High Power Discharge Lamps and Their Photochemical Applications: An Evaluation of Pulsed Radiation

Abstract

In the past decades, gas discharge lamps have gained widespread use in industrial applications. Due to their unique design properties concerning spectral, electrical and geometrical features, all types of gas discharge lamps can been found in technical applications. Mercury based lamps are the workhorses in many applications upgraded by their relatives, the metal halide versions. The low and medium pressure mercury lamps are usually used as sources of UV radiation. Low pressure mercury lamps are used extensively for disinfection of drinking water, packing material and air. Medium pressure lamps are applied in printing industry to dry inks and cure adhesives, in waste water treatment plants to reduce the total organic compounds (TOC) and as a competing technology to low pressure versions in germicidal applications. Metal halide doped versions of medium and high pressure mercury lamps open the possibility to adjust spectral output to specific requirements.