MICROWAVE-POWERED METAL HALIDE DISCHARGE LIGHTING SYSTEMS

摘要

The development of highly efficient "electrodeless" metal halide discharge lamps, or EHID lamps, has been made possible by advances in microwave technology over the past 10 years. In particular, innovative methods for efficient coupling of microwave power to lamp discharges have resulted in a new class of light sources, referred to as "resonant cavity lamps", or more recently as "plasma lamps". This paper describes recent developments in magnetron technology, used to power the lamps, together with the important physical processes determining the power balance, and hence the efficiency of the discharge itself. The ways in which this technology is applied to obtain improved lighting efficacy and energy savings are discussed, and a case study applied to warehouse lighting is presented, demonstrating the improved luminance achieved by these lamps compared to conventional HID luminaires,.