Sulphur Plasma Grow Light Systems (MPS)?

Discussion in 'Lighting' started by helpingyougrow, Aug 30, 2009.

  1. #41 photon, Jul 28, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2011
    Bulletcatcher,

    The spectrum issue is very interesting, you are onto something.

    If this linked information is correct, the extra Green that many of the lights being discussed here generate may actually be why they do provide decent results. Sulpur_Plasma_Lighting_System_by_LG

    It seems that an abundance of green light makes up for a lack of Far Red and Far Blue which allows for more Efficient Plant/Light interception, a fancy way of saying that with a light closer to that of sunlight (ie. a fuller spectrum, with Red-Green-Blue light) the leaves will unfurl fully, open up more, to allow them to most effectively capture the light.

    Maybe, the big green hump in the middle spectrum of sunlight and a some other artificial lights is what makes for healthy growth.

    Good Day!
     
  2. (yes I realize I am digging this thread up, but there is tons of misinformation and incorrect assumptions in here)


    1) all of the well known HID technologies depend on Plasmas. HPS, Xenon, mercury, Argon, MH, etc. all use a plasma of the material that characterizes it.

    a high voltage discharge ionizes some of the material, and an electric current is passed through the material maintaining the plasma. Electrons from the electric current recombine with the ionized plasma, emitting light, and then they are subsequently re-ionized, over and over again, in a "circle" (a current).

    the light emission comes from recombination of electrons from the circuit.

    the electric current would not flow through the bulbs without the existence of an ionized gas (ion = charge carrier), though it should be noted that not all of the atoms/molecules are ionized at the same time

    2) "sulfur plasma" is highly misleading and no one in the industry would refer to it as such.


    3) it is called "sulfur microwave" because the key distinguishing feature of the technology is that it uses microwave/RF to heat a gas of sulfur (also key) to ionize it and begin a process of absorption of RF photons, and emission of visible photons.

    note that sulfur is "key" because gasses of atoms (as opposed to molecules) cannot absorb radio frequency radiation, because that type of radiation only excites rotations. atoms in the gas state do not rotate, nor do they vibrate. they only translate.

    Sulfur exists in a variety of allotropes, but monomers/atoms are not one of them unless things are incredibly hot. Thus Sulfur is key because, as a molecular gas, it can be heated with an RF source


    4) Metal halides are used to slightly shift the frequency of the emission of a sulfur microwave lamp. This has been done for well over a decade since the technology was brand new, and it says so in the Wikipedia entry (and it has since at least 2007)

    "The addition of other chemicals in the bulb might improve color rendition. Sulfur lamp bulbs with calcium bromide (CaBr2) added produce a similar spectrum plus a spike in red wavelengths at 625 nm.[4] Other additives such as lithium iodide (LiI) and sodium iodide (NaI) can be used to modify the output spectra.[5][6][7]"

    calcum, lithium, and sodium are metals. the bromine and iodine are halides.

    metal halides


    5) Luxim has not done any notable innovation in the technology of the actual operational principle. Their only real patents apply to the development of a solid state Radio Frequency source, as compared with the mechanical magnetron (just like in your microwave oven, but designed for a different frequency) used in other devices.

    thats it. no change in the bulb or the material.


    they even show the use of metal halides in their little animation, in which the bulb is filled with blue balls and grey squares. The blue balls are S2 molecules (sulfur dimers) and the metal squares are chunks of metal halide.
     

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