US3806747A - Sodium vapor lamp having an improved grooved alumina arc tube - Google Patents

Sodium vapor lamp having an improved grooved alumina arc tube Download PDF

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Publication number
US3806747A
US3806747A US00339326A US33932673A US3806747A US 3806747 A US3806747 A US 3806747A US 00339326 A US00339326 A US 00339326A US 33932673 A US33932673 A US 33932673A US 3806747 A US3806747 A US 3806747A
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United States
Prior art keywords
lamp
arc tube
heater
shoulders
groove
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00339326A
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English (en)
Inventor
A Zack
B Kopelman
J Mckenna
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
GTE Sylvania Inc
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GTE Sylvania Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by GTE Sylvania Inc filed Critical GTE Sylvania Inc
Priority to US00339326A priority Critical patent/US3806747A/en
Priority to FR7347109A priority patent/FR2220872B1/fr
Priority to CA190,769A priority patent/CA1006901A/en
Priority to GB577574A priority patent/GB1437915A/en
Priority to DE19742410398 priority patent/DE2410398C3/de
Priority to BE2053461A priority patent/BE812028A/xx
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3806747A publication Critical patent/US3806747A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • H01J61/52—Cooling arrangements; Heating arrangements; Means for circulating gas or vapour within the discharge space
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/54—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting
    • H01J61/541—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting using a bimetal switch
    • H01J61/544—Igniting arrangements, e.g. promoting ionisation for starting using a bimetal switch and an auxiliary electrode outside the vessel

