Mercury lamps use vaporized mercury and an electric arc to produce light, usually in an outer lamp that is coated with phosphor. The phosphor coating helps to offset the bluish-green tint created from the mercury vapor, which can be an unflattering light in public places. The phosphor coating helps to emit a white light which is pleasing in public settings such as overhead lighting in large venues and arenas.
LightSources and LightTech Develop Powerful Mercury Lamps
Mercury lamps are proven more energy efficient that fluorescent and incandescent lighting, with long lasting lamp life. LightSources and our strategic European Partner, LightTech, have developed proprietary low-pressure mercury lamps (LP Hg lamp), providing highly effective and efficient ultraviolet energy in a short wavelength. Our LP Hg lamps convert 40% of electrical energy into effective UVC radiation used in several germicidal applications.
Proprietary Long-Life™ Technology
LightSources and LightTech extend the life of our already efficient mercury lamps with a Long-Life technology coating application, extending operating life and realizing up to 80% end-of-life UVC output. These specialty mercury lamps do not lose their effectiveness even towards the end of the operating useful life.
Various Models of Mercury Lamps
LightSources offers various solutions to customers using innovative technologies. Our low-pressure mercury lamps include quartz and soft glass, ozone generating or ozone free lamps, high output or standard output, low-pressure amalgam lamps and specialty lamps developed specific to your custom product. Our highly skilled engineers work closely with OEMs large and small to develop proprietary lamp applications improving performance and brand awareness. Whether used for germicidal purposes in water or air, ultraviolet (UV) curing processes, medicinal disinfecting purposes, health benefits for skin or mood, or even proprietary tanning lamps, LightSources offers high performance lamp products providing cost-effective solutions.
Quartz Glass and Soft Glass Lamp Products
As the name implies, soft glass is softer than quartz, with quartz providing some added strength against breakage. Quartz is also more resistant to solarization. Solarization is a phenomenon that occurs when optical components are exposed to UV radiation which alters their ability to transmit UV light. Manufacturers of UV light must understand how solarization affects various lamps and components which include the outer glass, phosphor coatings and the filters. The LightSources Group employs technical design engineers knowledgeable in all aspects of UV radiation, conducting continual research and development resulting in several patented and proprietary products.
Soft Glass
Our soft glass low-pressure mercury lamps can operate on lower currents between 180-425mA, with germicidal efficiency of 30%. Our soft glass lamps are ozone free and available in either standard output or high output.
Quartz
The LightSources Group designs quartz glass lamps that are available in either ozone generating or ozone free solutions, and emit highly effective UVC radiation at 253.7nm. Available in either standard or high output, these mercury vapor lamps offer a variety of germicidal solutions.
Ozone Generating Lamps
Ozone (O3) is an unstable form of oxygen with one extra oxygen atom instead of the 2 atoms as in the atmosphere we breathe (O2). The third extra oxygen atom is loosely bonded and is the key to ozone’s effective oxidizing power, eliminating contaminants more effectively than chlorination. Ozone is a powerful disinfectant, destroying viruses, bacteria, microbial organisms and even eliminating odors. LightSources offers two varieties of ozone-generating lamps in High Output (“H”), and Very High output (“VH”).
Ozone Free Lamps
Ozone free lamps use a wavelength of an effective 254nm, which can also be used for ozone destruction. Our ozone free lamps are designed with doped quartz glass.
Standard Output Mercury Vapor Lamps
LightSources offers a low-pressure UVC mercury lamp in both standard and high-output models. Each lamp has a ‘cold spot’ where drops of mercury accumulate, and are then heated to the optimum temperature to produce maximum UVC output.
High-Output Mercury Lamps
High-output mercury lamps operate at a higher electrical wattage than the standard output, 600-800mA vs 425mA, and carry higher electrical loads. Our high-output (HO) mercury lamps use filaments that yield up to two-thirds more UVC output with cold spot technology. The area on the lamp wall with the lowest temperature is the cold spot where mercury condenses. Cold spot technology refers to the condensation of mercury on this area, while the temperature is the defining factor for the level of pressure emitted by the mercury vapor directly impacting the luminous flux, which is the measurement of the energy of light emitted in all directions per second, referred to as lumens. Standard UVC mercury lamps are used in applications where the exposure time can be longer with low flow rates, while HO UVC mercury lamps are ideal in situations requiring higher flow rates.
Low-Pressure Amalgam Lamps
Amalgam technology enhances the UVC output of standard fluorescent lighting. The performance of fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) are greatly affected by high temperatures which deteriorate light and color output as the mercury vapor pressure depends upon temperature. Amalgam lamps control the mercury vapor pressure with amalgam pellet technology rather than cold spot technology. The amalgam method yields up to three times the UVC output, ideal in germicidal applications requiring a wider range of temperatures, although they take longer to warm up than standard fluorescent lighting to reach their maximum light output. LightSources offers various amalgam lamp technologies for a multitude of lighting applications including UVC germicidal purposes.
Specialty Custom Lamps
The LightSources Group offers standard, custom and specialty lighting solutions for any OEM lighting or germicidal application, including specialty lamps such as Quartz U-Lamps, Compact Lamps, Soft Glass Compact and Quartz Germipak Cell Lamps. Our skilled engineers will custom design and match proprietary bulbs to your equipment and application.
The LightSources Group is a leading global manufacturer of lighting solutions used in a multitude of applications in several different industries. We assist OEMs worldwide with high performance, long lasting patented and proprietary lamps used in various UV technologies. Contact us today to speak with one of our lighting experts for proven UV solutions in all fluorescent, UV, UVC and low-pressure mercury lamps.
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