0%-mercury retrofit HPS
0%-mercury retrofit HPS
It may seem like a brave move: While Osram is hesitant to introduce their low-mercury lamp on the European market, Sylvania Lighting International (SLI) - the two companies are not related -launched a direct-retrofit high-pressure sodium lamp that contains no mercury at all.
According to SLI, the problems associated with previous attempts at producing non-mercury, direct-retrofit HPS lamps have been overcome. They claim that this has been achieved by changing the geometry of the arc tube, introducing Xenon in the fill, and increasing the pressure of the fill.
The lamp has additional benefits as well: its start-up time is about five minutes faster; there is no significant light depreciation, and it has an improved color temperature (from a little more than 2000K to 2200K). In all other respects, the mercury-free lamps are rated to perform as well as the traditional HPS lamps they are meant to replace.
See also:
Mercury: a Broader Perspective (IAEEL 3/93)
Mercury and Lighting: Managing the Problem, IAEEL 3/93)
More on mercury (IAEEL 1/94)
Drastic cut in mercury (on low-mercury HPS lamps; IAEEL 3/94)
New HPS lamp not in Europe (IAEEL 1/95)
Nils Borg