Amalgam Lamps

The most advance version of UV lamps for germicidal operation is the amalgam lamps. These lamps are in construction similar the Regular and HO UV lamps with one major difference: mercury in these lamps is present in form of an amalgam and not as pure mercury.

The amalgam chemistry is such that the pressure of mercury is significantly lower and is controlled in a narrow range. The amalgam is present
as one or more spots on the lamp wall. These amalgam spots are bonded to on a circular gold spot coated on the quartz tube.Amalgam lamp diameter could be up to 40 mm with lamp current even higher than 4A.

During lamp operation amalgam warms and remains in a semi-molten condition, yet these lamps could be operated in vertical position. The main advantage of amalgam lamp is in high energy density (watt / cm) which could be as high as ten times the regular UV lamp, without any sacrifice
of the conversion efficacy of electrical power to the UV output. High energy density makes them a perfect choice for very large installations of potable and waste water treatment plants.