A numerical study of the supply mode effects on high-pressure mercury discharge lamp dynamic thermal behavior

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical study of the dynamic behavior of high-pressure mercury discharge lamp as a function of supply mode. Bidimensional time-dependent equations have been solved by using a semi-implicit finite-element code. The model has been developed in the frame of the local thermodynamic equilibrium hypothesis. After validation by using experimental data from the literature, this model was applied to analyze the effects of some key parameters such as frequency for an ac arc current and the ratio cycle parameter for square arc-current wave form on the convective process. The results obtained have been used to analyze the dynamic thermal behavior of high-pressure mercury plasma (pressure equal to 0.3 MPa) working under currents widely different in frequency and wave form.