Nonlinear high-intensity discharge lamp model including a dynamic electrode voltage drop

Based on the physical laws of plasma arc discharge, an accurate nonlinear dynamic high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp model that includes the dynamic electrode voltage drop equation has been developed. The physical model includes the hysteresis effect in the high frequency V-I characteristic caused by the physical process of electrode regions and can predict lamp terminal characteristics accurately over a wide frequency range. The key advantage of the model is that all parameters can be obtained from typical electrical terminal measurements of the HID lamps without using information that is either unavailable from lamp manufacturers or difficult to measure practically. Simulated and measured results have been used to verify the model. The proposed model provides a powerful tool for simulating the electrical behaviour of the HID lamps and thus can be used as a design tool for electronic ballasts for HID lamps.