Abstract
We have investigated factors affecting the short arc lamp characteristics using a unified numerical model bychanging filling gas species (Xe, Kr and Ar). The influence of the arc voltage, temperature and flow field, radiative efficiency and gas convective pattern and also the blackening location was examined. The arc voltage, temperature and flow field were found to be affected by the gasspecies. The thermodynamic and transport properties were in turn found to affect the radiative efficiency and gas convective pattern, and were thus finally reflected in the location of blackening position. This indicates that the light intensity and life time of the short arc lamp can be controlled by optimizing a mixture composition taking into account the arc characteristics such as arc volume, temperature, velocity and heat road to the electrodes. For example, mixing of Xe, which has a larger arc volume and a smaller heat load on the electrode, with Kr or Ar is suggested to lead to a higher arc temperature and gas velocity.
