Operation and Components
– Ceramic metal halide lamps use a ceramic arc tube instead of a fused quartz arc tube.
– Ceramic arc tubes allow higher arc tube temperatures, resulting in better efficacy, color rendering, and color stability.
– The ceramic tube is filled with mercury, argon, and metal-halide salts.
– Metal halide salts are dissociated into metallic atoms and iodine in the hot plasma.
Efficacy and Performance
– Ceramic metal halide lamps have an efficacy range of 80-117 lm/W.
– They use one fifth of the power of tungsten incandescent light bulbs for the same light output.
– They retain color stability better than most other gas discharge lamps.
– Correctly rated electrical ballasts are required for operation.
– They have a long life of up to 24,000 hours.
Related Information
– List of light sources.
References
– Simpson, Robert S. (2003). Lighting Control Technology and Applications. Focal Press. ISBN 9780240515663.
– Turner, Wayne C.; Doty, Steve (2007-01-01). Energy Management Handbook. The Fairmont Press, Inc. p.376. ISBN 9780881735437.
– Ceramic Metal Halide Lighting Basics – Lumenistics. Lumenistics. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
– Grow Light Guide – Learn to Grow MH HPS LED CMH & More!. Rogue Hydro. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
– Growers Choice. Growers Choice. Retrieved 2016-10-14. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic_metal-halide_lamp
A ceramic metal-halide lamp (CMH), also generically known as a ceramic discharge metal-halide (CDM) lamp, is a type of metal-halide lamp that is 10–20% more efficient than the traditional quartz metal halide and produces a superior color rendition (80-96 CRI).
Applications for these lamps include shop lighting, street lighting, architectural lighting and agricultural lighting including grow lights. A CMH light was first exhibited by the Thorn Lighting Group in 1981 at the Hannover World Light Fair, and the first commercial ceramic metal halide lamps were distributed by Philips in 1994.
The term "Light Emitting Ceramic" (LEC) is sometimes generically used to describe ceramic metal-halide lamps in grow lights in general, though that term is actually the registered trademark of a specific brand of ceramic metal halide light.
