The use of such devices is necessary to start or ignite metal halide gas lamps, as well as sodium-based high-pressure discharge lamps. The principle of operation is usually that the IZU supplies voltage for a short period with a sufficiently high frequency from 2 to 5 kV.
General description of operation
The pulse igniter sends pulses to form an arc in the lamps. This is due to high, up to several kilovolts, voltage. The supply of these pulses occurs until the lamp is successfully ignited. Further, there is absolutely no influence on the work from the IZU. It should be noted the technology for controlling the ignition of the lamp. It is carried out by measuring the strength of the current that flows through the device. Another control option can be to determine the electrical voltage of the lamp at the current time.
Pulse igniterdevice (IZU) can be either parallel type or serial. In accordance with this, it will have either two or three contacts. In the first case, at startup, high voltage goes not only to the target lamp itself, but also to the inductor. This is a significant drawback of this design and can lead to breakdown. In addition, among others, there are semi-parallel BZUs. In them, a high voltage is generated due to the inductance of the inductor.
Key important features
The quality of work as a whole depends on a number of parameters. The pulse lamp igniter has the main features as follows:
- Availability of automatic shutdown. May be needed in situations where the lamps are either out of order, or completely absent.
- Maximum pulse frequencies for output voltage.
- The highest current allowed when starting high pressure discharge lamps.
- The period during which each pulse lasts.
- Voltage at startup.
- Maximum cable length from pulse igniter.
- Phase at which pulse formation occurs.
- The maximum possible number of on-off cycles, that is, a working resource.
Additional explanations of the characteristics
The first remark concerns the highest current that is issued at startgas discharge lamps. In this action, it must always exceed the working one. It is best to look at those impulse, igniting devices in which the highest allowable current is 2, 5 or 3 times higher.
In addition, it is worth explaining the importance of the voltage at the time of starting the IZU. It is recommended that it be smaller than the network one. An example is 198 volts for those networks where the voltage is 220 volts, or 342 volts for networks with a voltage of 380 volts. However, there is another significant limitation. The voltage value should not exceed that during the direct burning of the lamp, that is, 170 and 320 volts for different networks, respectively.
General description of IZU-1M 100/400
Serves such a device for certain purposes. In particular, high quality HPS and DRI lamps are lit by it. The power for the former varies from 100 to 400 watts. For DRI metal halide lamps, this parameter is in the range from 35 to 400 W. The latter are started with an inductive ballast or choke and are connected to an alternating current network with a voltage of 220 volts at a frequency of 50 Hz. The warranty for this device is 1.5 years, which means that the correct functioning of the manufacturer is calculated approximately for this period.
As for the advantages of such a model, there are several of them. First of all, the IZU-1M pulse igniter has two semi-periodic ignitions, which form a quick and reliable start. The conditions for thisallow the start of both cold and hot lamps. It is also worth noting the stability of the operating parameters, which is due to a fixed duration with fluctuations in the supply voltage and an amplitude of 170 to 242 volts. The components themselves are made by the world's leading manufacturers, who are guarantors of quality.
Criteria for choosing IZU for HPS lamps
Many people buy unsuitable products with poor technical characteristics due to the fact that they did not have time to read some tips first. Among such mistakes can be included, for example, one fairly common mistake - the purchase of low or high pressure sodium lamps for completely inappropriate operating conditions. Accordingly, after that, the wrong pulse igniter for HPS is added to them. By the way, this abbreviation stands for gas-discharge arc lamps.
Experts advise today to abandon the IZU with two contacts. The point is that notorious penetration when connecting a gas-discharge lamp. This usually happens when the ballast insulation is simply not designed to handle this voltage. It is for this reason that it is better to abandon the parallel connection in favor of a serial one.
Description of HPS lamps
Previously, such devices were widely used to illuminate roads, but recently they have been replaced by LEDlamps. However, arc discharge lamps still have a number of advantages. Which, in turn, makes pulsed igniters for HPS lamps still more than relevant today. Examples include benefits such as lower equipment cost, similar energy efficiency, all other things being equal, and much greater predictability in terms of operation.
It is worth noting that there are many available ways to connect HPS lamps. However, any of them includes the presence of two mandatory components - a compensating capacitor and an IZU. The connection diagram itself can be viewed on the blocks of the pulse device. It will not be difficult for any specialist to deal with this connection option, since it is quite simple.
Disabling IZU from lamps
It's no secret that prolonged exposure to high frequency has a negative impact on the characteristics of both the devices themselves and the cables. Lamps and lampholders suffer the most from this. Modern pulse igniters have automatic shutdown systems. This is primarily due to the fact that when the lamp is on, the voltage is much lower than that on the network connection. Previously, this problem was not solved in any way, however, in recent years, manufacturers have collectively switched to systems with automatic shutdown of the IZU. This is achieved through the use of special digital integrated circuits located in the device case.