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT US. 313/15, 313/180, 313/220,
  • the alumina arc tube of a high pressure sodium vapor 313/229, 313/344 arc discharge lamp has a spiral grove formed by raised [51] Int. H01j 7/24 shoulders on the outer surface thereof.
  • a refractory 313/15, 25, 27, 180, 184, metal wire heater is wound around the arc tube and 313/220, 225, 228, 229, 344 seated in the groove in order to maintain uniform spacing between the turns of the heater throughout the life of the lamp.
  • high pressure sodium vapor lamps have become commercially useful, especially for outdoor lighting applications, because of their high efficiency, generally in excess of 100 lumens per watt.
  • the sodium operating vapor pressure in such lamps can vary from several millimeters to about 1000 millimeters Hg.
  • Such lamps are called high pressure in order to distinguish them from low pressure sodium vapor lamps in which the sodium operating vapor pressure is in the order of a few microns.
  • Low pressure sodium lamps have been in use for about thirty or forty years, but, although efficient, they produce an unattractive monochromatic yellow light. The color of light from high pressure sodium lamps is considerably improved over that from low pressure sodium lamps.
  • High pressure sodium lamps generally comprise an alumina ceramic arc tube and an arc tube fill of sodium, mercury and an inert gas. Examples of such lamps are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos: 3,248,590; 3,384,798; 3,448,319; 3,453,477; 3,485,343; 3,519,406; 3,521,108; 3,558,963 and 3,622,217.
  • One of the problems of high pressure sodium arc discharge lamps relates to the starting thereof. Such lamps require a considerably higher starting voltage to initiate an arc discharge than do other types of arc discharge lamps, such as fluorescent, mercury or metal halide. This higher starting voltage requirement necessitates the use of a special ballast for high pressure sodium lamps.
  • a simpler more economical ballasting arrangement becomes quite practicable and, in fact, conventional mercury lamp ballasts can often be used with the lamps of this invention. This permits, in many cases, direct replacement of such mercury lamps by high pressure sodium lamps of this invention without any changes in the mercury lamp ballasts or fixtures.
  • a high pressure sodium vapor lamp in accordance with this invention comprises an alumina arc tube having electrodes at its ends and containing a fill including sodium, mercury and an inert gas.
  • a wire wound heater is disposed in heat transfer relationship with the arc tube in order to effect a substantial reduction in arc tube ignition voltage, as shown in co-pending application Ser. No. 214,000 filed December 30, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,914, assigned to the instant assignee, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a lamp in accordance with this invention.
  • FIG. 2 is an expanded sectional view of the arc tube of the lamp of FIG. 1.
  • a high pressure sodium vapor lamp in accordance with this invention comprises an outer glass envelope 1 which can be of elongated ovoid shape, such as is commonly used in high pressure sodium lamps, or of bulbous shape, such as is commonly used in mercury vapor and metal halide lamps.
  • the neck of the envelope is closed by a reentrant stem 2 having a press 3 through which extend stiff lead-in wires 4,5 connected at their outer ends to a threaded shell 6 and center contact 7 of a conventional screw base.
  • alumina arc tube 8 Disposed within envelope 1 is an alumina arc tube 8, having raised shoulders 30 forming grooves 21, sealed at its lower end by niobium end cap 9 and at its upper end by niobium end cap 10.
  • Niobium tubes 11,12 are brazed or welded to end caps 9,10 and are used to support are tube 8 as well as to conduct current to electrodes 13,14 within the arc tube.
  • one of the niobium tubes serves as an exhaust tube during manufacture and is used to introduce a fill including an inert gas (e.g. argon or xenon), sodium and mercury into the arc tube, after which the niobium tube is sealed, such as by a cold weld.
  • an inert gas e.g. argon or xenon
  • Arc tube 8 is supported within envelope 1 by a structure consisting of side support wire 15, vertical support wire 16, metal strap 17 and horizontal metal strap 18. Support wire 15 is welded to lead-in wire 5, support wire 16 is welded to wire 15, strap 17 is welded to wire 16, strap 18 is welded to strap 17 and strap 18 is connected to upper niobium tube 12. Electrical connection between lead-in wire 5 and upper electrode 14 is established by said structure.
  • arc tube 8 The lower end of arc tube 8 is supported by metal strap 19 which is connected between niobium tube 11 and support wire 20, with support wire 20 being welded to lead-in wire 4. Electrical connection is also established thereby between lead-in wire 4 and lower electrode 13.
  • Encircling arc tube 8 and seated in groove 21 is a wire wound heater 22 of the type disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 214,000.
  • the upper and lower ends of heater 22 are electrically connected, re spectively, to the lower and upper electrodes in order to further reduce the lamp starting voltage, as disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 266,294, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,846.
  • the upper end of heater 22 is connected to a wire 23 which is embedded in glass rod 24.
  • Glass rod 24 is supported from side wire by two wires 25 which are welded to side wire 15 and embedded in glass rod 24.
  • Also embedded in glass rod 24 is another wire 26 one end of which is connected to support wire by a thin wire 27.
  • a U shaped bimetallic switch 28 makes electrical connection between wire 23 and wire 26. The result of this electrical arrangement is that the voltage applied to lower electrode 13 is also applied to the upper end of heater 22.
  • Switch 28 has a predetermined opening temperature which exceeds the temperature at which arc tube ignition occurs. Upon opening switch 28, heater 22 is electrically removed from the circuit.
  • heater 22 is electrically connected to side support wire 15 by a similar arrangement of wires 23, 25' and 26, glass rod 24' and switch 28'.
  • Switch 28' also opens after arc tube ignition to electrically isolate heater 22.
  • side wire 15 Attached to the upper and lower ends of side wire 15 are spring fingers 31 which press against the interior wall of envelope 1 and provide increased support for the arc tube. Also disposed on the lower end of side wire 15 are ring getters 29, since envelope 1 contains a vacuum to reduce arc tube heat losses.
  • the mold for the cylindrical tube is made of a hard rubbery material, such as polyurethane, and is itself a thick walled cylinder.
  • recessed spiral grooves On the inner surface of the mold there are recessed spiral grooves, the purpose of which is to form raised shoulders on arc tube 8.
  • said recessed spiral grooves are radiused; this results in radiused shoulders 30 on arc tube 8, groove 21 being the channel between shoulders 30.
  • a metal rod the purpose of which is form the bore of arc tube 8 is axially positioned within the mold and the space between the rod and mold is filled with alumina powder. Vibrating is used to ensure thorough filling, especially in the grooves of the mold. After isostatic pressing, the cylindrical tube of pressed alumina powder is removed from the mold. There is sufficient shrinkage of the powder during pressing so that the raised shoulders easily clear the inside diameter of the mold. For example, for an arc tube used in a 130 volt 360 watt lamp, the inside diameter of the mold was 585 mils and the depth of the grooves was 30 mils. The outside diameter of the pressed alumina tube was 474 mils and the height of the raised shoulders was about 20 to 25 mils.
  • the pressed alumina tube was fired at 1050C for 1% hours. Maximum densification and strength was then obtained by firing the alumina tube at l700C., which shrank the diameter of the arc tube to 350 mils and the height of the raised shoulders to 16 mils. The tube was then cut to an accurate length. The wall thickness of arc tube 8 was 31 mils.
  • heater 20 which in this example was a coiled coil made of 4880 mm of 2% mil tungsten wire having a primary coiled diameter of 17 mils, was wound between a pair of parallel raised shoulders 30 which formed groove 21.
  • the width of each shoulder 30 was about 20 mils, the space between shoulders was 26 mils and the height of each shoulder was 16 mils.
  • the arc length or distance between electrodes 13 and 14 of this lamp was 3 7/16 inches.
  • the depth of the groove should be greater than about 60 percent of the secondary diameter of the heater wire.
  • heater 20 consumed about watts of power and heated arc tube 8 to are ignition in about two minutes.
  • a high pressure sodium vapor lamp comprising: a glass envelope; an alumina arc tube disposed within said envelope and having electrodes sealed therein at the ends thereof and containing a filling including sodium, mercury and an inert gas, said are tube having a spiral groove formed by raised shoulders on its outer surface extending from about one electrode to the other, the shoulders defining said groove being raised above the outer surface of said are tube; and a heater of refractory metal wire wrapped around said are tube and seated in said groove.

