Saturday, May 14, 2011

Xenon Lighting: Electrifying

By Darren Orem


The elemental xenon, which is basically the ingredient of xenon lights, is a very useful but dangerous substance. It is dangerous when it is mixed together with some certain oxide compounds. As a member of the noble gas group of the Periodic Table of the Elements, it is colorless and odorless, and its trace can be found naturally in the atmosphere of this beloved earth.

Its primary function nowadays is for lighting applications, such as its use in headlamps for cars in its chambers, usually referred to as a gas-discharge burner. It is well known for its ability in producing greater amount of light compared to the standard tungsten or tungsten-halogen headlamps.

Xenon headlamps are also known as "Automotive HID Lamps." HID stands for "high intensity discharge and that is exactly the kind of output that this gas has. In these HID lamps, metal halide lamps contain xenon gas. These appliances have the inherent advantage of being able to have more flexibility with size of the lamp. For instance, there is a minimum size for tungsten halogen headlamps to produce a certain beam pattern and strength that are improved upon in the other structures. Because of the increased light output, automotive HID lamps can be made smaller while still producing comparable beam strength. They can also be made larger than typical tungsten lamps in which case a heartier beam pattern is a characteristic.

As electrical power passes through it, light is immediately produced. However, this light is not incredibly bright; the instant gratification is useful in many different possible scenarios. In addition, as time passes on and the influx of energy becomes more consistent, the power of the light discharged grows as well, balancing quantity and quality in an extremely useful symbiotic relationship.

Using the same gas used street lamps like argon or any other noble gas in this process will definitely delay the warming up time for the light, unlike the xenon light that does it in a short time with the same level of energy.

The light produced by xenon bulbs emitted a characteristic and definitive bluish tint, if compared to other artificial light outputs. It can be applied also within the strobe lights used in the clubs or discos. In the 1930s, this technology in strobe light using xenon was explored for the purpose of high speed photo-shoots by an engineer named Herold Edgerton, which is still applied today.

It is clear now that xenon lighting is extremely effective and practical. It is not going anywhere but advancing forward in the mainstream use and it is here to stay.




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