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

Today, to organize the lighting of streets and squares, they use the most modern light sources, which differ in their rather compact sizes - DRL 250 lamps, the characteristics of which will be given in this article. We will talk about these unique industrial lighting fixtures as much 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 fixtures are used where there is no need for high color rendering quality.

Design Features

What are DRL 250 lamps made of? Their characteristics include the presence of such components of the main parts:

• Nickel plated base.
• A resistor that provides voltage limits.
• Molybdenum foil.
• Framework.
• Glass flasks (on it, in fact, a luminomorphic coating is applied).
• Lead wire.
• The main electrode coated with tungsten.
• Nitrogen, which acts as a filler in the outer flask.
• A compressed junction of a quartz light source. 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 switching on and warming up the lighting point, as a result of which an additional starting element was required called a breakdown of a high voltage of a pulse type of the burner gap. This lamp variant was quickly recognized as ineffective and was replaced by a four-electrode version equipped with a choke, without which the operation of such a lamp is simply physically impossible - it simply burns out when it is turned on.

How it works?

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

After applying the supply voltage, it passes 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 it is turned on until a stable arc discharge occurs, it occurs within one minute. It is worth noting that the distance between the electrodes is very small, because the ionization of the gas in this gap is quite easy.

Warm-up time

It is maximally possible to burn DRL 250 lamps (the characteristics of the devices will be indicated below) begin after about 7-10 minutes from the moment they are put into operation. So much time is required because mercury in an unheated state, located in a quartz burner, is presented in the form of droplets or a thin layer on the walls of a glass flask. 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 available electrodes. At the moment when all the mercury is completely converted into a gaseous form, the DRL lamp will begin to work in its nominal mode.

Operational Features

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 finally cools down. In addition, the light fixture in question is extremely temperature sensitive. In this regard, its work without an external glass bulb is simply physically impossible. This flask performs two essential functions:

• It plays the role of a barrier between the burner and the external environment.
• Provides the phosphor in its internal walls with the conversion of ultraviolet light into a red spectrum. In conjunction with the green color emitted from the internal discharge, white light is obtained , which ultimately emits the lamp itself.

Remember that voltage fluctuations in the power supply network cause a similar fluctuation in the luminous flux of the lamp. The voltage deviation, which is considered permissible, 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 is reduced to 80% of the required, the lamp either will 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 choke are such that with its help they limit the current supplying the lamp itself. It should be understood that if you turn it on without a choke, it will burn instantly, because too much electric current will pass through it. Experts argue that a capacitor should also be introduced into the lamp wiring diagram, but not of an electrolytic type. Its presence will make it possible to affect reactive power, and this in turn will lead to almost double energy savings.

DRL lamp indicators

Advantages and negative qualities

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

• Very high light output in comparison with other lighting devices.
• No dependence on precipitation.
• An impressive period of operation, which may well reach 20 thousand hours.
• The emission spectrum is very close to natural light.
• Small own sizes.

The disadvantages of lamps can be considered:

• The formation of ozone at the time of work.
• Fairly high price (such lamps are 5-7 times more expensive than a conventional incandescent lamp).
• In some cases, tungsten analogues will have smaller dimensions than DRL.
• After several months of operation, the emitted light spectrum changes, since the technical characteristics of the phosphor layer change.
• The presence of mercury makes users dispose of lamps in a special way, separately from other goods, things, products.
• Switching on occurs with a certain delay, and it takes several minutes to achieve combustion at full power.
• The light from such lamps comes in rather poor quality.
• Very high flicker during operation.
• Lamps are best suspended at a height of at least four meters.
• By the end of the operating life, the light flux of the device is significantly reduced.
• Lamp operation is possible exclusively on alternating current.

Scope of use

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

• In open areas of production facilities, on construction sites, warehouses.
• In car tunnels.
• On platforms, parking lots, stops.
• For lighting sidewalks, parks, squares, courtyards, squares.
• At pedestrian crossings.

As for the premises, the lighting devices are used in:

• Production workshops.
• Agricultural complexes, greenhouses, cowsheds, pigsties.
• Some household premises.

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

User reviews say that in general, the lamps in question are excellently proven in practice, however, their real life is still about 30% lower than that declared by the manufacturers.

Possible problems

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

• There is no voltage in the supply circuit.
• The switch is defective and needs repair or replacement.
• There is no contact between the electrodes and the starter.
• There is no contact in the starter.
• The lamp is defective or completely defective.

A blinking lamp (burning of one electrode) indicates a malfunction of the starter or a low voltage in the mains.