What is the difference between sodium and mercury vapor lamp?

What is the difference between sodium and mercury vapor lamp?

Answer: The light in Sodium Vapour lamp is from an atomic emission process whereas in Mercury Vapour Lamp it is, finally, from fluorescence emission. The mechanism of light emission in a sodium vapour lamp is simple and straight-forward.

How can you tell if a streetlight is a sodium vapor lamp?

The discharge tube may be linear (SLI lamp) or U-shaped. When the lamp is first started, it emits a dim red/pink light to warm the sodium metal; within a few minutes as the sodium metal vaporizes, the emission becomes the common bright yellow.

Are mercury vapor and high pressure sodium interchangeable?

Incandescent and mercury vapor lamps in exterior locations should be replaced with metal halide, high-pressure sodium and/or low-pressure sodium lamps.

What are the advantages of sodium Vapour lamp?

Advantages. Most energy efficient light source commercially available, with an efficacy of 100 to 185 lumens per watt. Lamps have average life in the 14,000 to 18,000 hour range and have excellent lumen maintenance (very little reduction in lumen output over life of lamp).

Do high pressure sodium lights use a lot of electricity?

High pressure sodium fixtures are not as energy efficiency as LEDs. In fact, LED bulbs use between 40-75% less electricity than a HPS fixture.

Can I replace a sodium bulb with LED?

High pressure sodium bulbs (“lamps”) are an old standby for lighting that’s still used today in spite of so much talk of LED lights. LEDs, however, are better able to control their light, which is why a lower-watt LED can replace a higher-watt high pressure sodium bulb.

How long does a mercury vapor bulb last?

24,000 hours
When used with the correct ballast and properly maintained, a mercury vapor lamp has a long service life. The average life expectancy is more than 24,000 hours, or nearly three years of continuous use.

What is the difference between mercury vapor and high pressure sodium?

High pressure sodium produces a more neutral white light. Mercury vapor bulbs produce light with a distinct blue tint to it. In many countries, including the USA, mercury lighting is being phased out in favor of the more efficient types of HID bulbs.

Can you use metal halide bulbs in a high pressure sodium fixture?

Both Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs are part of the HID family of bulbs. These bulbs cannot be interchanged without changing their ballast, the regulating element in all light bulbs.

Which is better hid or mercury vapor lamp?

The mercury arc produces a bluish light that renders colors poorly. Therefore, most mercury vapor lamps have a phosphor coating that alters the color temperature and improves color rendering to some extent. Other HID types that offer higher LPW and better color properties have largely superceded the use of this lamp.

How long does a sodium vapor lamp last?

Mercury and sodium vapors in the ceramic arc tube produce a yellow/orange light with extremely high LPW performance and exceptionally long service life (up to 40,000 hours). High-pressure sodium lamps render colors poorly, which tends to limit their use to outdoor and industrial applications where high efficacy and long life are priorities.

Which is the best type of sodium lamp?

Sodium Lamps: High-pressure sodium sources were developed primarily for their energy efficiency. Mercury and sodium vapors in the ceramic arc tube produce a yellow/orange light with extremely high LPW performance and exceptionally long service life (up to 40,000 hours).