Lamp DRL 250 - characteristics, features, principle of operation and reviews

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today, to organize the lighting of streets and squares, the most modern light sources are used, which are distinguished by their fairly compact size - DRL 250 lamps, the characteristics of which will be given in this article. We will talk about these unique industrial lighting fixtures in as much detail as possible.

General information

DRL 250 lamps (their characteristics meet all modern international standards) are lamps operating under high internal pressure. The abbreviation stands for "arc mercury phosphor". These luminaires are used where there is no need for high quality color rendering.

Design features

What do DRL 250 lamps consist of? Their characteristics provide for the presence of such constituent main parts:

• Nickel-plated plinth.
• A voltage limiting resistor.
• Molybdenum foils.
• Frames.
• Glass flask (on it, in fact, a luminomorphic coating is applied).
• Lead wire.
• Tungsten coated main electrode.
• Nitrogen, whichacts as the filler of the outer flask.
• Compressed junction of a quartz light source. The quartz burner is the main working element of the lamp.

By the way, the first models of the described lamps had only two electrodes. However, such a device significantly worsened the process of turning on and warming up the lighting point, as a result of which an additional starting element was required called a high-voltage breakdown of the pulsed type of the burner gap. This version of the lamps was very quickly recognized as inefficient and it was replaced with a four-electrode version equipped with a choke, without which the operation of such a lamp is simply physically impossible - it will simply burn out at the moment it is turned on.

How does it work?

The working process of DRL 250 lamps, whose characteristics are ideal for use in industrial premises, boils down to the following points.

After the supply voltage is applied, it bypasses the base and flows to the electrodes, and this, in turn, ensures the occurrence of a glow discharge. As a result, free electrons and positive ions are formed in the flask. After some time, when the number of charge carriers reaches a certain critical point, the glow discharge transforms into an arc discharge. Often, from the moment of switching on to the appearance of a stable arc discharge occurs within one minute. It is worth noting that the distance between the electrodes is very small, because the ionization of gas in this gap proceeds quite easily.

Warm up time

The DRL 250 lamps will burn as much as possible (the characteristics of the devices will be indicated below) start approximately 7-10 minutes after they are put into operation. So much time is required because the mercury in the unheated state, located in the quartz burner, is presented in the form of droplets or a thin layer on the walls of the glass bulb. But after turning on the lamp, a high temperature begins to act on this liquid metal, and this in turn leads to the evaporation of mercury and a gradual improvement in the discharge between the existing electrodes. At the moment when all the mercury is completely converted into a gaseous form, the DRL lamp will start working in its nominal mode.

Features of operation

An important nuance that users should know: after turning off the DRL 250 lamp (characteristics, its luminous flux are given in the table), it will not be possible to turn it on until it has completely cooled down. In addition, the considered lighting device is extremely sensitive to temperature. In this regard, its operation without the presence of an external glass flask is simply physically impossible. This flask performs two essential functions:

• Plays the role of a barrier between the burner and the environment.
• Provides assistance to the phosphor located on its inner walls in converting ultraviolet into a red glow spectrum. Together with the green light emitted from the internal discharge, white light is obtained, which ultimately emits the lamp itself.

Remember that voltage fluctuations in the mains cause a similar fluctuation in the light output of the lamp. The voltage deviation, which is considered acceptable, is considered to be within 10-15% of the nominal. If this indicator is equal to 25-30%, then the lamp will work unevenly. When the voltage drops to 80% of the required, the lamp will either not light up at all, or will go out if it was in operation.

A few words about the throttle

The characteristics of the DRL 250 inductor are such that it is used to limit the current supplying the lamp itself. It should be understood that if you turn it on without a choke, it will burn out instantly, because too much electric current will pass through it. Experts say that a capacitor should also be introduced into the lamp connection circuit, but not of an electrolytic type. Its presence will allow to influence the reactive power, and this, in turn, will lead to energy savings by almost two times.

DRL lamp indicators

Name	Working voltage, V	Power, W	Length, mm	Diameter, mm	Plinth type	Luminous flux, lm	Service life, hours
DRL 125	125	125	178	76	E 27	5900	12000
DRL 250	130	250	228	91	E 40	13500	15000
DRL 400	135	400	292	122	E 40	24000	18000
DRL 700	140	700	357	152	E 40	41000	20000
DRL 1000	145	1000	411	167	E 40	59000	18000

Pros and cons

What is good and what is bad about DRL 250 lamps? The characteristics of their development provide them with the following positive indicators:

• Very high light output compared to other lights.
• No dependence on precipitation.
• An impressive lifespan that could well reach 20,000 hours.
• Emission spectrum is very close to natural light.
• Small custom sizes.

The disadvantages of lamps can be considered:

• Ozone generation during operation.
• Quite a high price (such lamps are 5 to 7 times more expensive than an ordinary incandescent lamp).
• In some cases, tungsten analogues will have smaller dimensions than DRL.
• After several months of operation, the emitted light spectrum changes as the technical characteristics of the phosphor layer change.
• The presence of mercury forces users to dispose of lamps according to a special scheme, separately from other goods, things, products.
• Turning on occurs withsome delay, and it takes several minutes to achieve combustion at full power.
• The light from these lamps is of rather poor quality.
• Very high flicker rate during operation.
• Lamps are best hung at a height of at least four meters.
• Towards the end of its life, the luminous flux of the device is significantly reduced.
• The lamp can only work on alternating current.

Use area

Where are DRL 250 lamps used? Specifications, their price is discussed in the article. Let's also find out where they are most often used.

• Open areas of production facilities, construction sites, warehouses.
• In car tunnels.
• On platforms, parking lots, stops.
• For lighting sidewalks, parks, squares, yards, squares.
• At crosswalks.

As for the premises, lighting fixtures are used in:

• Production shops.
• Agricultural complexes, greenhouses, barns, pigsties.
• Some household premises.

The DRL 250 E40 lamp, the characteristics of which are indicated in the table, is very often used outdoors.

User reviews say that, in general, the lamps in question have proven themselves excellently in practice, but their actual service life is still about 30% lower than that declared by the manufacturers.

Possible problems

If the DRL lamps do not light up, then the following problems are likely:

• There is no voltage in the supply circuit.
• The switch is defective and needs to be repaired or replaced.
• There is no contact between the electrodes and the starter.
• No contact in starter.
• The lamp is defective or completely defective.

The flashing of the lamp (burning of one electrode) indicates a starter malfunction or low voltage in the electrical network.