Xenon lamps: features of use

The technology of using xenon to provide lighting appeared several years ago, but at the moment it occupies a fairly significant segment of the market. Xenon lamps for cars are ideal, due to their reliability and long life.

What it is

Xenon car lamps are a gas-discharge light source that provides a very bright glow, close to natural daylight. A feature of the work is the presence of xenon gas in a flask with an electric arc. In such a scheme, there is no need to use an incandescent thread, which can easily burn out due to a change in voltage.

For the operation of the HID lamp, a mixture of inert gases is used, which, when electric energy is transmitted, begin to emit light. Mercury vapors are also added to xenon, which provide the light source under high pressure.

The color of the light depends on the composition of the mixture. For example, xenon itself glows bright white, while a mixture with mercury vapor emits a colder, bluish glow. Therefore, variants with a mixture of gases are mainly used in medicine - they are great for sterilizing a room and ozonizing.

Xenon lamp advantages:

1. Longevity of work. The absence of an incandescent filament makes such lamps more durable than ordinary ones. In addition, they can be used in extreme working conditions, which is also a significant advantage. On average, a light source with a xenon mixture is replaced after 100,000 kilometers, but in most cases this indicator is very underestimated, and the lamps serve up to 200,000;
2. High brightness and light output. Xenon models have a light output of 2.5 times higher than halogen ones. Therefore, they are used to ensure the best visibility of the road at night. Such lamps are often called fog lamps, because even in the most shaded areas they can provide almost perfect lighting;

   

3. Natural low beam temperature. Halogen lamps, which are often used for car headlights, emit a yellowish glow, which is unusual for the human eye and may slightly distort visibility. Pi xenon glows when burning white, which increases the safety of the driver and pedestrian;
4. Low consumption of electric energy. The lamp uses no more than 30 watts of energy, which helps save battery. Also note the low load on the on-board computer during operation;
5. High rates of efficiency. For a standard incandescent lamp, the efficiency is 30%. Most of the incoming energy is converted to heat, but xenon emits a cold glow. This characteristic indicates not only the color of the light, but also the heating of the lighting device. More than half of the incoming power is aimed specifically at providing lighting.

The disadvantages include the high cost of the lamp, but it pays off by the savings in repair and durability of the device. Now the most popular models are Philips (Philips), they are considered the highest quality xenon lamps.

A small discomfort is the replacement of such a lamp. Considering that the pressure at which the lamp operates exceeds 25 atmospheres, during an emergency, its fragments can fly to a huge distance, causing harm in its path. Therefore, in most cases, the replacement of such light sources is carried out only by specialists who have special goggles and suits for such purposes.

Design and principle of operation

The xenon model of the lighting device consists of a glass bulb made of impact-resistant material and thorium-tungsten electrodes. The flask is made in most cases from quartz glass, which withstands the high pressure generated in the structure during operation. But in the market you can also find models from the more expensive sapphire. When flasks with different glass are working, the difference is visible, sapphire provides a cleaner light, brighter, while quartz has a lower bandwidth.

The electrodes are made of tungsten, which allows for a sufficiently strong arc between the contacts. To increase efficiency, they are coated with a special coating, mainly thorium or molybdenum. Also, metal plates reinforcing the arc are built into the electrodes. The electrodes themselves are made in the shape of a cone, which reduces the ignition time. On average, xenon burning begins a couple of milliseconds after the start of energy input to the contacts.

When the lamp is turned on, the plasma near the cathode begins to emit a glow. The current at two electrodes located at a short distance promotes the formation of an electric arc, which heats the gas-discharge mixture.

Video: comparison of LED lamps and Xenon

Using

Xenon discharge lamps are used not only for the car, they have a fairly wide range of uses. Depending on the design, they are:

1. Ball;
2. Ceramic
3. Tubular.

Xenon Ball received the greatest distribution, they are used for headlights. Their design is a small flask that is filled with xenon. The electrodes are at a very short distance.

Ceramic used in the pharmaceutical industry. Their feature is not only the use of a ceramic flask, but also the presence of a hole in it for ultraviolet light. Such a glow is used for therapeutic purposes, in particular, for the detection of fungal diseases of the skin or scalp.

Tubular are devices for providing light in residential premises. Their electrodes are located at a sufficiently large distance from each other, so a certain ballast is required for operation. A throttle circuit of a similar plan is used to provide illumination over large areas, often these are stations, warehouses and other industrial or public institutions.

Also, depending on the type of use, xenon lamps can have different socles (for example, for a car - H8 4300K, H4 5000K, there are also options H7, H3, HB4 and H11).

Specifications

Depending on the type and design of the lamps, the requirements for the parameters of the electrical network may vary. We offer to consider the most popular models and their characteristics:

Xenon tube-type lamps (cap D1S and D2S), MTF and Philips Original Plus brands:

MTF Light Active Night (night MTF)

Brightness, lm	3200
Power, W	35
Rated voltage	8
Glow temperature, K	6000
The distance between the electrodes, mm	4
Durability, h	2000

Philips Original:

Temperature, K	6500
Power, W	35
Brightness, lm	3400
Durability, h	3000
The distance between the electrodes, mm	4,2

You can buy xenon discharge lamps in any city in the CIS countries (Moscow, St. Petersburg and others), the price depends on the type and parameters of the device. We recommend that you study the catalog of well-known companies: Philips, Galaxy and others, because they provide a guarantee for their models.