A Model of a Mercury Arc Lamp's Terminal V-I Behavior

A nonlinear dynamic model of the terminal voltagecurrent (V-I) characteristics of a mercury arc lamp operating at various power levels which can be used in the computer design of lamp ballast circuits is described. An experimental and efficient computational procedure is developed which determines the values for six model constants that cause the model to duplicate actual lamp behavior. This model is shown to be accurate within five percent in simulating lamp voltage and current waveforms when operated at frequencies from dc to 30 kHz. An example of a computer design of a high frequency ballast circuit is presented using the lamp model as the dynamic load in the ballast circuit.