a much lesser degree. This results in a reduction of the disintegration of the electrode material.
  • the high voltage supply apparatus should have a hyperbolic characteristic so that always the product of current and voltage is constant.
  • the advantage of such an arrangement is that the discharge vessel or bulb remains always uniformly sub jected to heat input irrespective of an increase in the spark voltage.
  • spark discharge lamp is of particular advantage and usefulness in the determination of visibility under various atmospheric conditions, this type of lamp is quite as well useful in all other fields of photometry.
  • a spark discharge lamp having a gas-filled transparent bulb and a pair of spark electrodes spaced from each other to form a spark gap which increases gradually by disintegration of the electrode material under the action of repeated spark discharges, the disintegrated electrode material being dispersed and deposited as a substantially uniform layer on the inner surface of the transparent bulb, characterized in that the ratio between the crosssection of the electrodes and the inner surface of the bulb is such that the reduction of light permeability of the bulb by the deposited layer of electrode material is compensated by the increase of light output of the spark discharge 6 which increase is caused by the increase of the spark gap by the disintegration of electrode material, whereby the amount of light emitted from the lamp by consecutive spark discharges therein is maintained substantially constant in spite of increasing thickness of the layer of electrode material deposited on the inner surface of the bulb.
  • a spark discharge lamp according to claim 2 Wherein the bulb is filled with a rare gas which, even when ionized by spark discharges, is incapable of reacting chemically with the electrode material.
  • a spark light system comprising, in combination, a transparent wall discharge vessel filled with .a gaseous medium and having a predetermined inner surface area; spark gap means arranged within said vessel and including electrodes of predetermined cross-section and spaced from each other to form a spark gap of a predetermined starting dimension which gradually increases du to disintegration of said electrodes under the action :of repeated spark discharges, said electrodes being made of a material chemically unaffected by said gaseous medium; and discharge circuit means including a discharge condenser connected with said spark gap means, the inductance of said discharge circuit means in combination with said spark gap means establishing a predetermined discharge characteristic causing emission of non-oscillating light flashes when said condenser is dis-charged across said spark gap means, said discharge characteristic being so chosen that the ratio between the discharge energy of said discharge condenser and said inner surface area of said vessel predetermines the rate of formation, on said inner surface area, of a layer of electrode material resulting from said electrode disintegration and thus causing
  • a spark light system comprising, in combination, a transparent wall discharge vessel filled with a gaseous medium and having a predetermined inner surface area; spark gap means arranged Within said vessel and including electrodes of predetermined cross-section and spaced from each other to form a spark gap of a predetermined starting dimension which gradually increases due to disintegration of said electrodes under the action of repeated spark discharges, said electrodes being made of a material chemically unaffected by said gaseou medium; discharge circuit means including a discharge condenser connected with said spark gap means, the inductance of said discharge circuit means in combination with said spark gap .
  • discharge characteristic being so chosen that the ratio between the discharge energy of said discharge condenser and said inner surface area of said vessel predetermines the rate of formation, on said inner surface area, of a layer of electrode material resulting from said electrode disintegration and thus causing a gradually

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US122843A 1960-07-08 1961-07-10 Spark discharge lamp having a predetermined ratio between the cross-section of the electrodes and the inner surface of the tube Expired - Lifetime US3204147A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DEF31616A DE1122168B (de) 1960-07-08 1960-07-08 Funkenentladungslampe mit konstanter Lichtemission, insbesondere fuer Sichtweiten-Messung und Nebelwarngeraete, und Ladegeraet fuer ihren Betrieb

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Publication Number Publication Date
US3204147A true US3204147A (en) 1965-08-31

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US122843A Expired - Lifetime US3204147A (en) 1960-07-08 1961-07-10 Spark discharge lamp having a predetermined ratio between the cross-section of the electrodes and the inner surface of the tube

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US (1) US3204147A (fr)
BE (1) BE605847A (fr)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2682007A (en) * 1951-01-11 1954-06-22 Hanovia Chemical & Mfg Co Compact type electrical discharge device
US2774013A (en) * 1949-04-07 1956-12-11 Gen Electric Electric discharge lamp

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2774013A (en) * 1949-04-07 1956-12-11 Gen Electric Electric discharge lamp
US2682007A (en) * 1951-01-11 1954-06-22 Hanovia Chemical & Mfg Co Compact type electrical discharge device

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BE605847A (fr) 1961-11-03

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