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Homemade sodium lamp Here's a relatively easy way to get some sodium light: place an electrode in a glass tube above a glass full of brine, apply high-voltage power. Electrolysis at the discharge-water interface pulls aqueous sodium into the gas phase, where it diffuses in the plasma, resulting in the element's characteristic yellow-orange color. Keywords: Lamps

Homemade sodium lamp


Here's a relatively easy way to get some sodium light: place an electrode in a glass tube above a glass full of brine, apply high-voltage power. Electrolysis at the discharge-water interface pulls aqueous sodium into the gas phase, where it diffuses in the plasma, resulting in the element's characteristic yellow-orange color.
Mmedp.jpg _IMG2041.jpg _IMG1977m.jpg EWJona_10S50_red.jpg argon_iodine1.JPG
Lamp/Fixture Information
Manufacturer:Me
File information
Filename:_IMG1977m.jpg
Album name:Max / Misc lamps and lighting
Keywords:Lamps
Filesize:384 KiB
Date added:Dec 14, 2024
Dimensions:800 x 1200 pixels
Displayed:13 times
URL:https://trad-lighting.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=609
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Comment 1 to 3 of 3
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Tuopeek   [Dec 14, 2024 at 08:00 PM]
Interesting result Max, as this is at atmospheric pressure I might have though it would be more like a high-pressure sodium lamp.
Ria   [Dec 14, 2024 at 10:02 PM]
Fascinating; what is the voltage used..?
Max   [Dec 19, 2024 at 11:52 PM]
It needs about 20+ kV to start, and runs at around 2 kV for a dissipated power of about 100 W.

Tuopeek - This is operating at high (atmospheric) pressure indeed, but the color is closer to that of a low-pressure sodium lamp because 1/ there is no broadening of the Na D lines by mercury or xenon - the arc is simply burning in air and sodium vapor, the pressure of the latter being in the mbar range by my estimate - and 2/ sodium is immediately oxidized around the hot plasma, which precludes any strong self-absorption of the element's resonant radiation.

Comment 1 to 3 of 3
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