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  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
US00339326A 1973-03-08 1973-03-08 Sodium vapor lamp having an improved grooved alumina arc tube Expired - Lifetime US3806747A (en)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00339326A US3806747A (en) 1973-03-08 1973-03-08 Sodium vapor lamp having an improved grooved alumina arc tube
FR7347109A FR2220872B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-03-08 1973-12-28
CA190,769A CA1006901A (en) 1973-03-08 1974-01-23 Sodium vapor lamp having an improved grooved alumina arc tube
GB577574A GB1437915A (en) 1973-03-08 1974-02-07 Sodium vapour lamps
DE19742410398 DE2410398C3 (de) 1973-03-08 1974-03-05 Hochdrucknatriumdampf entladungslampe mit einer in einem Außenkolben angeordneten Entladungsrohre aus Aluminiumoxyd
BE2053461A BE812028A (fr) 1973-03-08 1974-03-08 Lampe a vapeur de sodium dotee d'un tube d'alumine a arc rainure et ameliore

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00339326A US3806747A (en) 1973-03-08 1973-03-08 Sodium vapor lamp having an improved grooved alumina arc tube

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3806747A true US3806747A (en) 1974-04-23

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US00339326A Expired - Lifetime US3806747A (en) 1973-03-08 1973-03-08 Sodium vapor lamp having an improved grooved alumina arc tube

Country Status (5)

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US (1) US3806747A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE812028A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA1006901A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2220872B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1437915A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0258829A3 (de) * 1986-09-05 1989-11-29 Patent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft für elektrische Glühlampen mbH Hochdruckentladungslampe und Verfahren zum Betrieb
FR2649827A1 (fr) * 1989-07-13 1991-01-18 Sodern Dispositif de chauffage d'un tube d'alumine et tube a decharge muni d'un tel dispositif
US20070108912A1 (en) * 2005-11-16 2007-05-17 Leonard James A Device for containing arc tube ruptures in lamps
EP2034510A4 (en) * 2006-05-26 2009-10-21 Iwasaki Electric Co Ltd SOURCE LIGHT DEVICE

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4437039A (en) * 1978-10-03 1984-03-13 North American Philips Electric Corp. Starting arrangement for high-intensity-discharge sodium lamp

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2765416A (en) * 1953-09-24 1956-10-02 Westinghouse Electric Corp Vapor lamps utilizing chemical compounds
US3439209A (en) * 1965-08-28 1969-04-15 Philips Corp Positive column gas discharge lamp employing an alloy of two metals with impedance-free terminal connections
US3721846A (en) * 1972-06-26 1973-03-20 Gte Sylvania Inc Sodium vapor lamp having improved starting means including a heater
US3746914A (en) * 1971-12-30 1973-07-17 Gte Sylvania Inc Arc discharge tube with surrounding starting coil
US3757159A (en) * 1972-07-17 1973-09-04 Gte Sylvania Inc Sodium vapor lamp having improved starting means
US3757158A (en) * 1972-06-23 1973-09-04 Gte Sylvania Inc Sodium vapor lamp having a grooved alumina arc tube

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2765416A (en) * 1953-09-24 1956-10-02 Westinghouse Electric Corp Vapor lamps utilizing chemical compounds
US3439209A (en) * 1965-08-28 1969-04-15 Philips Corp Positive column gas discharge lamp employing an alloy of two metals with impedance-free terminal connections
US3746914A (en) * 1971-12-30 1973-07-17 Gte Sylvania Inc Arc discharge tube with surrounding starting coil
US3757158A (en) * 1972-06-23 1973-09-04 Gte Sylvania Inc Sodium vapor lamp having a grooved alumina arc tube
US3721846A (en) * 1972-06-26 1973-03-20 Gte Sylvania Inc Sodium vapor lamp having improved starting means including a heater
US3757159A (en) * 1972-07-17 1973-09-04 Gte Sylvania Inc Sodium vapor lamp having improved starting means

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0258829A3 (de) * 1986-09-05 1989-11-29 Patent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft für elektrische Glühlampen mbH Hochdruckentladungslampe und Verfahren zum Betrieb
FR2649827A1 (fr) * 1989-07-13 1991-01-18 Sodern Dispositif de chauffage d'un tube d'alumine et tube a decharge muni d'un tel dispositif
US20070108912A1 (en) * 2005-11-16 2007-05-17 Leonard James A Device for containing arc tube ruptures in lamps
EP2034510A4 (en) * 2006-05-26 2009-10-21 Iwasaki Electric Co Ltd SOURCE LIGHT DEVICE

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CA1006901A (en) 1977-03-15
FR2220872A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-10-04
BE812028A (fr) 1974-09-09
FR2220872B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1977-06-10
GB1437915A (en) 1976-06-03

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