Theoretical investigation of the warm-up phase of a high pressure mercury lamp

A two-dimensional fluid model has been used to investigate the thermal and dynamic behavior of a high pressure mercury lamp during the high pressure phase. Among the various important mechanisms present in the arc, natural convection effect plays a pivotal role in determining the qualitative as well as quantitative distribution of the temperature field. By being able to contrast the solutions with and without the convection effect, the exact influence of the convection can be established. Based from the results, it is shown that convection slows the warm-up time.