| abstract |
A metal halide lamp has a ceramic discharge vessel (3) with an inside length L, an inside diameter D, and an aspect ratio L/D of between 3 and 5. The filling includes xenon, mercury, sodium halide, and halides of rare earth metals. Hydrogen iodide voltage spikes during start-up are related to product of volume and the cold xenon pressure, which are adjusted to limit the spikes. Voltage crest factor is related to the product of total operating pressure and the square of the inside diameter, which are adjusted to limit the crest factor. The ceramic discharge metal halide (CDM)lamp may have a power rating of 200 W or more and can be used with an existing ballast for a high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp of like power rating. |