High Intensity Discharge Lamps Information on GlobalSpec

High intensity discharge lamps contain compact arc tubes, which enclose various gases and metal salts. They operate at relatively high pressures and temperatures. High intensity discharge (HID) is a general term for mercury, metal halide and high-pressure sodium lamps. Mercury lamps operate at a relatively high pressure and temperature. Most of the light is produced by radiation from excited mercury vapor. With some mercury lamps, phosphor coatings are used to provide additional light and improve color rendering. Metal halide lamps are high intensity discharge lamps which produce light using radiation from mercury and from halides of metals such as sodium, scandium, indium, and dysprosium. A metal halide lamp may have a phosphor coating. Sodium lamps are high intensity discharge lamps which produce light by electrical discharge through sodium vapor. Similarly, Xenon lamps are HID light sources which produce light by electrical discharge through xenon vapor. Like mercury lamps, sodium lamps and xenon lamps operate at relatively high pressures and temperatures. A flash lamp is an HID lamp for pulsed operation. Flash rate is the number of times per second that flash lamps are designed to fire.

Performance specifications for high intensity discharge lamps include spectral distribution, rated average life, lamp power, initial lumens, mean lumens, color rendering index, and color temperature. Spectral distribution is the wavelength range of the lamp. The rated average life refers to the lamp burning hours to median life expectancy. The lamp power specifies the wattage of the lamp. Initial lumens are the initial light output. Mean lumens is the average lamp output over a designated amount of time, usually 40 to 50 % of rated lamp life. A lumen is the international (SI) unit of luminous flux or quantity of light. The color rendering index is an indication of the ability of the lamp to render object colors in a normal, natural way. Higher numbers indicate better color appearance. Numbers range from 0 to 100. Color temperature is a measure of the visual "warmth" or "coolness" of light from a high intensity discharge lamp. The higher the value, the whiter or "cooler" the light appears. Additional specifications to consider when selecting high intensity discharge lamps include maximum overall length and light center length.

High intensity discharge lamps use many different types of bases: medium, medium skirted, admedium, admedium skirted, mogul, base restricted mogul, position oriented mogul, and recessed single contact. The term "skirted" means that the base flares out at the top. G-12 and PG-12 lamp bases are also available. The medium base is the standard household base for lamps up to about 300 W. Medium bases are also used for a few mercury and sodium lamps under 100 W. Admedium is halfway between a medium based and a mogul screw base. Mogul bases are used for most mercury, metal halide, and sodium lamps. They are also used for incandescent lamps over 300 W. Lamps requiring more than 200 V are more likely to have a mogul (or larger) base instead of a medium base.

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Products & Services Related to High Intensity Discharge Lamps

Fluorescent Lamps

Fluorescent lamps are high-efficiency lamps that use electrical discharge through low-pressure mercury vapor to produce ultraviolet (UV) energy, which is then transformed into visible light.

Halogen Lamps

Halogen lamps are high pressure incandescent lamps containing halogen gases such as iodine or bromine, which allow the filaments to be operated at higher temperatures and higher efficacies.

Heat Lamps

Heat lamps are also known as infrared emitters, infrared bulbs, infrared tubes, or infrared lamps. Heat lamps differ from illuminating lamps in their low filament temperature, resulting in much less light and more infrared radiation.

Incandescent Lamps

Incandescent lamps generate light by passing an electric current through a thin filament wire (usually of tungsten) until the wire is extremely hot.

Lamps, All Types

Lamps are light sources that emit incoherent light for illumination. There are many different types of products. Examples include fluorescent lamps, halogen lamps, heat lamps, incandescent lamps, LED lamps, projection lamps, spectral lamps, and stage lamps. Specialized and proprietary lamps are also available.

Projection Lamps

Projection lamps use a built-in reflector to concentrate light in a particular direction. They are used in applications such as slide projection, microfilm, overhead projection, movies, medical / scientific instruments, airport runways, and others.

Stage Lamps

Stage lamps are used for stage, studio, or television lighting. They are often made of quartz instead of glass to provide higher pressure ratings, higher melting temperatures, and more energy-efficient designs.

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High-intensity discharge lamp - Wikipedia, the free... High-intensity discharge lamps are a type of arc lamp. High-intensity discharge lamp From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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