Xenon Lamps are primarily classified into two categories. These two categories are the Xenon Arc Lamp and the Xenon Flash Lamp. In this article we shall discuss some of the characteristics and the functioning of these two categories of Xenon lamps. First we shall talk about the Xenon Arc Lamp.
The Xenon Arc Lamp is a source of artificial light. The Xenon Arc Lamp works on the power provided by electricity. Ionized xenon gas is utilized in the Xenon Arc Lamp for generating a brilliant white light which bears a resemblance to natural daylight.
Xenon Arc Lamps can be classified into two sub categories: the Continuous Output Xenon Short Arc lamps and Continuous Output Xenon Long Arc Lamps. Both these categories consist of an arc tube which is made out of glass or fused quartz. At each end of this tube are located metal electrodes made out of tungsten. The glass tube is initially emptied and then once again filled with xenon gas.
Xenon Arc Lamps were first produced in Germany in the 1940s. They were introduced into the markets in 1951 by Osram. There are two distinct varieties of Xenon lamps on the basis of the gas being utilized. The first category makes use of only pure Xenon gas. The second category makes use of a mixture of xenon and small quantities of mercury.
Xenon Arc Lamps make use of a low voltage Direct Current. They have a negative temperature coefficient. In 1991 the introduction of xenon headlamps in cars led to the widespread use of xenon lamps. In xenon long arc lamps the tube of glass is elongated and hence the arc is longer. Let us now discuss the workings of the Xenon Flash Lamps.
Xenon Flash Lamps discharge an electric glow. The lamps are designed in such a manner that they are able to produce intense, often disjointed portions of white light for limited periods of time. Xenon Flash Lamps consist of a sealed tube which is most often constructed out of fused quartz. The sealed tube consists of a mixture of gases. Out of these gases, the largest portion is that of the Xenon gas.
There are electrodes which work at carrying the electric current to the mixture of gases. A requirement of Xenon Flash Lamps is a source of power with high voltage. This high voltage power source is used to energize the mixture of gases. A capacitor with charge is used for the purpose of providing energy to the gaseous mixture. The tube which is mostly made out of glass can be straight or can also be built by bending it in a variety of other shapes. Some of the common shapes are the helical shape, the "U" shaped tube and the circular shape. There are electrodes projecting out of both ends of the tube. The capacitor is charged with a relatively high current of 250 to 2000 volts. A flash of light is begun by ionizing the mixture of gases and further amplified by transferring a great amount of current through the ionized gas.
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Tom Dahne
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