IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 60

IS YOUR REPUTATION FOR
RELIABLE SERVICE AT RISK?

not regulated, the current would fluctuate. For instance,
a smaller number of lights would allow more current to
flow than was designed for the system. this value was
about 5-8 a per open-series lamp, depending on its make
and model. the details of how this generator regulator
controls the current won't be dealt with here.
the other quantity that must be controlled is the arc
voltage. the wider the gap, the greater the voltage is across
the arc and, conversely, the shorter the gap, the lower the
voltage. holding the arc gap constant, or nearly so, controls this voltage. arc gap voltage is about 6 V in an openseries lamp. again, this value depends on the lamp's make
and model.

©Jerry Liguori

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In a dc constant current lamp, the arc voltage is controlled
by controlling the arc gap. the operation is as follows (see
Figure 5). because this is a series system, when the switch
is closed, the lamp is disconnected from the circuit and
may be removed for service. opening the switch places
the lamp in operation. Current that the system generator is
holding constant then flows through solenoid S1. a magnetic field is established by S1 that produces an upward
force on the top electrode. the electrodes that were closed
begin to open. this S1 force is opposed by the downward
pull of gravity. the field from S1 is tuned so that it just
balances the weight of the electrode at a point where the
arc is the proper length. During normal operation, carbon
is consumed and the arc lengthens. this results in an increased voltage drop across the arc and increases current
through S2. S2 is wound in such a direction as to oppose

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ARC
-

figure 5. The arc lamp control components. (From R.
Barnett, The Historical Technologist. Niagara Falls, ON:
NISH, 1986 p. 35, used with permission.)

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018