RADIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ADDITIVES IN HIGH PRESSURE METAL HALIDE DISCHARGE LAMPS.

INFLUENCE OF DIFFUSION
AND CONVECTION PROCESSES.
B. Debbagh-Zriouil, G. Zissis, J.M. Tauziede, M. Aubes

Centre de Physique Atomique de Toulouse (U.A. 277), Universit Paul Sabatier

Better column rendering and higher luminous efficacy can be TABLE 1 Data and the studied discharges
obtained by adding metal halides (usually iodides) to a high
pressure mercury lamp. But metal halide lamps are complex
high temperature electrical systems: the molecular halide Discharge Tl 2 Tl 5/Tl 9
vapour migrates towards the high temperature central part of
the discharge where dissociation occurs. Metal atoms are Diametre (cm) 2 2
then ionized and excited, thus emitting spectral lines of
interest for lighting purposes. Interelectrode length (cm) 10 10

The electrical and radiative characteristics of the discharge Mercury filling (mg) 50 150
and its luminous efficacy depend strongly on the chemical
composition of the plasma, more particularly, on the Thallium iodide filling (mg) 8.6 3.3
distribution of active metal additives in the discharge. Local
Mean total pressure (bar) 1.72 5.10
thermodynamic equilibrium assumptions cannot account for
all the experimental data: combination of chemical reactions Electrical power (W) 1030 1030
with diffusion and convection processes lead to radial
demixing and axial segregation of additives. Both
phenomena can strongly modify the characteristics of the The local instantaneous values of temperature and neutral
discharge. Furthermore, in spectroscopic diagnostic atom densities (mercury and thallium) are derived from
applications, line intensity and line profile depend, through measurements of the instantaneous and spatial resolved
the radiative transfer, on the distribution of the emitting radiances of non absorbed spectral lines of mercury (577 nm)
species. In this work we have computed the chemical and thallium (655 nm). The measuring system is calibrated
composition, for experimentally determined radial with a tungsten ribbon lamp. More details on the
temperature profiles of several high pressure mercury- experimental arrangement are given by Damelincourt
thallium iodides discharges. (1980).
First, we give the characteristics of the studied discharges Temperature and mercury pressure are determined
and we discuss the spectroscopic measurements and simultaneously by an iterative procedure. Once temperature
equilibrium calculations which yield the radial temperature in known, thallium density can be accurately determined
profile, mercury pressure and, within a first approximation, only in the central part of the discharge. The results are
the distribution of additives. given in table 2. For computation convenience, the
temperature profiles are fitted by an analytical expression
Transport phenomena, diffusion and convection processes,
under the form :
may lead to significant deviations from equilibrium
calculations. In order to take the transport phenomena into
account we have studied the convection velocity distribution
in a high pressure discharge in pure mercury, on the basis of
a simple model. For the diffusion processes we have
[]
T(r) = Tc - (Tc - Tw)
r β
R
(1)

performed calculations of the diffusion coefficients within where the wall temperature Tw is about 1000 K.
the framework of Chapman-Enskog formalism.

Finally, we discuss a numerical modeling of metal halide

discharges taking into account diffusion and convection
effects.

TEMPERATURE AND DENSITY MEASUREMENTS -

EQUILIBRIUM CALCULATIONS

Plasma composition computations have been performed for

the lamps listed in table 1. The discharge is established in a
cylindrical quartz tube. The lamps are operated vertically
with a 50 Hz a.c. voltage regulated power source and an
inductance ballast in series.
 TABLE 2

Discharge Tl 2 Tl 5 Tl 9

Time (ms) 0 5 0 5 0 5

Ptot (bar) 1.75 1.92 5.22 5.24 5.43 5.49

Tc (K) 4902 5897 4617 5277 4736 5368

β 3.63 3.18 4.29 3.11 4.69 3.55

[Hg]/[Tl] 163 159 301 284 463 468

n Tl(0) .1016cm -3 1.32 0.82 2.50 2.00 1.59 1.17

From these experimental values the radial distribution of all

the chemical species can be computed by an equilibrium
modeling. In the calculation we have taken into account
seven neutral atomic or molecular species (Hg, Tl, I, HgI,
TlI, I2, HgI2) and four charged species (e, I-, Hg+, Tl+). The
radial equilibrium composition is obtained by solving a set
of equations (Tauziede, 1986) including:
-Four chemical equilibrium equations
-Three ionization equilibrium equations
-The condition of local charge neutrality
-Dalton’s law for partial pressures

Furthermore, the atomic ratios of iodine to thallium and

thallium to mercury are assumed constant throughout the
discharge tube (Zollweg, 1975).

Data for chemical equilibria are taken from the JANAF tables.
Lowering of ionization energy is taken into account through
Debye’s formula (Drawin, 1965). An example of the
calculated radial equilibrium composition is given in fig. 1.